Before he became famous for his lengthy historical novels, James Michenener wrote a book titled Kent Dtate: What Happened and Why. Read it cover to cover, for "fun," amidst my 19 credits of schoolwork. Turned the events on campus into my first term paper, for Freshman English. Had a blast perusing
the campus newspapers of the era. Kept getting sidetracked by the adverts and student concerns of the day. Was amazed you could buy a brandnew Chevy sedan back then for the same $ as a semester's tuition in 1985. Continued my insatiable need to understand the era long after the paper was graded.
Read almost everything Philip Caputo (Rumor of War) wrote. Went to hear Abbie Hoffman speak a couple of times, once in "The Great Debate" with his former rabble-rouser (turnef sellout) Jerry Rubin; another time when he was recruiting students to go be activists in Nicaragua. Jerry Rubin said,
in that debate, that the 90s were going to make the 60s look like a cakewalk, but knowing my fellow students, knew he was wrong, that maybe it'd be the 2000s. I wanted to be *ready.* Wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. I was almost right, what with the Occupy protests, but they
were just a prelude to what we're facing now. *Now* is what I wanted to be ready for. But the decades have passed, my body and stamina in ridiculous decline already, and I fear I'm an example of the old rallying cry of the Yippies: Don't trust anyone over 30. The end of my long slog - I think.