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Well I was born in Minneapolis, MN on November 10 1965. I grew up in New Brighton, a suburb of St. Paul.
My parent's lived in an apartment at the time of my birth. Within a year of my birth they moved a block to a newly built house.
The house was built on the top of a hill. That had been a field where cattle had once roamed. There where dirt roads and the
alley went down the hill to a swamp with a spring.
As a kid I was always walking around town and checking thing's out. By the time I was old enough to walk to friend's
houses they had paved the roads and alley. Since the paving, most of the skunk's and other animals that had made the swamp
their home no longer walked up to our backyard. But I would go to see them in the swamp. There were only a few places that
were actualy wet areas. The rest of the place was dirt and tree's. The city had also used it to place some big concrete slab's.
These were great to play on. You could imagine them to be anything. Fort's that could be defended against monsters and bad
guy's. I can recall playing on them with friend's and just me,using them as a place to go and be alone with my thought's.
I attended New Brighton Elementry School from kidergarten to 6th grade. There I made friend's and some enemies. The friend's
I made lasted through High School. The enemies were few, but I learned early(2nd grade I think) that if you stand up for yourself
they tend to leave you alone. I also started wrestling then. And I think with the self assurance I had from that it was easy
to stand up and not let someone intimidate me. I was also diagnosed with being hyper active then. Which started me out on
ritilin 4 times a day. And my weekly visit's to the Wilder Foundation for study. It was a intresting and educational time
in my life.
I was involved in Cub Scouts on up to Boy Scouts. I enjoyed my time learning all the things that they had to offer. I
did very well as far as moving up in the ranks. And have lots of great memory's of thoes days. I was also in pee wee football,
which my Dad coached. I was the defense center. We did well, took second place in our division. And there was wrestling. I
loved the sport of wrestling and continued with it for nine years. My first wrestling coach was Verne Gagne, one of the original
wrestlers in the AWA. Every year I was in it, I took home a first place trophy in the north division. I even qualified and
went to the state tournement. So the four best wrestlers in minnesota and my weight class competed for the best in the state.
I came in fourth, but considering the hundreds of other guys that didn't make it that far I felt good about it. I also was
involved with blah blah fire fighters. Where I learned about fire fighting and got to use the gear and train like they do.
And had a car crash training session for the fire men, I was one of the victims. They tore open the car with the Jaws of Life
and gave us medical attention.
Now by this time my parents are having a hard time dealing with my hyper activity. After spending years going to the
Wilder Foundation, the descion was made to put me in a halfway house for children with behavioral problems. Now being a teenager
at the time meant I had the usual problems. Some small criminal stuff, no drugs or drinking which was a suprise to most. Most
of the problems I had were with staying out late and not letting my parents know where I was. Most of the time I was walking
around town. Enjoying the sights and scenery while thinking about most everything. So from that to a year in the Bush Annex
was a dramatic change. I was in a house with other kids, all of them younger than me. I spent the year going to Highland
Park High School. The first couple of months in the house were with no contact with my parents. The supervision in the house
was from counselors. Not the best time in my life. But I did learn how to take care of myself. I felt removed from my family
and have never really gotten that back. What little emotions I did have, I shut off to deal with being so alone. But enough
of that, if you want to know more just ask.
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