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Are you thinking of writing your life history, but you’re not sure where to begin? For inspiration, pick up a copy of I Remember by Joe Brainard. First published in 1970 the book has become a cult classic.
Brainard, a poet and prolific artist as well as a nice guy, so say his friends, recalls growing up in Oklahoma and then his life in the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. His concept was simple, but brilliant. He wrote down his memories as they came to him, each prefaced by the phrase “I remember.”
And Brainard remembers a lot: thinking of sex, his first crush, his first dance, his first blue ribbon at a county fair. His observations are personal and universal, emotional and thought-provoking.
With Halloween soon here, here are some examples of his commemorating the holiday:
I remember orange icing on cupcakes at school Halloween parties.
I remember usually getting dressed up as a hobo or a ghost. One year I was a skeleton.
I remember one house that always gave you a dime and several houses that gave you five-cent candy bars.
I remember after Halloween my brother and me spreading all our loot out and doing some trading.
I remember always at the bottom of the bag lots of dirty pieces of candy corn.
I remember the smell (not very good) of burning pumpkin meat inside jack-o’-lanterns.
What do you remember? Now write it down!
Certainly, no one more than comedian Jim Gaffigan.
“I’ll have fries with my burger,” says Bob’s Big Boy. Photo by: Jennifer Cachola
The cover story of the October 19 issue of Parade magazine explores Gaffigan’s relationship with food. Quotes from his new book, Food: A Love to Story, fill the article. As a personal historian, I particularly like his family stories past and present.
“For my fifth birthday, my sister got me a package of Oscar Mayer Wieners and a six-pack of Dr. Pepper,” Gaffigan recalls. “She knew how much I loved my hot dogs.”
The youngest of six children, he tells of having supper when he was growing up: “You had to eat it before someone else ate it.”
Now with five children of his own, he makes a point of sitting down to a meal with his family. It can be an ordeal with unruly offspring. “Eating with your kids is nurturing, but it’s not relaxing.” He further explains, “There’s a lot of negotiating, the anxiety of things being spilled, kids missing their mouths. If you can get them to sit in a chair successfully, you feel you’ve achieved something.”
So, dinnertime might not be the best time to trace the family tree, relate the day’s activities, or plan a vacation. But it’s still the best time of day to come together.
© 2014 Susan Marg – All Rights Reserved
No one is in the kitchen, not even Dinah. Nor is anyone making dinner, not even “simple, easy, everyday meals,” per chef Mark Bittman in the October 20 issue of Time.
No one’s in the kitchen. No one’s home. Photo by: designbuildinhabit.
That’s a shame for a lot of reasons.
As Bittman points out, it’s so much healthier to eat at home. A home-cooked meal, compared to the same served in a restaurant, has two hundred fewer calories. It’s less expensive, too.
Sure, eating out is convenient. That’s why fast-food restaurants are so popular. But, when was the last time you had a real conversation at MacDonald’s or Burger King or even Chipotle? Do you even remember your last meal in an In-N-Out? Who were you with? What did you talk about? Did you try something new?
Currently, Del Webb, the retirement community developer, is running a slice-of-life commercial narrated by a young-looking senior citizen who proudly claims, “I never cooked Thai food in my life, and now I’m cooking it for twenty people.” Well, I used to laugh at the ad, thinking the spokesman had nerve treating his guests no better than guinea pigs. Now, I think, why not.
Why not step out of your comfort zone? Why not learn a new skill and make new friends? As a personal historian, I’m all for creating memories, as well as recording the past.
By the way, those of you who didn’t catch my reference to “Dinah in the kitchen” probably never had the pleasure of singing “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” around a campfire. You can make up for lost time by listening to Muffin cartoon characters here. I’m sure any resemblance to “Hell on Wheels” is purely coincidental.
© 2014 Susan Marg – All Rights Reserved
Have you lost control of your schedule? Engage a personal assistant to get you to the church – or the meeting or the hairdresser – on time.
Photo by: Fingle
Do you want to get rid of clutter? Employ a personal organizer to create space in your closet, if not your mind.
Are you lacking motivation to get in shape? Sign up with a personal trainer, and go for the burn.
Were you hurt in an accident? Hire a personal injury lawyer.
Are you baffled by the stock market? Ask a personal financial advisor.
Are you undecided on how best to start your memoir, life history, or family story? Call me: I’m a personal historian. I can help.
© 2014 Susan Marg – All Rights Reserved
Photo by: ToniVC
As we get older we find it difficult, if not impossible, to remember our early childhood. Yet we all have a first memory. Mine is the time I tied my shoes by myself. Oh, I was so excited and proud. I raced down the steps to tell my Mom.
Here are ten quotes of early childhood recollections. They all make perfect sense, give the paths the speakers have taken and the careers they’ve had.
I spent my childhood eating. The only exercise I got was trying to twist off the cap of a jar of mayonnaise.
— Richard Simmons, fitness guru
Playing guitar was one of my childhood hobbies, and I had played a little at school and at camp. My parents would drag me out to perform for my family, like all parents do, but it was a hobby – nothing more.
— Bonnie Raitt, singer
I have a love affair with tomatoes and corn. I remember them from my childhood. I only had them in the summer. They were extraordinary.
— Alice Waters, chef
My earliest thought, long before I was in high school, was just to go away, get out of my house, get out of my city. I went to Medford High School, but even in grade school and junior high, I fantasized about leaving.
— Paul Theroux, travel writer
One of my earliest memories was me singing ‘Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’ at the top of my voice when I was seven. I got totally carried away. My grandmother, Sarah, was in the next room. I didn’t even realize she was there. I was terribly embarrassed.
— James Taylor, singer
–My earliest memories are doing commercials and TV.
Jodie Foster, actress
I played music and sang from my earliest memories. The first pictures of me show me wandering around with a guitar that was larger than I was, and it became almost second nature to me.
— Dwight Yoakam, singer
I still love making hamburgers on the grill. I guess whenever I eat them childhood memories come up for me.
— Bobby Flay, chef
Chocolate is the first luxury. It has so many things wrapped up in it: deliciousness in the moment, childhood memories, and that grin-inducing feeling of getting a reward for being good.
— Mariska Hargitay, actress
I’m just lucky. I do have very clear memories of childhood. I find that many people don’t, but I’m just very fortunate that I have that kind of memory.
— Beverly Cleary, children’s literature author
Try and remember your earliest childhood recollections. It’s a first step to telling your life story.
© 2014 Susan Marg – All Rights Reserved
Your Biography 2 