(no subject)

When I was three years old, up until I was about six or seven, my parents took me to Sunday school. It's the Baptist place on 19th Avenue; I think jecook knows of it.

I remember only five things about it.

First, I remember someone named Garron, or something like that. We'd get donuts before church. He was my best friend. Then his family moved to Virginia.

Second, I remember wooden cars with cut-out Bible verses on them. I asked why the words were all different than the ones we use now, and was assured that I didn't have to talk like that when praying.

Third, I remember a little cartoon book where Jesus cured some evil soldier-guy's servant. Because evil people need help too.

Fourth, I remember that this-is-the-church this-is-the-steeple hand trick.

Fifth, I remember going to adult church one week, and it not being the ideal place for a hyperactive child.

I think the net measurable effect was that once, when I ate a bunch of something that I wasn't supposed to eat, I claimed that the Devil had come up through the floor and made me eat it. I mean, the Devil is a guy who does lots of evil things for no reason, right? So it seemed like a plausible story for a four-year-old.

Somehow my adult self still feels embarrassed about stupid kid-mistakes like that.

(no subject)

I think Arizona has a reverse version of seasonal affective disorder.

When temperatures break 90, lots of people start feeling like shit.

(no subject)

A bit more of a positive memory to counter the one I posted earlier.

When I was 5, I was a l33t hax0r.

My parents had brought me in to talk to the teacher for Project Potential, a program for gifted kids. And they knew I liked computers, and they had one of those dual-floppy PETs, so they put me in front of it and said that I could play any game on that menu, except this one here because it's broken. Well, the broken one looked really cool, so I selected it anyway. ?SYNTAX ERROR, it said, giving a line number. I knew the LIST command, so I LISTed it and saw an @-sign in a command. I knew that was wrong, so I retyped the line without it and typed RUN. And then it worked.

Or so's my memory of it. Part of me thinks that can't be right, because how could I possibly know that much BASIC when I'm five years old? Did I even have a computer back then? I know my grandfather brought home a PET a couple of times, and at some point we bought an Atari 400, but it wasn't until some time later that we bought the BASIC cartridge for it. But I remember it.

Weird.