History Revision 101

How interesting that the long, laborious and never ending Presidential campaign ended before I had to go to bed? I was sure that the projection that Barack Obama had made the grade would have come a day later. I was fearful in the back of my mind of another Florida 2000, but was happily surprised when CNN announced the win a second after California polls closed. I think I was in mid bite over dinner, glued to the TV, just before 7pm here in the islands, when Wolf Blitzer spilled the beans. it came out of Mr. Blitzer's mouth so fast I nearly choked on that forkful of homemade spaghetti. He went on to say that "everyone will remember exactly where they were on November 4th, 2008", which conjured up memories of when I have heard that before. I remember a few things in my life that are worthy of that, some everyone knows, some only I and a few others do. Somethings you remember because, even though you were in diapers, stories told by your parents turn into a black and white still frame in your brain. Like when JFK lost his life or when you performed some sort of incredible stunt as a young-ling that became a landmark to older witnesses who were capable of marking it down on your life chart. Other events are etched into the memory vault in living color, some good, some bad, like when I first heard that John Lennon had been killed and when Ronald Reagan had been shot. I was living with my Mom in Virginia when I awoke to the Today show playing Imagine by Lennon. A younger Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley were in tears describing the scene. Brokaw was the first to ponder why a man who waged peace could die this way. Not too long after that, I was a block away from the DC Hilton when Reagan was shot by John Hinkley Jr. It was a cold rainy morning and my girlfriend Beth and I were picnicking in the living room of my Mom's place on Kalorama. We were supposed to drive out to skyline drive for that picnic, but because of the statewide rain, we never left the apartment. We heard gunshots or the crack-pops of something, but didn't think too much about it. I remember that Beth had some sosp opera on the tube when the SPECIAL REPORT slide popped onto the screen. We quickly connected the shots to the scene and ran out to see the ambulances racing down the street only to hear their sirens abruptly cut. I can still remember a t-shirt that said "I wish that the guy who shot Lennon had shot Reagan and the guy who shot Reagan had shot Lennon. I can live without Reagan but not without John Lennon".
I remember when Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers caught the Immaculate Reception--Dad and I were watching the game together on NBC. I think we were both upset how the Raiders were winning that AFC Championship and I can still hear Dad commenting that Curt Gowdy, the guy calling the game, seemed so certain that Oakland would win. Gowdy sounded like he had a big bet on the game and had written the Steelers off when it happened. Replay after replay confirmed the catch and run for the touchdown. That stadium was rumbling and mayhem erupted as fans jumped the barriers onto the field.
I guess, if you think back in your life, you have memories like this too. Do you notice that most of them are when somebody got shot or something went horribly wrong? If that is true for you, then last night in Chicago is great because for a change, it was something good. So I am starting new memories now--good ones. And they are all going to be good. I am going to begin recognizing and storing the good things that happen from now on. And I am going to research in my memory with the intention of locating those memories that were good and attempt to tear way the cobwebs from them and expose them to the forefront of my brain. Then I am going to reorganize my "where were you when" file to contain hundreds of these newly discovered or uncovered goodtimes. I think I will start with November 4th, 2008 as the first entry. It will be called "The night I almost choked on Spaghetti".