Monday, October 22, 2007

Weekly Planner: Five Questions about Fun and Games


In honor of Family History Month, the 24/7 Family History Circle site has listed a set of "challenges" to assist people in writing their own personal history.

The second topic is Fun and Games.

What was your favorite game when you were a child? Were you a board game enthusiast? A card shark? Or perhaps a kick-the-can kid?
I adored board games as a kid, being the geeky nerdy type. I loved Monopoly but I could never get my brother to play. One game I remember was Masterpiece - remember that one? It was some weird art auction game. This was fun for me and I would later go on to pursue a degree in Art History. Who knew?

Did you play any particular games with your family as a child? Easter egg hunts? Thanksgiving Day football games? Scavenger hunts? Charades?
Nothing really organized in such a manner. Our family was small with just my mother, my brother and me. But with 41 first cousins on my mother's side, all within 5-10 years of my age, we had no trouble playing games like Kick the Can, Hide and Go Seek, Red Light Green Light, and of course, House.

What were some fun places you visited as a child? Did your family go camping? Did you take family vacations? Was there a local destination that was a family favorite?
I grew up in a resort area of Upstate New York - the Borscht Belt - and it was a beautiful part of the country. And we really couldn't afford many vacations. There are three that I do remember - all driving trips: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Washington, DC and Niagara Falls, New York.

What activities did you do with family members? Did Grandma teach you to sew? Who taught you to cook? Did you go fishing with Grandpa? An uncle? Who coached your baseball team?
When I didn't have my nose in a book, I was making sure that the house ran smoothly - cooking dinner, helping with the cleaning, etc. My mother taught me how to cook and I've started a tribute blog to this aspect of our lives together: And I Helped!

Did you enjoy watching professional sports? What was your favorite team? Do you have any special memories of sporting events?
Even as a kid I knew even watching professional sports was not for me - one of those early gay indicators I guess. Nowadays if I even feigned interest in any organized sports, they would take my Gay Card away from me.

Photo
Me around 1971. I was wearing my uniform from St. Patrick's Catholic School and luckily found just the right wig to go with it. I guess I knew even then - sometimes I'm surprised I wasn't born wearing a feather boa.

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