The OTHER Twin Towers

All this reminiscing about my high school days also stirs up some college memories.

Unfortunately, many of my memories from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro aren't ones that I'm proud of. Many of my darkest days as an unbeliever were fleshed out on this campus and in this city. But praise be to God for His gifts of grace and mercy towards me.

Now, I did make some good friends and have even been reconnected with a couple of them just recently. We have many great memories to share.

Here are a few pics of my dorm room - room #626 to be exact. Sixth floor, southwest wing, last room on the left. Each room had two pull-down beds, two desks, four closets and one sink.

In the pic above I notice several items (you might have to click to enlarge)...

• My hammock stretched across the room... great for relaxing with the window open.
• A tupperware container holding a most valued treasure - my mom's Scotcheroos. Mmm.
• On top of my TV is my Georgio Cologne - it was the Polo of the late 80's.
• A small collection of cassette tapes, and...
• ...at least four signs that were...um... let's just say "questionably acquired".

I was supposed to have a roommate, but he never showed. Good for me - 'cause now I get both beds to myself! There were two pull-down twin beds on opposite sides of the room. But if you knew the secret, you could dismantle one bed and one desk and combine the beds to make a queen size bed. Fancy. There were even guys down on 3rd floor - pole vaulters - that set up their waterbeds in their rooms! Crazy.

Now, to give you some idea of my eclectic tastes, we can take a quick perusal of my wall hangings:

• Silk G & R tapestry I won at the Arkansas State Fair
• G & R poster
• Corvette black light poster
• 2 SHS Class of 88 framed prints of my senior class and my graduation announcement (still have those)
• 2 posters of scantily clad women (don't have those anymore). Hey, at lest they were clad.
• Jesus

Yes, my dorm room is a great metaphor for my life at the time. Worldly pleasures with a bone thrown to Jesus. Just stay on the wall and out of my life, please Sir.

Belinda Carlisle poster - former singer for the Go-Go's. We got the beat! At the top was my footlocker - painted solid black with red, white, blue & gold paint splatters; hanging close by waiting for a night out is a gnarly 80's sweater; and, another sign that was... well, you know.

This is a view out my 6th floor window looking over the ASU campus. The cafeteria & bookstore are (were?) in the building you see in the background. As I'd lay casually in my hammock without a care in the world, other collegians were doing the same thing in the same building. I can still distinctly remember hearing two particular songs blaring out of the lower windows of this grand edifice - Sweet Child 'O Mine (G & R, of course) and Don't Worry, Be Happy. To this very day, when I hear Bobby McFarin singing & whistling, I think back to my freshman year at ASU.

Remember this view - you'll soon see a view looking toward this window from the outside.

In my feeble attempts to release my artistic longings, I started this mural on the hall wall just outside my room. You can see I was heavily influenced by 80's graphics.

Last but not least, I have a video to present to you. Now, I hate to give away the ending, but that's not an unseasonal Jonesboro dust storm you see in the still shot above. It is a dust storm alright - but the result of an imploded and crumbled twin towers. That's right. Gone.

You'll remember that I was on the 6th floor, right? Well, in this video clip, there are three camera angles shown. Pay attention on the 3rd angle of the implosion & look at the right hand side of the building and count up 6 floors. You'll see the sixth floor exterior walls were knocked out to prepare for the demo. The corner room on the 6th floor you see was my room. You're looking right into my old dorm room! Surreal.

Well, that's where it all happened folks. Now, it's just rubble in some landfill in Craighead County.
Makes me sad.

Go Indians! Or - whatever your mascot is now.