June 22, 1974

Odd how memory works. I can remember exactly what I was doing 33 years ago today, June 22, 1974. I had just graduated from high school, and I was about to turn 18. I spent the day working out on the back porch on a homemade mah jongg set. Then I stayed up late into the night, and watched some Charlie Chan movie on TV into the wee hours of the morning. Finally, getting on toward dawn, I wandered out to the other end of town, up by the school, up along the highway, where semi trucks barrelled by down Highway 51 in the gathering light of sunrise. Then home and, after 24 hours awake, I collapsed into bed.