For Christina and Studley....

Yesterday was so much fun! First, I was on for hospitality at church, which I actually love, bringing food for coffee hour after church and you get to use your pretty servingware! Anyway after church I met Joan and Christina and Andrew, and of course CHASE! at Tubby's on the river for lunch. It was such a beautiful day, great breezes and no humidity. I had fried oysters, and malt vinegar with a side of fries.
Being pathetically alone, I also showed up for dinner, crashing the Malley Get-Down once again. Ok I was actually invited. But we had such a great dinner, Korean style steaks, whipped potatoes and broccoli. The broccoli and potatoes were so good I'm considering breaking into their house this morning to eat the rest out of Tupperware.

Now you should know, Christina is absolutely hilarious. If you haven't been reading her blog you won't know that. But she is and she cracks me up to the point that I'm on the verge of "waking the baby!" So somehow the topic turned to high school and we were discussing everything we got away with and how times were more simple and innocent. And that's when the conversation turned to PJ Studley.

PJ Studley was a year ahead of me in high school, and like everyone else in the school I partly adored him/ feared him. Looking back this may have been attributed to his crazy quick temper having something to do with the baseball team and steroids... ANYWAY.
PJ got in major trouble at the prom, I can't even remember what it was but as a result he was not allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies. So he took retaliation on the school in the only way he knew how.
It rained that year and graduation was held in the field house instead of the football field. My friends and I are in the balcony, the whole place is packed. Graduation begins, a few speeches get made and in walks PJ Studley.
TIME OUT- PJ and the rest of the baseball team were obsessed with John Cougar Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen. I'm not kidding. They made Happy Birthday Cougar t-shirts and WORE THEM. They also made a yearly pilgrimage to Seymour, Indiana to pay tribute (and I'm sure get wasted in corn bars.) Well PJ liked Mellencamp - LOVED Bruce.
TIME IN
In walks PJ Studley, wearing jeans, a white t-shirt and a red bandana around his head. The school administration expected PJ to pull something so they had people at the doors to stop him, so he had climbed through a window in the training room to get in. With a boombox.
PJ in his Bruce get up and boombox strides right up the center aisle and walks to the stage, he puts down the boombox and hits play. (the year is 1997 and PJ is a bit retro so of course it's a tape)
PJ will proceed to do the greatest live performance/singalong to Born to Run EVER. He's singing at the top of his lungs, he jumps up on the stage. He's amped. (remember-roids.) The song ends, he rips off his bandana throws it into the crowd, grabs his boombox and walks off. The crowd erupts. PJ is given a standing ovation. The principal claps. Screaming and cheering continues. PJ is made legend.
***UPDATED- I just found out that PJ has been ringing the bell for the Salvation Army ever since as The Rock and Roll Santa.

I cannot even imagine what would happen nowadays.

If you're ever lucky enough to be back home at Duke O'Brien's on karaoke night, and PJ is feeling up to it and you buy him enough liquor you can usually get him to reenact the whole thing. You won't be disappointed.

Me at karaoke prt 2