I don't remember much about this day. What I do remember is that my Dad let me drive his Suburban. I drove through Chestnut Hills and on to Maybee Road headed towards Dixie Highway. I probably drove to Todd Bauer's house. I remember as I was turning onto Maybee that I just had this incredible feeling of independence. It is a feeling like nothing I have felt before or since. It was genuinely a rite of passage for me. It's funny how you just want to grow up when you are young and be independent but then as you get older you wish you had less obligations and that someone could take care of your needs. As I drove out of my subdivision I was making the transition from my youth to adulthood.

Back in the day, Garbage Pail Kids (GPKs) were the hottest thing. I remember that they were banned from school and I can't remember why. I don't know if it was because they were such a big distraction or if it was because they were so gross. Well, one day in the midst of they hype, my Dad came home with a whole box of 5th series GPKs! Kevin and I were so geeked. I think we got the whole set from that box. Sometimes Dad would come home with the coolest of surprises.

In 1985 I asked Santa for an Atari. I had played it at My uncle's house and some friend's houses. On Christmas morning, I received a Nintendo instead. I think I was initially disappointed because I had never heard of a Nintendo and I wanted an Atari. However, as soon as my dad hooked it up and started it, I was wowed. I remember playing Super Mario brothers and remembering that this was the arcade game I played last time we went to Florida. I distinctly remember dying on the first mushroom when I played for the first time.

My dad went all out, buying the deluxe package for the Nintendo. It contained R.O.B. the robot with the game "Gyromite", the gun with "Hogan's Alley" and "Duck Hunt" and two controllers and "Super Mario Brothers". You just can't buy a package that cool anymore. I was instantly hooked and I am still a gamer to this day.

I remember that we were the first people I knew to have a Nintendo and my friends wanted to come over to play it all the time. Way to go Dad!

From (Growing up Through Elementary School) Original Memory Interview Question

His Response:

I remember a kid named Lenny. He lived off of Hendricks. I went to Burt Elementary School with him in kindergarten only. After kindergarten we moved to Clarkston where I went to Pine Knob Elementary School. I remember seeing Lenny once after I moved when I went to Dan and Dave's house just down the street. I don't remember much about our encounter except his brown fence for some reason. I remember that I met Jim Falk on the first day of First Grade and we have been friends ever since. The funny thing is that Jim kind of reminded me of Lenny.

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From (Growing up Through Elementary School) Original Memory Interview Question

His Response:

Kevin Stalker is my only sibling. Growing up as young children we were the best of friends. We would get in fights, sure but we were pretty close when we were younger. I don't remember interacting with him before and during my elementary school years because my memory is not that great from those years. But from watching the videos my parents took it seemed that I was very proud to be the older brother and that I really loved my brother and was always nice to him.

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