Television Sets, Synthesizers, and an Undying Passion

With Father's Day still fresh in the minds of families across this great country, I am reminded of the advice of my own father. My father always told me that personal fulfillment should always come before financial success. He stresses the importance of passion in all of life endevours, and the inherent value in pursuing your own dreams.

As a result of my father's preaching, I try to live my life outside the stringent rules of the materialistic world. I attempt to break the chains of public perception to achieve complete spiritual enlightenment.

Nonetheless, I digress from time to time and look to find inspiration in those around me. That is precisely how I met Vern Baxter. Vern or "Bax" as I used to call him lived on my floor first semester of my freshman year at a prestigious college in Northwestern D.C.

His 6'3" bony frame was covered by a roadmap of freckles, leading to a greasy red mop on top of his head. His hygiene was reprehinsible. His clothing was dated and usually smelled of old Chinese food. His social skills were virtually nonexistant, and he had an unhealthy obsession with Billy Squier music.

But, Vern's passion for life and love seemed to overshadow all these other shortcomings. He started skipping classes and staying in his dorm room (now a single) all day. One saturday afternoon I saw him wheeling a television set into his room, and I stopped him. He gave me two honest minutes of his time, and I left with a budding feeling of amazement.

He told me he had tried the girl thing. He tried the guy thing. He tried every possible combination of the two with still a sense of longing. That's when he told me he began experimenting with other items. He would sit in his room, pounding aggressively into television sets, old synthesizers, and even a toaster. His shrieks could be heard all over the dorm. Occassionally he would emerge from the room in a sweaty mess with a sense of peace in his face.

I don't know if Bax ever found what he was looking for, but I can never question the man's passion.