I know this is years late, but I had to share my thoughts. I went to school with Tom (Rapid City Stevens). The extent of knowing him was just from seeing him in the hallways or classes. However, I always felt back then that he was a braver form of me. Complete smarta$$? Yeah, tick both columns. Overweight and marginalized or bullied because of that? Yes for me, and probably yes for him too, if the comments people used to make behind his back were any clue. Willing to say the hell with it and do what he loved even if it meant risking judgment because he was doing something kids in the "uncool/geek" state weren't supposed to do? That would just be him - I was too much if a coward back then to try crossing the line between geekdom and the cool kids. (FYI, it's hard to explain how much of a big deal that was unless you're familiar with the rigid "clique" system that seemed to rule all of us at RC Stevens). I was just too afraid of being laughed at. I remember when he started getting into acting (when typically it was something just the "cool" kids did), and thinking holy $hit, he crossed that invisible line between geekdom and cool kids. They're going to eat him up alive. But...they didn't.
After graduation, thinking of his success in putting himself out there helped me to dig out my inner smarta$$ and say or do things that scared me. I guess that sounds stupid to say he was an inspiration for me, because I doubt he would have remembered me given our limited interactions in school (my younger sister knew him better - he made this hilarious mix tape full of hilarious songs and gave it to her. She let me listen, and I subsequently stole the tape and wore it out listening to it in the car while driving). Nonetheless, his example did help me drag my inner smarta$$ out from where it was hiding in a well, and release it to help me get through difficult times by standing up for myself. I wish I had been friends with him - he sounds like he was hilarious with his posts, and was able to become a great friend to a large number of people. -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
