18 Years Ago This Month

Three random photos from my college graduation, Washington and Lee. I remember that you had to be there or they would hold you back a year, and I remember there was something wrong with our diplomas so we got empty tubes.

I Wasn’t All That Good At This

This being “wearing a suit” but could also mean “being on the high school debate team” or “having hair.”

I Am Not Related To These People

This is Jo Douglass and her family from what must be the late 1960s or the early 1970s; she was a friend to our family from the time I was born and probably years before. We just saw her in December.

All People From Muncie Have Garfield Stuff

I have no idea what this is.

Postcard From Ethan Dixon

Newspaper Family Perk

They always go overboard on the birth announcement — this is one for my cousin Mitch.

Why I Can’t Fight

I was a large child, and most of the fistfights that would have enabled my later fighting skills 1) ended really quickly, 2) about 80 percent of the time yielded a later-that-day sequel beat-down by some older sibling of my opponent, because I was too big to be fighting kids my own age.

So lack of skill development + the negative reinforcement of intermittent ass-beatings by terrifyingly large teenagers = I can’t fight.

Plus: wimp.

Spending Time At The Kracht House

I have no idea what this is — some sort of fundraising map, I suppose — but I did notice my friend’s Mom. I spent a lot of time at John’s house when I was a kid, to the point I have a physical sense memory of playing in the background and in his bedroom to match anything that I can recall from back then. They moved to New Jersey.

Nearly Twenty Years Ago

Phi Gamma Delta X-Mas Party and Gift Exchange, Washington and Lee University, December 1989. It’s a good thing we had that professional photographer come in so there wouldn’t be any lighting or focus problems.

That’s me over Mitch Schmale’s shoulder, near the tree and near the bottom of the photo. That’s a good picture of Mitch. It’s also awesome that Kirk Sohonage is apparently wearing a lime-green mock-turtleneck.

That’s A Lot Of Brunettes

Mom is second row up, fifth over.