I was a teenage dirtbag, baby.

As I write this I'm at my mum's house in Winslow. The town I grew up in, the town in which I spent many a mischievous summer. As I reflect on these years I'd like to make it clear just what an annoying little shit I was. Arrogant, mouthy, full of myself; the universe really did revolve around me. I knew everything that one could know, had an answer to every challenge. If you were an adult and did not hate me then that would have been due to your medication. On a serious note, I could be very cruel with words and was often quite unpleasant to other kids. I was the kind of teenager that Joy would have avoided like the plague; it's no small irony that I would eventually marry a teacher. Talking of teachers, they had every right to despise me. I was disruptive, sarcastic, egotistical, and a menace to anyone who was actively seeking to get an education. I can't really blame my parents; although I did lack guidance from an authority figure. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I'd had an adult role model? Another thing that might surprise people was that I was a bit of a porker, which teaches you two things; to be funny and to fight like a dog. Both strategies were deployed regularly. Anyway, that's a snapshot into what was generally a misspent youth. The sad thing is that I was smart enough to know better; I could excel at subjects in which I had an interest, but if I didn't want to learn then don't think for a moment that you would have been able to teach me. I hope that the years have becalmed me; I hope that what you see these days is an improvement. I'll let others  be the judge of that.