Summer 2000
I wasn’t even planning on going to college, but I met a girl, who I eventually fell in love with, that changed my mind right in the nick of time. So with summer winding down, it was off to the University of Central Florida in Orlando. It was definitely a bitter sweet farewell, but it was definitely also a welcomed change to what my life would have probably ended up like. I remember the day I left home, and I remember it because it was the last road trip I ever went on with my Mom. It was a sunny day, a day perfect for driving, and I enjoyed her and my father’s company.
After about 3 days in Orlando I had met most of the people who I have come to know as ‘The Best of The Best,” my university buds. I met Johnny Blaze on the first night. He is the worst decision maker I have ever met, but quite a character all the same. Then there is Iowa, a real ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ type of guy when he starts drinking. And then Easy E, probably the most mentally and emotionally stable dude I have ever met. I really look up to him, but he is still a crazy bastard. Big Matt came the next semester, but he is no less a friend. He has helped me through countless personal and professional problems and for that I am eternally grateful. There was also Ben, Big Ron, Marcus, Lee, and too many others to list. That first semester was a real eye-opener, as it was my first taste of total independence. I was 17.
Things began going sour back home in January of 2001 and I started making the two hour trip with increasing frequency. Then it happened and my life changed.
I remember my first day back to Orlando after it happened and seeing Jimmy Grimsly and Pee Wee. They asked me why I had been gone and I gave them a frank and honest reply. I have never seen two big, black football players look so uncomfortable in my life.
The parties continued, though I guess I didn’t go to all that many because I had a girlfriend at the time. Anyway, aside from the biggest tragedy in my life, it was a good first year at university with lots of new friends.
Summer 2001
I moved back home for the summer and sold knives as an independent sales rep for a shit company named Cutco. It was a fun summer being back in my hometown with my old high school friends, but also really strange being back in my house without my Mom. I don’t know how my Dad did it for those few years, but props to him for being such a tough dude. It got really lonely there sometimes.
Fall - Spring 2002
When August came around, I was packing up and heading back to Orlando to start my second year at UCF. Again, there were lots of cool parties with lots of cool friends.
I drank a lot with Iowa starting after Christmas, if I remember correctly. I remember one night in particular when we were hopped up on beer and pain-killers after we had smoked some shit. We were trying to see how many locks could be opened with our keys at good old Collegiate Village Inn, our apartment complex. Anyway, we ended up wandering into the swamp behind CVI and got “lost.” After a brief panic brought on by an imaginary swamp monster, we realized we were less than 10 yards into the swamp and really were not lost at all. I left muddy footprints on the carpet of my place as I stumbled in to greet a less than amused, half asleep girlfriend. Nights like those are probably why the relationship with her eventually fell apart.
Summer 2002
I moved into a new apartment for the summer and took short trip to New York with my girlfriend’s family. Those were probably the two biggest events that summer. It was a good summer. Then….. back to CVI for the fall semester. This is where the fun begins. Jim of the World is being conceived.
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