As the Jeff Goldblum character in Jurassic Park said, rock and roll(or was it life?) finds a way. And as Bruce Springsteen says, faith will be rewarded.
A few months you mentioned Monument Rocks in Kansas. In April, I was driving from Denver back home to Kentucky and I made the stop at Monument Rocks after reading your post. I actually structed the time of day I left Denver to I could make it there a little before sunset. It was quite amazing out there. I was the only person out there and it was cool just walking around with my 11 year old pup. I just wanted to say that I appreciated the recommendation. Now my drive back across Kansas two weeks later was a different story. I was caught in a tornado West of Topeka. Ha
My parents tried sending me to a *lot* of schools. The academics were never really problem -- if anything, I was *too* good at them, and being an autistic, Jewish gifted in the suburbs of Akron was a tough sell. It's one thing to read Lord of the Rings when you're 12, it's another to read Portnoy's Complaint (which my uncle gave me). I think I still hold the record for most disciplinary incidents by anyone in my district who also made National Merit. I was a small kid, too, only reaching 5' tall by 17, and with everything else, people messed with me. Some really wild stuff, like some dude I've never spoken to coming up behind me at lunch and yanking out my chair. I was sitting with some guys a year ahead of me, one of whom was on the wrestling team, who quickly pinned him. The Assistant Principal was walking by and saw the whole thing, and he was livid.
The solution was, ultimately, that I graduated HS in 3 years, spending most of the last year taking classes at the local university. And the kicker is, I couldn't get a date to prom, but that night I was invited by this girl at the university to a party at her house. I went from complete social pariah to suddenly having older women hitting on me, and it was a weird time.
As the Jeff Goldblum character in Jurassic Park said, rock and roll(or was it life?) finds a way. And as Bruce Springsteen says, faith will be rewarded.
One week to Tipitina's!!
A few months you mentioned Monument Rocks in Kansas. In April, I was driving from Denver back home to Kentucky and I made the stop at Monument Rocks after reading your post. I actually structed the time of day I left Denver to I could make it there a little before sunset. It was quite amazing out there. I was the only person out there and it was cool just walking around with my 11 year old pup. I just wanted to say that I appreciated the recommendation. Now my drive back across Kansas two weeks later was a different story. I was caught in a tornado West of Topeka. Ha
I remember seeing superchunk open on that tour in pa. They blew the headliners off the stage!
That’s a fun and inspiring story!
Oh man, forgot about the BV Academy. They really made people feel bad about going there. Little do they know its grads headline the uptown theater!
I was there and it was brilliant. Thanks for the memories (as I attempted to share here). See you in Atlanta!
https://noearplugs.com/2026/05/29/morby-comes-home-to-middle-america/
I really love your writing, Kevin - always inspiring.
My parents tried sending me to a *lot* of schools. The academics were never really problem -- if anything, I was *too* good at them, and being an autistic, Jewish gifted in the suburbs of Akron was a tough sell. It's one thing to read Lord of the Rings when you're 12, it's another to read Portnoy's Complaint (which my uncle gave me). I think I still hold the record for most disciplinary incidents by anyone in my district who also made National Merit. I was a small kid, too, only reaching 5' tall by 17, and with everything else, people messed with me. Some really wild stuff, like some dude I've never spoken to coming up behind me at lunch and yanking out my chair. I was sitting with some guys a year ahead of me, one of whom was on the wrestling team, who quickly pinned him. The Assistant Principal was walking by and saw the whole thing, and he was livid.
The solution was, ultimately, that I graduated HS in 3 years, spending most of the last year taking classes at the local university. And the kicker is, I couldn't get a date to prom, but that night I was invited by this girl at the university to a party at her house. I went from complete social pariah to suddenly having older women hitting on me, and it was a weird time.