Monday, April 11, 2005

Greetings, alums!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years already!

It’s so nice to read these GryphoNotes when they come in my mailbox. While so much has happened in these past years, I still feel like Ramapo High School is as much a part of me today as it was back in the days that I roamed its hallowed halls. Although I’ve “left [it] far behind,” Ramapo has left an indelible mark on me.

Who could forget Mr. Scarpulla’s gym class? You all know that I wasn’t much of an athlete back in those days. I was severely pigeon toed, which made running a pretty scary endeavor. You may remember the big football game against North Rockland where I took a couple of steps to avoid a vendor in the stands, and took a nasty spill down the bleachers. As the ’Box would say, “Your friends, they watch you stand around, they watch you crumble.” In this case, there were 4,500 friends in the stands to watch me crumble and then tumble down the wooden steps and into a heap. You’ll all be happy to know that I’ve since had some surgery to repair this condition, and the doctors have assured me that once the creaky metal braces are removed, I’ll be able to run like Jackie Joyner Kersee, only considerably more effeminately.

Other than my surgery, plenty has been going on in the life of this Gryphon alum! As the ’Box so eloquently puts it, “Won’t you look at where we’ve gone?” I’m still living here in Rockland County. Home is where the heart is, right? Also, home is where your parents live, which also happens to be where I live while I sort some things out. I made what I considered to be a pretty wise investment in my own Internet company back in 1999. Unfortunately, it went under due to some pretty shortsighted goals and critical mismanagement. In hindsight, spending all that money on these stress balls with the company logo probably wasn’t the best idea. On the bright side, with all the squeezing that I do, I’ve been stress-free since June of 2001. I’ve been employment-free since then, as well. The ’Box put it best in this situation: “Maybe I should have made my own mistakes, but I live with what I’ve known.”

Speaking of the ’Box , contrary to what you may have heard, the ’Box did not break up. While it is true that they have not produced a new album since 1998’s critically underrated effort, Happy Pills, they have merely been on hiatus since then. In fact, according to my last correspondence with lead singer Kevin Martin, the ’Box will be playing some minor tour dates in and around the Chicago, Illinois, area and that he’d contact me when they were ready to go. He also sent me a demo tape of some his solo stuff, which is also awesome. It’s really ’Box-reminiscent, but he’s grown some as an artist. Hopefully, he’ll play some at the upcoming ’Box shows. Anyway, it’s all summed up in the most recent edition of my monthly newsletter about the band, Shadow ’Box, which I’ve attached for your perusal.

I’m sorry I haven’t updated you Gryphon alums more often. As the ’Box might be inclined to muse, “Maybe I didn’t mean to treat you bad, but I did it anyway.” Trust you’ll hear from me much more frequently going forward. And if you’d like to receive your very own copy of Shadow ’Box, please send along your e mail address and it’ll show up in your inbox before you know it.

I’ll see you all at the next reunion!

The 'Box

Geoff Wolinetz cannot be found on IMDb because the Hollywood community refuses to acknowledge the production of his seminal masterpiece Come What May, a gritty psychothriller starring a guy who kind of looks like Billy Baldwin and Erin Gray (formerly of “Silver Spoons”). If he were to be found on IMDb, his name would fall between “Geoff Witcher” and “Geoff Wood.” In addition to his imaginary film career, Geoff also maintains an imaginary career as a baron of industry, is lead singer of the imaginary band Kick Ass, Falco, holds an imaginary Olympic gold medal and is an imaginary Pulitzer laureate in the field of journalism for his investigative piece on the albinos of Alaska.

How To
Catamount Encounters: Tips on Avoiding Trouble and Defending Yourself in an Attack Adapted from Don’t Get Eaten: The Dangers of Animals that Charge or Attack by Dave Smith (The Mountaineers Books, $6.95, paperback). Limit your outdoor activities at dawn and dusk. Avoid catamount kill. Catamounts will cover a kill with dirt...
Sam Lipsyte, distinguished alumnus Y.P.R. What is written about or to you in your high-school yearbook? Sam Lipyste Herewith I offer a few inscriptions from my yearbook, with annotations where needed, and names removed. 1. From a guy I used to drink with:...
Fiction
Prepping for My First Out-of-Body Experience My guide to out-of-body travel, Dr. Morris Goldblatt, Ph.D., tells me that I can simulate my upcoming journey in the following way: Affix a mirror to the ceiling of an elevator, lie on the floor of the elevator so that...

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Syndicate

RSD | RSS I | RSS II | Atøm | Spanish

Shop
Bea!
Support Submit
Submit
From the Y.P.aRchives
Fun, Fickle Fiction (for Free!)
Fact, Opinion, Essay, & Review
Spectacular Features, Calendrical Happenings, Media Gadflies
Poetry & Lyric
Advice, How To, & Self-Help
Listicles
Semi-Frequent Columns
Letter from the Editors
Disquieting Modern Trends
Interviews
Interviews with Interviewers
One-Question Interviews
The Book Club
Media Gadflies
Calendrical Happenings
Roasts
Correspondence (Letters To and Letters From) Letters from Y.P.R. Letters to Y.P.R. Birthday Cards to Celebrities Pop Stars in Hotel Rooms Shreek of the Week of the Day Polish Facts: An Antidote to the Polish Joke The Y.P.aRt Gallery Illustrious Illustration Photography Photomontage Graphic Design Logo Gallery What's Up with That? Fuit Salad Nick's Guff Vermont Girl The M_methicist Daily Garfield Digest New & Noteworthy Contributors' Notes Et Cetera, Et Cetera, Et Cetera The Y.P.aRchives

This journal is powered by Movable Typo 4.01.

Crockpot!
© MMIII—MMVIII,
Y.P.R. & Co.