15

Alright, I stole this idea from K-Lowe, and so I'm not trying to claim it as my own. I believe he stole it from someone else, and so here it is. In installments, I'm going to write about where I was and what I was doing 1, 5, 10, and 15 years ago.

For what it's worth, I'm going to start with 15. Even though I was just starting Kindergarden at a ripe 6 years old, I think it's interesting to note what I can remember.


15 years ago, I...

Was 6 years old, and started Kindergarten. Had George Bush for a President. Learned to Count and Tie my shoes. Learned that Santa Claus wasn’t real. Was very religious, and had unquestioned faith. Had Mrs. Wagner for a teacher. Was taught the alphabet in class, but my dad had already taught it to me. Learned the Pledge of Allegiance. Took Ninja Turtles stuff into class for Show and Tell. Watched Saturday morning cartoons religiously. Had to go to bed at 9:00 on school nights, because my mom made me. Hated brushing my teeth. Spent my afternoons after school at my grandparents’, where my grandfather taught me about computers and showed me how to program on an old Radio Shack computer with no graphics and only orange text on a black screen. Had about 10 cats that lived outside. Still lived at the “old house,” which is, coincidentally, right next to the house where I now live. Regularly rented VHS tapes from Wilson's Video Corner in Chippewa. Made some money by sweeping floors at houses my dad was building and folding flyers he mailed to generate business for Riccon Development Inc. Uncle Ronnie was alive. Pap Gray was alive. Had a bowl cut. Took sign language classes with my mom at CCBC for fun. Had a best friend, Carson Pete, who eventually moved to Nevada. Bought candy from McCarters. Rode my bike to the bar across the street to pick up the cans and bottles people left outside so I could recycle them and my grandfather would give me money. Convinced my mom to start going to church. Had a two-year-old baby sister. Went swimming out at Shirleen's swimming pool, right next to my grandma's house. Wore cheap shoes from Payless and hand-me-down clothes from relatives and the rummage sale at the Chippewa United Methodist Church. Did odd jobs around the house for money, which I saved up in a jar in my dresser for the entire year, only to spend it during the week my family spent at Geneva-on-the-lake every summer. Great Grandma McClain was still alive. Shared a room with my brother, and fought over top bunk (or bottom, usually whichever of the two I happened to want at the time).