Dopey

Meeting Cheryl introduced me to teenage lust. It also introduced me to another sort of world.

My friends would soon become the kids that the other kids referred to as druggies. I would discover speed and weed, trip on acid and drink down the bitter taste of beer.

Dead-end at the tracks

It was all a joke. It was a realization that it would take me years to have.

I imagine that back then, when I had just entered high school, all this meant the world to me. It would end up being only numbers, and negative numbers at that.

A Scout obeys

Two members of my Webelo pack including myself headed to Boy Scouts early because we were the only two remaining members. We were not quite 11.

Our youth would be even more evident as most of the troop’s members were teenagers who had been in the troop for awhile. It meant some added pressure to learn what we were supposed to know.

I’m not sure if that’s what fit into my decision, though, when our assistant scoutleader asked me to spend the night. He asked if I could stay and practice the Scout Law and Scout Oath, two requirements for the first Boy Scout rank. My parents said sure but with skepticism that I would not understand until I got older.

Reading update

I’m currently juggling two books, “Shimmering Images, A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoirs” by Lisa Dale Norton and “Running with Scissors” with Augusten Burroughs.

I’ve read the first part of Norton’s book, The Ideas Behind the Process. She wrote much about honesty and truth versus fact, which are concerns of mine as I write this book.

Dreaming and dameless – the early years

My childhood was rather normal. At least I never questioned it.

My earliest memory was a nightmare. I was in bed and Frankenstein was trying to take my clothes off. The catch was I just had layers upon layers of coats. Eventually I let out a shriek and my parents ran in and told me I was just having a bad dream.

Staying on focus, a struggle

I’ve just started and I’m losing focus.

I’ve recently gotten that advice from my coach and cutie and I can’t really deny it. She gave me great advice as I asked what to write next.

Death and denial

I had called off sick the day I got the phone call. It was my younger brother on the phone.

“Dad’s in the hospital,” he said as I heard the sound of crying. “Mom wanted me to call you and tell you he may not make it.”

Publishing advice

Suite101.com offers advice on using print-on-demand publishers as an option for publishing a memoir. While I’m not even past a few pages, it was still interesting reading.

The article makes good sense considering the economics of publishing. Unless you write a best-seller right off the bat it will likely cost a decent amount to have your story see the inside of a book cover.

The link is http://writingmemoirs.suite101.com/article.cfm/print_on_demand_publishers_for_memoirs

Searching for a purpose

One of the things that always intimidated me about writing a book is managing to find a focus then sticking with it. So what do I do? Tackle my life.

A father’s work ethic

My dad was a worker, more in tune with his hands than anything else.

When I was born he worked as a packer at a pottery. Later in life he would install siding on homes, handle maintenance in a nursing home and work as a custodian in an elementary school.