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Five Years Separate Two Erics (RWYD@17 W/O)Aug 12 '04 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line my album at age 17 was "things fall apart" (the roots). was also bumping much outkast, nas, black star, and m.o.p. those were the days.
I am not sure the five years between seventeen years old and twenty-two years old could be more crucial. I look back at the Eric from 1999 and wonder, what in the hell was I doing back then?! But nevertheless, good times... 1. Who were your best friends, or were you a friendless geek? What was the most interesting fun that you had together? Best friends were a rag-tag bunch of those who didn't really fit in, yet, everyone liked for one reason or another. We were the stoners, the drinkers; we were the ones who skipped out of class to go to the parking lot to have a cigarette. Most everyone was high strung and high-class where I was from in Brecksville, Ohio. Me and my friends made up the slender middle-class section. We were too poor for the hot, rich girls to date, but rebellious enough to excite them like the high-strung, weight-lifting, 4.0 drones couldn't. Most interesting fun? Hard to say. Lots of hanging out. Lots of getting high. Lots of mischief. There is no one defining moment. We were hellians. 2. What was your favorite food? Have you out grown your fondness for it? Was this food involved in a food fight? Probably pizza. It really hasn't changed much. I have always like pizza, chicken, steak, potatoes - regular stuff. Food fight? Are you kidding? We were high - we needed all the food we could get! Haha. Kidding. _I_ wasn't _that_ bad, but no, we weren't down with that food fight mess. 3. Did you have a pet- real or imaginary? Were you the teacher's pet. Maybe you were the animal- fess up! At 17 we briefly had a chiuahuah (sic) dog named Rae. He ruled but, the problem is, my mom and sister promised I would not have to take care of him. But I ended up being the only one who remembered to feed him most of the time, let alone take him on walks, keep him from digging up the carpet, etc. So, there went that. We gave him to a woman who was much more likely to take good care of him. Also, I was pretty much a MONSTER when I was 17. No one could control me. I was pretty bad though I couldn't see the error my ways then. 4. What was your most memorable, life changing moment- in school or out. Did it involve any psychedelics? Parents were still in the process of divorce but mom and dad had already been apart for a bit when I turned 17. That made me a very angry, rebellious, spiteful kid. That, plus peer pressure, drove me into the weed, the heavy drinking, and the disregard for how I was affecting my loved ones. 5. Were you still a virgin at 17? Are you still? Yes...No 6. What was the most wicked thing you did? Did anyone find out? Were you grounded or just thrown in jail? I, unlike just about everyone else I hung out with at 17, was never arrested or detained. The most wicked thing I did? Involved serious vandalism. That's all I'm saying. I never got caught. 7. How many guys or girls did you date when you were 17? Do you still keep in touch with them? Is your current mate jealous? I have no idea how many girls I dated at 17. Wasn't a ton but a few. This was my phase of mass rejection though. Again, as I said, the girls wouldn't date guys like me or my friends too much. But, you could tell they loved being around us; we excited them. I don't keep in touch with anyone I dated back then. I don't have a current mate. 8. What was your favorite subject in school? Or are you a high school drop out? Did you get to skip a grade because you are a genius? Favorite subject at this time was probably Mr. Lubinger's sociology class. I loved the debate. That's part of what let me know that I wanted to be a Social Studies major in college. I skipped no grade and graduated by the skin of my teeth - needed to pass two finals on the last day to avoid summer school. 9. What was the make and the condition of the car you drove. Were you guilty of any traffic violations or worse? Were you randy? 1993 Ford Explorer. A hand-me-down. Had about 180K miles during my year of being 17. It was nice at that time. Didn't stay that way too much longer. I had my license suspended when I was 17 for having two speeding tickets before the age of 18. What a ridiculous law. Then again, we're talking about Ohio - don't get me started. And wtf is randy? 10. Did you know what you wanted to do with your life? Did you aspire to be a beauty queen, fireman or a Dentist? Or just be plain old brilliant and discover... I wanted to be a teacher. I am a teacher in training right now. Nothing has changed with that. 11. Where did you live? The city, rural America, suburbia, out of this country... or in your own private, little world? Brecksville, Ohio. Suburbia. I hated the suburbs so badly and of everywhere I could end up one day, the suburbs will not be part of the equation. I felt myself getting racist towards my own race everyday. All of these silly, sheltered white folks, with money, pretending they knew the struggles people go through in this world, especially in the inner city, where they had never been. They just saw the sh!t on the news and pretended they got it. It bothered me to no end. It still does, in recollection. I had previously been in the city and the country and the suburbs paled in comparison to both. 12. Sisters and brothers are, were, still are..... How many? Were you an only child? Do you wish you were an only child? Did you see to it that you were? 1 sister; Kari; 14-15 during my 17th year. I was awful to her but our relationship began to strengthen a bit with our parent's divorce. At the time, my wishes to be an only child were gone. I began to appreciate her. We now have a very strong relationship and it all pretty much began around the time I was 17. 13. Did you get into the college of your choice? Were you college bound? Did you end up with a great job flipping burgers? Are you famous now because of the choice you made then? I did get into the college of my choice, but, too late. Eastern Michigan University sent the acceptance two months or more past when Kent State University, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Akron, the University of Toledo, etc., would send my acceptance. So, Kent State it was for one semester. Actually, my EMU acceptance didn't come until I was 18. But, in the Winter of 2001 I began my education at EMU. Ultimately, I need back into Michigan and to my hometown of Ypsilanti. This write-off certainly clarifies that that university is SLOW. I'm still waiting on my financial aid to come through for Spring 2004 - which ended at the end of June! 14. What was your favorite music, group, singer at 17? Do you listen to them today? Did your parents ever break your records? Did you play an instrument or in a group? At 17, my favorite music was hip-hop, as it is now. My parents didn't much care about what I listened to at that point. The Roots were probably my favorite at this time. I was also huge into Nas, Outkast, and anything Rawkus Records was putting out. 15. Tell us about your prom... Theme, date, outfit. What dance was popular then. What was your "after the prom" fun. I dare you to post a picture of yourself, your date. Well, at 17 I was a junior at junior/senior prom. It was at the BP building in downtown Cleveland. It was probably the best prom because I went with my good friend, Victoria, and neither of us was interested in anything more than having fun together and with our friends. I was lookin' slick in my white tux. What dance was popular? None, we just got our freak on before it was called gettin' your freak on. I have no pictures of this with me in Virginia, and if I did, you wouldn't see them. ;o) 16. Did you belong to any after school clubs or sports? Were you ever in the newspaper because of these activities? Well, in the fall I was all about the School-night Drinking Foundation where we raised money for $5 bottles of diluted vodka for the happy and carefree. In the winter, it was the Marijuana Smokers Joint Committee, where pot heads were unified by one common force: getting high. And in the spring, I thought about playing baseball, but figured it'd be better if I just observed as the Designated Smoker. Seriously, I lettered in tennis as a freshmen in Chelsea, Michigan, but when I got to Brecksville as a sophomore, I lost all interest in playing sports, and being productive in general. I ranged from sad to happy though - it wasn't like "ohh this poor kid, doing drugs and smoking." No, f!ck that, I liked it! And when I look back on it, there are no regrets about doing that. The only regrets were with how I treated my loved ones at times. 17. The biggie and final question... Would you ever do it all over again if you could. Remember the drama and the hormones and the angst before you answer. Absolutely. I needed that experience to make me the optimistic, caring, peaceful person I am now. Granted, it was unstable living; an emotional roller coaster. Still, I needed that. Again, it's part of what makes me who I am now. * * * * * * * * * * "Remember What You Did at 17 W/O" Hosted by: artemisadorned Read all about it here. * * * * * * * * * * For more information about Cryptic Cradle and his reviews, please click here. * * * * * * * * * * This has been a Cryptic Cradle Production.  |
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