110 Days: The Life and Times of a Hard Luck Case
Published by John Foltin at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 John Foltin
Cover Art by Donna Casey
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
110 DAYS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
110 DAYS
July 7, 1970
So it began. I was born today at Bellaire Hospital in Bellaire, Ohio at 4:28 pm to Philip and Marie Foltin. I weighed 6 lbs., 2 oz., and was 19 inches long.
I was a breech birth, feet first. I was born flat-footed and bow-legged. From the beginning, things were going wrong for me.
I was named John Emil after my grandparents. It could have been a lot worse. If Dad had his way, I would have been named Igor Ivan. Thankfully, Mom won that battle. I didn’t realize until years later, but my birth date and my parents’ anniversary were only 6 weeks apart.
My father was born on December 3, 1937. In 1961, he enlisted in the Army. He served for 2 years, reaching the rank of Specialist SP-4. He was stationed at Fort Hamilton, New York, but was later transferred overseas to Italy. He was an expert with a .45 caliber pistol and a sharpshooter with an M-14 rifle.
When his tour was up, he went to work as a machinist in the coal mines.
My mother was born on March 11, 1940. She worked as a cashier at places like Scott Lumber and Harts department store.
They met at a polka dance and were married two years later.
December 1, 1970
Today, I had casts placed on my legs to straighten them out. I also had arches placed in my feet.
I would have those casts on my feet until January 27. A few months later, I was crawling and able to stand by myself. Shortly after that, I took my first steps.
May 13, 1972
We had been renting the top floor of a two-story house in Blaine. For 3 of us, that was enough.
However, Mom was expecting another child, and there wasn’t enough room for 4.
So, after weeks of searching, we found a 3 bedroom house in St. Clairsville, just 5 houses down the road from Dad’s parents.
November 27, 1972
My brother Eric was born today. Just like any other big brother, I was mad at all the attention he was getting. I was used to being the center of attention.
I did stunts like putting an entire jar of Vaseline in my hair to divert their attention from him.
November 29, 1974
I was also born tongue tied. I couldn’t stick it out past my lips. So, I went to the doctor to have my tongue clipped. Now, it worked like a normal tongue.
June 23, 1975
My parents took me to a clinic in Akron for some tests. I had been diagnosed with hyperactivity and sent there for further tests. After the tests, I was prescribed Ritalin.
It would be years later before I could determine the true diagnosis. Something that was still in the discovery stages back then: autism.
It all made sense now. Before I started school, I could count to 30, read from the newspaper, and spell words like ‘xylophone’. I was an extremely picky eater. I ate no vegetables except for French fries and pizza/spaghetti sauce, and even then it had to be strained. In grade school, any time my team lost, I would break down and cry until I reached fourth grade.
Then, there was my shyness. I was a quiet child. I went to a therapist to try to bring me out of my shell, but it didn’t work.
July 7, 1977
Not much special happened today. Just putting it here just because I thought it was interesting that my 7th birthday fell on 7/7/77. And yet my lucky number was 13. Go figure.
March 23, 1978
The entire second grade was holding an Easter egg hunt at the fairgrounds. Lots of kids looking for even more eggs.
There were kids getting 5 to 10 eggs. I got one. In typical fashion, I was upset and cried.
Until I found out I had the golden egg. They didn’t mention it until the event was over. This egg had candy inside, while the rest were hard-boiled.
December 8, 1979
My fourth grade class was performing a Christmas play. It was just Mrs. Shaffer’s and Mr. Verba’s classes. The play was “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.
When they were holding auditions, I tried out for the lead role, Mr. Brown himself. After all, I was as wishy washy as he was. In fact, if any fictional character could best describe me, it would be Charlie Brown.
Alas, I didn’t get the part. I was delegated to the choir, where anyone from the class who didn’t have a speaking role was delegated to.
September 5, 1980
Well, today was my first day of middle school. New building. New class schedules. And a few other changes too.
I was starting to put on weight. I couldn’t fit into regular size clothes. Mom had to buy me husky pants.
Also, I had to start wearing glasses. I was having trouble seeing the blackboard near the end of fourth grade. I didn’t want to look like a nerd. Then again, I kinda was one. So, when in Rome...
I also started band. When choosing an instrument, my first choice was French horn, but that wasn’t an option for fifth graders to learn. I went with my second choice, Mom’s choice: clarinet.
It seemed everything and everyone changed too. Clothes and hairstyles were trendier. Cliques were being formed. This was the 80’s, after all.
As they were changing, I stayed the same. And the more things changed, the more distant I became to everyone.
July 11, 1981
My family went camping at Seneca Lake for vacation, as we always did. Dad always worked while we stayed at the campsite.
A few days ago, I was playing in the park with some kids. We were playing tag. I was on top of the slide, about to be tagged.
In a bonehead move, I jumped from the top of the slide. I landed wrong and sprained my wrist.
I was told not to do anything that could make it worse. As most eleven-year-olds did, I didn’t listen.
I rode my bike today through the campground. I pulled to the side as a car was coming and fell on my sprained wrist. I was told that anything more and it could have been broken.
I did very little the rest of our camping trip.
October 26, 1982
I dropped my clarinet one day in band. My mouthpiece chipped. I couldn’t afford to get it fixed or replaced. Instead, I switched to a school-owed instrument, an Eb alto clarinet.
I had to sit next to A.J. Wood. At least once a week, she pretended to flirt with me. I knew she wasn’t serious, but I would get upset when she did.
One day in gym, they taught us to square dance. They grouped us in eights. A.J. was in my group. I hid from her until she chose a partner. When she did, I came out of hiding. She immediately switched partners with me.
I never once said I would go out with her, but deep down inside, I wanted to. She was pretty, popular, basically everything I wasn’t. If I knew she was genuine in her feelings, I would have said yes. I just didn’t trust her.
The longer it happened, the more it caught on. Other women started chiming in with the teasing. A few times, it brought me to tears.
I also heard rumors around the school that I was gay due to my lack of interest in women.
May 13, 1983
Mom had to be rushed to the hospital a week ago. She had a heart attack.
Everyone here was scared, especially Dad. It had been a while since he had to take care of himself, let alone Eric and me.
She had to be rushed to Columbus for care. We drove up this weekend to see her. She was going to be okay, but would still stay a few extra days for observation.
Dad wanted to stay with her, but needed to take care of us. He could have left us with our grandparents if not for school.
June 24, 1983
My family wasn’t a rich family, but we never went without. Dad made decent money.
You see, he was a coal miner. I could never figure out how he could work the schedule he did. He would work day shift one week, afternoon shift the next, and midnight the next. He never had a set schedule.
Then, one month before he was eligible for his 20-year half pension, they closed the mine down. Dad was laid off.
Dad was only trained as a machinist. Suddenly, he was unemployed.
We ended up on welfare for the rest of my high school years. We never complained. As long as we had the bare essentials, we were happy.
October 20, 1983
We were playing touch football in gym class. I jumped up to catch a pass. I got tackled. I landed with my right leg bent underneath me at the knee. I heard a pop and instantly felt pain. When I tried to stand, my leg buckled and I fell.
My teacher didn’t know the extent of the injury, so he asked me to go back to the locker room. How? I couldn’t walk. I literally crawled back to the locker room on my hands and knees.
The doctor told me that I had strained interior ligaments in my knee. He put me on crutches. I would miss a month of gym because of this.
I was more upset that I would miss tryouts for eighth grade basketball. I was hoping to try out for the team. Now, I could barely walk, let alone run.
July 27, 1984
Well, today was the last day of my first band camp. This was a different experience for me.
To play sitting still wasn’t easy. It was even harder to play and move at the same time, doing what I could to not look at my feet.
I was the victim of a cruel prank one night. I woke up wrapped in toilet paper and shaving cream.
I hurt my foot earlier in the week. The idiot I was, I jumped into 3 feet of water at the pool and jammed my heel. At least I didn’t dive head first.
Then a few days later, we had a fun run, doing laps around the practice field. We were raising money for new uniforms, taking donations for each lap completed. With my bad heel, I could only do 20 while everyone else did 25.
We left a day early. So many people got sick that they felt it best to just end it a day early.
At least I got out of initiation. For now.
August 4, 1984
I knew it was too good to last. A week after band camp ended, they held a dinner party for everyone in the band.
After dinner was initiation. My initiation was to dress a female in men’s clothing blindfolded while she was dressing me in women’s clothing. I lost, but I wasn’t the one who got the shaving cream pie in the face.
Good thing the seniors didn’t know me that well. If they did, they would have sent me down the Kissing Line, where I would have had to kiss every senior female. That would probably have brought me to tears. Then again, there were a few nice looking seniors.
April 21, 1985
I got to go on my first real trip. Growing up, our only vacations were camping trips. We never really left the state. If anywhere, we would go to Pittsburgh to take my grandparents to the airport, but that was as far as we went.
Our concert band was performing in a competition in St. Louis. Every 4 years, the band took such a trip. Just wish it was senior year, not freshman year. We left late Thursday night and arrived Friday morning.
On our first day, we went to the Gateway Arch. There was an elevator that could sit 4 to take us to the top of the arch. The view of St. Louis was amazing as we looked out the window
When we came down, we had lunch on a riverboat ride on the Mississippi River. Too bad I left the postcards I bought earlier in the day on the boat.
The next morning was the competition. There were 6 bands in our class from 4 different states. We finished second.
That night, we went to Six Flags. Now, I was scared of roller coasters, but I did go down the log ride.
The next morning, we left for the eleven hour ride back to St. Clairsville.
May 31, 1985
Last day of freshman year. Not really much to speak about this year. I wasn’t active in any clubs. First honors first 2 nine weeks, principal’s list the other 2.
Besides the band trip, the only exciting thing was this test I took. I know it sounds boring, but this was no ordinary test. This was a statewide test that only a select few took.
My subject was Spanish II. I spent lunchtime for months in extra study with my team. I was nervous but confident on the day of the test.
At the end of the year awards ceremony, I found out that I had the best score in our district. My teammates finished second and fifth. On top of that, I had the fifteenth best score in the state of Ohio.
There was no interest in women, and I was still being teased about it, only now to a bigger audience.
October 17, 1986
I was just spending a day at home with my grandparents. My parents and brother went to the store.
My grandmother looked over at my grandfather and noticed he wasn’t moving. I went over and shook him. He didn’t move.
I panicked. I tried to remember my CPR training from high school, but my mind was a blank. I ran upstairs to look for my instructions, but couldn’t find them.
I ran next door and pounded on their door. My neighbor came back and we started CPR until the paramedics arrived.
It was no use. His lungs were filled with fluid, and CPR couldn’t save him. I still felt horrible, like I could have done more.
May 1, 1987
I had been coming out of my shell more this year. I was being more vocal. I was taking the occasional chance. I owed it all to Tammy Mahan.
In band, we had something of a mentoring program. Junior and seniors were assigned a ‘little’ to mentor. Tammy was my little. Little did I know how much she would mentor me.
All year long, she helped me overcome my shyness. We talked after band class on occasion, and she would always say hi to me in the hallways.
Toward the end of the year, nominations were being accepted for senior class officers. I actually decided to run for an office.
I knew that I couldn’t win president or vice president. So, I ran for the one I thought I actually could win: class representative. Especially since I heard that there was only one person running for 2 spots.
I threw my name into the proverbial hat. By the time of the election, there were 6 candidates.
I had to give a speech in front of the whole class. A year before, I could never have done that, but I did. I may have been looking down, and my voice may not have carried to the back of the room, but I did it.
Many of my friends said they would vote for me. I was sure they did, but I didn’t win. I finished third out of 6.
Tammy was there every step of the way, even though she won her bid for sophomore secretary.
May 29, 1987
Well, graduation day for the Class of ’87. Now, I knew I wasn’t graduating today, but I was in the procession.
See, the top 2 students in the junior class got to lead the seniors into graduation, and I was one of those 2. So, instead of the red and gray robes they wore, I got to wear a white robe.
Just glad it didn’t rain.
A great end to a great year. Straight A’s all year heading into the fourth nine weeks. I finished with all A’s and one B in Mrs. Allietta’s English class. Last year, I joined Spanish Club. This year, I joined the Chess Club and was inducted into the National Honor Society. I also joined a club started by a few of my classmates, a club that celebrated a unique vehicle: the El Camino.
I was also asked to take another of the statewide tests, this time in Chemistry. I didn’t do as well in this as I did in Spanish II. I only finished 10th in the district.
June 19, 1987
Well, today was the last day of Buckeye Boys’ State. This was a week-long event to teach soon-to-be seniors about city, county and state government. It was sponsored by the American Legion.
Each floor was divided into 3 ‘cities’. Each floor was a ‘county’, and the whole was the ‘state’.
Being around a bunch of new people, I crept into my shell. The only person I really talked to was my roommate.
This, of course, hurt my chances of getting elected to any significant position. I had to take what was left, Treasurer of Bettman City School Board.
I did participate in the band which performed every day. I also learned a new game that I got hooked on: euchre.
July 31, 1987
Well, it was my last night at my last band camp. Man, things sure had changed in the last 4 years.
When I first started, I was an awkward, quiet guy. Now, I was just quiet. When I started, I was at the bottom of the chain. Now, I was first chair clarinet and squad leader for a second year.
It felt good to be on the other side of initiation. I came up with a few good ideas. I was involved in a few. The biggest cheer of the night was when I was in the Kissing Line and got kissed on the cheek by the victim.
So many good memories here at Camp Wilson. The fun run freshman year. Tammy. Now this. I just wish they would teach us a new pre-game routine. We did the same one for the past 4 years, same songs and steps.
August 17, 1987
Well, I finally got my driver’s license today. I never thought this day would come. You see, I wanted to take driver’s ed last summer, when I turned 16. Mom wouldn’t let me. I asked again in the fall, when school started. Again, she said no.
She finally said yes when they offered it after the first of the year. Considering that she was terrified of driving in the snow, I found it funny she let me learn in it.
I wanted to take my test after driver’s ed was over, but she didn’t think I was ready. June. July. Still wouldn’t let me.
By the time she let me take the driver’s test, I had to renew my permit. I still passed on the first time. Barely, but I still passed.
December 12, 1987
The National Honor Society sponsored the Christmas dance. I was a member of the National Honor Society. Therefore, I thought it was mandatory for me to attend.
I debated going. I didn’t go to dances. I didn’t do anything social. In the end, peer pressure gave in. I attended my first high school dance.
It took me an hour to get out of the car. Scared. Nervous. Those were words that described how I felt.
Once I got inside, I saw it wasn’t that bad. In fact, I even had a little bit of fun and asked someone to dance. I did see that I was a bit overdressed in a suit and tie.
One of the ideas they came up with for this dance was a computerized compatibility test. The results were given to each person the day of the dance, and they had to dance one slow dance with their other.
I was a senior. I hoped to dance with another senior. Nope. Junior? Try sophomore. An unpopular sophomore. I was a bit disappointed, but I went along.
April 18, 1988
For the first time ever, I actually wanted to go to Prom. Never wanted to go before, but I did this year. I had never asked anyone, and had no idea who to take.
I knew that going to Prom alone was taboo. It almost seemed an unwritten law that you had to go to Senior Prom or risk being labeled an outcast.
For some crazy reason, I hoped to be named to the Prom Court. I should have known better. Like Homecoming, Prom Court was nothing but football players and cheerleaders.
The first person that came to mind to ask to Prom was Tammy. Ever since the start of junior year, she had been friendly to me. My feelings for her hadn’t changed since then. If anything, they had grown stronger.
So, one day after lunch, I ran into her as we went back to class. I just blurted it out. “Would you like to go with me to Prom?” Wow! I actually asked a girl out. Felt good. Then, she said she already had a date. Not so good.
I was able to ask out one other person, but again, she told me she already had a date.
As it turned out, I didn’t go to Prom. Hey, I was already an outcast. Why change now?
I did go to After-Prom alone. Nothing in the rules about that. I learned my lesson from the Christmas dance. I wore a Spuds MacKenzie T-shirt and jeans.
May 28, 1988
It was graduation day. High school was over. Life was about to begin. Four years of hard work had paid off.
It had been a crazy week. It started with the senior class picture. We all stood on the blacktop, guys forming one ‘8’ and girls forming another ‘8’. After the picture, we decided not to go back to class. So, we staged a Senior Sit-In. After about fifteen minutes, our principal came out and asked us to go back. Reluctantly, we agreed. Once I got back in class, I heard the fire alarm. Someone had pulled it on the way back.
A few days after that was the Senior Picnic. Of course, it rained. Some guys got out a football and started playing Smear the Queer in the mud. As for me, I spent the day under the shelter playing euchre.
Back to today, my fourth graduation ceremony. My first 2 were with the band, my third leading in the seniors. Things were different. This was my graduation.
Last year, I was second in a class of 180, leading the seniors into graduation. So, how was I not a Senior Speaker? They chose 4, but had my grades dropped that much that I was fifth?
Or did they assume that I couldn’t give a speech in front of that big of a group given my shyness? After all, I was voted the shyest person in my class by an almost unanimous vote. (I voted myself Most Likely to Succeed. Boy, was I wrong.)
Oh well. Goodbye, high school. Hello, college.
July 23, 1988
Today was the OVAC All-Star Football game, a game that honored the best graduating players from the area. It pitted Ohio schools against West Virginia schools. It was also one last chance for me to experience high school band.
We had our band camp at West Liberty State College. The routines were simple enough, since we only had a few days to learn them. Camp was cut short by a day due to bad weather.
The only thing I hated about this was the uniforms. Didn’t mind the yellow T-shirt with the McDonald’s logo, but the red shorts and red and yellow striped knee-high white socks looked atrocious.
September 26, 1988
It had been a few weeks since I started college. I had my choice of schools with my grades, but I was limited due to my income.
I had several scholarships. I won a $1000 scholarship from the Elks Association and a $1000 a year scholarship for attending an Ohio institution. My parents were still on welfare, so I got the maximum amount for my Pell Grant and Ohio Instructional Grant.
There was also a part of me that didn’t want to move away from home yet. Thankfully, there was a regional campus of Ohio University just minutes down the road. My choice was clear. I could also save the extra money.
I knew that I could only take 2 years of courses here and then transfer to the main campus in Athens. So, I used those 2 years to fill up most of my non-major requirements.
This was also a chance to reinvent myself. I was around people who knew nothing about how I was in high school. They didn’t know how quiet I was. I’d made some friends so far. The reinvention was still a work in progress.
September 15, 1989
I just finished my first week as a teacher’s aide. Yes, me. A teacher’s aide.
You see, I signed up to be a Peer Counselor. One of the duties of this was to be a teacher’s aide to the Intro to College class required for all freshmen to take. I taught with Dr. Kettler one day and by myself the other. Needless to say, I grew very fond of visual aids. I also had to create and grade weekly quizzes.
Another of my duties was helping with Freshman Orientation. I guided incoming freshmen on a tour of the campus, and also helped them in choosing classes for their first quarter.
I was also required to keep weekly hours in our office in case anyone had questions all year long.
September 4, 1990
It had been 2 days since I started my first band camp at Ohio University. Three years since my last band camp, and I was feeling it.
You see, I came from a high school marching band that was a strict corps style band. And this was anything but that. Military, high-stepping stride. Twist at the hip.
Then there were the dance routines. For every pre-game and halftime show, we had to learn a dance routine for the drum break. At least they were set to popular Top 40 songs. There was a reason this band was called “The Most Exciting Band in the Land”.
Anyway, today was the auditions for the ‘block’. You see, there were 190 members in the band but only 156 could march. So, they held both playing and marching auditions to see who would fill the 156.
I won’t lie. I sucked. My playing wasn’t the greatest, and I still hadn’t adapted to the marching style. I didn’t make the block, but I knew that after the first game, there would be a second audition. I could practice my music and my steps so I could be ready then.
September 23, 1990
Well, it was the day of second auditions, and I couldn’t walk. Let me explain.
Yesterday, some guys from my dorm talked me into playing touch football. We were thinking of starting an intramural team.
I caught a screen pass and ran to the left. I got hit from the right side, and everything went left from the knee down. I heard a pop, the same pop I heard when I hurt my knee in eighth grade.
I tried to stand, but my leg buckled. I knew what this was. Instead of my friends helping me back to my room or taking me to the doctor, they helped me to the sidelines and kept playing.
I had to crawl back to the dorm. Finally, my RA saw me and drove me to the hospital. I had strained anterior ligaments in my left knee. They gave me crutches and an immobilizer.
With no elevators in my dorm and living on the third floor, it was a chore climbing stairs with crutches and a straight leg. My roommate built lofts for our beds. How could I climb up there? Thankfully, his couch pulled out into a bed.
One thing I had working in my favor was the fact that I was taking an advanced beginners swimming class that quarter. Perfect rehab. I could stand in the water, and not have all the weight on my leg.
I went straight from swimming class to band class. At least I didn’t have to walk far from one to the other.
This was my only chance to make the block, and I couldn’t compete. I asked our director if it would be possible for me to have my second audition once my knee healed.
You see, I had a simple philosophy in life. I had never wanted to be treated any better or any worse than anyone else. All I wanted was a fair chance.
He told me that I could. As I found out later that season, he was lying, because I never got that second chance.
October 13, 1990
For the past 3 weeks, I had been waiting for this day: Homecoming. We were playing our rival school, Miami of Ohio. I wanted to be able to not only march in the parade, but perform the dance routine in that parade.
I went to the pool before every practice to rehab my knee. After the first 3 days, I no longer needed my crutches, but still carried one just in case. I still used my immobilizer.
That Saturday was our first game since the injury. I walked to the stadium with no crutches or immobilizer. My knee was stiff afterwards.
I spent the next 2 weeks strengthening the knee. I was able to practice some.
Which brings us to today. It still hurt a bit, but I did march and dance in the parade, and I did march to the stadium for the game. Like we did so often, we lost. Like they usually did, a large portion of the crowd left after the halftime show.
October 22, 1990
I just got back at 4:00 am today from a road trip with the 110.
It started on Friday when we played a halftime show for a high school game in Solon. We spent the night there staying with families of band members.
On Saturday, we played the halftime show for the Ohio - Kent State game. In true Bobcat fashion, we lost. From there, we played for a band competition in Conneaut. This was the first time I actually got to play on the field, dance on the field, and march off the field.
Yesterday, we went from there to Orchard Park, New York to play the halftime show of the New York Jets - Buffalo Bills game. As we walked back to our seats, I heard a fan yell out, “Way to go, Buckeye band.” Now, there was no bigger slap in the face to the Marching 110 than to be compared to that band. That was like comparing filet mignon to hamburger.
From there, we went to Niagara Falls. They gave us 2 hours for dinner. I crossed the border into Canada to eat. The bridge going into Canada was boarded up, obstructing our view of the falls.
Back in Athens, I had a class at 8:00 am Monday morning. Looked like I was going to miss that class.
I made a mistake this quarter. I shouldn’t have taken marching band at the same time as the hardest course in my major, CS 238. I simply didn’t have the time needed for both. I would end up repeating CS 238 next quarter.
January 24, 1991
Last week, I rushed 2 fraternities, Lambda Chi Alpha and Acacia. I heard that being in a fraternity looked good on a resume.
Since it had been a week and I hadn’t heard from either, I could only assume that I didn’t get into either.
I knew why I didn’t get into either, and it wasn’t due to my lack of social skills. Granted, that may have contributed. Mainly, I didn’t get in because I was a junior, and they could get more money from a freshman.
What’s the big deal about fraternities? They seemed like nothing more than organized parties. At least that was the impression I got from my roommate, who was a member of Delta Tau Delta.
August 29, 1991
Well, I just made a life-altering decision.
You see, I was back at band camp, senior year. I started Monday, back to basics. I was running to the water cooler, when my knee buckled on me. That night was playing auditions.
The next day was marching auditions. I had been working on this since last year, and it showed. I marched a flawless routine.
So many people came up to me and congratulated me on making the block.
That night, I went up to see the posting of the block. Once again, I was an alternate.
I thought back to last year. I never got to march in a single pre-game or halftime show. Even when a clarinet player had to miss a game, they felt they needed to put a percussion alternate in her place. Just hand him an instrument. He didn’t need to play, just fill a hole. Forget that you had someone who could actually play the instrument.
I thought to myself, “What do I have to do to make the block?” I felt like a victim of discrimination. I did better than others, and I got left out? I remembered last year a senior was an alternate, and a few days later, she was in the block. Now here I was, a senior, and I wasn’t asked to march.
I was so angry that I stormed out without saying a word, ran to my room, and slammed the door.
That’s where my decision came. Should I stay with the 110, perhaps never getting to march, and risk permanently messing up my knee? Or should I quit the 110, giving up such an opportunity but safer in the long run? It took me 2 seconds to decide.
I waited until today when they moved my stuff into my dorm room to quit. I knew with this director that I would never get a fair shake. It wasn’t worth the hassle.
Time once again for the Convo Shuffle. For those who don’t know, the Convo Shuffle was where you went to add or drop a class before the quarter started in the Convocation Center. Each department had its own table, where you could see if a class was available to add, or you could drop a class.
June 13, 1992
Well, another graduation day. This time from college. Yes, I went with the 4 year plan. That was all I could afford.
I kept mostly to myself. I was a non-drinker at a partying school. I knew what was important: my studies.
Athens was famous for its Halloween parties. I dressed up for Halloween, but was never invited to any parties.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, with a minor in Mathematics.
I could still remember one of my math classes: MATH 470. Applied Complex Variables. A friend of mine talked me into taking this class. A week into it, he dropped it. By the end of the class, there were only 8 students in the class, and I was the only undergraduate. I got a B and was happy about it.
So, why was I graduating college cum laude and unemployed? Because I still couldn’t talk to people. My interviews never went well.
May 8, 1993
I had 2 part-time jobs. My brother was going to school at Belmont Technical College and told me that they were looking for math tutors. Since I minored in math, I was perfect. I only worked a few hours a week, but it was work.
I was also working in retail at the mall, for a store that sold sports clothing.
Today was my boss’s birthday. He invited me to join him and his friends out for a party.
We went to a bar. I knew I was in trouble. See, I didn’t drink much. As soon as we walked in, I could see that they did.
After about 4 beers, I started feeling a bit funny. I told them to cut me off. They agreed and got me Pepsi the rest of the night.
I didn’t find out until a few days later that they were adding shots of vodka to my Pepsi. No wonder I wasn’t sobering up through the night. In fact, I earned a nickname in the restroom, Sir Wall Leaner.
At least I didn’t drive tonight.
August 14, 1993
There was an event every year in the middle of July within walking distance from my house. Jamboree in the Hills, the largest country music festival in the country. 100,000 drunken rednecks listening to country music for 4 days and partying.
I was able to get a job cleaning up after each show. My pay was a 4-day pass. Fortunately, they didn’t do a head count, so I only worked 2 of the 4 days. One advantage was you could find a full can of Budweiser here, a can of Molson there, and wind up with an assorted case by the end of the night. I didn’t drink that much, but my friends appreciated it.
My friend Paul Klein lived on the road that ran alongside of it. A bunch of us spent the weekend camping out in his backyard.
On Saturday, we spent the whole day at the concert. I forgot to put on sunscreen. At the end of the day, I wound up with a blistered sunburn on my shoulders.
About 2:00, some friends of Marc Gibas’s stopped by. One of them was named Jaime. I remembered seeing her at Marc’s wedding a few months ago, but I never bothered speaking to her.
Something happened here, and I was able to carry on a conversation with her. I couldn’t talk to anyone I didn’t know, yet something about her made me feel relaxed.
After then, I knew I had to get to know her better. I asked Marc for her number.
For the next few weeks, I tried calling her, but got no answer. Finally tonight, I talked to her again. After a few minutes, I asked her out. This was the first time I had asked anyone out since I asked Tammy to prom.
Just like then, she said no.
August 13, 1994
For the past 2 years, I had been searching for a job in my field, computer science. The problem was I was looking in the wrong place. Where I grew up, there were very few technical jobs.
See, I was suffering from the infinite loop, as us computer guys call it. I couldn’t get a job in my field because I had no experience, and I couldn’t get experience without a job.
I considered going back to school. I loved my tutoring job and wanted to get my teacher’s certification. I took a speech class while tutoring at Bel Tech. I avoided it like the plague at OU, but I knew I needed it for certification.
The problem was my only option to pay for it was loans. I couldn’t afford it, nor could I get a loan.
I was just making ends meet with my 2 part-time jobs. I wanted something better.
I had friends living in Columbus, and there was a concert I wanted to see at the Ohio State Fair. So, I took a few days off and went job hunting.
I put in applications in both technical and retail fields. If I couldn’t get a technical job, at least I could get some job here and keep looking.
Today, I had 2 interviews with Columbus Sports and got hired on just as they were about to open a new store.
Tomorrow, I would go to the “Weird Al” Yankovic concert knowing that I would be moving to Columbus next week.
August 23, 1994
I moved to Columbus last night. I got here around 1:30 am. I could tell from the beginning this may have been a mistake.
I was moving in with my friends Larry Naegele and Paul. When I got there, there were police cars by their door. The police weren’t there for my friends, but I could tell this wasn’t the best of neighborhoods.
Once I got a few hours of sleep, I started my first day at Columbus Sports.
Today was the day before the grand opening of the store. We worked a 16 hour day, putting the finishing touches on it, making sure everything was immaculate when the doors opened tomorrow.
At least I wasn’t scheduled until the afternoon.
April 15, 1995
Today, I did something I should have done months ago.
Back in November, my department manager was leaving. I was interested in her position. Instead, they gave it to another department manager. I was told that he was leaving in January for a similar position at another location and to learn what I could from him so I could take over when he left.
I could understand this. After all, Christmas was coming up, and they needed experience.
So, I learned what I could. January came, and he left. Did they give me the manager position? No! They brought over yet another department manager. I almost quit on the spot.
That was when someone told me about an administrative assistant position. I put in for it and got it. Then, I found out that the administrative manager was leaving for that same location and I had 2 weeks to learn her job.
Two weeks later, I was administrative manager, which meant I was in charge of payroll, deposits, and scheduling cashiers.
After 2 months, I was asked to step down and go back to the sales floor. They said I wasn’t doing a good enough job. After 2 weeks of training and 2 months on the job?