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This is a topic from the The Noble Arts: literature, stage, and related topic on the inthe00s, and it can still receive new replies.
The Noble Arts: literature, stage, and related 2006 Archive: (December) (November) (October) (September) (August) (July) (June)
Subject: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: KKay on 06/28/06 at 2:24 pm
Share some information about your favorite subject...you! (or your favorite 00s-er)
Where you've been and where you're going..or perhaps just your educational or work history, or some fun or interesting time in your life- inquiring minds want to know!
(I"m off to write mine...)
Subject: Member Autobiographies/Bios
Written By: HawkTheSlayer on 06/29/06 at 3:05 am
Hawk, The Slayer
REAL NAME: Revealed @ A Later Date, To Avoid Restraining Orders & Tax Papers :D
BIRTHDAY: July 14, 1975
DEATH DATE: Not Yet
BIRTHPLACE: Woodbridge, VA., USA
-Born with the most severe case of bilateral Talipes (club foot) ever seen in the U.S., to date. Has documented proof of this. Has had @ least 25 surgieries on both feet (as far as he can remember), so that he can walk. Although this will eventually put him into a wheelchair, he has not let himself be defeated by his condition.
-Married in May, 2002. Has one child (5 yr. old daughter).
-Graduated from Sparks HS, Class of 1993.
-Some college education, but discovered college structure to be "too rigid" for him.
-Musical vocalist w/28 yrs. experience. Started @ age 3, w/mother onstage. Mother was the top Lookalike Entertainer for 14 yrs. She was among the very first to pioneer the "Tribute" show to someone who wasn't dead. (Dolly Parton)
-Performed w/"Skyfire" Professional Show Choir, in HS. Choir was ranked 2nd nationally (behind BYU), 5th in the world (when competing in Vienna, Austria).
-Has performed in at least 10 states, and 3 countries: France, Switzerland, The Bahamas
-Performed @ The Bahamas's 500th Anniversary of Columbus's Landing.
-Has performed @ Walt Disney World, for "Magic Music Days".
-Performed in Paris, on July 14- Bastille Day (France's Nat'l. Holiday, & his birthday). Doesn't remember what happened 1/2 of the night.
-Performed in Sacramento's Annual "Best Of Broadway" 3 times: 1993, 1994, 1996
-Recently competed on the pilot show, "So You Want To Be A Star". Was one of 45 contestants who made it to the show. Was later offered a job as a voiceover artist. Still considering.
-Was once told by The Tubes that he is to be included on the next album they record. This occurred on Dec. 27, 2003, when he met the band face-to-face, and re-qcquainted himself with lead vocalist Fee Waybill, with whom he had been communicating for 2 yrs. prior.
-Currently runs his own home-based entertainment business- MIDNIGHT ROCKER PRODUCTIONS.
-Favorite Color: Smoke Gray
-Favorite Animal: Frog
-Favorite Sports: Wrestling, Fencing, Winter Olympics
-Favorite Musicians: Peter Gabriel, The Tubes, Joan Jett, The Who, Stakka Bo, Ozzy Osbourne
-Favorite Actors: Roddy Piper, Christopher Lee, Anthony Hopkins, Nicol Williamson, Kurt Russell, Tony Perkins
-Favorite Actresses: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joan Jett, Geena Davis, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn
-Favorite Ethnic Foods (In Order): Greek, Creole, Chinese, Eastern Indian, Italian
-Favorite TV Show: Doctor Who/Nero Wolfe (tie)
-Favorite Authors: R. Zelazny, B. Herbert, R. Stout, Tolkien, D. McKiernan, T.S Eliot, H.P. Lovecraft
-Favorite Classic Book: The Canterbury Tales (Chaucer)
-Favorite Time Periods (In Order): The Dark Ages, The 1980s, The Middle Ages, The Industrial Age
-Favorite Comedians: R. Dangerfield, E. Philips, B. Cosby, R. Rudner, D. Madison, D. Wolffberg
Miscellaneous Facts
-Is a Progressive, politically (far left, or Radical)
-Is a non-denimational Christian, religiously
-Cat lover, although has dreamed about owning a Boxer
-Dream car is a 1968 Shelby Cobra, painted smoke-gray
-Considered a very talented singer by most anyone who hears him (Opinion registered from others, NOT himself)
-Doesn't consider himself "an attractive man, although I'm not Elephant Man ugly."
-Tries very hard not to have an ego, as he considers egos to "be the thing that replaces self-confidence, which in turn destroys the talent, and the potential"
-Suffers from BiPolar II Disorder
-Is an amateur historian
-Is a member of the SCA, RHPS Organization, The Wolfe Pack, and is currently waiting on acceptance into the Epicurean Society
-Has met or performed with the following people: Little Jimmy Dickens, Mickey Gilley, Kenny Price, Hank Williams Jr., The Tubes, Eddie Money, Gary Wright, Steve Winwood & Traffic
-Is alektorophobic
-Suffers from OCD and Co-Dependancy
-Loves exotic fruits (kiwi, mangosteen, Mandarin oranges, Asian pears, and passionfruit, for example)
-Is currently putting together a band, to perform both '80s covers, as well as original material
Published Quote: "If all the world's a stage, & all the actors merely players, then who keeps changing the script?"
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: KKay on 06/29/06 at 10:02 am
OK.
I was the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz in 3rd grade; to this day I'm the one you miss "most of all!" Growing up in the shadow of the Outerbridge Crossing offered one great places to play including the cliffs (where my cousin pushed me and wrecked my legs), the beach (where my dad got a rail tie spike through his foot and Terry biult a raft and sailed away and us other 10-year-olds had to swim out and get her), and the train tracks. The sunny town, located at the southern most tip of New York State, was at times a portrait of the American stereotype- and at other times a David Lynch-ian nightmare, complete with midgets, angry Vietnam amputees, drunkards, gamblers and bikers. As I recall it it was eternally October, always Halloween-like. Tottenville is a small town. I went to PS 1. I walked to school.
From PS 1 and loving the Monkees to IS 34 and loving Star Wars to High School and loving The Clash. Involved in drama and art throughout, getting good grades in language classes, science and humanities. Our high school required us to choose a 3-year area of focus so I took Earth Science courses and signed up for a two-hour Humanities class junior and senior years. That paid off - I got to go on a class trip to Greece the last year of school. I played Marty in our production of Grease, wrote lyrics and was choral director and acted in three "Sing" productions (Sing is a big event in our schools where the students write a musical and compete for best show). I left with the school's award for Drama in 1983.
Was accepted to the New York State School of Environmental Science, hoping to spend a lifetime in an Adirondak firetower. A last-minute change had me as a Theater major at a different school instead. After the first year of non-stop dancing and singing, I was assigned to run audio for a show (we had to put in our tech time, too). After that, it was almost all I did. I was a Stage Manager or the Audio Engineer for the remainder of my time in college (well, I still had on-stage appearances. Sometimes I had a role and ran sound at the same time!). At graduation I got an award for "Outstanding Contributions to the College Theater". That was nice! I interned on Broadway and immediately left for a life on the bus as a touring engineer for road shows. I have been to every US contiguous state, and some of Mexico and Canada via custom bus. Shows I have seen more than 400 times are: 42nd Street; Music Man: Once on this Island; The Buddy Holly Story; A Chorus Line I became a designer and toured with the US road production of The Rocky Horror Show. Besides the US tours, I worked on shows in Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Singapore..and somewhere else, I"m sure.
I stopped traveling and was assistant audio designer for a production on Broadway starring Joan Rivers (who HATES me, by the way). After dealing with the people and the egos of show business I thought "Eh, maybe I'll stop loading trucks and getting electrocuted and go use my brain." I went back to school for TESL at The New School. I began working right fter I was certified. This job led me to meet someone that would later hire me at the Inuyama, Japan Board of Education. I worked on curriculum development and helped write a bi-lingual text book for junior high school students. I lived in Japan for two years.
Then home again. I ran three English langauge schools and was in charge of Academics at all three. They downsized, and, finally had my first summer off.
In between road shows and school and such, I sang sometimes in bands, wrote music, partied, and goofed off. Now I"m still writing, I'm in a 70s pop music cover act, and I'm a pencil pusher and computer whiz for the City of New York. I'm married, have a dog and a house. I"m a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, The Sons of Norway, The Richmond County Democratic Committee, a certified diver, a hiker, a gardener and damn fine cook.
The End.
Or is it...
If anyone knows of some corporate mogul that needs a super genius to do little work for no money, please get this to him/her.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: CeeKay on 06/29/06 at 12:22 pm
The sunny town, located at the southern most tip of New York State, was at times a portrait of the American stereotype- and at other times a David Lynch-ian nightmare, complete with midgets, angry Vietnam amputees, drunkards, gamblers and bikers. As I recall it it was eternally October, always Halloween-like. Tottenville is a small town. I went to PS 1. I walked to school.
K -- I just saw this. I'm so glad you described Tottenville this way. I usually tell people it's a combination of a Garrison Keiler radio program combined with a Stephen King novel. But I like the David Lynch reference. Very accurate.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: CeeKay on 06/29/06 at 6:36 pm
I grew up in the same town as my sister -- so you can see that description a couple of posts prior to this one (KKay's). We grew up in a big duplex that my grandparents owned (they lived on the other side). It had a basement and a big attic -- one side of the attic was my aunt's bedroom (she's only a few years older than me) and other side was a pool room -- had a pool table and a bar. We had mini pool sticks when we were too little to use the big ones. I'm pretty good at that game. We had two good sized yards -- back yard was dirt w/ swings and a little play house and the side yard was grass. We also had a pool with a deck that my grandfather built. We had a big screenhouse for summers and we did things like played badminton, croquet, roller skating and bicycling. I liked to do things like make villages and amusement parks for my little kiddle dolls. My grandfather built us stilts when we were kids. My dad bought us a unicycle and tennis racquets (because, he said, "Everyone was playing softball and I wanted you to be unique" I think we are).
Okay, growing up. Played piano starting in 3rd grade, flute starting in 5th, guitar around age 15. Sang in church choir and in school. I was the substitute organist at my church and at other churches around Staten Island starting at around age 16 through my early 20s.
I'm skipping around. I was a quiet kid, thoughtful child and I had invisible friends. I've always loved to write and I wrote my first play during Christmas vacation when my parents gave me my first typewriter. I was about 14. I always had a strong spiritual side, even when I was little (I just couldn't communicate it back then). An angel visited me in a dream once -- I was convinced.
High School: Did the "Sings" that KKay described but I was in the orchestra for those and for the other school musicals. Our school was a magnet school for arts -- we had a great theater, music, dance departments. I was in marching band. Other kids threw things at us as we practiced parading around the school in the afternoons. But actually we were an award-winning marching band and marched in many parades around the city and out of state. Our symphonic band was excellent also. As was our jazz band.
My initial college years were difficult -- don't really want to go into it except to say that, as the result of a traumatic experience, I lost my grip, partied more than any person should and failed out of college. I was a music major. I never went to class. Years later I went back as a psych major and kicked butt. Graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in psychology at age 30. By then I was married, had moved from NYC to Colorado, and was pregnant w/ kid #1. Now I have three. They're 12, 14 & 16. I work for a music store in piano sales. But I hope to get the job I just applied for as a student advisor at a local university and get back on career track.
I'm a Christian -- but not religious if you can get that idea (it ain't about manmade rules). But I'm into Jesus and I do alot of music and performing arts stuff at my church. Vocals, keyboards, flute for our gospel/rock band; acting in and writing drama skits for the drama team; and I work with three other people on a "creative planning team" -- we decide how to use performing and visual arts during church -- it's fun.
I'm also a poet as many of you have seen me mention on other threads. I'm into performance poetry these days and "Slam" (a powerful, competitive poetry -- its own artform really). So I do that on weekends when my kids are with their dad (implying divorce -- another story way too long for this spot).
Most importantly, I'm the big sister who misses KKay most of all. ;)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Dominic L. on 06/29/06 at 11:41 pm
I, too, come from Staten Island, which seems like a blurry overall memory with blurry vivid details here and there. I grew up on Ada Drive, and across the street from my house was the big cemetery. We didn't have a park nearby, so the cemetery was our park. We thought nothing of playing freeze tag, hide&seek and hopscotch among the markers of the dead. As a small child, I picked things up very quickly. In kindergarten, I was the only one who knew how to read, and by third grade, I was working at a high school grade level. In 6th grade, I won the city wide spelling bee. To be honest, I did it all without really trying... so people had very high expectations for me, and although I never planned to be a doctor or a lawyer (I wanted to be a pilot), I guess I expected that things would always come easy and I wouldn't have to try. High school was a rude awakening. By then I had moved to California, and the math was hard, the books we had to read were boring and I started questioning why I would ever want to know what 2a(6b-2)/12 is. I just wasn't willing to put the effort into school. Then during my junior year, my mother moved to Oregon and I stayed in California to fend for myself. So I dropped out of school to get a job, and I survived on Top Ramen and bananas (not together, of course) for the most part. All of my money went to rent, electricity and bus passes. A real meal was a big treat. Then in 1990, my father, who still lived in New York, passed away. Although it was very tragic, the money I received from his estate allowed me to buy a car, which in turn allowed me to travel to a higher paying job, and things started looking up. I married my husband in 1999, and am still happily married and doing very well. I have no regrets. I love to remember my Staten Island days, though. The trucks that would come around with amusement park type rides on them, sliding down mountains of snow in garbage can lids, eating at Venetian Gardens Italian Restaurant, hearing the ferry horn as it left the dock in the mornings, going to Richmond Terrace and looking at the Manhattan skyline reflecting on the bay... I could go on and on...
High school level in third grade!? :o
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: KKay on 06/30/06 at 8:16 am
Most importantly, I'm the big sister who misses KKay most of all. ;)
See? I told you!
Con that was really good. Well done! (life, I mean...the story was good too!) :)
AND I really enjoyed the other stories in this thread...I hope more participate. The one thing I find is that everyone is so different (but we have superficial pop trivia in common! ;D) yet, on a deeper level, the psycho-intellectual-emotional level there seems to be a thread of similarity.
Is it hot in here, or am I crazy?
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: CeeKay on 06/30/06 at 9:01 am
See? I told you!
Con that was really good. Well done! (life, I mean...the story was good too!) :)
AND I really enjoyed the other stories in this thread...I hope more participate. The one thing I find is that everyone is so different (but we have superficial pop trivia in common! ;D) yet, on a deeper level, the psycho-intellectual-emotional level there seems to be a thread of similarity.
Is it hot in here, or am I crazy?
I agree. Very cool thread, K. In fact, I'm going to find an appropriate place on Playful Penguin to mention it -- because I think some people just never get here -- it's hard to get to all the good places on the boards at this point. Time for some marketing strategy! (Liked your bio too, sis. It was a fun exercise)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 06/30/06 at 8:47 pm
Ok...here goes nothing...
My parents were told that they were never going to be able to have children due to an assumed conclusion that my mother couldn't conceive. My parents always wanted to share their lives with children, so they opted to have their names included on an Asian adoption list. They waited patiently and received word that they were nearing the top of the list, and almost simultaneously received other news that confirmed that small miracles do come true...my mother was pregnant. I (Erin Marie) was born on a cold winter Wednesday on January 26th, 1977. I was a rather small baby (6 lbs and some ounces), and had some minor complications at my time of birth (loss of oxygen)...but I must have been meant to live my life.
My parents were the type to take many pictures. Even to this day I love to look back upon them and validate their true love for me (and my sisters). They were always the type of parents who took the time to make fullfilling memories with us. They enabled us to enjoy our childhood by creating special vacations, incorporating a special "family night" where we would put ideas in a box and pick one, and then proceed to that place of fun for the evening, and just making everday happenings special.
I grew up in Greensburg, Pa, the majority of my childhood/teenage years at 543 Vine Street. I was an only child until the age of 4, and then my sister Brandy was born (heh, not able to have kids....tell me another one ;)). I enjoyed helping my mom with Brandy, but I also remember being a tad bit jealous of the fact that I wasn't the only child any longer. It was always fun though, because Brandy and I both had our birthdays in January, about one week apart from one another, so we usually ended up having combined parties.
So many wonderful memories happened at 543 Vine Street. This was the type of neighborhood that entailed numerous children of all ages, engaging in childhood games of summer, ice cream trucks making their rounds, old folks mingling with the younger ones to play their ritual card games on their porches, as they watched the children play and enjoy the summer..possibly bringing back vast memories of their own childhood. I remember playing pranks on one another, swinging on our swingset until the fireflies came out in the evening, riding our bikes early in the morning until dinner, with only short breaks in between, having street fairs, dance/lip sync competitions, yard sales, lemonade stands, swimming parties, overnight campouts, and many other fun activities with the neighborhood kids..and my sisters. Wait, SISTERS, yes that's right. The lady better known as my mother, the one who was told that she would NEVER have children, ended up having 3 of us girls!!
I was 10 1/2 when Bethany was born. At that age I was definitely a great help to my mom, and I always enjoyed spending time with Bethany. She and I have always been close, and we hardly ever fought our entire lives. When Beth came along, our family changed for the good. We all had a common interest, and that was the baby of the family. We have so many video tapes of Beth's first steps, Beth's birthday parties, and all of us sharing in the moments of her life. She has always been a special part of my life and my best friend.
During my younger years I attended private school (K-5th grade), and then from 6th grade on I attended public school. I always had an interest in the arts, and started acting (community theater, church drama team, school plays, etc) at a young age. I also have always loved singing and have been involved in numerous choirs throughout my lifetime. In junior high, I was like any typical teenage girl. I loved talking on the telephone (which my dad constantly complained about), filling my bedroom walls/ceiling with posters of famous hotties, singing along with my favorite tapes, going to sleepovers and parties. In high school I was somewhat quiet (not nearly as outgoing as I am today), and obtained good grades. As I said before, I was interested in groups/clubs that dealt with drama/choir/etc. I was in the select choir during high school as well as the singing ensemble that would travel and perform at different events. I was nominated for, Who's Who Among American High School Students" by one of my teachers, I was involved with the high school musicals, and always interested in English/literature classes. I graduated in 1995.
I decided not to go to college right after high school (which in retrospect, I wish I would have not made that decision). I began working at a bookstore, and later became a manager there. While working there I began attending classes at our local community college, and I discovered how much I had missed being in school...also while working there, I met my first husband. If I could have a wish that would grant me to be able to rewind time, I would totally take advantage of it during that period in my life. We had a whirlwind romance and eventually got married. I am not going to go into all of the sordid details of how that marriage ended up in a downward spiral...but it did. We got divorced and I have never seen him since that time. I met Chris about 4 years ago, through a mutual friend. I was leery to start another relationship, especially so soon after ending my prior one, but Chris was very patient with me and very understanding. We started out as friends and eventually became more. He proposed to me atop of Mt. Washington, on a look-out, overlooking the city of Pittsburgh. and I said yes. We got married in January of 2004, and a few months after we tied the knot, we had an opportunity that would literally change both of our lives.
We decided, after talking among ourselves, that my nephew Vaughn, who was not even 2 years old at that time, would come to live with us permanently. We were both really excited, beings that neither of us had children of our own. Vaughn has impacted both of our lives so much. He has become one of the main reasons that I get up in the morning. Yes, it has been a wild ride of many ups and downs, but I can't see our lives without having him in it. This past April marked 2 years that he has been with us, and they have been the most memorable years of my life. We are planning on seeking full custody of him, as we anticipate him always being with us. He's no longer our nephew...he's our son.
I had to take some time off going to school and I have yet to finish my degree (but I only have about 1.5 or so years to go), and I plan on going back as soon as Vaughn starts school. I am currently a stay at home "mom", but I have an Ebay business, to which I sell items for clients and we split the profit. I am proud of the fact that we were able to buy our first home together, which we did last year. We have lots of projects planned for this summer and many summers to come.
I don't know where life will lead us in the future, but I know that for the most part...my past has been one that has been full of many memories..some good, some bad...but all of them happened in order to make me who I am today. I look forward to many years and memories to come.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: lorac61469 on 06/30/06 at 11:00 pm
Mine is so boring!! LOL!!
I was born on June 14, 1969 in Brooklyn NY, to Anne (at stay at home mom) and Bill (A wig maker for Broadway and movies). When I was 6 months old my parents decided to buy a house on Staten Island. We lived on Merrill Ave in Bulls Head (my parents lived there up until 2000, when they sold the house and moved to an apartment). I went to P.S. 60, which was right at the end of my street, I walked to school every day. I could tell you the names of all my teachers, but I won't bore you. After graduating 5th grade I went on to I.S. 72...I hated Jr. High so I won't post many details. LOL!! I decided not to go to public school for High School, rather I'd go to Catholic. I went to Notre Dame Academy, it's an all girls school and I had the greatest time, I graduated in 1987. I went to college for 2 years, never graduated...maybe some day.
The summer after H.S. graduation I went to the Bahamas, there I met a cute Navy guy (His ship was there for the weekend.). We exchanged addresses and phone numbers, I figured I'd never hear from him again. But I did, and in 1989 I married him. I'm going to be celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary. We moved to Virginia (his home town) after we were married and I've lived here ever since. I worked in banking for years and my last postion was head of the credit card/debit card department.
After 11 years of marriage I had my first child, my beautiful daughter Megan and three years later my adorable son Hunter was born. I live in a quiet neighborhood, with my hubby, 2 kids, 2 dogs, a cat, a rabbit and numerous fish. I wouldn't change a thing.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: CeeKay on 06/30/06 at 11:12 pm
Mine is so boring!! LOL!!
I was born on June 14, 1969 in Brooklyn NY, to Anne (at stay at home mom) and Bill (A wig maker for Broadway and movies). When I was 6 months old my parents decided to buy a house on Staten Island. We lived on Merrill Ave in Bulls Head (my parents lived there up until 2000, when they sold the house and moved to an apartment). I went to P.S. 60, which was right at the end of my street, I walked to school every day. I could tell you the names of all my teachers, but I won't bore you. After graduating 5th grade I went on to I.S. 72...I hated Jr. High so I won't post many details. LOL!! I decided not to go to public school for High School, rather I'd go to Catholic. I went to Notre Dame Academy, it's an all girls school and I had the greatest time, I graduated in 1987. I went to college for 2 years, never graduated...maybe some day.
The summer after H.S. graduation I went to the Bahamas, there I met a cute Navy guy (His ship was there for the weekend.). We exchanged addresses and phone numbers, I figured I'd never hear from him again. But I did, and in 1989 I married him. I'm going to be celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary. We moved to Virginia (his home town) after we were married and I've lived here ever since. I worked in banking for years and my last postion was head of the credit card/debit card department.
After 11 years of marriage I had my first child, my beautiful daughter Megan and three years later my adorable son Hunter was born. I live in a quiet neighborhood, with my hubby, 2 kids, 2 dogs, a cat, a rabbit and numerous fish. I wouldn't change a thing.
Sounds like a lovely life to me! Thanks for sharing :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: CeeKay on 06/30/06 at 11:13 pm
Ok...here goes nothing...
My parents were told that they were never going to be able to have children due to an assumed conclusion that my mother couldn't conceive. My parents always wanted to share their lives with children, so they opted to have their names included on an Asian adoption list. They waited patiently and received word that they were nearing the top of the list, and almost simultaneously received other news that confirmed that small miracles do come true...my mother was pregnant. I (Erin Marie) was born on a cold winter Wednesday on January 26th, 1977. I was a rather small baby (6 lbs and some ounces), and had some minor complications at my time of birth (loss of oxygen)...but I must have been meant to live my life.
Thanks for sharing your story, Erin. I'm glad your Mom proved the Doctors wrong!
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 06/30/06 at 11:34 pm
Mine is so boring!! LOL!!
I was born on June 14, 1969 in Brooklyn NY, to Anne (at stay at home mom) and Bill (A wig maker for Broadway and movies). When I was 6 months old my parents decided to buy a house on Staten Island. We lived on Merrill Ave in Bulls Head (my parents lived there up until 2000, when they sold the house and moved to an apartment). I went to P.S. 60, which was right at the end of my street, I walked to school every day. I could tell you the names of all my teachers, but I won't bore you. After graduating 5th grade I went on to I.S. 72...I hated Jr. High so I won't post many details. LOL!! I decided not to go to public school for High School, rather I'd go to Catholic. I went to Notre Dame Academy, it's an all girls school and I had the greatest time, I graduated in 1987. I went to college for 2 years, never graduated...maybe some day.
The summer after H.S. graduation I went to the Bahamas, there I met a cute Navy guy (His ship was there for the weekend.). We exchanged addresses and phone numbers, I figured I'd never hear from him again. But I did, and in 1989 I married him. I'm going to be celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary. We moved to Virginia (his home town) after we were married and I've lived here ever since. I worked in banking for years and my last postion was head of the credit card/debit card department.
After 11 years of marriage I had my first child, my beautiful daughter Megan and three years later my adorable son Hunter was born. I live in a quiet neighborhood, with my hubby, 2 kids, 2 dogs, a cat, a rabbit and numerous fish. I wouldn't change a thing.
what a great story...thanks for sharing! :)
Thanks for sharing your story, Erin. I'm glad your Mom proved the Doctors wrong!
me too! ;) thanks! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: whistledog on 07/01/06 at 1:16 am
I was born in a place called Belleville in Ontario, Canada on the 5th of December, 1977
The day I was born, the doctors informed my mom, that I had a birth defect in the form of an extra finger on my left hand. Basically, it was a boneless piece of skin growing out of my pinky finger. To correct the situation, the doctor tied a piece of string around the finger, so it would fall off due to no blood supply. It worked, but it left me with a scar which I still have today.
In the early 80s, we relocated to a nearby city called Kingston, where I still live today. My elementary school years were pretty much a blur, though one event that sticks out in my mind was sort of a near tragic one. On cold winter days, we were forced to stay outside during recess time, which wasn't fair, because the teachers got to stay inside where it was nice and warm. One such day, I had forgotten my touque inside, and was not allowed to go get it, so for the whole of recess, the cold wind fixed itself to my ears, which resulted in real bad frost bite. So bad, that my mom came to get me, and rushed me to Emergency, where the Doctor informed us that it was real bad, and would take weeks to heal, and that if I ever got frost bite on my ears again, there was a good chance that i wouldn't be so lucky
High School wasn't really a blast for me, so flash forward to 1996, I had graduated High School and was entering college with an idea to major in Graphic Design. It wasnt the best of ideas, as I failed 7 of the 8 courses LOL. I ended up switching majors to General Arts and Science (which is a bunch of high school type courses that get you a general college certificate that basically shows you graduated college), and after about 2½ years, I wanted out, so I switched my major to Office Administration based on information from my best friend who said that it was chick course and chances were good that I would be the only guy in the course. He was right LOL. In 2000, after I graduated college with a certificate in Legal Office Administration, I went back for a final semester to get the remaining courses needed for my General Arts and Science certificate, and in 2001, I graduated college a 2nd time
In 2002, I landed a temp job working for the Ontario Goverment which lasted over 2 years. It remains the best job I have ever had. It's also the only job I've ever had LOL. During this time period, more tragedy struck me. One cold winter day as I was waiting for my bus at the shopping mall, a big sheet of ice fell off the side of the building, struck me in the head, and left me in a big bloody mess. An ambulance came and whisked me away to the hospital. As I was in the emergency room getting my head stitched up, the doctor told me that the Denver Broncos Cap i was wearing cushioned the blow, which means had I not been wearing that hat, the ice might have done fatal damage. THE DENVER BRONCOS SAVED MY LIFE!!! I wanted to sue the mall, but I knew that there wouldn't have been enough time as the mall was in the process of being sold for demolition, so I settled out of court for a small sum of money, which sadly didn't cover the wages I lost for that night of work I missed. Let's just say I am now glad that mall no longer exists
Since my job ended in 2004, I've had to take various temp jobs until I can find a permanent job, which I know will be soon :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: lorac61469 on 07/01/06 at 12:04 pm
Sounds like a lovely life to me! Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks! It is wonderful, not just adventurous. :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: loki 13 on 07/01/06 at 4:45 pm
My name is Kevin, I was born on a Friday the 13th in April 1962 in Camden, NJ. I have one brother
who is two years older. My mother was a "stay at home" mom, typical of the time and my father
was an Electrician. My parents bought a rowhouse when I was 2, still in Camden but a small town
on the south edge called "Fairview," a town where I would spend forty years of my life.
I went to a Catholic Elementary School. School came rather easy for me and sometimes I would get
into trouble or I would get bad grades because I would not participate in discussions or other class
activities. They just seemed too boring and my mind would wander. Other than that, I had a very normal
childhood. I played Little League Baseball, Midget Football and Basketball. By the time I reached 8th grade
I knew what I wanted to do with my life.
Most kids I graduated 8th grade with went on to Catholic High School, not me. I went to Public High School,
Camden County Vocational And Technical Schools. I knew I wanted to be a Welder and CCVTS had a
welding course. Again, normal High School years, I played Varsity Baseball as a Freshman, second base,
and tried out for basketball but hated it so I quit. High School was easy too. The four years I was there
I never did any homework. I never studied for any test. I never even took a school workbook home.
Despite this, I made the Honor Roll every marking period, I maintained an "A" average in all but one class,
that class was Technical Writing I received a "B," I Graduated 7th in a class of 171 and a member of
the National Honor Society.
I turned down a partial scholarship to Trenton State University for two reasons. 1, the Scholarship was
an Academic Scholarship and it was to study Technical Engineering, I have no idea what a Technical
engineer is or does. 2, I met my future wife Patricia (sweetie44) and she was pregnant, carrying our
first daughter, April.
Now the fun part of my life begins, I moved into an Apartment complex in Fairview in 1981, with my
then pregnant girlfriend, we were to be married in early April but my daughter's arrival on April 5 put
a hold on that. I finally got married on October 3, after four postponements.
I worked as a welder for a machine shop in 1981 but I was only making $5.50 an hour, not enough
to support a family. I quit that job and took a job as a welder at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. There I
made $10.00 an hour, enough for a wife and child. Then I found out it would be two children, my
wife was pregnant again. Lisa was born on Thursday, April 12, 1984. I had a decent job so I wasn't
worried. Then Reaganomics kicked in, in 1985 Ronald Reagan called for the closing of the base
and laid-off about 1500 workers, I was one of them. I worked at a fabricating company just to bring
in money but it wasn't enough and I was getting worried.
In February 1986, a friend of my father told me to take a test for an Apprenticeship in Sheet Metal workers
Local 19. I was hired but the starting rate was $4.93 an hour, not nearly enough for a wife and two kids.
My father told me to stick with it and he would help, he paid my rent and bought my groceries. I stayed
with it. The raises went up fairly quick, By the time my son Timothy (darkbreed) was born, on July 12, 1989,
I was up to $15.65 an hour.
During my time working in the union I have achieved a high status as an employee. I am a welding specialist, I specialize in stainless steel welding and polishing. Only a handful of people in the local can do what I do. I also
became an AWS (American Welding Society) Certified welding Inspector. I passed this test on my first shot.
7 out of 10 people fail this test. This test was made for people to fail. Passing the test on the first try is an accomplishment.
While working in the union I met a guy who would introduce me to my hobby. Fabricating motorcycle
parts. I make oil tanks, gas tanks, handlebars. sissybars and just about every other cosmetic part on a
motorcycle. Pictures of motorcycles I have worked on have been published in magazines and books.
Though I don't receive name recognition in the magazines, the work is mine. The magazines are,
Street Choppers, The Horse, The Iron Horse and Barrett's. The book is called Extreme motorcycle Art
by Spencer Drate and Judith Salavetz.
On a final note, I am still married, 25 years in October, I live in Mt. Ephraim, NJ and the only child
still at home is The Boy. Both my daughters have children of their own and are now finding out
how hard it is to raise a family. It has been fun writing my story, and if you've made this far, you
definitely deserve applause.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: CeeKay on 07/01/06 at 7:25 pm
My name is Kevin, I was born on a Friday the 13th in April 1962 in Camden, NJ. I have one brother
who is two years older. My mother was a "stay at home" mom, typical of the time and my father
was an Electrician. My parents bought a rowhouse when I was 2, still in Camden but a small town
on the south edge called "Fairview," a town where I would spend forty years of my life.
On a final note, I am still married, 25 years in October, I live in Mt. Ephraim, NJ and the only child
still at home is The Boy. Both my daughters have children of their own and are now finding out
how hard it is to raise a family. It has been fun writing my story, and if you've made this far, you
definitely deserve applause.
It was fun reading your story, Kevin. Congratulations on a lasting marriage and raising your children...sticking with your job and having a successful career!
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: loki 13 on 07/01/06 at 7:50 pm
It was fun reading your story, Kevin. Congratulations on a lasting marriage and raising your children...sticking with your job and having a successful career!
Thanks Connie, and applause. :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/01/06 at 8:10 pm
I really enjoyed reading your story Kevin...and learning a little bit more about you and your family! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: loki 13 on 07/01/06 at 8:31 pm
I really enjoyed reading your story Kevin...and learning a little bit more about you and your family! :)
Thanks Erin, :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: lorac61469 on 07/01/06 at 11:15 pm
My name is Kevin, I was born on a Friday the 13th in April 1962 in Camden, NJ. I have one brother
who is two years older. My mother was a "stay at home" mom, typical of the time and my father
was an Electrician. My parents bought a rowhouse when I was 2, still in Camden but a small town
on the south edge called "Fairview," a town where I would spend forty years of my life.
I went to a Catholic Elementary School. School came rather easy for me and sometimes I would get
into trouble or I would get bad grades because I would not participate in discussions or other class
activities. They just seemed too boring and my mind would wander. Other than that, I had a very normal
childhood. I played Little League Baseball, Midget Football and Basketball. By the time I reached 8th grade
I knew what I wanted to do with my life.
Most kids I graduated 8th grade with went on to Catholic High School, not me. I went to Public High School,
Camden County Vocational And Technical Schools. I knew I wanted to be a Welder and CCVTS had a
welding course. Again, normal High School years, I played Varsity Baseball as a Freshman, second base,
and tried out for basketball but hated it so I quit. High School was easy too. The four years I was there
I never did any homework. I never studied for any test. I never even took a school workbook home.
Despite this, I made the Honor Roll every marking period, I maintained an "A" average in all but one class,
that class was Technical Writing I received a "B," I Graduated 7th in a class of 171 and a member of
the National Honor Society.
I turned down a partial scholarship to Trenton State University for two reasons. 1, the Scholarship was
an Academic Scholarship and it was to study Technical Engineering, I have no idea what a Technical
engineer is or does. 2, I met my future wife Patricia (sweetie44) and she was pregnant, carrying our
first daughter, April.
Now the fun part of my life begins, I moved into an Apartment complex in Fairview in 1981, with my
then pregnant girlfriend, we were to be married in early April but my daughter's arrival on April 5 put
a hold on that. I finally got married on October 3, after four postponements.
I worked as a welder for a machine shop in 1981 but I was only making $5.50 an hour, not enough
to support a family. I quit that job and took a job as a welder at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. There I
made $10.00 an hour, enough for a wife and child. Then I found out it would be two children, my
wife was pregnant again. Lisa was born on Thursday, April 12, 1984. I had a decent job so I wasn't
worried. Then Reaganomics kicked in, in 1985 Ronald Reagan called for the closing of the base
and laid-off about 1500 workers, I was one of them. I worked at a fabricating company just to bring
in money but it wasn't enough and I was getting worried.
In February 1986, a friend of my father told me to take a test for an Apprenticeship in Sheet Metal workers
Local 19. I was hired but the starting rate was $4.93 an hour, not nearly enough for a wife and two kids.
My father told me to stick with it and he would help, he paid my rent and bought my groceries. I stayed
with it. The raises went up fairly quick, By the time my son Timothy (darkbreed) was born, on July 12, 1989,
I was up to $15.65 an hour.
During my time working in the union I have achieved a high status as an employee. I am a welding specialist, I specialize in stainless steel welding and polishing. Only a handful of people in the local can do what I do. I also
became an AWS (American Welding Society) Certified welding Inspector. I passed this test on my first shot.
7 out of 10 people fail this test. This test was made for people to fail. Passing the test on the first try is an accomplishment.
While working in the union I met a guy who would introduce me to my hobby. Fabricating motorcycle
parts. I make oil tanks, gas tanks, handlebars. sissybars and just about every other cosmetic part on a
motorcycle. Pictures of motorcycles I have worked on have been published in magazines and books.
Though I don't receive name recognition in the magazines, the work is mine. The magazines are,
Street Choppers, The Horse, The Iron Horse and Barrett's. The book is called Extreme motorcycle Art
by Spencer Drate and Judith Salavetz.
On a final note, I am still married, 25 years in October, I live in Mt. Ephraim, NJ and the only child
still at home is The Boy. Both my daughters have children of their own and are now finding out
how hard it is to raise a family. It has been fun writing my story, and if you've made this far, you
definitely deserve applause.
Fantastic!! Loved learing more about you, Kevin.
My husband was stationed in Philly for a couple of years, great city!
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: lorac61469 on 07/01/06 at 11:51 pm
what a great story...thanks for sharing! :)
Yours too. Wow, I just loved reading about Vaughn... :\'( (tears of joy!!)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/01/06 at 11:52 pm
Yours too. Wow, I just loved reading about Vaughn... :\'( (tears of joy!!)
aww..thank you!! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Dominic L. on 07/02/06 at 12:07 am
This past April marked 2 years that he has been with us, and they have been the most memorable years of my life.
Sorry, I misread that as the most "miserable" years of our lives.. And I just thought "Whoa...!!! Way to be nice, Erin!" :-[
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: lorac61469 on 07/02/06 at 12:18 am
aww..thank you!! :)
You're welcome!!!
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: loki 13 on 07/02/06 at 9:46 am
Fantastic!! Loved learing more about you, Kevin.
My husband was stationed in Philly for a couple of years, great city!
Thanks Carol, :)
The Mothball Fleet is still at the Phila. Navy Yard but now there is a civilian ship builder
on the complex. I miss working at the navy yard it was a fun time. Quick anecdote; I
was on the Flight Deck of the Aircraft Carrier " USS Forrestal" and I asked the Captain
of the ship, "How did you park this boat?"
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Abix on 07/02/06 at 7:54 pm
I'd write my bio here, but it's so dysfunctional that I'm waiting for the book/movie rights to be finalized and vying for Oprah or Jerry Springer to tell my harrowing story just prior to my book signing tour. I'll keep you posted on further dates.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Tanya1976 on 07/02/06 at 8:55 pm
I was born in Philadelphia, PA on December 7, 1976 to a hard-working union couple. I am the eldest of four children. Since I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I was raised in the inner-city; however, my neighborhood wasn't too bad, and my parents were great providers. I grew up living next door to my grandparents, which was very cool. I attended Catholic schools the vast majority of my educational life (I'm Catholic, btw). During my childhood, I've seen and experienced alot, which I won't get into here.
As for my high school years, I pretty much hated them. I didn't conform to many of the rules and therefore I was left out of the "it" group (well, the black "it" club). Because I was quite fond of rock, pop, and dance music as well as the fact I got along with many of the white students b/c of similar tastes and interests, I was ostracized by many of the black kids. Good riddance. Many of the "it" kids aren't doing so well today. Hahahaha on them. I played Field Hockey and Softball. I was a cheerleader as well. I wrote for the newspaper and the yearbook. I also played clarinet in the band. Yes, I was basically Andrea Zuckerman from Beverly Hills 90210. Thankfully I graduated in June, 1994, with a record 13 college acceptances.
I choose a university in Atlanta and met my soon to be hubby. I majored in Journalism. I adored my major. I interned for a few local papers as well as CNN. Yes, CNN! However, I got pregnant sooner than expected and transferred to a university back home. Throughout my pregnancy, I attended my classes. In fact, my son was born on Dec. 2, 1998, the day after I had a final exam! lol - no worries I still managed to keep my GPA at 3.4. Yes, go figure, despite having morning sickness from hell, I managed to go to class. What were the excuses of my fellow students? I graduated a semester later than expected, May 1999 b/c I took on a minor in English.
As a single mom, I struggled to keep a happy home for my son and I as well as attend graduate school as I taught full-time in an elementary school. Money and stress were tight, but we managed to get through. Anyhoo, my ex-boyfriend at the time (who is now my hubby) came back into the picture and into our son's life with not so much drama. I graduated from graduate school with my M.A. in Elementary and Special Education.
Which brings us to now (yes, I'm skipping for your sake, lol). My hubby was born and raised in L.A. so he didn't want to move to Philadelphia. I agreed to move as long as he realized that we would have to be married. I wasn't going to break free of my comfort zone for some back and forth b.s. He understandably agreed. My son and I left our comfort zone and our family/friends (who I miss dearly) to come to la-la land. After a few months of extreme culture shock (which I still have occasionally), he proposed. We married in August 15, 2004. This August will be our second anniversary (mind you, we knew and dated each other since we were both 18 - that's 12 years people). Love truly exists!!!
So, basically I'm teaching and maintaining a home for my family. My son's now 7 and a happy whipper-snapper. My hubby is providing for his family.
...And that's the story of us! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/02/06 at 9:30 pm
I was born in Philadelphia, PA on December 7, 1976 to a hard-working union couple. I am the eldest of four children. Since I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I was raised in the inner-city; however, my neighborhood wasn't too bad, and my parents were great providers. I grew up living next door to my grandparents, which was very cool. I attended Catholic schools the vast majority of my educational life (I'm Catholic, btw). During my childhood, I've seen and experienced alot, which I won't get into here.
As for my high school years, I pretty much hated them. I didn't conform to many of the rules and therefore I was left out of the "it" group (well, the black "it" club). Because I was quite fond of rock, pop, and dance music as well as the fact I got along with many of the white students b/c of similar tastes and interests, I was ostracized by many of the black kids. Good riddance. Many of the "it" kids aren't doing so well today. Hahahaha on them. I played Field Hockey and Softball. I was a cheerleader as well. I wrote for the newspaper and the yearbook. I also played clarinet in the band. Yes, I was basically Andrea Zuckerman from Beverly Hills 90210. Thankfully I graduated in June, 1994, with a record 13 college acceptances.
I choose a university in Atlanta and met my soon to be hubby. I majored in Journalism. I adored my major. I interned for a few local papers as well as CNN. Yes, CNN! However, I got pregnant sooner than expected and transferred to a university back home. Throughout my pregnancy, I attended my classes. In fact, my son was born on Dec. 2, 1998, the day after I had a final exam! lol - no worries I still managed to keep my GPA at 3.4. Yes, go figure, despite having morning sickness from hell, I managed to go to class. What were the excuses of my fellow students? I graduated a semester later than expected, May 1999 b/c I took on a minor in English.
As a single mom, I struggled to keep a happy home for my son and I as well as attend graduate school as I taught full-time in an elementary school. Money and stress were tight, but we managed to get through. Anyhoo, my ex-boyfriend at the time (who is now my hubby) came back into the picture and into our son's life with not so much drama. I graduated from graduate school with my M.A. in Elementary and Special Education.
Which brings us to now (yes, I'm skipping for your sake, lol). My hubby was born and raised in L.A. so he didn't want to move to Philadelphia. I agreed to move as long as he realized that we would have to be married. I wasn't going to break free of my comfort zone for some back and forth b.s. He understandably agreed. My son and I left our comfort zone and our family/friends (who I miss dearly) to come to la-la land. After a few months of extreme culture shock (which I still have occasionally), he proposed. We married in August 15, 2004. This August will be our second anniversary (mind you, we knew and dated each other since we were both 18 - that's 12 years people). Love truly exists!!!
So, basically I'm teaching and maintaining a home for my family. My son's now 7 and a happy whipper-snapper. My hubby is providing for his family.
...And that's the story of us! :)
great story, Tanya...congrats on your many successes!!! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Tanya1976 on 07/03/06 at 2:29 pm
great story, Tanya...congrats on your many successes!!! :)
Thanks, Love!
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: FaultyDog on 07/04/06 at 2:33 pm
I wish I had a story to tell... :-\\
I was born on October 24, 1966 in the city of Groningen. My father was working as a type setter at a printing business at that time, and my mother was a stay-at-home mom. They already had three children before me (two girls and a boy, who are all at least 6
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: chaka on 07/04/06 at 2:51 pm
Thanks for sharing your story with us,Henk :)
I wish you only the best because I've realised how friendly,funny and helpful you are..you don't deserve to go through depressions and such even though we all do at some point of our lives (some more serious than others)..and I have no doubt you'll soon find that someone special to start a relationship :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Gis on 07/05/06 at 4:25 am
Ok I'll give it a go........
I was born in an R.A.F hospital called Nocton Hall which always makes me feel like gentry when I see it written down ;D
My dad met my Mum in Germany when he was stationed there having got a transfer overseas because his fiance had stood him up at the alter.Thankfully my Mum mended his broken heart and he hers, they got married and had my brother and then me. We moved around a fair amount due to my Dad's job Navigating planes, but we were luckier than some in that we managed to do most of our schooling in the same place. My Mum was determined to have us at home and not send us to a boarding school like most forces children. I spent most of my young years in Cambridgshire. Mostly I remember it being summer and going swimming in an outdoor pool they had on the R.A.F base. There weren't any girls of my age so I used to run around after my brother, despite him almost killing me a couple of times, and was a tomboy.
In 1979 we moved up north to Yorkshire. I loved it, I lived on a beautiful R.A.F base which was basically a stately home that had been requisitioned in the war and never given back. It had it's own woods and lake and I ran wild. I hated school which was the one downside.
I vividly remember the miners strike, they housed the police on the R.A.F base and the miners would gather outside and there would be running battles in the street, think Billy Elliot if you have seen the film! They made a human chain to make a path through for us to go to the school bus.The winters were bad and we got snowed in a few times, that was mad, snow taller than your head piled up round you.I was busy begining to go through my teenage angst when my Dad got posted again. I felt like it was the end of the world.
We moved in 1984 to Oxfordshire which is where I have lived ever since. I didn't know what to do with myself and basically spiraled into depression. I had applied to college but hadn't got a place. About a week before the course started I got a call to say someone had dropped out and could I come in for an interview. I got the place and started a course in Art and Art History and Pottery that september. Because I had left school before taking A levels I had to do some as a crammer course along side my main course, a tall order for anyone let alone someone who is not particularly academic. I chose English Language, English Literature, and lord only knows what possessed me Physics. I dropped out of Physics within weeks but struggled on with the rest. I was miserable, it was all too much, trying to do all that work and I got in with a bad crowd as they say. I drank, smoked dope and skipped classes. Basically things came to a head when I failed most of my exams and was on the point of being thrown out of college. I had a bad drug experience and it was my wake up call. I cleaned up had a painful interview with the principal and got accepted back for my final year. I managed to pass my courses but some only just, I just couldn't catch up on all I missed. I don't regret what I learnt about myself at the time but to this day I regret I f*cked up my chance for University. I was also diagnosed with clinical depression and panic attacks.
Around that time I met my best friend Jenny. She is like an angel in my life, she grounded me. We were both passionate about rock music and spent all our time and money going to see bands and buying records.We went to the Marquee club in London 3 times a week and had a ball.
I started a job in the book trade which sadly I got made redundant from but it sparked my passion for working with books and lead me to go for the job I still have now at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. In 1989 I took unpaid leave and Jenny and I packed our rucksacks and hit America ! We toured around for 2 months and had the time of our lives.
In 1993 my brother and I had the shock of finding out our 'cousin' was actually our half sister. My Mum had had her before she met my Dad and left her in Germany with my Nan and aunt when they got married, still not sure of all the whys and wherefors. I know it was an abussive relationship and he nearly killed my mum, that she was in hospital for a while and that she couldn't tell him about Gabi for fear of their lives, but other than that I guess it's not really my business. Meeting Gabs for the first time in years was weird, she now lived in the U.K and was also married to an airman.I can still remember walking in the room and thinking she has the same mouth and teeth as me !! Anyway we got on amazingly I started visiting her loads and staying weekends, her marriage was failing and I wanted to be there for her as well as getting to know her. Whilst visiting her we had to cancel plans one night so we ended up going out to see a local band, Ian's band. He still likes to tell evryone I picked him up at a bar but it wasn't really like that ! We had a four year long distance relationship which was so hard, being apart, especially towards the end so we decided to move together. I couldn't find work there so he moved here 5 years ago.
The only person I haven't mentioned yet is my English Nan, my Dad's mother. I loved her dearly, she was a huge importance in my life. We were very similar in character and very close. I could go on for hours about how wonderful she was but I won't, surfice to say my life would have been very empty without her and I miss her still, but I'm proud to have known her and I'm so lucky to have had her as my Nan.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/05/06 at 8:57 am
I wish I had a story to tell... :-\\
it was a very lovely story about your life, Henk! :)
Ok I'll give it a go........
thanks for sharing your interesting life with us, Gis! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Gis on 07/05/06 at 10:15 am
it was a very lovely story about your life, Henk! :)
thanks for sharing your interesting life with us, Gis! :)
Thank you, once I started it just kind of spewed out. ;D
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/05/06 at 10:16 am
Thank you, once I started it just kind of spewed out. ;D
I know the feeling...it's like you can't type it fast enough!! lol!
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: FaultyDog on 07/05/06 at 12:53 pm
Thanks for sharing your story with us,Henk :)
I wish you only the best because I've realised how friendly,funny and helpful you are..you don't deserve to go through depressions and such even though we all do at some point of our lives (some more serious than others)..and I have no doubt you'll soon find that someone special to start a relationship :)
it was a very lovely story about your life, Henk! :)
Thanks! Yanno...didn't think I had that much of a story, but I sure am glad I decided to type it anyway. :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Tanya1976 on 07/05/06 at 3:54 pm
Thanks for sharing your stories.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: FaultyDog on 07/05/06 at 4:31 pm
Thanks for sharing your stories.
Thanks for taking the time to read 'em! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: HawkTheSlayer on 07/06/06 at 3:44 am
Quite a few good stories out here!
One of the things I love most is meeting new ppl, and comparing notes.
Hope to see more!
(C'mon! I won't bite...much...)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: loki 13 on 07/06/06 at 4:43 pm
As I read all your stories I realized that all the adversities everyone had to overcome, my
life story is kind of boring by comparison. I appreciate all the time and effort you took to
write your stories and I will continue to tell you mine.
Autobiography: Chapter Two ( The Music years)
When I was a freshman in high school a friend of mine wanted to start up a band. He
played guitar and wanted me to play drums. I never sat behind a kit in my life but said,
"What the hell." I asked my parents for a drum set, that didn't go over very well so I
thought that was the end of it. That Christmas my parents gave me a surprising present.
They said if I took lessons they would buy me the drum kit. I agreed and our band was
on it's way.
On the day of my first lesson the teacher asked which style of music I was interested in.
I told him Rock music. With a frown he said," Are you sure." What did I know, I said,
"Of course." he said ok and the lessons began. After three weeks I found out what the frown
was about. Rock drumming was just too easy. I asked if I could switch to Jazz and his eyes lit up.
It was more challenging but a lot mor fun.
It never worked out with the guy who got me started drumming. He moved to North East Phila.
and I didn't see much of him after that. I really liked music and kept at it. In 1980 I some friends
of mine started a garage band. We were drinking fairly heavy at the time so at first we named our band
"The Drunkards." We kept that name for awhile before settling on our final name. In 1981 we renamed
the band "Event Horizon." We played a sort of Punk, New wave mix and we never got out of the garage.
Through the early 80's My lessons progressed. I was taught how to play timpani and how to play
in an orchestra. I was also being taught piano theory. I can't play the piano but I was learning the
theory behind the music. I was also learning to write music. I was a huge M*A*S*H fan so my
teacher had me write the music from the theme song for every instrument I heard in the song.
To this day I can't believe I did it. It wasn't flawless but it was passable.
The only paying jobs I had behind the drums was a Cole Porter Night at the town hall and I played
Timpani in a small orchestra. We performed Handel's "Messiah" and Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture."
As I have said earlier "Event Horizon" never got out of the garage, well actually my living room, but
we still managed to write over 100 songs. The late 80's were disastrous for us. We all went our
separate ways. The band broke up, I stop lessons and haven't sat behind a kit in 18 years.
I do miss playing. The boy wants to learn to play drums but he is not dedicated enough. I guess
I'll teach him what I can and we'll see from there.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: FaultyDog on 07/06/06 at 5:00 pm
To all of you people who were brave enough to share your story with us: I applaud you! :) Those are really great stories.
I strongly encourage anyone to follow our example.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/06/06 at 5:08 pm
As I read all your stories I realized that all the adversities everyone had to overcome, my
life story is kind of boring by comparison. I appreciate all the time and effort you took to
write your stories and I will continue to tell you mine.
Autobiography: Chapter Two ( The Music years)
When I was a freshman in high school a friend of mine wanted to start up a band. He
played guitar and wanted me to play drums. I never sat behind a kit in my life but said,
"What the hell." I asked my parents for a drum set, that didn't go over very well so I
thought that was the end of it. That Christmas my parents gave me a surprising present.
They said if I took lessons they would buy me the drum kit. I agreed and our band was
on it's way.
On the day of my first lesson the teacher asked which style of music I was interested in.
I told him Rock music. With a frown he said," Are you sure." What did I know, I said,
"Of course." he said ok and the lessons began. After three weeks I found out what the frown
was about. Rock drumming was just too easy. I asked if I could switch to Jazz and his eyes lit up.
It was more challenging but a lot mor fun.
It never worked out with the guy who got me started drumming. He moved to North East Phila.
and I didn't see much of him after that. I really liked music and kept at it. In 1980 I some friends
of mine started a garage band. We were drinking fairly heavy at the time so at first we named our band
"The Drunkards." We kept that name for awhile before settling on our final name. In 1981 we renamed
the band "Event Horizon." We played a sort of Punk, New wave mix and we never got out of the garage.
Through the early 80's My lessons progressed. I was taught how to play timpani and how to play
in an orchestra. I was also being taught piano theory. I can't play the piano but I was learning the
theory behind the music. I was also learning to write music. I was a huge M*A*S*H fan so my
teacher had me write the music from the theme song for every instrument I heard in the song.
To this day I can't believe I did it. It wasn't flawless but it was passable.
The only paying jobs I had behind the drums was a Cole Porter Night at the town hall and I played
Timpani in a small orchestra. We performed Handel's "Messiah" and Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture."
As I have said earlier "Event Horizon" never got out of the garage, well actually my living room, but
we still managed to write over 100 songs. The late 80's were disastrous for us. We all went our
separate ways. The band broke up, I stop lessons and haven't sat behind a kit in 18 years.
I do miss playing. The boy wants to learn to play drums but he is not dedicated enough. I guess
I'll teach him what I can and we'll see from there.
wow Kevin...that's an awesome story...I didn't realize you were so musically inclined! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: loki 13 on 07/06/06 at 5:14 pm
wow Kevin...that's an awesome story...I didn't realize you were so musically inclined! :)
Thanks Erin, It was so long ago.
After I wrote this I pulled some of my music books out of the closet. Wow, it looks like Hieroglyphics. ;D
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/06/06 at 7:51 pm
Thanks Erin, It was so long ago.
After I wrote this I pulled some of my music books out of the closet. Wow, it looks like Hieroglyphics. ;D
I hear ya. I took piano way back in the day...and now I really wish I would have stuck with it. :-\\
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: HawkTheSlayer on 07/06/06 at 7:54 pm
I am reteaching myself piano, after many years of disuse...I just lost interest.
However, I have taught myself to play a few other instruments- and have been told I'm good with the following:
-Irish tin flute
-Dounback drum
-Conga/bongo drums
-Slap tongue
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: loki 13 on 07/06/06 at 8:13 pm
I hear ya. I took piano way back in the day...and now I really wish I would have stuck with it. :-\\
I let the boy take guitar lessons and he lost intrest in a year, thats why I'm reluctant to give him
drum lessons. I wish I never stopped but I just wasn't making money at it.
-Slap tongue
Hawk, forgive my ignorance, but does this have something to do with a reed instrument.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/06/06 at 8:15 pm
I let the boy take guitar lessons and he lost intrest in a year, thats why I'm reluctant to give him
drum lessons. I wish I never stopped but I just wasn't making money at it.
isn't he in a band or something? what does he play?
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: loki 13 on 07/06/06 at 8:22 pm
isn't he in a band or something? what does he play?
If thats what he calls it. He learned enough to get by on the guitar, I've
taught him a thing or two on the kit. He insist on learning on the fly, it's
like he has no time for formal education. he's trying though, I'll give him credit
they don't sound too bad.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/06/06 at 8:29 pm
If thats what he calls it. He learned enough to get by on the guitar, I've
taught him a thing or two on the kit. He insist on learning on the fly, it's
like he has no time for formal education. he's trying though, I'll give him credit
they don't sound too bad.
that's cool...he seems pretty excited about it! ;)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: KKay on 07/06/06 at 9:44 pm
These are all great. No matter the whining, the complaining, the heart-felt sadness or depression expressed on this site, i'm impressed by the sample of personalities here...
i love it.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: HawkTheSlayer on 07/07/06 at 12:29 am
Hawk, forgive my ignorance, but does this have something to do with a reed instrument.
Not exactly. There are two references for "slap tongue":
The first has to do with a small stringed instrument that makes a twanging sound, and is played by holding it in one's mouth, while it's being strummed. Also called a "Jew's harp", but I prefer the reference I used. No racial connotations, that way. (I am not a racial person.)
The other reference...well, let's just say I don't talk about it unless someone plans to find out.
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/04/faga1.gif
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: CeeKay on 07/07/06 at 12:46 pm
I let the boy take guitar lessons and he lost intrest in a year, thats why I'm reluctant to give him
drum lessons. I wish I never stopped but I just wasn't making money at it.
This happens -- the difficulty with sticking with lessons for kids. Some really struggle w/ the formal lessons. Considering how much music I do (not professionally, but still...), I'm kind of surprised none of my kids has yet agreed to lessons. But they all can play a bit on the piano and the guitar...my daughter, the flute...one of my boys, the violin from elementary school days. Only now, at 16, is my oldest asking for guitar lessons. He's taught himself enough that I think he really wants to stick with it. He'll for sure be getting an electric guitar as a gift.
Unless it's a real financial strain...if you have the drums already...I don't see the harm in giving the boy drum lessons. Make a deal that he has to stick with them for at least 6 months. And if he doesn't stay with it after that, he will have learned something. JMO.
(I, too, want to thank everyone who is participating here. It's cool to read everyone's stories. I think every story is worth telling.)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Tanya1976 on 07/07/06 at 3:37 pm
Thanks for taking the time to read 'em! :)
Anytime
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: ultraviolet52 on 07/07/06 at 6:00 pm
These are all so wonderful to read about.. I love autobiographies!
I wish I could write mine now, but I may need some time (not like I have a lot to cram into 24 years of life, but we'll see) :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: ultraviolet52 on 07/07/06 at 6:19 pm
I was born on May 21st, 1982 on a warm, sunny day in Walnut Creek, CA at John Muir hospital. I grew up in Pittsburg, California at our home at 1953 Heatherwood Dr. It was a corner lot and the home was built in 1973. The home was in the middle of pure American suburbia. We had nice rolling hills as our view from our kitchen window. We had electrical poles strewn across the landscape. We had a lot of fun as kids. Our parents really tried hard to give us everything they could. We had great Christmas gifts and birthday parties. I remember my mom always made the coolest decorated cakes for Halloween and the 4th of July.
I was a bit of a tomboy because I had a big brother and always wanted to fit in with the boys. I would play lots of video games, collect baseball cards, collect micro machines, etc. I was rather athletic as a child, but never really became a pro at any one thing. I was also super girly at the same time - collecting Barbie dolls, singing along to "Annie," rolling around baby strollers with my dolls in them, collecting stuffed animals, and being with my girl friends across the street.
I went to a Christian school from preschool up through 4th grade. I started 5th grade at a different school in town that was public and more affordable for my parents. It was a little bit of a struggle to change different schools, but I eventually adjusted. I made more new friends and then eventually made my way into Jr. High. Around this time, in December of 1994, we moved to a neighboring "bedroom community" named Antioch. In the middle of Jr. High, I changed to an Independent Study school and enjoyed that form of learning. I did go back to HS, but eventually I realised Independent Study was more my style, so I went back and graduated in 2000.
When I was 14, my parents divorced. This was very painful at the time, but it was clear they were both much happier when all was said and done. After their divorce, the idea of moving from our home was constantly there. Yet, my mom managed to keep making payments although they reached as high as $3,000 a month! We finally realised we needed to move once that started happening.
There will be more... :0)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: FaultyDog on 07/07/06 at 6:41 pm
There will be more... :0)
That's the thing...build up the tension. ;)
Great story so far! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: quirky_cat_girl on 07/07/06 at 7:11 pm
I was born on May 21st, 1982 on a warm, sunny day in Walnut Creek, CA at John Muir hospital. I grew up in Pittsburg, California at our home at 1953 Heatherwood Dr. It was a corner lot and the home was built in 1973. The home was in the middle of pure American suburbia. We had nice rolling hills as our view from our kitchen window. We had electrical poles strewn across the landscape. We had a lot of fun as kids. Our parents really tried hard to give us everything they could. We had great Christmas gifts and birthday parties. I remember my mom always made the coolest decorated cakes for Halloween and the 4th of July.
I was a bit of a tomboy because I had a big brother and always wanted to fit in with the boys. I would play lots of video games, collect baseball cards, collect micro machines, etc. I was rather athletic as a child, but never really became a pro at any one thing. I was also super girly at the same time - collecting Barbie dolls, singing along to "Annie," rolling around baby strollers with my dolls in them, collecting stuffed animals, and being with my girl friends across the street.
I went to a Christian school from preschool up through 4th grade. I started 5th grade at a different school in town that was public and more affordable for my parents. It was a little bit of a struggle to change different schools, but I eventually adjusted. I made more new friends and then eventually made my way into Jr. High. Around this time, in December of 1994, we moved to a neighboring "bedroom community" named Antioch. In the middle of Jr. High, I changed to an Independent Study school and enjoyed that form of learning. I did go back to HS, but eventually I realised Independent Study was more my style, so I went back and graduated in 2000.
When I was 14, my parents divorced. This was very painful at the time, but it was clear they were both much happier when all was said and done. After their divorce, the idea of moving from our home was constantly there. Yet, my mom managed to keep making payments although they reached as high as $3,000 a month! We finally realised we needed to move once that started happening.
There will be more... :0)
very good so far!! It seems like we both had similiar childhoods! :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: ultraviolet52 on 07/07/06 at 7:38 pm
I wish I had a story to tell... :-\\
I was born on October 24, 1966 in the city of Groningen.
Hey, Henk, it seems you've accomplished quite a bit, and what a wonderful job you have. I'm sure theirs a wonderful lady just waiting for you out there, as well, and then you can maybe rewrite your ending later on :0) :)
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: CeeKay on 07/08/06 at 1:31 am
I was born on May 21st, 1982 on a warm, sunny day in Walnut Creek, CA at John Muir hospital. I grew up in Pittsburg, California at our home at 1953 Heatherwood Dr. ....
When I was 14, my parents divorced. This was very painful at the time, but it was clear they were both much happier when all was said and done. After their divorce, the idea of moving from our home was constantly there. Yet, my mom managed to keep making payments although they reached as high as $3,000 a month! We finally realised we needed to move once that started happening.
There will be more... :0)
Thanks for telling your story. I look forward to the next installment! Sorry you had to get through the divorce thing but it sounds like you're doing okay. My parents divorced when I was 14 also. (A VERY long time ago).
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Jessica on 07/08/06 at 4:47 pm
I was born on January 19, 1980. I pretty much don't remember jack from the first part of my life, except for a certain family member molesting me from the time I was two until he croaked when I was seven. Anyways...
So I grew up in the town of Castroville, in a little sh*tty duplex. When I was in first grade, I got a taste of favoritism and prejudice, thanks to my teacher. I hated her. The next year I switched to a different school. My regular teacher was okay, but my reading teacher (I was in a third grad reading class...so special!) was a b*tch. I didn't care though because I got to read better books AND we got to go to the Exploratorium in San Francisco. That year, I was also blessed with a baby sister. She looked like Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch. Or a bug.
In 1991, my grandfather died. We moved in with my grandmother, which resulted in me changing schools again. I hated being the new kid because I was pretty shy and of course, everyone LOVES to pick on the fat kid. ::) I made it through and went on to middle school where, once again, I had to defend myself. This girl hated me and I have no clue why. I never even talked to her. So through sixth and seventh grade, I had to deal with her threats, taunts, stares, and whispers. She got her ass kicked when she went on to high school, but that's a different story entirely. The seventh grade also brought a teacher who thought it would be fun to tell others in my class what a failure I was. Sucked for her that two of my best friends were in that class, and WHOOPS, they told me. I told my mom and dad, and they went up there with threats of lawyers and ass kickings. Gotta love my parents.
When eighth grade rolled around, I FINALLY felt like I had found my place. I got along with everyone and raised a lot of hell. I did a lot of things that I probably shouldn't have. Ah well, live and learn, I guess...
So I got into high school and hated it. I failed most of my classes and just said, "Forget it." So from my Freshman to the first part of my Junior year, I just goofed off, skipped school, got in trouble, didn't do my homework, and tried to commit suicide. This was brought on by the fact that I remembered what had happened to me when I was younger. So off to therapy I went. I tried to off myself again when I was 17, but my cousin stopped me.
By the beginning of my Junior year, I was done with that school. The people were idiots, the teachers were unqualified, and I really despised the principal. So I said a big, "F*ck you" and moved on to a continuation school. They were way lax and I didn't get anything done, so it didn't do me a lick of good. I did, however, manage to get some college courses in at the local community college, but I didn't have any trouble with those classes. And I PASSED them all. Go figure.
Okay, during all this mess in 1997, my mom got in a bad car accident. It happened two weeks after Princess Diana was killed. Her car was totalled, but she was okay. Or so we thought. The coming months brought her a numb leg and purple toes. Why? Blockage from the accident. So in 1998, they made her go to Stanford hospital for bypass surgery. She was there for 10 days, during which I had to take on the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, taking care of my sister, and going to school (when I felt like it). I managed though, and my mom came out perfectly fine...AND cigarette free.
After my mom came home, I sort of gave up on school. I finally decided that being a dropout was stupid, so I enrolled at the adult school and got into the independent study program. I loved it. I didn't have to worry about teachers breathing down my neck, kids being jerks, or getting up at the crack of ass. I would also like to say that I got the best grades in my life doing that. I graduated six months later than I was supposed to, but that was fine with me. I then decided to enroll at the college again to take Japanese. I adored this class, and actually stuck with it for a year and a half. Then I got stuck on the verbs and gave it up. Stupid me. I'm thinking about going and taking it again though. But I digress...
In the spring of 2001, I enrolled in what would be my last college course: Art History. I gave up on school after that. I don't know why. I had just gotten more fat and more lazy, I guess. I won't even recall the horrors of 9/11 because we all remember that. I cried. All day long. Two months after that happened, I discovered this messageboard again. It had a new look and all, so I joined up. I met some great people on here, including the person who helped me to lose weight with his support and encouragement. His name? Mark....or as you might know him...RockandRollFan. He never failed to praise me for the small things I did to better myself. And he was quite a jokester. Many of you (or at least the veterans of the board) know what happened, so I'm not even going to get into that part. And if you want to know....archives. I met Mark in 2002, along with two other people who would influence my life, Rice_Cube and DJ Midas.
Rice_Cube started bugging me around the time I really needed a friend. I was pretty depressed, despite having lost a great deal of weight, and I was being used by one of my mom's coworkers. He would keep me laughing with his dorkiness and his Barry White voice on the phone. He only lived 100 miles from me, but he refused to visit. Punk. In 2003, after being depressed as hell, no job prospects, no life, etc., I got a break. My mom's company hired me to work for them part time. It meant that I would have to put up with that one idiot, but at least I'd have something to occupy my mind. And so it went. Then I felt myself falling for Rice_Cube. Understandably, he wanted nothing to do with me in THAT way, but I tried. And all this time, Mr. Midas was around, talking to me as well. I decided that a trip was in order, so in August of 2003, I flew across the country to visit Midas. I stayed with him for a week, just hanging out and doing....stuff. http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/07/naughty.gif
In October of 2003, Rice_Cube decided that, yes, he did want a relationship with me. That posed sort of a problem, considering I had found someone else. Eventually, after a long complicated story that I'm not going to get into on here, we worked it out, and Rice_Cube got stuck with me. Midas was lucky. ;D So 2004 rolls around, and whoops! A little accident was started. I almost lost that little accident, but he was stubborn even in my belly, so it was all good. Rice decides to move in with me, after a lovely battle with his family. We got married on New Year's Eve of that year and welcomed the demon spawn into the world in February of 2005. During the summer of 2005, Mr. Cube decides to go back to school. So he gets all the necessary paperwork done and all the writing done and gets his interviews. Meanwhile, we are both working at jobs we hate, him at a grocery store, and me at a Target. He finally gets accepted to the University of Chicago.
And this is where my story ends. We are now living in Griffith, Indiana. Jason is almost a year and a half old. Rice is working hard, and I'm thinking of going back to school in a few years.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Rice_Cube on 07/08/06 at 4:54 pm
The silly demon spawn just bumped his head :D
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Davester on 07/08/06 at 7:44 pm
Just finished reading your autobiography, Jessica.
I had no idea you two three moved to Indiana...
How's Alicia? She hasn't been around in a long time...
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: CeeKay on 07/08/06 at 9:38 pm
I was born on January 19, 1980.
Wow. Thanks for telling your story, Jessica. I'm sorry for the tough parts -- you've been through alot! But a happy ending is awesome. Since I"m fairly new here I didn't know all the stuff that went on. Congrats on your move, your family and all the good that is to come.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Jessica on 07/08/06 at 10:28 pm
Just finished reading your autobiography, Jessica.
I had no idea you two three moved to Indiana...
How's Alicia? She hasn't been around in a long time...
Oh yeah. We just moved here like a month ago. Did the whole drive across the country and everything. It was insane. :D I miss California though.
Alicia is doing good. She graduated from high school last year and she's working at the grocery store. She's waiting until she's old enough to join the police academy. She's small but fierce. ;D
Oh yeah, Alicia also has a steady boyfriend. They've been together for almost two years. :) I'll tell her you asked about her. I'm sure she remembers you.
Subject: Re: Member Autobiographys/Bios
Written By: Rice_Cube on 07/09/06 at 12:26 am
Well, at the request of wife...
I was born on January 16, 1979 (for you it was probably still January 15 because of the International Date Line...unless you were in Australia, in which case it's the same date, but who's counting?) in Hong Kong. At the time Hong Kong was still a British commonwealth, which meant that I was by default a British citizen, even though I'm not British-looking...this involved learning both Chinese and English. My parents were big on making me learn all kinds of stuff, so pretty much by the time I was 10 months old I could walk, and by 14 months I could say simple words...which wasn't probably that hard, considering Chinese is composed of monosyllabic words. This allowed me to transition very well to California Standard English when I immigrated. I actually went to NYC when I was 2 years old because my dad got transferred there...got a good taste of snow, I love snow now, but being in CA most of my life, I didn't get a lot of it. Thankfully, a lot of my family lives in Canada and we took tons of road trips, so I still got some snow. I had to go back to HK for a bit, hung out with my grandparents and aunts and uncles a bunch while my parents remained in the USA to establish a career and a home...and apparently they had enough privacy to make a baby brother for me, so when I finally went back permanently, they had moved to CA and he was almost a year old. That was good times.
We lived in Concord, CA for the bulk of my elementary school years. It was nice, pretty blue-collar neighborhood with a diverse population of kids to play with and learn from. I lost my faux-Chinglish accent and adopted my CA Standard in the course of about five months. At this point I can barely read and speak Chinese, and don't even ask me to write it because I will fling poo at you. Anyway, we moved to San Ramon/Dublin (it was like on the city limit line) when I was in fourth grade, to a nicer neighborhood with lots of white people (surprise surprise). That was fun too, I guess, but I had to commute a bunch to get to school and my mom would sometimes forget that we were waiting after school because she was a big neat freak and wanted her house superclean. In fact, I swear she has an electron microscope somewhere in her brain because she would hunt down every last speck of dust and eradicate it.
By the time I was in seventh grade, my mom had decided that I was old enough to take care of my brother and she went back to work. So that's what I did. Then my parents decided, when I was in high school, that they would move me closer to school and also so my brother could be closer to his school. So we moved to Danville, to a house that they still live in today (except I'm in Indiana). Even nicer neighborhood, since Danville is "White People Land" and is on the foothills of Blackhawk and the San Ramon Valley where the median income is six-figures. Eeek!
Now the fun thing about my parents and my family in general is that they are very traditional Chinese, which meant that I learned several things:
--always have good manners
--get good grades to get a good job
--save craploads of money because I'll probably need it later
And unfortunately, my parents were a bit overprotective and domineering, which meant that I was really sheltered and didn't know how to deal with non-academic situations very well. These are the kind of parents who get PISSED if I got an A-MINUS instead of an A. Or even an A instead of an A-PLUS.
<aside>Well, part of that was my fault. I'm a chronic underachiever. I could have destroyed the curve if I tried an ounce or two harder, but frankly, by the time I was in high school, I just didn't give a sh*t. Anyway...</aside>
So in the summer of 1996, after my junior year, I got an opportunity to taste "independence" in the form of an accelerated summer session at StanfUrd University. I met a lot of good friends there, two of whom I still keep in touch with to this day. I didn't do too hot academically (see: underachiever) by my parents' standards, but a B-average ain't bad. I think it was just that after being hounded on every day to do my homework and chores and study and never having a chance to really play, I needed time to just veg out and relax. Got a good experience at the college level though, and oh how I wish I knew then what I know now, because I would have gotten out of high school so much quicker. I only keep in touch with maybe TWO people from that entire high school. I hated high school...could've gotten out faster if I had known how, because some of the courses were redundant and seemed to me like a ploy to keep the school funded and teachers employed. I liked a lot of my teachers though, so I'm glad they were gainfully employed (very qualified and spectacular people) but still, I wish they would have catered a program to me such that I could have graduated two years early.
Anyway...I graduate fifth in my class of like 450 students (parents were pissed that I wasn't valedictorian...darn me to heck) and got into UC Berkeley (why you no get into Stanfurd or MIT?) and was on my way to a major in molecular biology. Got another shot at independence, they let me stay in the dorms on the condition that I keep my scholarship. So what do I do? I booze it up and toke it up and play Quake 2 into the middle of the night, skipped class (I think I was the first Regents' Scholar in recorded history to not-pass PE :D ) and almost lost my scholarship. So quite deservedly, the parents pulled me out of the dorms and my GPA went up almost immediately. Except for the biology class in the spring...I had the most terrible teaching assist