Anyone care about my story? Well, I'm bored so here it is:
My mom was 22 years old living in the podunk town she had lived in her whole life, Payette, Idaho. A town so small that the only stop SIGN was in the middle of the 4 block long downtown area (about 10 years ago, they finally put in a stop LIGHT). My father, and I'm not making this up, left before i was born because he was wanted in Califonia for polygamy (my mom had no idea by the way). When I was 2 she got married to a guy named Jim who had a son Named T.C. (don't know what it stood for, I was only 2). He was, I think,12 at the time and thought it was funny to smack me around when no one was looking. My mom found out where he learned it when Jim decided to do the same to her. Luckily, she was able to leave, thanks to some male friend who let him know what it felt like. When I was 4, we moved to Sumner, Washington where we lived for less than a year before moving to Seattle. My mom didn't have alot of money so, she found a small and cheap apt.... in the Central Area (our version of the Ghetto). I was literally the only white kid there. Which actually turned out to be great, because I learned about diversity, racism and everything that goes with it at a young age. I would have never learned that in Idaho! We ended up living there for most of my childhood. In fact, we moved to the northend of Seattle right before I started high school. There were four of us who hung out everyday, Dion, Cecil, Corey and me. Blah, blah... we grew up together, went to school so on and so on. When I was 13 my sister was born. I always got so mad because people thought she was adopted (her dad is black, jamacian to be exact). Or they would correct me and say "half-sister"... no goddamn it she is a whole sister to me! Anyway....When I was 14 we moved to the Ballard/Greenwood area. I missed my friends, but I gained a whole new bunch. Of course, I thought I was black so it was interesting to try to adjust. I don't think alot of people understand what it's like to grow up in the ghetto. I never really knew what rock music was until I was in high school. I grew up on rap/hip-hop thru the transition years from goofy dance tunes to gangsta rap. Anyway, back on track here! The only part about high school that is important to me is life experiences I gained (which are for another journal altogether) and radio class. I went to Nathan Hale, which has C-89 broadcasting from a classroom. I got my FCC liscence at 16 and was on air 3 hours a day for 2 years. Did a shift in the evenings on wed. nights for a year and did a summer shift 4 hours every wed. day for 2 summers. I miss that, but, it's so hard to get your foot in the door in radio. I don't have time to intern for free and if I did, they wouldn't let me because "I'm not a college student". Anyway..... Here I am now. I work in retail, don't have much money, have some great friends I wouldn't trade for anything and a family I get along with very well. On a side note, just because I think it is crazy how different peoples live go. My childhood friends I mention earlier.... where they are now. Last time I saw Dion, he was on a bus in downtown Seattle wearing all red, with 3 other guys wearing all red. I talked to him for a minute.. and suprisingly when I got off the bus, he stood up and gave me a hug. I almost cried when I got off that bus. He was my BEST friend when I was young, here he was obviously wrapped up in gang shit.. and I think he was either high on crack or strung out needing a fix. Cecil (the good kid) was killed by a stray bullit in a drive-by... I did cry over that one. And Corey, who I never really liked very much, but he was best friends with Cecil is now one of the highest paid player in the NFL Corey Dillon.. he was always a great athlete. And here I am, it's funny how the diffent paths we take can make us end up so different.
If you read this whole thing I am impressed!
Later
Mike
My mom was 22 years old living in the podunk town she had lived in her whole life, Payette, Idaho. A town so small that the only stop SIGN was in the middle of the 4 block long downtown area (about 10 years ago, they finally put in a stop LIGHT). My father, and I'm not making this up, left before i was born because he was wanted in Califonia for polygamy (my mom had no idea by the way). When I was 2 she got married to a guy named Jim who had a son Named T.C. (don't know what it stood for, I was only 2). He was, I think,12 at the time and thought it was funny to smack me around when no one was looking. My mom found out where he learned it when Jim decided to do the same to her. Luckily, she was able to leave, thanks to some male friend who let him know what it felt like. When I was 4, we moved to Sumner, Washington where we lived for less than a year before moving to Seattle. My mom didn't have alot of money so, she found a small and cheap apt.... in the Central Area (our version of the Ghetto). I was literally the only white kid there. Which actually turned out to be great, because I learned about diversity, racism and everything that goes with it at a young age. I would have never learned that in Idaho! We ended up living there for most of my childhood. In fact, we moved to the northend of Seattle right before I started high school. There were four of us who hung out everyday, Dion, Cecil, Corey and me. Blah, blah... we grew up together, went to school so on and so on. When I was 13 my sister was born. I always got so mad because people thought she was adopted (her dad is black, jamacian to be exact). Or they would correct me and say "half-sister"... no goddamn it she is a whole sister to me! Anyway....When I was 14 we moved to the Ballard/Greenwood area. I missed my friends, but I gained a whole new bunch. Of course, I thought I was black so it was interesting to try to adjust. I don't think alot of people understand what it's like to grow up in the ghetto. I never really knew what rock music was until I was in high school. I grew up on rap/hip-hop thru the transition years from goofy dance tunes to gangsta rap. Anyway, back on track here! The only part about high school that is important to me is life experiences I gained (which are for another journal altogether) and radio class. I went to Nathan Hale, which has C-89 broadcasting from a classroom. I got my FCC liscence at 16 and was on air 3 hours a day for 2 years. Did a shift in the evenings on wed. nights for a year and did a summer shift 4 hours every wed. day for 2 summers. I miss that, but, it's so hard to get your foot in the door in radio. I don't have time to intern for free and if I did, they wouldn't let me because "I'm not a college student". Anyway..... Here I am now. I work in retail, don't have much money, have some great friends I wouldn't trade for anything and a family I get along with very well. On a side note, just because I think it is crazy how different peoples live go. My childhood friends I mention earlier.... where they are now. Last time I saw Dion, he was on a bus in downtown Seattle wearing all red, with 3 other guys wearing all red. I talked to him for a minute.. and suprisingly when I got off the bus, he stood up and gave me a hug. I almost cried when I got off that bus. He was my BEST friend when I was young, here he was obviously wrapped up in gang shit.. and I think he was either high on crack or strung out needing a fix. Cecil (the good kid) was killed by a stray bullit in a drive-by... I did cry over that one. And Corey, who I never really liked very much, but he was best friends with Cecil is now one of the highest paid player in the NFL Corey Dillon.. he was always a great athlete. And here I am, it's funny how the diffent paths we take can make us end up so different.
If you read this whole thing I am impressed!
Later
Mike
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
but you are the only one at "fault" for being such a great guy.