My mom was telling a story this weekend that I had actually forgotten. Apparently in 6th grade I had a science project to do for the annual science fair. My mom was dreading having to help me and was pleasantly surprised when I decided to do the whole thing on my own. I walked to the library, got a science "How to" book and had my mom take me and my lab partner to an arts & crafts store for supplies. I finished the project over the course of a week or so and brought it into school on the day of the science fair.

The project I chose was some sort of gas experiment in the book that I fine tuned to make into something more "Jon." I think I set out with the idea of making the gases and then the idea hit me.

I had covered it with trash bags so that all would be surprised when I finally revealed the 1st EVER....fart machine. My mother recalls the phone call from my science teacher as less then cordial

There were two liter bottles, balloons, rubber bands, whoopee cushions, Styrofoam balls....everything you look for in a 6th grade science project! And yet the teacher failed me and had it not been for my mom talking her into letting me redo it, I would have been held back in 6th grade.

Had this happened, there is a good chance that I would have considered myself to be a failure, been held back several more times, eventually dropping out of school completely and turning to a life of crime thus never joining the workforce.   Without the workforce, I would have never discovered myspace, never met all of you and would not have written this story.... Thus ending our tragic love story.