I wanted this month’s header to be Highlander but I was mistaken about its release dates. According to imdb.com, the cool Fantasy-Action movie hit theaters in the Spring of 1986. Hmm. I always thought it was late in 1985 to coincide with Queen’s album A Kind of Magic…also a 1986 record. OK, I’m blaming Queen’s awesome performance at Live Aid for messing up my rather good memory.
Well I had to go with Plan B for my site. This is a “stock” photo I found on the Internet of Beulah’s main street. I couldn’t find any details regarding the when beyond the trees (not Summer, late Spring or early Fall) and the cars (I’m guessing the Nineties to Aughts with some models). Judging from the looks of things, it resembles some small towns around Austin or the Chicago suburbs (if you pointed away from the rather intrusive skyline). My friend Cindy could probably give a more accurate idea on the time and specifics. The bank farther up is about the only building I recall. Unless we were eating pizza, we rarely went into Beulah’s downtown.
So why Beulah? Around this time 30 years ago, I had returned to the small town to live with Dad. Mom decided I was a “discipline”problem for not wanting to attend a Catholic school again, plus the all-Summer-long arguments fueled by my age, her mental-health issues and incorrect assumptions all around had played out. The rapid drive back over Labor-Day weekend was tense, Dad was never much for conversation when the situation was ugly. As for me, I did make a positive/negative chart over being exiled. I wish I kept it. What was the winner? I’m going to say it was a tie and it didn’t matter, Mom decided I was headed to Beulah period.
Looking back now, the return and spending my entire senior year there turned out well. Sure I missed easier fast food access, arcades, malls, cable that was more than just 12 channels with Showtime, warmer weather, rock stations, etc. But in exchange, I made some nice friends which led to great times. Good people can get you through the “adversity” of a boring place better than the opposite. Believe me, back in the Nineties, I had stretches of loneliness in Austin despite all the “action” going on here. It was a lesson I re-learned after the Summer of 1987 with my parents, again Milwaukee was more fun than Philly or San Diego because I wasn’t under “adult supervision.”
An isolated community makes you focus more on your school work too. I don’t know what kind of Internet access they have today but we also did a good job making our “own fun.” We were nerds so we D&D games were a staple, somebody had a functioning Atari 2600, we were into poker before the Texas Hold ’em fad appeared (we also played real games, not poker-for-dummies and basic cable) and whenever the school had open gym nights, we were there. Playing volleyball or basketball on a Friday evening didn’t feel uncool, it was rather enjoyable, I’d be at it in a heartbeat now. The ruling clique was often elsewhere though, usually drinking. I instigated getting some of us to go to the dances the area had monthly.
I think I was at my fittest then. Dad picked out my schedule before I returned. Gym was the first thing every day. Initially I dreaded it yet PE requirements varied by state and I lucked out finishing somewhere which was cool with two years; how embarrassing it would be otherwise…sorry, you don’t get to attend college over a PE deficiency! Little did ND know, I only had it one-third of a year in Houston at Strake and I weaseled out by becoming the towel manager! I quickly managed to get my routine around this. Just dress, brush my teeth and head out. Post-PE was when I took my daily shower!
PE was followed by Physics, then Pre-Calculus, lunch, Sociology or Gov’t and I’d close with English IV. Throw in being on Mountain time with TV remaining in Central, I could catch the Tonight Show at 9:30 and Letterman at 10:30! Life had a silver lining rather quickly up in the American White North.
What I should’ve taken more advantage of was my “minority” status when applying for universities. I succeeded at being accepted by the five I finished the paperwork on (in order of preference): Vanderbilt, Marquette, Texas, Florida Tech and Illinois State. Had I known better, I would’ve rolled the dice on Harvard (I coulda’ been a Simpsons writer!), Northwestern, Stanford, UC-Berkeley, Columbia or followed my cousin Matthew to Fordham.
Life is funny that way and it still has been sweet, let’s see if I continue feeling this later today. The detour through North Dakota when I came back didn’t initially give off such a vibe. However, I managed to earn and maintain my Dad’s trust quickly (with a couple exceptions, lame stuff compared to actual teenagers) which proceeded to give me some autonomy. Good thing I was a boring kid who came home on time to get some sleep.