Brian discovered you could create AI versions of pictures in google photos. He sent a picture of each of the couples in our family that he created.
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| Ken and Kay (we decided Ken looks too old in this picture.) |
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| Jared and Kristen |
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| Michelle and Brian |
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| Shonna and Blake |
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. SutantoI ran away
from home twice when I was growing up. I
was gone less than an hour both times. I
am not sure that qualifies for “running away.”
First, I must say that it was a different world back then. A child could go outside by themselves and be
safe. Not true today. Do not try running away. It is not safe. Running Away.
I can’t remember what upset me the first time. I just remember I was mad and sad and decided to run away. As I headed out the door, I realized I would need some food if I was going to survive for very long, so I went to the fridge. I opened it and grabbed the first thing I saw- a big handful of iceberg lettuce. First of all, iceberg lettuce has very little nutritional value or calories, and second of all, I didn’t even like it. I mean, it’s okay on sandwiches and tacos and in salads, but not just to eat by itself. Not a great choice!
I marched
out the front door. Shermy, my mean
next-door neighbor caught on to what was going on and started teasing me. “Oh
look, she’s running away.” “Look she’s
leaving a Hansel and Gretel trail of lettuce so she can find her way
home.” I turned around and saw that I,
indeed, was dropping lettuce every few feet.
This was not going well. This was
not how running away was supposed to be.
As I remember, I walked around the block. I was tired and the lettuce was stupid, so I
just went back home. That ended my first
running away episode.
The second
was just before my 14th birthday.
I was WAY too old to be running away.
I am so embarrassed by this story that I probably shouldn’t tell it, but
here goes.
Back then,
Avon was a large cosmetics company.
Representatives would come to your home and show you a catalog from
which you could order. It took a couple
of weeks to get the products you ordered. They would give samples, too. I loved the smell of roses. Our Avon lady, as they were called, gave us
samples of their “Roses, Roses” perfume.
I fell in absolute love with that perfume. My mom said she would order me some. I was so excited. I couldn’t wait for it to come. Finally, the Avon lady came and delivered the
order. I asked my mom for my
perfume. She, in the meantime, had
decided she would give it to me for my birthday and she told me I had to wait
for my birthday. I was devastated. I was so sad and so mad. We had a fight about it. But she stood firm that I had to wait. Oh, I was mad. I decided to run away.
This time, I
didn’t do any preparing. I just went out
and got on my bike. My sister, Joan was
very upset that I was leaving and was crying and begging me not to go. I just ignored her. She rode her bike along with me, crying. Her best friend, Cheryl Hart was there,
too. She turned into a news
reporter. “Girl, age 14 runs away from
home. Last seen on her blue bike wearing
pink shorts and a white top. . .”
I had
discovered a tree up on the College of Idaho campus in my wanderings that
seemed like the perfect place to go when one wanted to run away. It was a large pine tree that had grown very
tall and the branches reached downward, forming a “tent” underneath.
I thought it would be the perfect place to
hide and think. I headed for “my”
tree. I parked my bike and climbed
inside. I sat on the cold, hard
dirt. I sat. I sat some more. I was wearing shorts and my legs started to
get very cold. I sat. I sat some
more. I was cold. I was hungry.
I decided running away was stupid.
I climbed out, got on my bike and rode the five blocks home. No one, except Joan, had even missed me. Running away is stupid and overrated.
Oh, by the
way, I did get the perfume on my birthday and enjoyed it for many months
after. I found this picture of the exact
set I got. I kept the box for many years
after, storing things in it.
