Up Past My Bedtime with Elton John

When we were kids, my sisters and I were contentious little goobers who would bicker with each other over inconsequential things (often Barbie-related), then get sent off to time-out in separate rooms until we could be peaceful again. While we were fighting we couldn't stand each other, but the instant we were separated for time-out, an odd thing would happen.

I'll get to the odd thing in a moment. First, a bit of background on the architectural quirks of the house where I spent my early childhood:

It was a squatty adobe built sometime pre-1900's. Up in the attic, two tiny bedrooms with ~4' ceilings had been framed out. Along the lowest wall, there was an unlit, dusty, mousy crawlspace connecting the two bedrooms for anyone brave enough to make the journey across the exposed rafters.

Now back to the odd phenomenon:

As soon as we were separated--Janene or Bonnie to one attic bedroom, and me to the other--we'd suddenly feel like best friends again, and it would seem like a wonderful idea to crawl through that dark, dirty, decrepit attic space in order to secretly hang out with each other during time-out. Under no other circumstances did that crawlspace hold any appeal. Under no other circumstances did we like each other that much.

I wonder why everyday stuff is so much more appealing when it's off limits? Why would a simple change of circumstance make something mundane or frankly unpleasant become fun?

If I knew the answer to that, I'd also know why it was so delightful to get up at midnight to bicycle 18 miles through random parts of St Louis as part of the Moonlight Ramble last night (http://www.moonlightramble.com/).

Biking = Normal activity

Midnight = Rather be sleeping than riding a bike

Soulard district = Yikes! Not exactly safe at night.

But somehow, when you bring all those components together with all the roads closed to car traffic, and 10,000 other people on bicycles, it's a dang good time.

...especially when we found out that Dave's black shirt lights up like an Elton John stage costume whenever a camera flash goes off.

He's a Rocket Man.

...It kind of puts my rumply T-shirt to shame.