Me (part 1)

So now that I've established my reasoning for writing, mostly for myself and my family, I suppose the next logical step is to give something of an autobiography. This won't be complete like a book, I hope, if you read the first one, you probably get the idea that I named my blog "Mindbarf" for a reason. My wife also requested that I use paragraphs...SIGH. FINE.

I will try to explain my life sort of a timeline fashion (I was thinking of doing this in a subject manner, ie, parents, relationships, sports... but I won't be able to get my stream of consciousness going like that, so basic timeline it is), and I guess I should also say that this is what I remember. One of my favorite quotes about history is "History is Bunk!" from Henry Ford, what I mean to say with that quote is that I was a kid for most of it, and some of it was a little traumatic. Like seriously. I had some crazy shit happen in my childhood. So it might be difficult to read if you're my family. It's not meant to be that way, it is what it is.

(brief break for a goodnight video chat with Sam and Tina! Technology is really friggin' cool sometimes. Sometimes not, like with Powerpoint in the Army. Not cool man. Not cool.)

I was born January 28th 1978, my mom was 23 and my dad was 22. They had been married for approximately 6 months at the time of my birth. Yes, I was an "oops." My mom once told me that my cousin Matt and Jason were so cute, that she wanted her own. Silly her! As a child I had constant ear infections, which meant many long days of me screaming at her cause my damne ears hurt. My Dad was working as a surgical technician for Harborview burns unit. They met at work. Dad was having a rough time at his job because he was essentially peeling burned skin off of people as the healed. They weren't happy to see him and he had an especially rough go with younger kids that would scream at the sight of him. Overall, it was pretty rough for him and there wasn't the support there for him like those positions have now. So he quit and started working construction. Which then meant we moved a lot to accommodate where he worked. Oh, I didn't mention that my Dad took solace in mostly some good Mary J, Mom thought that was just fine and went along for the ride. Actually, later in life I was told that I was conceived while they were high on LSD, and I was named after a species of Marijuana called Thai Stick. Thai Stick: Tyson. Ya' Dig? Ok moving on... So may parents are/were both passionate people, both prone to exaggeration, and both ridiculously stubborn, and in their younger years more reactionary than communicative. All this to say that the marriage didn't last long. This part is fuzzy for me, but I think they officially separated when I was 2 or 3, but that didn't really mean the end of things... No way! Not by a long shot. Dad got into dealing, Mom got into some heavier stuff and they "rolled" in the same circles back then. I remember once driving over the ship canal bridge in Seattle and my Mom did a line (of Cocaine, through a rolled dollar bill, how cliche?) off of the steering wheel. I said "what's that Mom?" She said "It's my medicine." I was 3 or 4 at the time, so, ok. It's Mom's medicine. Good 'nuff.

Not too long after that my sister was born. I was 5. I know what you're thinking... "Tyson, you said they separated when you were 2 or 3, and your sister was born when you were 5?! Dude, you're math is effed!" Nope. They divorced and then decided they wanted back together, then realized they didn't, went apart, then missed each other and got together, pissed each other off and split apart... etc etc... rinse & repeat. Now! Here's where it starts to get interesting! Heidi was born and for about a year things were going well. I don't know what happened but I remember a tiny house we lived in down the street from my cousin Jenny's, I think it was Benson Hill road, Dad wasn't dealing at the time and he was working construction. Everything was going well. One day I went with him to my Grandpa Ernie's and we installed an air conditioner there. I was with him the entire day. We got home around 7, so kinda' late. Mom was LIVID and accused him of being with another female for most of the day, but he had me with him that whole day! So we came in, and Mom grabbed a bowl by the sink that had a knife in it and threw it at us, well at Dad, I was just next to him. This precipitated the last night of my "nuclear family." At one point after I had gone to bed Dad yelled "Ty come look, your Mom is trying to stab me!" And she was. They calmed down after that long enough for us to go back to sleep, but started it up again later that night and Dad ended up going to the hospital with bleach in his eyes. Now, I'm writing this like it was just my Mom that was the aggressor. As an adult and knowing my Dad, I'm 100% positive that was NOT the case, but all I can speak for is what I saw.

After that, Mom moved with me and Heidi. I believe we stayed with Grandma Bev (maternal Grandma) for a few days and then started moving around and around. I remember it by the schools I went to that year. I was in second grade so about 6-7 I think, second grade for sure. Sierra Heights Elementary elementary to start the year (I was there in first grade there too, Mrs. Balka, talk about a battle axe teacher! WOW). Cascade Heights, elementary (when I was at Grandma's house) Benson Hill Elementary was next, then Talbot Hill Elementary, and then Kennydale Elementary is where we settled in when we moved into the Tiffany housing projects in the Renton Highlands. Yes. Housing Projects. So as an adult when I've said to students "I've got more ghetto in me than you have in your left foot." I actually meant it. At least at FV. Chicago they had me, and my school in Seattle was actually pretty close to the projects I grew up in...a blog for another day...the teaching one that I'm planning...Anyway! Back on topic here...

I don't remember all the places that we lived necessarily, but I do remember one house down in the swamplands around where I-405 and hwy 162 intersect. This house was built on stilts and it felt to me like it moved quite a bit. QUITE a bit. I had a metal bed frame that I could hear and feel rats chewing on the mattress underneath when i was trying to sleep. I got a stereo cassette player that christmas and a Journey tape. I listened to it as I went to sleep every night to cover up the sound. A couple other places that I don't remember, and then the projects and Kennydale Elementary. One of these days I'm going to have to go back and find the addresses to all the places I lived...Anyway, back on topic again. We stayed in the projects for I think 3 years. C2629 Sunset Ave, Renton, WA 98???. I was old enough that I didn't care about being ignored by Mom, but I was old enough to remember the crazy shit that was happening in my life, but still young enough to not know that it wasn't normal and what was happening to me and Heidi is now legally considered child neglect, and abuse.

I think with that cliffhanger (for the two people that stumble upon this) I'll stop for the night. As I've said, my plan for this is to have something for my kids to read about me when they become curious. If anyone else sees it, I don't want pity or anything. This is what happened. That's all. I'm a big boy now and my problems are normal now. I'm unique, just like everyone else! More next time, same Bat time, same Bat channel.