Love and Green Day

Years ago (1995?) I saw Green Day in concert at a tiny club called The Mason Jar. It was right before they got big. In fact, 3 or 4 months later they were playing to a crowd of thousands at the Arizona State Fair. But that day there were only about 50 or so people there. I remember Ian pointing over at the bar, where Billy Joe was getting a drink. We dared each other to ask for his autograph, but neither of us wanted to be uncool enough to do it (why didn't we do it?!!). I think Kim and Elise were there too, but I don't remember much else about that concert - even though Green Day was one of my favorite bands at the time.

That night when Ian and I drove back to my house we sat in my car and talked. And then I remember blurting out, "I love you!" Ian looked at me, startled. Like, "Where the heck did that come from?" I'm pretty sure he'd never heard that from a girl before.

"What?" he asked.

"What?" I replied.

"Did you mean 'olive juice'?" he asked.

That was a little game we used to play. We'd mouth "olive juice" to each other jokingly...get it?

"Of course that's what I said, what did you think I said?"

"Never mind."

Running this week, listening to "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield" by Green Day I thought about that day. How I inadvertently admitted to Ian (and to myself) that I was in love.

And how it's still true today.