Hi, gang.
Hope the weekend is going well thus far.
As we close in on the half-way point of our adventure together, we make our stop at 17.
(And before we go any further, yeah, that’s me.)
When you’re done cracking yourself up, I promise that there’s some method to the madness here.
So, stay with me if you can…
Now, I know a person can’t be – shouldn’t be – defined by a short list of likes and dislikes, favorites and fears, regrets etc., but if part of all of this is to maybe learn a few things about each other, I’ll agree to go first.
Short of providing a bio (which I would never subject you guys to), let’s try it like this. (Oh, and before we do give this a try, even though it’s forever ago, I’m ‘gonna lean on my memory to share a few things with you – 17 different things, actually – all of which pre-date my 18th birthday. Wish me luck.)
NAME: Fischer, John Louis
BIRTHPLACE: Rockville Centre, NY
EARLIEST MEMORY: Spending a few days in the hospital, recovering from pneumonia, sharing a room with a boy who tore most of the roof of his mouth off, while running with a whistle.
FIRST THING I REMEMBER BEING VERY AFRAID OF: David Berkowitz, The Son of Sam
FIRST LEGIT ACT OF BRAVERY: Saving four ducks from a small stream near my childhood home in Rochester, NY. (With help from my friend, Chris Garman, we saved the ducks, after we had to watch a neighborhood dog kill three others right in front of us.)
BIGGEST REGRET : Quitting piano lessons at age 15
GUILTIEST PLEASURE: Eating cake frosting right out of the container
FAVORITE RECORD ALBUM: Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band
FAVORITE SONG: “Romeo’s Tune,” Steve Forbert
FAVORITE BOOK: The World According to Garp, John Irving
MOST TERRIFYING MOMENT: Jumping off a high dive, blindfolded
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: Being named captain of my high school wrestling team
REOCCURING DREAM (GOOD): Walking through a small town somewhere in Alaska at 2am, in full daylight
REOCCRUING DREAM (BAD): As the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz,” wailing away at the door with an axe, unable to break through to save Dorothy
SCARIEST MOVIE MOMENT: In It’s a Wonderful Life when George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) realizes that his own mother doesn’t know who he is
MOST MEMORABLE LINE IN LITERATURE: “Rely too much on your own gift, and you’ll fail.” (Ed Hobbs to his son, Roy, from Bernard Malamud’s The Natural, ©copyright, 1952.)
MOST INFLUENTIAL TEACHER: Howard Benedict
When we started this thirty-day journey a few weeks ago, I explained that I would like this to be interactive. (Promise you that wasn’t bullshit.)
So, if it’s fun for you to look back and remember these sorts of things, please share with me. (Word of honor, it will stay just between us.)
If you want to send me your own “me at 17” stuff, I’d love to read it. (And I hope you will share with me at: JLFish51@yahoo.com.)
Catch up with you tomorrow, my compadres.
Night,
JFish
PS “Never erase your past. It shapes who you are today and will help you to be the person you’ll be tomorrow.”
– Ziad Abdelnour, financier, activist