I’m not sure when it was that I decided to abandon the notion of going to Franklin Junior High and instead attend Bellows Falls Middle School. Here are a couple of things that of which i’m certain. My Aunt, Uncle and 2 cousins lived in Vermont. When I was very young, somewhere in the 4 to 6 range, we went there to visit them. One of the things we did there was walk around the campus of Vermont Academy. At the conclusion of the tour, my uncle asked me if i was going to go to school there. Isaid “Yes” and everybody laaughed. I eventually did go to Vermont Academy. The other thing I knew was that after spending two consecutive summers there, I truly loved Vermont. I loved beingout of the city where the only barriers I faced was how far my bicycle would take me. Back in the city, it was pretty restrictive. I don’t blame my mother for being protective but it may have been a little paranoid. We weren’t allowed to wander too far and there really wasn’t much to do unless you had money and a ride.<\/p>\n
The time seemed right. I was going to a new school anyway, I might as well take the plunge and go to a new school 785 miles away. So in August of 1977 I packed up my KISS records and headed east. It was a brilliant decision. I thought so then and I still think so now. As a parent, I have to give my mother heaps of credit for letting me go. I can only imagine the feeling of letting my son go away to school at 12 years of age. One of the first things I did when I got there was make my Aunt Roberta go see Star Wars.<\/p>\n
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’ll probably say it so many more times that you’ll be sick of hearing it. There are songs linked to people, there are songs linked to moments in time. There is a song linked to my first day of school at Bellows Falls Middle school. The routine was to get up and turn on the radio. i’d listen to music while getting ready for school. On this day, the song on the radio was Blood Sweat & Tears\u00a0 – And When I Die<\/em><\/p>\n
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