too school for cool

ben "ladies man" pringle

jeremy "the stud" burgan

ry "party animal" sarmiento

bethany "the babe" toews


there is something so life affirming about yearbook pictures. it's like the first time you see someone cry, how can your heart not melt? a new bond is formed over the exchange of vulnerability. I don't care how much coolness one achieves over the course of their life, we ALL had an awkward phase (some lasting longer than others).

I remember when by some divine intervention I became "cool". 12-years-old and clueless-as-could-be, the first day of 7th grade ushered in a new group of friends -- the "cool" kids. what was I to know of this thing called cool? over the summer I decided to stop perming my hair and shed my splatter painted glasses in exchange for highly coveted contacts. and you should also know that my permed head donning over-sized glasses had sang its heart out at the talent show the last day of 6th grade. apparently my rendition of "the greatest love" made for a small fan base. all those things combined and before I knew it, I was catapulted from the safe terrain of the invisible nerd to the tumultuous life of a popular girl. truth be told, being popular consisted mostly of girls hating me and guys trying to feel me in places that weren't ready. so... I had to create my own brand of fame. I was still friends with the geeks and the freaks and handpicked the finer folks from the in crowd. in the end I learned a lot about being myself and accepting the consequence, and ultimately, the rewards of doing so.

why am I telling you all this? well my friends, I am telling you this because my band - Yearbook Pictures - recently collected our own yearbook pictures and shared them with each other. we had so much fun doing so that we decided to spread the fun with all of you wonderful peeps out there in cyberspace. we are currently asking for submissions of everyone's awkward pics. if you have a facebook page, why not become a fan and submit your own masterpiece. so far it's been a highly enjoyable exchange.