This One Time In 7th Grade Shop Class

I still have the project I made in Junior High Shop Class! And it still works!

Back in my day we didn't call it Middle School. We called it Junior High. It was downtown. On Main Street. I walked. Every day. I tell my kids the same thing Dad told me - it was uphill both ways. When it wasn't snowing, it was raining.

The truth? I loved the walk. Even trudging through the snow was awesome. I got to walk through the neighborhood to Main Street. If I had some spare change, I'd stop in to the drug store on the way home. Star Wars had just come out, so I'd grab a pack of trading cards. I'd throw away the gum that came with it, because that stuff was just nasty. Or, I'd grab a comic book off the spinner rack for thirty-five cents.

In Junior High shop class, I put together a Beer Can Lamp. There were some guys in my class that gave me a hard time for picking a Rhinelander can.

There's nothin' rare about THAT!"

That's what they all told me. I thought it was pretty unique. I'd never heard of Rhinelander. Dad drank Stroh's. In those cool brown bottles.

The woodwork was pretty easy. The wiring was a little tricky. I needed a little help with that. When I got it all done and plugged it in the first time, I knocked out the lights in the Home Ec class next door.

But, with a little help, I got it wired up right - and to this day, I still use it!