make your own timeline

Inspired by http://mightygirl.com/2007/09/05/42-make-your-timeline/

Maybe because of the fall weather, I am feeling school-centric...

My first decade:
Age 1: My great-grandmother from Poland passed away. She was the only US relative from the old country who was alive in my lifetime.

Age 2: My mother's father passed away two months after I turned two. I was the only grandchild at the time and predictably doted upon. My mother was always very sad that I could not remember him, and looking at all of the photos of me with him, nothing triggers any memories.

Age 3: I was enrolled in dance lessons, something that continued for 10 years.

Age 4: I had long blond hair and blue/green eyes.

Age 5: I was in pre-school with two good friends, another girl named Heather and a boy named Sean. At Sean's summer birthday party I was the only girl invited. I found out years later that both my mother and Sean's mother were worried that as the only girl it would be awkward for me as the expected activities were things like playing superheroes outside. All went just fine. If anything it should have been a dark cloud of forshadowing of my comfort in a male-centric environment, like IT.

Age 6: I graduated from kindergarten. In my Catholic school there was an award for the boy and girl with the highest grades. Joey Dickmann and I took it that year, and every year after that through 8th grade. He was wicked smart and my academic arch nemesis. We competed on every test, always. We lost touch when we went to different high schools.

Age 7: First grade was the year of Sister Roberta Ann who ordered and ruled our simple world with benevolence.

Age 8: The Eagles had one of their crappiest seasons ever, in my lifetime. We had 'Eagles Day' at school and instead of school uniforms we could wear Eagles sweatshirts and Eagles colors to school. Our school uniforms were Eagles green so this really wasn't such a special thing. As most of us were resigned to our fate of wearing that kelly green color five days a week, 9 months a year for 8 years, while we owned Eagles gear, we sure as hell did not own anything in that color green otherwise. It took me 10 years after that to own anything in that color by choice and even now I buy my Eagles gear in one of the other team colors besides that green.

Age 9: Third grade was the year of 'Pennsylvania focused history' on the curriculum. Pennsylvania history for those of you not in the know consists of highlights such as the 13 colonies, William Penn, the Indians, the Quakers, the Amish, and PA's favorite product: coal. History, with the exception of a few topics/eras, remains a weak area and low interest point for me in general, and it all started here.

Age 10: My friend Heather from pre-school, her mom died of cancer. I had the day off from school to go the funeral and it rained all day. At the end of the year I was questioned by the teacher, as to why I had missed only that one day. I was never a perfect attendance kid; I missed a small handful of days each year. At the awards ceremony at the end of the school year I got perfect attendance for the only time in my academic career. It still feels like I cheated, because I know that I was not there.