I visited Olathe, Kansas a lot as a kid. It was where my dad lived after he remarried and moved away from Chicago ( Read more... )

My dad understood two sports: football and boxing. So when I moved to Kansas in sixth grade and told him I played soccer, I may as well have told him [in French] that I wanted to design dresses ( Read more... )

The screening took place in the gym. I believe it was 8th grade...maybe 7th. But it seems like 8th grade ( Read more... )

I can get quiet on my evening walks, especially in late fall, or early winter. There's something about the weather that makes me think about being a kid again ( Read more... )

The first gun story is hereHere's the second one ( Read more... )

I knew the mean, fat kid by reputation.

( More about Mean Fat Kid... )

I have a book I've never read ( Read more... )

( Going Up! )

The basement of the house where I grew up was a creepy place. Aside from the sump pump and all the other things that make a basement up north work--and ignoring the creepy crawlspace above the workbench--there were little rooms down there. One contained the boiler, and the other, I was convinced, contained everything that would ensure a lifetime ( Read more... )

Mike Fisher's bedroom was a testament to science, filled with chemistry kits, star maps, telescopes, and shelves of books. He lived next door to me when I was a kid. He had probably five or six years on me ( Read more... )