The middle school I went to was called Long Ridge.  It was about 3 miles from my house we didn’t have any buses. I had lost a lot of weight with exercising, soccer, and baseball.  If it rained, snowed or sleeted we were always at school. My bike was my best friend. We never had to lock our bikes at school. People were just not like that, (stealing that is).

It seemed this school was way out in the boonies. There were lots of woods to go through and all the new houses that were being put in. The school was shaped in a U. In the front were the office, library, cafeteria and gym. All the classes were away from the parking lot.

I can remember that the food was crappy, there was no air conditioning and I hated gym class. Our assembly hall is in the gym and schoolyard was huge. I mean you could start from the back of the school run all the way around the yard back to the school and want to die. I hated to run. I would always finish at the back of the class. I did not like to run, did not like basketball, but loved dodgeball.

There were times when we had to climb the rope from the floor to the ceiling and down. I did not like being up that high and it made my lower body feels strange. This was also the time where I’ll had to take showers with other people. O my god shoot me!I never took showers with my brothers why should I take showers with people I did not know? This is what I did; I put my clothes on then and then put water on my hair face and arms walked out with a towel. Everybody thought I had showered but later in the day when it was hot I must have smelt like cow droppings.

Dodgeball was my favorite sport in class. All the people that you were mad at you could blast them and believe me I tried. I learned to play soccer there.  Remember I said I hated to run ? Well, I became a goalie. I loved this position! I didn’t know this but it won me all County, Allstate in high school. Which brings me back to my father.

My father in college was this super good football player and he let me know it. He could not understand why I was playing soccer. He hated that sport and never went to a game, but my mother was there. She was always there.

On many a Christmas morning, my father would get me a football and I would never use it. It seems my father wanted me to go to college on a scholarship for football. I always thought he hated me and not the game. It took me a long time to figure this one out but finally I did.

I could not understand English class.  After all I could speak English what was the problem? History… who cared about Christopher Columbus or the Romans? This was now my life!

I took care of my brothers and sister and I would never get into any trouble with my father!’Wroooooooooong!’ Seems I forgot one thing:  My father always used to tell me if you are gonna be dumb …….. best be tough. My father usually said it when he would hit me with lines like “I brought you into this world, I’ll take you out.” or better yet, “Stupid, stupid, stupid , stupid you!”

As I was about to open my mouth and talk back to him he would point his finger at me and say very plainly and demanding, “Don’t.”

In seventh grade, I started to learn about girls. They weren’t as tough as the guys, but they talked real cute things like, “He’s cute”, “I like him.”, and “Wow.”  I had lost a lot of weight with exercising from soccer and baseball. There was no  girl who could take me away from these sports.

Or so I thought.

I was a geek. The year before high school it seems everybody was being split up. People would go to Greece Olympia and the new school. The one at the end of the world, Greece Arcadia High School. This was a whole new setting. There were clicks and people getting beaten up.  This was crazy.

I can remember filling out paperwork as to what I would like to be when I grew up. So this is what I did; English, drafting, history, choir,gym,and math.

Since I was good in choir and loved to sing, I ended up in a barbershop quartet. The people loved us including the parents. I loved being on the stage just listening to people laugh.  With the exception of math everything else was a lost cause.

I can remember getting called into the office by the vice president who made me write a letter after some of the trouble I had been in. He wanted me to write a letter why I thought I was a ball buster. The soccer coach and baseball coach loved me. After all, we did get trophies in soccer and baseball.

High school was a bother to me. I didn’t feel like I had anything to learn. I can remember on our senior day Scott and I tried to sell the school to Eastman Kodak. Important people showed up at Scott’s house. (Oops, talk about getting in trouble)

Also on our senior day we led cows down the main hall.  They went all over and I do mean all over. Six of us had to clean up the mess. It’s a wonder I graduated. I really do think the people wanted me out of school and I thought well, who cares! No more school!

Scott and I with his father’s car went to our senior prom. Lots of dancing, making out and yes people getting very drunk. (and yes we did get very drunk) We drove home around 1130pm on the Sea Breeze Expressway. I think we were doing about 100 mph going around a turn and Scott lost control. We skidded on the road about 200 feet went into a yard and crashed into a house with the back of the car.

All I can remember is trying to start the car. I finally got it going and got home next morning he told his father that someone hit him in the parking lot nothing was ever said after that. My God, talk about thinking we were Superman!

Oh my gosh I almost forgot to talk to you about our band! It was called the Berlin Rescue Squad. We had to write the firefighters in Berlin, New York for permission to use their name. How great was that it worked! We played in a lot of places. Restaurants, nightclubs and dances. It seems like every girl was at the front stage screaming and looking at us.

My father always hated the long hair but after awhile he gave up. When I bought the boots he went into an uproar. “You will never wear those boots in MY house!” But after a while he calmed down. I think my mother kept telling him that it was his son’s life and it not his own.

In high school I had four girlfriends. Nancy, Linda and Patty. Nothing ever worked out. Six or eight months and we would break up. Talk about one’s ego! I had it when school was out I spent a lot of time at the beach and playing golf.

Scott had joined the service and it seems his girlfriend’s old boyfriend pulled up in front of his house and put a gun to Scott head. Shook him up so bad he had to leave. Don was nowhere to be found ,seems he moved on when his parents broke up. Jack had gone to college seems he was the only one of us with smarts. John was doing part-time jobs lawns, painting houses, and so on it seems our little wrecking crew was over now what would I do I had thrown away my schooling years. I had no job,  what was I going to do? I can still remember my mother saying be careful what you wish for you may get it little did I know what was about to happen!