I’d read tomes. I’d play Halo, I’d scoff at my peers, shirtless on bicycles going to “pick up chicks.” I’d contemplate ending it all while my parents became increasingly inebriated and played horseshoes with their camping companions. I do have a good memory of my german shepherd pulling me on a skateboard, though.

On my first outing, I met a girl. We talked on the swings and got to know each other a little bit. My mother asked what her name was, and I remember getting on my bike to go back to her area to ask her.

Childhood is weird because I’d want to keep in touch with people, mostly girls, and not have a great means of doing it. You’d have to exchange house numbers, in which you’d have to get a grown-up and ask if someone were available. There was a whole political situation with it because you and your friends would be judged by your phone etiquette. Caller ID was a new thing too. I remember calling friends on weekends trying to find someone to come hang out. I’d call every five or ten minutes. Once, my friend Joe’s mom remarked that I had called nine times. She thought it was cute, but I think I was a little embarrassed that she had that data. It took a little while to get AIM.