Karate Kid

Following the "Karate Kid" craze in '84 and '86, I began Kenpo Karate lessons in '86. By '89 or '90, I was testing for my green belt (brown, then black to follow). My instructor's instructor was Ed Parker. He sat in on my green belt test. If you pass your belt test, then you get a swift kick to the stomach as a ritual. I passed, so I got a kick. Back in the day, Ed Parker was Elvis Presley's instructor among other celebrities. I guess you could say I shook the hand that shook the hand. Or, you could say I got kicked in the stomach by the one who kicked Elvis in the stomach.

Red Neck Recollection I Reckon

Miss the days in college when my roommates and I used to shoot Starbucks bottles off the toilet in the front yard with a pellet gun. Yep. It was in the front yard. The trucks on blocks were in the front yard too. And, we had this irritating Woodpecker that my roommate tried to shoot with the same pellet gun in the morning. We'll say it was "too early" to get a good shot off.

Second Grade Attempt at Behavior Modification

Our second grade teacher kept two plastic cups on the window sill. One was for the boys and the other for the girls. At the end of the day, if us boys were good, we got a marble. If the girls were good, then they got a marble. Once the cup was full, the boys or girls got a prize. As you might suspect, this never worked out well for us boys. Year-end-score: Girls 8, Boys 1.