During the previous month, I’ve been cleaning out my childhood room, and I’ve made some unusual discoveries. Here is some of what I’ve found, presented without comment.
3 Maryland Terrapins posters from 1995, featuring an ad for Erol’s Internet
1 World Cup USA 94 bumper sticker
1 pack of ‘Moochas Gracias’ stationary, featuring a picture of a cow in a sombrero
1 letter from my father to me, expressing extreme joy at the Washington Capitals’ recent signing of Jaromir Jagr
Several tiny magnets, including one from an airline called US Air, and another from the NBA Team Store
2 fake elementary school awards, including one for ‘Outstanding Participation’ in chess club
1 nose piece from my original (and only) pair of Rec Specs
1 ‘Share the Dream: Washington-Baltimore 2012 Olympics’ bumper sticker
1 copy of the front page of the Washington Post on Sept. 9, 2002, featuring the headline “Spurrier Dazzles in Debut”
1 photo of me interviewing former Maryland governor Bob Ehrlich
1 essay from my 7th grade English class, titled, “The Washington Capitals Have Just Given Up on this Season”
1 copy of a 50th anniversary magazine tribute to Bugs Bunny
1 photo of me, obviously taken at a bar mitzvah, in which I am strategically Photoshopped inside a toilet and looking out
1 photo of me in Montgomery County jail, taken during a 4th grade field trip
1 copy of the American Journalism Review, featuring the editor of the Los Angeles Times and the headline “Let the Good Times Roll”
2 Polaroids — 1 with Elroy from the Jetsons, and another with my father and sister at the Air & Space Museum
1 guide to napkin folding, as provided by the Holland America Cruise Line
1 trading card of Seattle SuperSonics center Olden Polynice
1 set of ‘moo’-themed stationary (separate from the ‘Moochas Gracias’ line of stationary)
1 copy of Sports Illustrated, featuring Mark McGwire and the headline “WHAT A SEASON”, and “AOL Keyword: Sports Illustrated” in the lower left hand corner
1 copy of the Washington Post, featuring the headline, “War Won’t Be Short, Bush Says”
1 telephone modem
1 baseball hat from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase youth baseball league
1 list of 70 potential careers, in which “writer,” “reporter” and “journalist” does not appear