Thanks to facebook, I have recently found (or been found by) friends from way, way back.  Most notably, three of my comrads in crime - circa the early 80's - and the ride down memory lane has been classic since.

My BFF Karen and I found Deb and Tracey at some bar in Connecticut - somehow avoiding a jealous scuffle over a 'colorful' band of gents we were obsessed with at the time. The obsession noted was a New Haven - based band called 'The Crayons.'

Five grown men (years older than us which they later pointed out - 'Hey, 19. Now we can't dance together, now we can't talk it over...) clad in primary, crayon-colored spandex are actually what brought us together.  From there, the self-monikered "Hit Squad," aptly named after one of the band's original singles by the same name, went along for the ride (whether those guys liked it or not) for several years.

While the four of us were famous - or infamous as it were - and known by name in practically every watering hole in the Northeast from New York to Montreal, we weren't the true groupies we were often labled.  Aside from a group shower incident at a Misquamicut Beach (Rhode Island) dive hotel - which we learned later may have caused quite the flood in the bar below - sex was rarely a factor.

Our recognition (I hesitate to say popularity since our constant presence pissed many, many people off) made us prime targets for strong dislike from women and men alike.  The women because they thought we were stealing glances from the 'rock stars' and the men when we wouldn't dance with them.

Our entire social life revolved around plans to confirm transportation (high-jacking parents cars and travelling very long distances against all rules) and plotting elaborate situations to explain breaking curfew again.  We had fake ID's, access to illegal alcohol and drugs and enough money to clad ourselves in outrageous 80's outfits that involved leather, lots of zippers and endless cans of Aquanet!  Thousands of dollars were spent in these areas as well as gas and hotel rooms - enough to put future children through college - all in the name of Rock and Roll!

Drunkeness ensued nightly and fights often (I wonder now how we didn't end up dead), but the result was a crazy, happy, memory-filled rollercoaster ride that I wouldn't change one second of. II could write volumes about those times (Deb and I wrote volumes at those times) but most wouldn't get it.  And that's okay, 'cause it was about us, Howard, Bobby, Phil, Skip, Spenn, Steve and Scott.  The Crayons' music was the soundtrack of our lives at the time.

We're much older now (the guys are way old - payback for their constant taunting), some of us have children, some married, some divorced and some still single.  What we share are those amazing memories and I cherish each and every one.

So look out, we're STILL on 'The Hit Squad!'