Author:
Bill Birch
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Date Posted: 17:05:53 12/18/03 Thu
Randy,
You asked what was the name of the place... (see the title of the post...) it was Birch TV. Dad's business was very successful for many years until the arrival of the "Marts" (K-Mart, then Walmart, plus big electronics retailers like Conn's). He sold the business in the early nineties, bought 110 acres in northern Arkansas and retired there with Mom. It's a really pretty piece of property loaded with wildlife and a variety of terrain - hills, caves, creeks, valleys and beaver dams. They're happy there and stay busy keeping up the place and doing lots of volunteer work. They're into library stuff, which is way cool, promoting literacy etc.(That's partially answering Diego's questions.)
Never had a wig - I came to JMHS for my junior and senior years, just as that stuff was being phased out and just as seniors got off-campus lunch privileges. I did not cut my hair for a couple of years and it grew very long. I had suffered under a draconian dress code at Antonian College Preparatory School for Boys (I love running out the full name of that place...it sounds pretentious almost) for freshman and sophomore years.
I even had to do Navy ROTC for a half year as a freshman. That was a truly surreal experience that was tolerable only because of days such as when Mike Grothues (Heyoka vocalist, my childhood friend) was given charge of a squad and marched us around to silly cadence and ad-libbed songs.
So I was eager to establish my hairy-ness when my hormones screamed at me to get out of an all-boy school and start behaving like a normal teenaged boy and fall hopelessly in love with pretty girls.
Antonian was seriously weird. It'll be covered by at least a few chapters when I get around to writing that book that I've been thinking about writing since I was in Mrs. Wiesner's English class. Hands up: everyone who thinks Mrs. Wiesner was the coolest teacher ever, raise your hands!
You are correct in that I was a real freak, I actively worked at being a hippie, or at least copping the look of one. I wasn't an anti-war activist and didn't really try to "turn on, tune in and drop out" as recommended by Leary. So I guess I was a faux hippie, just wanted to be fashionably grungy and enjoy the cool music and vibe of the times.
It wasn't until years later that I learned that I had a reputation, which was pretty dang funny. I was very shy and insecure so I kept a low profile and was not gregarious. That was falsely interpreted, I have been told by some, as the aura of a "bad-ass". Really funny to me and anybody who knew me. Never did the mesquite tree thing and wasn't really part of the group, I was friends with a few of them, but not involved daily with their thing.
Look, I shouldn't load up your band message board with all my personal stuff, (I wasn't in band) so I'm putting in my email address in this post and if anybody wants to catch up, please feel free to email and I'll get back with you.
Long story short: life so far has had its ups and downs for me (just like everybody) but I have no complaints and I'm happy and I consider myself fortunate. I can only hope others are in the same shape or better.
Merry Christmas to you and anybody else who reads this!
Bill
PS - Alan: I have one word for you and only you truly understand the exclamation: MUNCH!!!!
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