Nintendo Rhapsody (World 0: The Schoolyard Menace)

Nintendo Rhapsody is an ongoing story about how Nintendo, and video games in general, helped me through some of the harder times in my life. Each chapter, known as a 'world' in Nintendo Rhapsody, is rather self contained with introductions and conclusions.

This particular chapter of Nintendo Rhapsody, World 0: The Schoolyard Menace, serves as a prequel to the events that unfolded in World 1: Far From Home. It chronicles my earliest years in elementary school, a few of my experiences with the Atari 2600 game system, and the circumstances that led to my first encounter with the Nintendo Entertainment System.



World 0-1: Our House

I attended preschool at the YMCA when I was three years old. I was accompanied by my maternal grandmother. She would often stay with me during the classes. I was already showing signs of an attention deficit. My preschool teacher, Mary Ray, seemed very concerned with my inability to remain still. She also raised concerns about my delayed motor skills. My grandmother also seemed worried. I would be entering elementary school at Orchard Dale soon enough. A possible recipe for disaster. A month before my first day at Orchard Dale, my parents and I moved into our new house. They had recently reconciled after a trial separation. During their separation, my mother and I lived with my maternal grandmother. I rarely saw my dad during that time. I still vividly remember the day that my dad drove up in his gold colored Chevrolet Monte Carlo. With a smile planted firmly across my face, I quickly rushed out to greet him. He took me in his loving arms, and it was then that I learned we would soon be moving into our own house. It was time to go home. As my entry into Orchard Dale grew closer, I began to settle into our new home. It was certainly a bigger place than what we had previously on Ruoff. I would even invite my imaginary friend, Haugau, over to visit on a few occasions. He had been a close companion of mine during those tough times while my parents were separated, but as their relationship improved, Haugau and I would slowly drift apart. I eventually learned that he too was moving away. We parted forevermore on a corner near my grandmother's house. Farewell, my shorthaired transparent friend. We shall always have our memories. Our home would soon be joined by two tabby kittens named Tom and Jerry. They were named after the popular cartoon series. My dad would refer to Tom as a puppy as he would often do tricks for him. My morning routine at that time consisted of a juice pack, a package of Ritz Bits and episodes of Woody Woodpecker, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street. Big Bird was like an idol to me. At long last, September was finally upon us, and with it, my very first day of Kindergarten. One could only hope that Mrs. Evans was prepared for my arrival.

Nintendo Rhapsody (World 9: Reboot) (Work in Progress)

Nintendo Rhapsody is an ongoing story about how Nintendo, and video games in general, helped me through some of the harder times in my life. Each chapter, known as a 'world' in Nintendo Rhapsody, is rather self contained with introductions and conclusions.



World 9-1: Little Boy Blue

Goalsoft had come a long way from its humble beginnings with Clickteam's Klik & Play. My initial goal of building a simple space shooter had evolved into so much more. Goalsoft had since undertaken everything from point and click adventures to turn-based RPGs. As the VP of Goalsoft and Chairman of RPGs, Marlon Castillo, wrote in his yearly press release for 2001, "We are expanding faster than ever before and have a vast community of visitors. In the future we will grow and grow and someday make professional games." That day would appear to have arrived. I had begun work on Space Ruckus: The Great Invasion, a modern 3D reboot of my very first computer game. It would be Goalsoft's ultimate test. Our first truly professional game. And it would be designed with a whole new group of developers. Mark, my fellow moderator and whimsical friend from Chris Cromer's AGI Message Forum, would serve as the game's assistant designer. Ass. designer for short. His expertise in the field of programming would almost certainly prove useful to the project. He had previously, and perhaps most notably, designed a series of desktop applications during his college years. A brand new chapter was just beginning, not unlike the school chapters that came before. Despite the ongoing pressures of game design, I would still find time for other things in my life. I continued to correspond with my middle school friend and pen pal, Melissa, through old fashioned letters of a handwritten nature. It was a joy to see something new in my mailbox every few weeks. We would come to find that we still had much in common. I also still found time to watch television on occasion. I had discovered a new program on the Discovery Channel that seemed to peak my interest. It was known as Mythbusters. Various myths and urban legends were put to the test by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. They were my new science teachers. My very explosive science teachers. And of course, I would still find time to play the Nintendo GameCube. Mario Party 5 and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! had just recently joined my collection, and they would soon be seeing quite a bit of playtime. Especially once my nephews and nieces arrived for the holidays. Let the games continue.

Nintendo Rhapsody (World 8: Pros and Cons)

Nintendo Rhapsody is an ongoing story about how Nintendo, and video games in general, helped me through some of the harder times in my life. Each chapter, known as a 'world' in Nintendo Rhapsody, is rather self contained with introductions and conclusions.



World 8-1: Home Sweet Home Again

With my unceremonious departure from Cerritos College, and the apparent end of my school career, I fell back on that which I loved. My ongoing endeavors with Goalsoft. In January of 2001, I launched my first ever online magazine dedicated to Goalsoft. It was no doubt inspired in part by Nintendo Power. The Goalsoft MAG featured monthly interviews administered by Marlon with the various Goalsoft web staff, release dates for upcoming game projects, short stories, poems and one very controversial comedy column. The latter of which was hosted by Dave Smith. Goalsoft's resident comedy writer and beta tester. In the span of time between January and April of that year, I released Sword Quest III: Dimensional Drift, Super Israel World 2 and Swashblood Isle. I had originally intended to develop Swashblood Isle in Glumol, but the tools were unfortunately not made available until much later. I would instead use Clickteam's The Games Factory. Much like Klik & Play, it left something to be desired when developing traditional adventure games. Everything, as usual, had to be created from scratch. That included an inventory screen and dialogue prompt for every possible scenario in the game. Timers were used to tell the game whether or not an event could be triggered, and when and where to display an item. As a result of these limitations and improvisations, Swashblood Isle was more than a little rough around the edges. Clearly, I had an awful lot of free time on my hands. It certainly felt strange being out of school, but I still had a teacher or two in my life. I became rather hooked on TechTV, a cable network focused primarily on the computer industry. Leo Laporte and Patrick Norton hosted a late afternoon show known as The Screen Savers. They covered every computer topic one could imagine, but my favorite segments were the ones where they built custom machines for gaming and whatnot. It would be several years before I attempted such a thing of my own. With 2001 rapidly drawing to a close, I had just one thing on my mind. Nintendo's brand new disc-based console. For the longest time, it was known simply by a codename. Project Dolphin. A name that left quite a bit to the imagination.

The Computer Files Draft Post

The Computer Files
A Nintendo Rhapsody Spin-Off

The Computer Files, Folder 1: ExoDOS (MS-DOS and Windows 3.1)
The Computer Files, Folder 2: CD BDEC (Windows 3.1)
The Computer Files, Folder 3: HIGH Memory (Windows 95 and MS-DOS Mode)
The Computer Files, Folder 4: You've Got Mail (AOL and the World Wide Web)

Memories of Doom/IBM 486 (for Folder 1: ExoDOS)

My grandmother and aunt picked up my first computer from a business, to the best of my recollection, known as NET Computers. It was a custom IBM 486/66 with four megabytes of RAM. I knew next to nothing about computers in 1994. So little so that when I began playing SimCity 2000 and noticed the landscape had edges, I thought I needed more RAM to build bigger cities. I quickly upgraded to eight megabytes of RAM. SimCity 2000 remained, of course, unaffected. My aunt gave me a copy of the original SimCity and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. The computer itself came with Doom and Epic Pinball pre-installed in MS-DOS. Doom transported players to the one place nobody wants to go, but it was truly something else in 1994.

That computer was plagued with its fair share of problems. It often suffered from disk read errors, and there were even times in which it would fail to boot at all. I eventually had no choice but to take the computer in to be serviced, and in the process, Doom was completely wiped from the drive. It was not long before I became eager to get my hands on the game again. While browsing a small computer shop with dad, I happened to eye a copy of Doom sitting on one of the software shelves. I was curious as to what exactly the term "Shareware" meant on the game's disc and proceeded to ask a clerk about it before making my purchase. I was told that the label was no big deal; that the complete game should be on the disc. Well, imagine my surprise when I came home and found that only Knee-Deep in the Dead was playable from the episode selection screen.

Nintendo Rhapsody (World 1: Far From Home Redux)

Nintendo Rhapsody is an ongoing story about how Nintendo, and video games in general, helped me through some of the harder times in my life. Each chapter, known as a 'world' in Nintendo Rhapsody, is rather self contained with introductions and conclusions.



World 11-1: Alone in the Dark

When I was eight years of age, I lived away from home five out of seven days a week for a period of six months in East Los Angeles at a facility known simply as The Diagnostic School. On Friday afternoons, I would be released to spend the weekends at home with family. Every Sunday at 5:00 PM, I would have to return to The Diagnostic School for the forthcoming week. Once there, I had to eat cafeteria food. I grew to loathe cafeteria food.

On those particular nights, however, I would often choose a bag of Skittles. I hated Skittles. I greatly preferred M&Ms, but Skittles was all that they seemed to have. I would sit on the far corner of the cafeteria, my back to the window, eating my bag of Skittles. All the while, dreading the days and week ahead. I peered out into the darkness of the night every so often.

Nintendo Rhapsody Notes

A place for my unrestrained thoughts and ideas on the subject of current and future Nintendo Rhapsody chapters. This page also contains some unused content for earlier chapters. Different chapter introductions and extended content.



World Minus 1: Earthbound (Pre-Prequel Chapter)

Prologue: A Birth of Umbilical Proportions

My initial reasoning for the existence of this pre-prequel chapter is that I couldn't seem to find a place for the Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird experience in the opening to The Schoolyard Menace. I went to see the movie at a drive-in movie theater with my parents in 1985. I stuck my head out of the sunroof of our Chevrolet Monte Carlo for the duration of the movie. It was my first moviegoing experience, and it was truly something else. The movie shaped my early childhood, and Big Bird became like an idol to me. I feel as though the experience deserves its own dedicated section, and I am now thinking that it would make more sense thematically in the preceding chapter to The Schoolyard Menace. More than likely the concluding section of Earthbound.

September the eighth, nineteen-eighty-two was a day just like any other. The sun rose just like any other day. It set just like any other day. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor could be heard on many a radio that day. It had been a popular song throughout the year. Everyone was pumped for the end of summer and the beginning of fall. That very evening, my mother baked chicken in the oven for my dad and herself. My mother was preparing to settle in for another episode of Dynasty. Her favorite soap opera at the time. Things were beginning to heat up in the Carrington family and my mom was very much looking forward to seeing the outcome. Unfortunately, I had other plans that night. Before she could catch up with the residents of Denver, my mother went into labor with me. My dad quickly helped my mother into the car and we were off to Presbyterian Hospital. The half eaten chicken was left behind - to be cleaned up at a later time. It was going to be a long night!

A story about my birth that I originally intended for the end of World 11: Going Home. It was ultimately far too unusual to include in the project: "Life is the biggest adventure. Mine began most unusually. I glimpsed a wondrous light at the end of a tunnel, but could not follow as a result of my umbilical cord. It had become wrapped around my neck and the more I struggled to free myself, the tighter it became. My time in the womb flashed before my eyes. Soon, I began to lose consciousness. A strange tingling sensation was followed by a strong shift in vibration. I then felt myself go limp. I had died. My heart had stopped and my adventure had seemingly come to an end. Yet I could still hear the melody I enjoyed listening to in the womb. I may not have known what a boat was or just how to row it, but I could almost picture them in my mind. Just like that, I found myself in a majestic place. I was sitting beside a beautiful body of water. Numerous living organisms were rooted into the ground. They had bright colored tips growing from their arms. Some of the tips brushed away and fell into the water below. The water carried them to shore. It was simply astonishing. I was suddenly filled with overwhelming joy as a magnificent being appeared, as if from nowhere, and sat beside me. She asked in a loving voice, 'Do you come here often?' I replied with a smile, 'Actually, this is my first time.' She smiled back and said, 'You couldn't have picked a better time. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom.' I looked her in the eyes and said, 'It really is quite lovely. I wish it were like this every day.' She glanced down at the palm of my hand and said, 'Is that a fortune cookie?' I was, at first, hesitant to reveal its contents, but I finally budged and said, 'Why, yes. I ate lunch over there and this was in my order. It reads: Today will be a very good day. Today you will find your destiny.' She gave me a blind stare and said, 'Well?' Confused, I replied, 'Well... what?' She said with a smile across her face, 'Did you find your destiny?' I replied with butterflies in my stomach, 'I believe so, yes.' With a certain gleam in her eyes, she said, 'My name is Noemi. What's yours?' I said with a happy heart, 'Aratana Hajimari, but you can call me Mike.' Noemi smiled and said, 'Well, it's nice to meet you, Mike.' She stood up, and as magnificently as she appeared, was set to leave. I said in a frantic hurry, 'Wait, will I ever see you again?' Noemi chuckled and said, 'I come here every day at the same time, so there's a pretty good chance.' It was a very good day. I found Noemi and was filled with indescribable feelings. It must have been like riding a bicycle. Once I learned, I never truly forgot. I had not died. I had merely graduated. No longer did I need Nintendo to soothe my aching heart. I could finally spread my wings and fly away. I was suddenly surrounded in light. I felt a great sense of joy and peace, but more than anything, an overwhelming sense of love. It was a state of being not unlike nirvana. I slowly began to regain consciousness and found myself to be in a room full of caring beings. They seemed very concerned with my condition. I was injected with a saline solution while my head was covered in a warm cap. One of the beings approached me and said while trying his best to contain a tear, 'We thought we had lost you, Mikey!' He appeared to possess a brighter glow than the rest. I remained in intensive care for quite sometime thereafter, but I was eventually allowed to leave. Dad was waiting for me. It was time to go home. It was time to enter the third dimension."

"Dear Carol & Chuck - We wish to thank you for the cute 'Little Slugger' sleep n' play suit you brought to the hospital. We will have to take Michael in it to see the Angels play next season. Also, thanks so much for the beautiful poodle flower arrangement you sent to the hospital. It really brightened my stay in the hospital. We appreciate your thoughtfulness." -Paul, Denise and Michael

"Dear Denise: Excuse me for not getting over to your apartment last week, but perhaps another time will be better for us. I understand that Paul has some specific ideas about products he wants for the baby, so I thought a check would be the most appropriate gift, and the easiest answer for everyone concerned (certainly for me). Good luck -- you're going to have an armful! P.S. Let me know when you need a babysitter on a weekend... I'd like to be (among) the first to volunteer." -Aunt Lorilee Moore

World Minus 1-1: On Ruoff

From Just Another Day: The Ancient Corridor's lost chapter: "Light. Michael was enshrouded in light. He felt a great sense of joy and peace, but more than anything, an overwhelming sense of love. It was a state of being not unlike nirvana. It began to pass as Michael merged back, by tremendous force, with and into the perspective of his newborn self. He regained consciousness after having been resuscitated by doctors in the delivery room following being cut artificially from Denise's womb by way of cesarean section. Fearing permanent brain damage from seven seconds of lost oxygen, the doctors moved Michael to intensive care, where he was prepped for a saline solution injection, while his head was covered with a warm cap. Paul said with a smile while trying his best to contain a tear, 'We thought we had lost you, Mikey!' Michael remained in the hospital for the better part of a week before being released to Paul and Denise. From his perspective, however, this time passed by in the blink of an eye. On September 13th, 1982, Denise carried Michael into their home on Ruoff for the first time, and Paul said with joy, 'Welcome home, Michael!' Denise said with a smile, 'He made me miss Dynasty, but how can I stay mad at that face!' In no time at all, Paul and Denise drove Michael to meet his grandparents, Allene and Leslie. Upon their arrival, Leslie held his grandson for the first time, and said with much excitement, 'Hey, grandson! Welcome to the world! I would give you a cigar, but you're not old enough!' Over the coming weeks and months, Leslie bonded with his new grandson. Michael was, after all, the first child to grace his life since Denise, Lorilee and Roger moved out and on with their own lives. Upon each visit, Leslie would lighten up like a Christmas tree. He would often take Michael up onto his knee, and recall stories from his glory days. In one particular instance, how he, as a young man fresh from high school, joined the United States Navy; serving alongside a number of close friends, and sailing the wondrously open sea. As Leslie so eloquently said to Michael, 'There was nothing quite like the fresh, salty sea air to get your breeches up and going in the morning!' Time continued to slip by at a painfully fast speed. Michael sat legs crossed in his grandparents' backyard, rolling a ball back and forth with Leslie. They were ecstatic in each other's company. For the first time in a long while, Leslie's Hypomania was under control. More importantly, he was happy. From Michael's young and still very precious perspective, December 23rd, 1983 was just another day. Another day in which Denise drove him to his grandparents' house. In reality, it was far from being an ordinary day. Michael, of course, was anxious to see Leslie again, so he ran with haste into the house. When he did not find him in the living room or kitchen, he searched high and low throughout the rest of his grandparents' house. Leslie was nowhere to be found, and Michael was beginning to feel very confused. In his easily impressionable mind, he wondered if Leslie was merely playing a game of hide and seek with him. Michael ran to Denise and said, 'Pa? Papa?' Denise said with tears in her eyes, 'He had to go away, Michael.' Michael ran into the backyard to continue his desperate search. Sadly, to no avail. Leslie really had gone away, and he was not coming back. He had passed away a day earlier of a fatal heart attack. Just three days shy of Christmas. It would be one without merry and without cheer. As Leslie slept in heavenly peace, it would instead be a Christmas of tears. Paul had strung lights abound with greater care than usual, the stockings were nestled gently beside the tree rich with marvelous decorations, while simply enchanting melodies played on the record player. In spite of tragedy, Paul and Denise were determined to ensure Michael's happiness on Christmas. Oh, and there were also presents. Just for the record, though, the true meaning of Christmas is love in the face of any adversity. Unconditional love and reciprocation with those near and dear, and compassion for those not so fortunate. On December 24th, the whole Haley bunch came together. With extravagant gatherings at Mom's and Carol's houses. It was a feast for the eyes. Denise found comfort in the company of my elder children from a previous marriage; Patrick, Shawna, Paula and Stephanie. Michael, however, remained very confused by the whole ordeal. His first real brush with the death of a loved one. Everything would return to normal in due time. A new state of normal. As with death always comes change..."

While living on Ruoff as a young baby, my mother would often sing me lullabies as I fell asleep in my crib. "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" "Rock-a-Bye Baby" and "Hush, Little Baby" were just a handful of those lullabies.

"This Little Piggy" was a game that my mom and dad would play with my toes from a very early age. They would point to one toe and say with glee, "This little piggy went to market." They would then point to the next toe and say, "This little piggy stayed home." Wee, wee, wee!

I was never the biggest fan of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder. Having it applied to my soiled behind was perhaps my least favorite activity as a newborn. My mother's reassurance that everything was fine did little to quell my fears. Take that demon powder somewhere else.

There was a flight of stairs inside the apartment on Ruoff. My mother often worried about me falling down. A railing was added to keep me from having any accidents.

Sundays were Knight Rider viewing nights while living on Ruoff. It was perhaps the very first show which I watched with my dad. I would often sit on his knee during the show. The complex spy thriller storylines went right over my head at such an early age, but I was mesmerized by the look and sound of the car, the lights on the front of the car that whooshed back and forth and the fact that the car's owner was also named Michael.

I was very ill on the 4th of July weekend of 1983 and was rocked to sleep by my mother. After that, I had to be rocked every night. Finally, my mother just put me to bed and let me scream. I got over it in two to three nights.

I began to speak on March 31st, 1983. My first words were "Da Da Da." I began to walk on August 29th, 1983. One week before my first birthday. I began to form complete sentences at approximately three years of age. I did however seem to struggle with words that began with the letter L.

It was a night like any other night. My mother tucked me into my crib and sung me a lullaby. She then said with a whisper, "Sweet dreams, Michael." My mother quietly closed the door on her way out of the room. As I laid there drifting off to sleep, glimpsing scattered pictures in my mind of twinkling stars high up in the sky, I could hear faint shouting coming from the next room. It was a most unsettling kind of sound. As I continued to drift off into dreamland, the shouting intensified. My parents appeared to be having a serious disagreement. The shouting continued for some time. When my mother came over to check on me in the morning, I could almost feel as though something was different. It was something about the way in which her face radiated. She also appeared to be holding back a tear. A few days later, my mother and I moved in with my grandmother. For the life of me, I could not understand why my dad was not joining us. I began to wonder if I had done something wrong. It was not long before I became homesick. I longed for the comforts of my old room. I longed to be held in the loving arms of my dad. A piece of myself was suddenly missing and I did not know how to fill that void. A few months passed. While playing in my grandmother's driveway one afternoon, another boy rode by on his tricycle. He saw me sitting there on my own tricycle and he said with excitement, "Do you want to race?" I just smiled from ear to ear and said simply, "Okay!" We assumed our starting positions, he shouted "GO!" and we raced from one end of my grandmother's block to the other in the blink of an eye. It was a neck and neck race, but I managed to come out in front at the "finish line." I felt so alive in that moment. So giddy. I was overwhelmed by a sense of joy I had not felt in many months. My new friend said with excitement, "Any time you want to race again, just let me know!" He paused for the briefest of moments and then said with a smile, "I live just down the street. My name is Haugau."

My parents' trial separation began in April of 1984. For awhile, they did not talk, but did start seeing each other on weekends as a family. On account of finances, they did not move out together. My dad stayed with his mother while my mother and I lived with my maternal grandmother.

World Minus 1-2: Trial Separation

A flashback that originally appeared in Nintendo Rhapsody's World 3: Genesis: "Long ago, whilst my parents were undergoing a trial separation, I lived with my grandmother. In my eyes, she was simply Ma. We often drove to the park together. Not just one but every park in town. I explored everything from forts to rocket ships. What I enjoyed most of all, however, was being pushed on the swing. Having no real friends, Ma was the closest companion I had. Then, there was that most unusual friend of mine. While tricycling through Ma's neighborhood, I met him for the first time. Haugau must have lived in that very same neighborhood. He was, in my memory, the spitting image of Charlie Brown. With his help, I transformed my grandmother's backyard into an adventure. Her orange trees covered a swath of the yard and it was there in which we made our forest. We liked to play in the dirt an awful lot, but that was okay. It would soon be time to wash up. At long last, the day came when Dad drove up in his gold colored Chevrolet Monte Carlo. With a smile planted firmly across my face, I quickly rushed out to greet him. I then learned we would soon be moving into our own house. It was time. It was time to go home. We slowly settled into our new house. I eventually invited Haugau over to visit. I still remember that fateful moment quite well. We met on a corner between my grandmother's and my new house. Haugau had some very sad news for me. He too was moving away. We therefore parted forevermore on that lonesome corner. Farewell, Charlie Brown, my one true imaginary friend. We shall always have our forest."

A flashback that appeared in Nintendo Rhapsody's World 8: Pros and Cons: "While scampering through my grandmother's kitchen as a small boy, she said to me with an ever slight disdain, 'Why don't you sit down for a moment. I'll make you a grilled cheese sandwich.' She knew how much I enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches. I could never pass up that offer. My grandmother and I were the best of buddies. We explored every local park we could find. My absolute favorite being the park with the giant steel battleship. I could lose myself for hours within its interiors. At the end of the day, my grandmother would be there waiting. After such a long day of playing in the battleships, the forts and the rocket ships, it would be time to leave. My grandmother was, in my eyes, known simply as Ma. There but for a precious moment in time, she was the closest companion I had."

With this chapter's title being a nod to Nintendo's Earthbound series, this seems like a fitting inclusion: "During my parents' trial separation, my mother and I lived with my maternal grandmother and my dad would sometimes call my mom to talk. Occasionally, my dad would ask my mom to put me on the phone. 'Put Mikey on,' he would say to my mom. My own communication skills were very limited at that time, but it seemed to bring joy to the both of us." In Earthbound, you call your dad to save the game.

I would always look forward to the rain while living with my maternal grandmother. I would carelessly run out into it and try to catch raindrops on my tongue. Nothing could possibly bring me down. Not even my grandmother shouting, "Michael, get in the house before you catch a cold!"

One afternoon while exploring my grandmother's backyard, a young girl poked her head over the fence. She appeared to be visiting her own grandmother at the house next door. The young girl just stared at me with a look of seriousness I had not seen in other children. She said with a blank expression, "What are you doing over there, little boy?" I said with glee, "Playing!" The young girl proceeded to climb and stand atop the fence. Looking out over my grandmother's backyard, she said in a seemingly confident tone, "You're not doing it right. The world's bigger than your yard. You need to get up and see it from up high." She frightened me, her disregard for safety frightened me and I am almost certain she was a demon girl of some kind. I ran back into my grandmother's house. I never saw that girl again.

I suffered a seizure due to high fever in July of 1984 while sitting upright on my mother's bed in my grandmother's house. I fell backward and my eyes began to roll up into my forehead. My mother quickly rushed me to the hospital. The doctors gave me medication and ensured that I did not swallow my tongue until I regained consciousness. I remained in the hospital for three days.

When I was two years of age, I climbed into my mother's car and stepped on the gas pedal. She had left the car's ignition running outside my grandmother's house while trying to fix my car seat. I was probably curious about the inner workings of the car, having seen her driving it in the past. I managed to put the car into drive and it plowed into the side of the garage, greatly damaging the door and wall. It was a catastrophe. I was forbidden from driving again following that incident. Thankfully, the car was indeed in the forward position. Had the car been in reverse, I would have more than likely run over my grandmother. She was loading things into the trunk at the time.

Some time after driving my mother's car into my grandmother's garage, I experienced a strange dream about a courtroom proceeding. To my surprise, the judge and jury were themselves toddlers. The jury seemed eager to leave. They were ready for their bottle. The judge swung his gavel every which way in an attempt to bring order to the court. My lawyer stood in front of the court and pleaded for my acquittal. He brought tears to the eyes of the jury. Considering my lawyer spoke mostly in baby gibberish, it was quite the accomplishment. After reviewing my case, the judge found me guilty and ordered everyone in the courtroom to dance.

During my extensive expeditions of my grandmother's house and yard, I wandered into my grandmother's garage and found myself in awe of the vents on the back wall. My imagination ran wild while peering through those vents. I could see piles of dirt and tall brown grass. I was certain that an African safari awaited on the other side. Those vents were like portals to another world.

While living with my grandmother, I learned how to ride a bicycle for the very first time. I would often ride along the sidewalk outside her house on my little red bicycle with training wheels. I felt so empowered the first time I made a complete loop around the block.

A woman named Pat Elliott lived next door to my grandmother and she would check in on me over the fence from time to time while I was exploring my grandmother's backyard. She had children of her own, but they were fully grown. She would say with a smirk, "You're not making too much trouble for your grandmother, are you?" Apart from occasionally teasing Darcy (the cat), I was on my best behavior. It had been a good while since I committed a Grand Theft Auto.

World Minus 1-4: Follow That Bird

My love for Sesame Street began the night I saw Follow That Bird at the drive-in movie theater. I poked my head out of the sunroof of our Chevrolet Monte Carlo for the duration of the movie. I would later attend several Sesame Street Live! events. On one occasion, Big Bird himself came down the aisle and patted me on the head.

Seeing as video games were nowhere close to being on my mind at this point in time, I imagine television shows would be a stronger focus of this chapter. I would be remiss if I did not include Mork & Mindy. I certainly felt like a space alien myself at times!

Pools always gave me the creeps as a young child. I did not know how to swim, the deep end may as well have been the depth of the Titanic, and I did not particularly like getting soaked. However, on this occasion, my super hero was there to help me into the pool. I wrapped my arms around my dad's shoulders and he took me for a ride on the shallow end. He promised me that there was nothing to fear. With my dad guiding the way, the pool suddenly did not seem so bad. It was a bright sunny day too. Perhaps we might try this again sometime, I thought. I was still going nowhere near the deep end of the pool, though!

The enclosed shopping mall down the street from my grandmother's house included a food court with ICEE drinks, cookies and other sugary delicacies not exactly ideal for a toddler with an overabundance of energy. My addiction to ICEE began here. Near the back left-hand side of the food court there was a small video game arcade. Inside, a few video game cabinets could be found alongside more traditional games like basketball and Whac-A-Mole. Among the arcade cabinets was a little game called Mario Bros. I was far too young to understand how to operate these machines, but the flashy sprites onscreen were certainly fun to look at. Go, Mario, go! In time, perhaps I would have the hand-eye coordination to don the plumber's overalls.

I slept in my baby crib for the very last time on May 23rd, 1986. I received my new bed the very next day on May 24th, 1986. It was put together that night.

My grandmother accompanied me to preschool. It was located on the back side of the YMCA. My grandmother would take my hand and we would walk into the class together. The teacher was named Mary Ray. She seemed like a nice lady, but I could not bear to see my grandmother leave. I held tightly onto my grandmother's hand. She ultimately decided to stay with me during class. While Mary Ray was telling stories to the preschool class, I found myself jumping up and down on the mat. I was unable to remain still for longer than a few seconds. I appeared to have zero attention span for the teacher's stories. After school, Mary Ray discussed my conduct in class with my grandmother. She did not think I was hyperactive, but that I was certainly not normal. If only she knew that Haugau was presently tugging on her dress. In the days and weeks that followed, the class would learn how to hold scissors and cut paper into various shapes. I held my scissors in a different manner to the other children in the class. The teacher suggested to my grandmother that I may have delayed motor development. Finally, the day came that I had been fearing the most. Swim day. I took one look at the pool and began to scream. I was still very much afraid of water. Especially deep water. And unlike before, my super hero was not there to guide me into the pool. It is a wonder that I managed to graduate from preschool. With diploma in hand, I was ready for kindergarten. But was kindergarten ready for me?

A portion of the introduction to Nintendo Rhapsody's World 0: The Schoolyard Menace. I will likely be fleshing it out somewhat for Earthbound: "A month before my first day at Orchard Dale, my parents and I moved into our new house. They had recently reconciled after a trial separation. During their separation, my mother and I lived with my maternal grandmother. I rarely saw my dad during that time. I still vividly remember the day that my dad drove up in his gold colored Chevrolet Monte Carlo. With a smile planted firmly across my face, I quickly rushed out to greet him. He took me in his loving arms, and it was then that I learned we would soon be moving into our own house. It was time to go home. As my entry into Orchard Dale grew closer, I began to settle into our new home. It was certainly a bigger place than what we had previously on Ruoff. I would even invite my imaginary friend, Haugau, over to visit on a few occasions. He had been a close companion of mine during those tough times while my parents were separated, but as their relationship improved, Haugau and I would slowly drift apart. I eventually learned that he too was moving away. We parted forevermore on a corner near my grandmother's house. Farewell, my shorthaired transparent friend. We shall always have our memories."

Epilogue: The Schoolyard Menace

Shortly after moving into our new house, my dad dug out our second generation Atari 2600. More powerful video game systems may have already been on store shelves by that point in time, but the Atari 2600 was still the king in our household. The console's joystick was always a joy to hold in the hand. It offered diagonal control in addition to the standard up, down, left and right movements. It worked well for most games on the Atari 2600, but required a fair amount of patience to master some games on the system. As a result, the joystick definitely saw some wear and tear through the years. Dad reached for our collection of Atari 2600 game programs and proceeded to let me decide which one we would play that day. I pointed to Home Run. A somewhat primitive baseball game intended for one or two players. It had more in common with table football (fussball) than baseball, but my dad was willing to give it another try. And I did not know any better at the time. After dad hit the ball to me, I quickly mashed the red button on the Atari 2600's controller and thrusted the joystick in every direction imaginable. My three little men were all over the field. I would be lucky if I managed to get even one out. My dad suggested we play another game instead. He reached for Bowling. It had a far more simplistic goal. Throw a ball down a lane and try to knock down as many pins as possible. If it was anything like Skee-Ball, I was certain that I would enjoy it. We continued to play the Atari 2600 for some time. Soon, however, it would be time for bed. I needed to develop the habit of getting to bed earlier. I would be starting Kindergarten soon.

While scampering around the house like a wild animal, my dad cautiously pulled me aside and reached up the back of my shirt. He told me that he was going to remove my batteries. It was time to rest now. My batteries would be returned to me later. This may have been a reference to Small Wonder. A TV show about a girl that was actually a robot.

Two of my most cherished stuffed animals were a large brown bear and beige colored rabbit. They were with me while living with my maternal grandmother and they came with me when my parents and I moved into our new house. Sometime after the big move, I announced to my parents that my bear and rabbit were to be married and I held the reception in our new backyard. Everyone was in attendance, including my imaginary friend Haugau. Bear and rabbit eventually gave birth to a beautiful brabitt boy.

World 0: The Schoolyard Menace (Prequel Chapter) (Extended Cut)

World 0-1: Our House

My parents owned the original wood grain Atari 2600 game console, but when I was two or three years old, I disassembled it piece by piece. I was more than likely curious how the thing worked. Electronics were like magic to me back then. It was replaced by a second generation Atari 2600 in the years that followed. I still have that second generation console in storage to this day.

A greeting card message sent by Mrs. Evans in the summer of 1988: "Thank you for the pretty gold beads - And please thank mommy, too, for her nice note. I really appreciate it. And for these three funny birds on this card. We are seeing a lot of them on our trip. Do come to visit me next year. Thank you again for my special necklace. Hugs, Mrs. Evans."

World 0-2: Sit and Listen

A few thoughts on my home life while attending Orchard Dale Elementary in 1989. I used to sit in my room listening to The Beach Boys and I would often compose my own music via a toy piano. One of the songs was entitled simply "Doors." It was just a rudimentary series of increasing and decreasing notes, but it was music to my ears at the time. The Atari 2600 Space Invaders portion of the chapter would be themed around Orson Welles' mischievous War of the Worlds radio play from 1938. I also used to play Dragster with my dad on the big oak television set in the living room. All I seem to remember of that game is burning out the race car over and over again.

When thinking back upon Orchard Dale Elementary's computer lab, two words come to mind. Cold and sterile. It was devoid of the usual classroom writing utensils. Occupied instead by thinking machines. Machines that appeared to have one function only. The output of math equations to a monitor.

While attending the first grade at Orchard Dale, my mother would occasionally drive me over to Mrs. Evans house. She happened to live directly across the street from the school. It was certainly a joy to catch up with her. I had missed her so much since beginning the first grade. I never formed the same kind of bond with Mrs. Hashimoto.

A note attached to a first grade art project: "I like to mow the lawn with my daddy. I have my own mower."

My time at Orchard Dale Elementary had come to an abrupt end. I was placed in a non-public school known as Rossier. It would be the first time in which I rode the little yellow school bus to school.

World 0-3: From Rossier with Love

Rossier was the very first non-public school that I attended. Not to be confused with a private school. A non-public school often had far less funding than public schools, and focused solely on special needs students with severe behavior problems and emotional disturbances. These were not the kind of schools one wanted to attend freely. It could often be an unstable environment, but the teachers there seemed to be better prepared to deal with certain situations than the ones in public school. And overall, the smaller classrooms made for less distractions while learning.

It is safe to say that I suffered from sensory overload in my first grade class at Orchard Dale Elementary. There were a grand total of thirty-one other students in the classroom. Karen Davenport's class at Rossier School was a rather stark contrast to that. Her class had just six other students. It offered an entirely different kind of vibe. A quieter space with far fewer distractions. I could actually focus on my assignments more often than not. For once, my shoes might even stay on my feet.

Rossier School is perhaps the only school I attended in which the class had a nap time. I have memories of laying down underneath the table for a period of time. This may have actually been called "quiet time." I don't seem to recall this activity taking place very often, however. It does eerily remind me of the lockdowns in later schools due to a disturbance on campus.

A System80 resided in the Rossier classroom. It was a fairly simplistic computer system that operated off a record and slide. Math and reading questions from the slide were illuminated onto a small display with five physical buttons beneath it to choose from. After the student chose an answer, the record would then play the appropriate response and the slide would move to the next question.

I remember stretching my arms backward while sitting at my desk one day, pencil in hand, when I managed to stab the teaching assistant. Until this very day, I feel as though it was an accident, but they took it very seriously.

During my return to class from a gathering in the gymnasium, I dropped the center piece of a class project I was asked to carry, and it scattered outward into the field. I quickly raced to retrieve the shattered pieces of the project before the wind carried them away. But it appeared to be a losing battle. I could not hold onto everything. As I entered the field, I was taken by surprise as a group of students jumped down from atop the playground equipment and proceeded to punch and kick me until I fell to the ground. I was unable to fight back. I instead curled desperately into a ball. Eventually, the students grew tired of their attack and dispersed. I mustered the strength to stand and then walked back to class, empty handed. I was very much confused by the incident.

My local shopping mall used to be fully enclosed with a wide array of shops. Every few months, my mother would take me to the hair salon inside the mall. It was known as The Madd Hatter. A possible reference to Alice in Wonderland. After my haircut, we often walked around the shopping mall. The food court had a place that sold ICEE drinks. It was always my first stop after a haircut. ICEE was my favorite beverage at the time. In the very back of the food court, a video arcade could be found. It offered many then current hits, as well as a few classics like Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man.

Pizza Hut used to have a relatively dark aesthetic. Dimly lit interiors with stained wood panels and retro arcade cabinets from the late 1970s to early 1980s. It was a Nolan Bushnell fever dream. One of those arcade cabinets was none other than Pac-Man.

Fridays were always the day in which dad and I went to the video rental store down the street from our house. Dad would rent a VHS movie that we would watch over the weekend. I would naturally spend most of my time in the kids section. I looked around for some Atari 2600 games on occasion, but they were more than likely all phased out. In their place were games for a console that I could not even begin to spell at the time. It began with the letter N.

My First Reading Tutor

I came into this life a destructive force of nature. I was, in my own way, ever curious about the world around me. I just failed to show it in an appropriate manner. Being the slow learner that I was, I would often paint my own version of reality based upon my then limited comprehension.

Needless to say, I learned a lot from the school system, but much of it took place outside the classroom; on the playgrounds, in the lunch rooms, in the offices. It was the people, not the curriculum, that truly mattered. I came to the realization that I was not alone. There were students with far worse disabilities than my own, and there were staff members that legitimately cared for each and every one of them.

It was a treasure trove of experiences, and at the end of the day, it matters not if they were good or bad ones. All that remains to be seen is whether or not something was learned from them. Life, itself, is an institution for learning. The ultimate school system. We pass on what we learn, and what we pass on gives others reason to learn.


Diane Stepnitz

Games of Yesteryear

Below is a handful of my favorite classic computer and video games that have been thoroughly discussed in other articles on The Grig Post. I have included snippets from those articles here. I decided to present them in chronological order because I just cannot seem to bring myself to number them.

Chrono Trigger

I first played Chrono Trigger in 2000; one year after the "Year of Lavos." Technically, I first played it on PC, since I used an emulator (Snes9x). Before I played Chrono Trigger, I was not much of an RPG fan. I had a few friends that were very much into RPGs, however. They strongly suggested that I play a few. I was blown away by the depth of Chrono Trigger.

Nintendo Rhapsody (World 6: It's About Time):

What is time? We like to think of it as a straight line from past to present to future, but our hearts and minds often dwell exclusively in the past or future. We rarely exist in the present moment. Time, it would seem, is merely an earthbound construct. It was the year 2000 AD in actuality, but my mind was fixated ever in the past. 1995 AD to be more precise. I was trying to hunt down a copy of Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo. I was very unlikely to still find the game in any store, and virtual console services would not exist for another six years. Thus, I settled on an emulator for Windows 98. I downloaded Snes9x alongside a ROM of Chrono Trigger. I would eventually find and purchase the Sony PlayStation compilation with Final Fantasy IV and the Nintendo DS version of Chrono Trigger, but for now, emulation appeared to be my only option. Chrono Trigger begins with a legitimate sense of joy and wonder. Crono is a carefree boy just out to have fun with his friends on the morning of the Millennial Fair. A stark contrast from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in which Link's adventure begins with a frantic quest in the midst of a storm. Both story techniques work effectively in their respective games, but Chrono Trigger does a far better job of building tension, and boy does it deliver on surprise twists. From the moment Crono's mother drew open his bedroom curtains, I knew that I was in for something special. Lucca, one of Crono's dearest friends, is a dedicated scientist and a rather talented inventor. Her latest invention, a teleportation device, was about to take the Millennial Fair by storm.

Nintendo Rhapsody (World 7: The End of the Beginning)

Nintendo Rhapsody is an ongoing story about how Nintendo, and video games in general, helped me through some of the harder times in my life. Each chapter, known as a 'world' in Nintendo Rhapsody, is rather self contained with introductions and conclusions.



World 7-1: Uncharted Territory

I was a very reckless grade schooler one minute, and then the next, a high school graduate on his way to college. I was for the briefest of moments in time, as Ms. Davis said, "the man of the hour." It felt as if life were but glimpses. As I took my first glimpse of Cerritos College, I was filled with a fear of the unknown. The very same fear I had previously felt upon my arrival at California High School and every school before that. I entered into a large enclosed amphitheater. I was taken aback by the sheer scale of the college campus. It gave me such pause, I very nearly forgot the reason for my being there. I approached the front of the amphitheater to collect my entry exam before having a seat. I breezed through the multiple choice questions, but when it came time for the written portion, I struggled to think of anything. It was one of those scenarios where you have to write an essay response to a question. A very specific question designed exclusively for that exam. I consider myself to be a fairly creative person, but writing within those constraints always proved difficult. I had no choice but to take the entry exam over again. During the second attempt, however, I was given more time to wrestle with the question before me. I managed to pass the exam in the end and was thereby approved for three courses. An entry-level math class, a business class and a computer software class. As fate would have it, my computer software teacher was named Mr. Davis. No apparent relation to Ms. Davis. Among other things, I was instructed to write a GW-BASIC program from scratch. It would prompt the user to enter a salesman's name, employee number and sales amount before printing their commission. I found my mind a bit preoccupied those first few days in class. Squaresoft's Chrono Cross was set to release that week on Sony's PlayStation. A spiritual sequel to Chrono Trigger. I was eager to dive into the game having known of its existence for months.

Nintendo Rhapsody (World 6: It's About Time)

Nintendo Rhapsody is an ongoing story about how Nintendo, and video games in general, helped me through some of the harder times in my life. Each chapter, known as a 'world' in Nintendo Rhapsody, is rather self contained with introductions and conclusions.



World 6-1: To Far Away Times

In just three short years, I had made California High School my own. My performance in the classroom had afforded me the opportunity to choose an elective course or special task around campus. I chose to assist Mr. Hales, the physical education teacher, with his daily routine. I would deliver the sporting equipment to the field for practice, deliver the attendance sheets to the office and report any problems directly to Mr. Hales for inspection. More often than not, however, I spent this time standing around the basketball cart chatting with other students who happened to approach me. One of them was named Shalimar. Her boyfriend, Randy, had recently broken up with her and she was feeling quite down on herself. I would sit with her on occasion. I tried my best to lift her spirits. "You never know who you might meet out of the blue," I told her. I had personally experienced my own fair share of struggles in life, but something good always seemed right around the corner. I just had to believe in myself. She appeared to appreciate the sentiment. "Out of the blue" became a source of inspiration to her and she would come to remind me of that a few times. And then there was Jovani. We chatted about video games. One video game in particular. The then unreleased Perfect Dark for Nintendo 64. Rare's spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007. We would each comb the web for any clues we could find about the upcoming game and then report back in Mr. Hales' class. It would be quite some time before we actually got our hands on Perfect Dark.

Nintendo Rhapsody (World 5: Nintendo Strikes Back)

Nintendo Rhapsody is an ongoing story about how Nintendo, and video games in general, helped me through some of the harder times in my life. Each chapter, known as a 'world' in Nintendo Rhapsody, is rather self contained with introductions and conclusions.



World 5-1: A Whole New World

With Barbara Dawson Educational Center now firmly in the past, I began attending California High School. The adjustment period was somewhat less unnerving than Hillview Middle School. I credit my early enrollment in summer school. I had a whole month to absorb the campus before the overwhelming invasion of students in September. During this relatively quiet time, I became acquainted with one of the more interesting teachers on campus. Her name was Tamara, but of course, everyone knew her as Ms. Davis. Gone were the days of being on a first name basis. Fellow class members remember her best for her love of pumpkin seeds. I remember, from the moment I first met her, her sense of humor. Ms. Davis was a lighthearted woman, sure, but she also had a rather strict side. It was not wise to upset her. The months flew by in the blink of an eye. Christmas arrived right on schedule. Santa Claus delivered a very exciting present to my brother and I that year. It was none other than the Nintendo 64 and it was not alone. It came with Cruis'n USA, Killer Instinct Gold, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Wave Race 64, but most importantly, Super Mario 64. It was not long at all before a debate was had to decide whose room the system would reside in. A few days later, we all contracted chicken pox and the two week quarantine period began. Let the games begin.

Conrad the Healer

INTRODUCTION

I reckon you've heard of the name Conrad Sheldon; else you wouldn't be here. Everyone in Hicksville knows his name. He was born with a rare learning disorder. All throughout his days, he was licked in every task by no fault of his own. He struggled as he might to spell, but he served his purpose well.

You see, Conrad Sheldon had a heart of pure gold. Most folks, well, they never back down from a fight. Conrad was different. Conrad would face a fight with a kind of innocence about him. Some of them folks wrote it off as mere ignorance. Conrad just sought to share in his love of life. He knew nothing of resentment. Hicksville is a better place having known him.

If you should permit me the time, I'll tell you more about Conrad Sheldon.

What was that? The next bus out of Hicksville aint for another three hours yet. Sure, we have plenty of time. Allow me to start from the beginning...

CHAPTER 1: FARTHER SON

Part 1: Reintroduction

Conrad Sheldon was born to Roy and Petunia Sheldon of Sunnybrook Lane. Roy, the only son of a Jewish household, and Petunia, a devout Catholic. They weren't always in agreement with one another, but they knew in their hearts that which was best for their children.

Their daughter, Vespa, was born a few years after Conrad, and by that point, Roy had taken a job as a high school math teacher. He grew ever more curious with computers. They were but a strange contraption to most folks at the time, but he desired to understand them more fully.

Roy eventually mastered a multitude of programming languages. A skill that would prove most useful to Conrad in his own quest to understand the world around him. With the help of his father, Conrad might even live out the fantasy of a king.

Psychoeducation: Preschool

This hand written letter (which I have copied word for word) predates my entry into Orchard Dale Elementary by two years. It appears to be penned by my maternal grandmother, Allene. It paints a clearer picture of my childhood emotional state. I previously assumed the problems to have begun in elementary school. In fact, my wave of destruction began much sooner. For example, I drove a car into my grandmother’s house at the age of two.

Psychoeducation: The Diagnostic Center

In January of 1991, I began attending The Diagnostic Center in Los Angeles, and thus, the Rossier School chapter came to a close. I wrote at length about this time in my life for Nintendo Rhapsody. It may not have been my first encounter with Nintendo, but it was certainly quite impressionable. When given the opportunity to spend time with the NES in the recreation room, I could easily find myself so entranced I would, for a brief moment, forget I was living away from home. My memory of the actual school environment at The Diagnostic Center remains a bit fuzzy, but some of the reports I have discovered may shed some light on the subject. This is a very much abridged version, by the way. There are twenty pages of mostly boring, deeply versed statistics. "This thing reads like stereo instructions!"

Psychoeducation: The Second First Grade

In May of 1989, my time at Orchard Dale Elementary came to an abrupt end. I was placed in a non-public school known as Rossier. My memory of this school is also a bit fuzzy, but I do remember some things here and there. I remember carrying a float back from an event in the gymnasium, the wind blowing it from my arms, and trying desperately to retrieve the scattered pieces from the field where I was suddenly ambushed by a group of students on the playground. I curled into a ball and they proceeded to kick at me until they grew tired of this activity. I then walked back to class, empty handed. I also remember stretching my arms backward while sitting at my desk one day, pencil in hand, when I managed to stab the teaching assistant. Until this very day, I feel as though it was an accident, but they took it very seriously. Below are a set of generalized reports from April 30th, 1990. At present, there do not appear to be any specific incident reports from Rossier.

Easter with the Haleys

With a lack of progress on Ancestry with the Haleys, my video anthology dedicated to the Haley family remained dormant for a few years. I would often entertain the idea of a new video, but was at a loss for content.

In 2014, I set out to locate the missing Easters. Dad was good about labeling home movies, but for some reason, this egg-filled holiday always fell near the end of existing VHS tapes. Sometimes, it was not labeled at all. The video hunt was a bit like Easter itself. However, just in time for that year's Easter Sunday, I found all but one. I have reason to believe 1997 was not filmed. As I was not prepared to enter the director's seat on an Easter with the Haleys, I merely shared the uncut footage with family. I thought the idea made little sense at the time. Choosing the best moments from Christmas, Campland and Disneyland was difficult enough. Easter has always been a tricky occasion to cover. I know, for some, its religious significance is a turn off. Not only that. Who wants to watch three kids look for eggs for twenty minutes?


Easter 1994

Psychoeducation: The First Grade

I recently discovered my IEP papers from elementary school and was quite shocked by some of the things I found. I was always a relatively average child according to everyone I knew and spoke to, but as I entered Kindergarten and then Grade 1, I began to exhibit serious emotional problems. I have very few memories from this time, but I do recall being reminded by my parents of a few incidents. One of which left a custodian hospitalized. The following stories come from the staff of Orchard Dale Elementary the month of and month following Easter, 1989. I was six years old. I must warn everyone, it is quite intense!

I am sharing these stories in an effort to show I have nothing to hide. I made some serious mistakes as a child, more severe than most children, but I am certainly not the only one who ever gave in to impulsive actions or judged others before they knew all the facts. If we are to truly become better people, we need to focus on the strengths of others, not their weaknesses. I wish I could comfort the people in these stories. Chances are, however, they would not remember me. It was twenty-seven years ago, after all.

Computer Love

A short history of my former and current PC hardware. Most of the information below was retrieved from an entry I made on March 8th, 2009. I have revised its contents and attached a few photographs. Yes, the new title is a reference to a Kraftwerk song.

#1. IBM (486/66MHz)
August, 1994

My first PC was a beast. 66MHz of raw computing power, 8 megabytes of memory enhancing RAM, 16-bits of surreal audio processing (Sound Blaster 16) and 2 megabytes of mind blowing onboard video memory. It could run Doom II: Hell on Earth at maximum settings. This PC was originally packaged with MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.1. Later, I upgraded to Windows 95. "Where do you want to go today?"


IBM in 1995

Dot-com Babble

Due to financial realities, SpaceRuckus.com is no longer host to Space Ruckus: The Official Site and Forum. I, for one, am a proponent of preservation. Beginning a year ago this month, the robots.txt was disabled to allow Archive.org a full snapshot of the site contents. It can be found in the attachment below.

SpaceRuckus.com, itself, will redirect here (TheGrigPost.Blogspot.com) until further notice. If such a time comes as another project is in development, it may redirect elsewhere. Thank you to those who remained loyal over the years. It was a road filled with personal and professional turmoil. A less heart driven individual may have just scrapped everything a long time ago... in a galaxy far, far away. Live long and prosper, everyone!


Space Ruckus: The Official Site (Archive.org)

Space Ruckus on the World Wide Web:
Blogspot  •  Facebook  •  GoDaddy Photo Album  •  Internet Archive  •  YouTube

Nintendo Rhapsody (World 4: Trial Separation)

Nintendo Rhapsody is an ongoing story about how Nintendo, and video games in general, helped me through some of the harder times in my life. Each chapter, known as a 'world' in Nintendo Rhapsody, is rather self contained with introductions and conclusions.



World 4-1: He's Got an Attitude

Nintendo's undisputed reign over the Haley household was, for the time being, at an end. Just as Mario hung his hat for a well deserved rest, an edgy new platforming star was beginning his own adventure. Sonic, a mysterious blue hedgehog without a speed limit, was set to conquer far more than my television screen. In no time at all, I owned everything from Sonic the Hedgehog sleeping bags to plush toys to comic books. I would eagerly visit the nearby Ralphs supermarket each month to score a new issue. It was almost as exciting as the animated series. Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog aired Monday through Friday at seven in the morning. Once I began attending Hillview Middle School, I had no choice but to record them onto VHS tape and watch them after school. Hillview was a whole new experience. There were an unnerving number of fellow students. Having been enrolled in non-public schools for many years prior, I was not prepared for the often twenty something students per classroom - or the fact I now had six classes a day. It was quite a bit to process. In retrospect, I always found smaller classes more focused and therefore rewarding experiences. One of those classes was, thankfully, a more intimate environment and it was there in which I began to take computers seriously. Previously, I saw them as rather dull educational instruments. I was assigned a floppy diskette and a desk terminal. My assignment was simple: Build and maintain a town in Maxis' SimCity. A town which continued to function whether I was present or not. It was like Quintet's ActRaiser, but without the action platforming stages. Computers were rad and all, but I really just wanted to get home and play the Sega Genesis.