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So we cross the bridge to the elementary building, down the steps into something called ‘Boys Locker Room.’ No such thing in elementary school. You grab a locker and change into your gym clothes. I liked wearing gym shorts under my pants, it made for a quick change. Pull on the clean t shirt when… Continue reading Boy’s Locker Room aka ‘Morrissey, I get you, man’

A wild sociology experiment created by error! The merger/jointure of the two school districts was very rushed and, as you’d expect, they fucked up details. But only when it came to the ‘poor town’ school, ie, our junior high. Where the Foon was in charge. The school had no athletic fields within a mile of… Continue reading The Girls are in Charge! (starring Grace Slick)

A signpost ahead: You are entering the pre-teen twilight zone. My world was surrounded by music. At home, my radio played the local AM rock station (WRAW) and the center of my gravity, WFIL in Philadelphia. I still can tell you the names of the weekend dances in Philadelphia/South Jersey. When mom went to the… Continue reading Steve brings the music

Not exactly what they were hoping for….. Once a week, the Assistant Principal held ‘Orientation’ class. As I said, he was a large imposing man with a crimson face ravaged by teenage acne. He endeavored to show his softer side here (more Andy Griffith, less Goebbels), and by and large he succeeded. In the beginning,… Continue reading Junior High ‘Orientation’ Class

Don’t get Above Your Raisin’ Boy I guess I’m just like most of you when it comes to the past. Hartley said the past is a foreign country. But our memories are always of sunny days, smiling faces…..all the girls were young and perfect, none of us boys were bald or fat. The grass was… Continue reading The Hills are Alive with the Smell of Cow shit

Not the ending I wrote in the book of my life. Senior Year, we shared a Chemistry lab table. I was very surprised when she chose to sit in front of me first day; guess she didn’t know anyone else– we were barely nodding acquaintances. Over that year, we became semi-friends; somehow, I was allowed… Continue reading ‘Veronica’–Epilogue

In all my juvenile thoughts and future aspirations, never did I dream I would write the next 2 posts. ‘Veronica’ parachuted into 7th grade like a floral garden ablaze. Long brown hair (that didn’t move), perfect legs, a smile that would make a dentist swoon. Huge brown eyes and a flawless complexion. What really set… Continue reading Part Two: Veronica

Our Dynamic Duo Every guy in 7th grade pretty much agreed that two girls were top of charts. Both could not be more different–a lava explosion vs a tornado. Hence, their names here-Betty and Veronica. I’ll start with Betty She came from poor town, and her clothes showed it. Not hand me downs, but incredibly… Continue reading Betty and Veronica (Part One)

If this was poker, you’d throw your cards in! So, this is the first time you have more than 1 teacher. Talk about re-aligning your consciousness. No more teacher as semi-friend, guardian of your future (yawn). Now, every day you have multiple personalities/different shades of phobias. I couldn’t remember all these names! Hell, it was… Continue reading The Teachers

The subject of nightmares for years to come. Once you were in homeroom, the teacher distributed locker numbers and combinations. Then you try it out. The noise was crazy, made worse by the unworldly echo of the second floor. Some lockers always jammed, and half the time kids were screwing up the numbers, then saying… Continue reading Lockers