While I was visiting for Christmas, my mom suggested I finally clean out a drawer of old pen pal letters in their basement. Many are from Phillip, a guy I befriended on a Hawaiian cruise ship at age 14 over a shared love of Reality Bites. The next year we bonded further over TV’s My So-Called Life because I WAS Angela Chase (bookish but alt with a weakness for guitar playing bad boys) and Phillip WAS Ricky Vasquez (not yet entirely realized gay teen).  Digging through these letters, I just found this MSCL homage, probably made on the occasion of the short-lived series’ cancellation.  Lovingly created in Paint (?), it lists all the key cast members and parts with the salutation “Smashing Pumpkins.”  Ah 1995.

It just so happens that today is Phillip’s birthday, so what better time to share this little treasure and thank Phillip for being the best pen pal EVER!