The money meme

[vaneramos]

Nabbed from rsc, my life in $2.50.

How it works: Either pull some loose change out of your pocket(s) or grab a few coins from the bowl. For each unique year on the coins, write something about what you were doing and post it in your journal.

I have nine coins in my change purse, eight unique years.

1973 dime: I turned nine. I went to Gerald Hedges' birthday party and brought home Cuddles, a baby white rabbit with red eyes. I started grade four and was adopted as teacher's pet by Mrs. Buttery. She was a high-strung busybody and her favour ensured my classmates' disdain.

1976 penny: I had one of my all-time favourite teachers, Miss Reed, for grade seven. We studied things like Hamlet and The Cask of Amontillado. I learned to dance the Charleston for our class assembly, "Music Through the Ages." I had to stand on a balcony while Connie Scott recited "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways," to me in front of the whole school. It was so successful that we put on two evening performances and raised enough money for a field trip to see a Shakespeare play at Stratford. That summer in the tent I had sex with N for the first time. I had penpals in England, Scotland, Australia, Ghana, Rhodesia and South Africa, but most interesting and intelligent was Sumudu Gunasena in Ceylon.

1979 penny: Turning 15 I was lonely and miserable. N started using drugs and we drifted apart. A story went around that I had an erection while showering with other boys after gym class. The whole high school of 500 kids must have heard it. Everyone called me Boing. I kept a stiff upper lip, ignored them, and the nickname eventually fell into disuse. I played clarinet in the concert band and baritone saxiphone in stage band. I also took piano lessons. I listened voraciously to Romantic composers of the 19th Century.

1981 penny: I took Sarah Jarvis to the grade 12 prom and we dated for the next year, but we never kissed. I was editor of the high school newspaper, Hawk Squawk. I was writing a fantasy novel about a blind prince. I invented a language for his world and spent most of the summer locked in my bedroom drawing maps and designing dungeons. I had decided belately to take art courses at school. In grade 13 I did an intaglio and sold several prints to teachers and friends of my parents.

1986 quarter: I lived in residence at University of Guelph. I led prayer meetings and Bible studies. The church I went to officially ostracized a woman who admitted to being a lesbian and an engaged couple who admitted to having premarital sex. The church group got kicked off campus for discrimination. I spent the summer as a research assistant studying integrated pest management. In December I wrote the last exams to finish my Bachelor of Science in wildlife biology.

1996 toonie: The most critical year of my life. I had decided to accept my homosexuality. In January my wife and I separated. I left my church. A few days later I decided to come out of the closet. I had gay sex for the first time in 13 years. It was fantastic. I lost practically all my old friends. My wife tried to restrict my access to our daughters, but she was ultimately unsuccessful. I switched from my first to my middle name; Bill became Van. I used Silvan as an online handle for the first time. Mom and I had our first quarrel and we didn't speak for a few months. I made friends on a gay internet talker called Paradox. In May I drove to Baltimore to meet some of them. That was my last trip out of Ontario. In the summer I met and dated Jim for several months. One afternoon at Elora Quarry, some rednecks threw rocks at us from an overhanging cliff, but missed. It was my nearest brush with death. After I broke up with Jim, he stalked and harrassed me. I joined the Rainbow Chorus. In the fall I met and fell in love with Dan. I began keeping morning pages. Dan moved in with me on New Year's Eve.

2002 dime and penny: I had a relationship that lasted nine months, with Aubrey. This was the first year of my adult life in which I was free of depression. I made two of my closest friends, Jon and Sylvie. I wrote the narration for the Rainbow Chorus's spring concert. In June the choir attended a GALA Festival in Toronto with gay and lesbian choirs from across Canada. In July I took Aubrey and my daughters on a camping trip to Manitoulin Island and Killbear Provincial Park. Marian and I argued constantly. In August I took her on an overnight canoe trip in Algonquin Park, and we have gotten along well every since. Aubrey broke up with me on Labour Day. In October I had a serious accident with a dildo, injuring my rectum and colon. I spent a week in hospital and had to have a colostomy for five months. I discovered how wonderful my friends were.

2003 penny: In March my colostomy was reversed. I had to spend a week in hospital again, but my body quickly recovered. I joined Livejournal in April and met a few LJers over the next months. I met Danny djjo on July 4. I became seriously interested in photography again. In the fall I fell deeply in love for the first time in years. In November I wrote my first complete draft of a novel.

Comments

[rsc.livejournal.com]

I kept a stiff upper lip

er, um...