I think it was Frank Zappa who said(to the effect): our civilization will not end from war or famine or pestilence, but it will end by Nostalgia. Death by nostalgia whereupon society strangles itself in ever shrinking cycles of yearning. The time between the event and the nostalgia for the event is getting smaller. Soon all will grind to a halt and we will not be able to take another step forward due to our nostalgia for the step just taken. It's true I have a tendency to think that the parties and social gatherings today cannot hold a candle to those of 10-15 years past, or even those of a few years ago -- Am nostalgic for the summer days when M, JT and I would crash the parties at the Yale boathouse. Arriving by Whaler, shoeless, open-shirted, with bronze skin and salt water afros. And the the preppy jacket-n-tie Yalies were happy to see us because we could dance and sing and play, and because we brought large amounts of Ivy-League-level dope which we shared freely. Perhaps they only tolerated us because JT was 6'5"(7' with hair), totally ripped and quite intimidating looking especially if you didn't know the truth that he was just a harmless flower power hippy. Highlights include stealing away the giggly and finely appointed coeds(who all seemed to share a fantasy involving being shanghaied by a motley band of hairy berzerkers) for sprinting boat rides around the islands. They'd be struggling to keep their hair in place while we'd purposely steer our boat straight into the waves, soaking everyone with spray. Drop anchor for some extemporaneous moonlight skinny dipping and grass smoking in the hidden cove that Captain Kidd is said to have used to conceal his ship. When we returned our lady-friends to the party they looked like they were with us. And back then no one ever thought to take pictures or anything because we knew it would always be like this, just as certain as it is today that it will never be the same. (Also, we probably didn't take any pictures due to the fact that nearly everything we did involved some kind of incriminating criminal activity.)