Video Game Collecting

Plenty of thought went into this post and to share this memory kinda leaves me a little exposed. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed living it…

In 1987 I was in the forth grade. I was ten years old and the elementary school I went to wasn’t shattering national performance records if you know what I mean. We had a new principle who was finishing his second year at the school and about three weeks towards the end of the forth and final quarter he called an assembly.

I’m not sure how the entire school fit in the multi-purpose room but some how we all managed. It would have been the 2nd or 3rd week of May, and the sweltering Las Vegas weather was creeping in through all the doors. We sat on the cool tiled floor and received additional -albeit occasional relief from the heat when strategically placed fans gave us a whisper of warm breeze.

The principle and other staff had plenty to say. Summer vacation was right around the corner and the staff exploited this by asking random children how they would spend their summer. This built excitement and soon the multi-purpose room was roaring with chatter.

Then some lame ‘fool’, probably the vice principle or the school counselor, requested we spend one day a week at the library. This comment was ignored but then some other staff member reminded all of us that the school would have a fireworks stand for the 4th of July! This was more like it! All of us kids would gladly visit the fireworks stand once a week all summer long. But our dreams were shattered when it was announced that the stand would only be opened for the six days prior to July 4th.

Some other staffers got on their soap box and it wasn’t long before we were all jonesing to go outside. Back then elementary school was awesome. We had a morning recess an afternoon recess and an hour lunch. The playground was our sanctuary and as soon as these ‘fools’ shut their clap traps we knew we would be let loose on the tether ball courts and monkey bars. But then suddenly my life changed forever…

The principle took the stage again to say a few final words about next year. It went something like this:

“Students, as part of my initiative to improve this school and my committment towards your education we will no longer be having a morning or an afternoon recess. Instead we will have two bathroom breaks and your normal one hour lunch. That extra time will go towards additional education.”

The multi-purpose room finally fulfilled it’s purpose. Not only did it serve as our lunchtime sanctuary from the heat but it was also a convinient death chamber where power starved school staffers could spew hate speech unabated!

Walter Bracken Elementary School instanty turned into a re-enactment of the fall of Saigon. Boos thundered from the back of the room where the older kids sat, up towards the front where naive 1st and 2nd graders burst into tears. Most of the kids stood up and teachers somehow slinked out of the building.

They lost their grip on the audience and one of the older kids who would be starting middle school next year and had zero vested interest in this calamity gave the principle the middle finger. Soon other children did the same thing and before long everyone was showing their middle fingers in a variety of ways. Over handed, under handed, two hands, two hands with thumbs tucked, two hands not tucked, the peacock (which involved turning around bending over and giving the bird between your legs as if you were scratching your crack).

One kid grabbed at his crotch as if to suggest the staffers should do something with it and once the other kids saw that… well… everyone jumped on it. Even the girls and the special ed kids. The principle had no choice but to abruptly dismiss the assembly.

We all spilled out onto the hot playground where fights broke out, a dumpster was set on fire and the middle fingers and crotch grabbings continued towards cars and passerbys.

Amongst the chaos I walked alone longing for the day I’d get to play VS. Super Mario Bros. again.