A Week of 10s Day 2: Best Memories

Choosing my top ten memories is kind of difficult, mostly because sometimes I have trouble differentiating between simply very memorable things that were good versus actually great memories that may be more subtle, simple, and less dramatic. I have tons of really good memories to choose from, but in no particular order, here are my top ten memories:

1. When I got accepted to the GT middle school: Some time in Spring 2003 I believe, I got accepted into the GT (gifted and talented) program at one of my local middle schools. Me, along with maybe a dozen or so people from my elementary school got accepted into this program and were divided up among 3 or so middle schools in my county that had such a program. Maria, Christine, and a few other of my best friends then, and happily also today, were all put in the same school. However, it wasn't the actual going to the school that excited me; it was finding out. I remember clearly me, my mom, and my dad were at my dad's Manhattan condo when my aunt called my mom to tell her about the letter we had received which said I got in. I was so elated that I was screaming, jumping up and down, and making such a ruckus I'm surprised the neighbors didn't file a complaint. Nevertheless, I will always remember that day because that was one of the earliest moments of pure unfiltered joy I can recall.

2a. Driving for the first time: This is kind of a two part favorite memory because I have 2 driving memories. My first takes place when I was maybe still 12 or 13 and I was at Kings Dominion which is an amusement part in Virginia. They had a "ride" there where you could drive some old Ford's (like a simplified Model-T with just a push-to-go throttle and steering) around an enclosed track at maybe walking pace. While it may be kind of lame now, to my little pre-teen self, this was the coolest thing ever and I remember going on that ride so many times every time I went there. My love of cars definitely has some roots here.

2b. Driving for the first time(2): The second driving related memory is of me actually driving for the first time. I was now a junior in high school and I just qualified for my driver's permit. My uncle, who had taught basically all three of my cousins how to drive for the first time too, took me for my first experience at a local office park. The car was a piece of crap. It was a 1990 burgundy Toyota Corolla DX with over 250,000 miles on it and a terribly worn front left shock absorber that made an awful noise going over bumps, but, the thing had charm. Really, if there was any car that I wish could talk and hear the story of, it would be that one. My first real drive was a pretty good one I must say. I've never had a problem with going out of lanes, turning enough, etc. I guess video games did help with that. The only thing that took some practice was parking since I did sometimes end up too close to the lines or wasn't perfectly straight. Even though it was a lesson and maybe not the most exciting thing ever, I loved driving that thing. The car is unfortunately no longer with us. It was donated, still in working order I might add, to the Red Cross and hopefully someone is still using it today.

4. That Regatta: I had plenty of exciting regattas during my crew years, but two regattas and two races truly stand out. One was the Stotesbury Cup regatta in Philadelphia during my senior year. Rowing on the Schuylkill was a blast; it was hella fast, and seeing nearly 200 schools and thousands of fellow rower compete was truly magical. My boat didn't place but it was still a great experience. But while Stotes was great, for me, there will always be one specific race that I will always remember. During my first year rowing, my coach put me in a varsity boat to fill a spot since one of the guys couldn't make it to the regatta. That heat was literally one of the closest groups of 5 boats I've raced in. We were in lane 4 between two other boats and I remember we were never more than maybe 2/3 of a boat length from each other during the whole race. At the end though, during the last 250 meter sprint, we pulled away from both of our neighbors. First the boat on the left started drifting back and then we "walked" ahead from the boat to my right. I remember catching out of the corner of my eye the coxswain of the right boat doing a double take as we pulled away from them, a moment made even better as they were ahead of us by half a length up until that point. I still get chills from remembering that moment. We ended up placing second in that heat, .07 seconds behind the first boat which basically put us in a dead heat. Today when I erg, I still picture the end of that race and imagine I'm back on the water during the final sprint of my workout.

5. Scholar Athlete: More crew related memories...during my senior year, I was awarded the Scholar Athlete award for men's crew at my high school. Two athletes, one guy and one girl, from each sports team from my school were awarded "scholar athlete". It was up to the coaches to nominate who they believed best deserved the award. It was a great honour to be given this recognition and the sports banquet held at the end of the Spring 2010 season was also amazing. Hundreds of athletes were all there for a number of awards to be handed out that night and the spirit of the place, with everyone cheering each other no matter which sport you did, was truly inspiring.

6. High School Graduation/All Night Grad: Unlike many people, I actually had a wonderful high school experience. Sure, it was awkward as hell at times, but as a whole, I think high school was one of the happiest periods of my life. In the end however, graduation was the cherry on top of my experience. Graduation wasn't horribly exciting until the hat toss, but walking across that stage just really made it clear that I was done with compulsory education. It was bittersweet, but still very positive in my mind. The All-Night Grad Party that followed a few nights after was also epic. Vegas/Casino themed, it was a full night of table games, laser tag, food, carnival games, and free professional massages with my best friends which ended with a trip to a local diner for pumpkin spice pancakes at 5:30 in the morning. It was great.

7. 2nd semester Sophomore year grades: My first semester of sophomore year wasn't very good. My grades took a dive compared to what I was used to and I wasn't pleased with my own performance, so second semester, I worked my ass off to make sure I would do better. The classes I took weren't easy though. I remember clearly writing about how much I hated International Trade specifically and all the work I had to do for all my classes combined. After finals finished, I didn't know how I would fare. The exams were really difficult and since they each made up at least 35% of each class' grade, I didn't know where I would end up. However, all that work paid off. I ended up pulling off a 3.7 that semester, essentially balancing out first semester and maintaining my GPA where it was as a whole after freshman year. Seeing my final grade results, especially the A- I pulled off in I-Trade and Marketing (more due to the crap business school curve than it being an actual hard class) shocked me so much I almost cried.

8. Prom: Prom was simply too much fun. The limo, the dinner, my wonderful friends, my lovely date Maddie, everything was just amazing. It was a truly carefree night, which since they rarely come around ever, made it a night I would never forget. No need to say more than that.

9. That night with Brandon: About two weeks before I left for Denmark, I spent the night at Brandon's place. I told my mom I was staying a friend's for the night which wasn't too far from the truth but I digress. We basically just chilled on his balcony drinking beer, having simple conversation, and whispering sweet nothings until one of his roommates came back and we talked all three of us, well, three of us and her dog Allie, way deep into the night. That night was special however since that was the first night both of us admitted that we liked each other and were considering pursuing something more. Drunk words are true words I think and that night many words were shared. I really could have spent all night on that balcony, just laying in each other's arms in the cool summer air and talking about stupid things all night. Falling asleep in his arms and waking up to that warmth and secure comfort was something amazing. I really wished I didn't have to leave so soon after that. Today I wonder what will happen when I get back. If he would still be interested in seeing me, if he had moved on. I guess I'll find out in two weeks.

10. Camping: I've only gone camping once, and despite the bugs, the heat, and the nastiness of waking up all sticky, smelling of bug repellent, and dirt, it was fantastic. That trip, me and four of my friends went all out the summer before freshman year of college. We went to a camp ground in the woods, put up a giant tent, made hot dogs over an open fire using old coat hanger wire, toasted marshmallows, had a glow stick rave in the dark, and did everything else one does while being a camping n00b and had a great time doing so. I also remember the conversation as we just laid in the tent at 3AM looking through the tree tops at the stars. We were discussing what we thought college would be like, our favorite names, why Nutella was the best thing in the world, and more before eventually falling asleep. We were all at the edge between one era of our lives and another but had no worries, no obligations, and just the taste of freedom in our mouths. After getting home the next day and taking the best shower of my life, that camping trip claimed a spot as one of the best memories and experiences I've had.

Stay tuned for another round of Top 10 tomorrow. If you have any suggestions about what you want me to write about, put them in the comments or email me at the address on the sidebar.

All the best,

JP