I'll stare you down

This is one of my favorite pictures of your humble author, Here I am staring down the photographer as a smart-aleck 14 year-old. That would make me a freshman in high school. My Mom's perfect handwriting on the back tells us the year was 1976.

edit picture removed.  You should check in more often!

At this age I was pretty confident I could kick anyone's ass, although I weighed maybe 100 pounds. Like most boys that age, I was terribly full of myself.

Not like now.

My hair was thick and wavy and unruly. I desperately wanted to be able to grow long hair, feathered at the sides like the cool kids. Instead I had waves and curls. I also wanted to be tall and good looking.

Alas, I was who I was.

I was not in any way as innocent as I looked back in our bicentennial year.

This flashback was brought to you by the numbers four and nine. Which combine to make my age as of today.