4th of 6 Syndrome

As I've mentioned before, I make a big stink about being a middle child is a largish-type family, but for the most part it rules (I might even go so far as to say it rulez!)! I never have to worry about remembering my parents' anniversary, or extended family members' birthdays (that's the eldest's job), and I don't get constantly picked on by my older siblings (that's for Bunny).

I will say, there have been times when LITERALLY getting lost in the shuffle kind of stinks. Like the time Emily (the sister directly younger than me) accidentally got left at home while we all went out for ice cream. Or the time, when I was about 4, my mom forgot to give me breakfast, and I was so upset I hid somewhere, and no one noticed until after lunch when we had to go to an older kid's sporting event, and there was no time to get me something to eat. But don't worry, that night at dinner I emptied my plate onto my mother's, so she would HAVE to take notice of me... or something like that. I only mention that story in passing, I think my mom still feels a little bad about it, and that's not what I'm here to do! This blog is to build people up, NOT break them down! Speaking of, I'm still waiting for an internet compliment Brittany, but take your time, whenever you're ready.

ANYWAY, while my parents were off giving the squeaky wheels grease, I was happy as a clam getting lost in my own worlds (plural mind you. That is to say, I had MANY different imaginary places/characters I would escape to. Not completely unlike someone with multiple personalities) (Also, just let me know if ever I use too many parenthesis). Often times, I would sit in my room and practice my stage cry, or write screen plays about orphans, or think about things I was obsessed with, you know normal kid stuff. One such obsession was the violin. From a very young age I was fairly convinced that I was a prodigy, and I used to BEG my mom to let me riffle through a nearby dump for a violin. She never did (again, I'm not here to bring anyone down), but something almost as magical happened on my 11th birthday. My parents placed an advert in the classifieds (aka pre-internet craigslist), and on March 11, 1995 I finally got my violin!!! Unfortunately, the fiddle came sans lessons, so I had to teach myself. Which was is hard when you don't know what the strings should be tuned to, but by golly I'm a hecka determined person. I learned what I could from the Claudia character on "Party of Five", but I found I was a bit uninspired. UNTIL, I saw this!!!! If those kids could do it, so could I. I WOULD teach myself how to play "Gangsta's Paradise".

After a few painful hours, I figured if I put my pinky right where the neck meets the upper bouts on the skinniest string, and slide my bow back and forth in four choppy motions, then put my ring finger about an inch higher than my pinky on the next string and ripped by bow twice across it, then played my pinky string once more, and finished up with my ring finger and inch lower than my pinky on the next string, it REALLY sounded like what those kids from the video...to me... I wish I could somehow play an audio interpretation of what it sounded like, but I guess, for now I'll just use words, and it went a little something like this:

EEEEHH EEEEHH EEEEHH EEEEHH
UUUUH UUUUH
EEEEHH
EEEERRRR

It was pretty ear piercing, but pretty wonderful. I've tried to play it again since, on different violins, but since mine was never properly tuned, it's impossible to replicate. But, heck, we'll always have the memories.

In closing I would like to say, that I remember finding it SO poignant when Stevie Wonder and L.V (South Central Cartel's "Large Variety" aka L.V.) sing that there are, in fact, no gangstas living in paradise. Thank you Stevie and L.V.... thank you.