I Played On A Soccer Team When I Was In Elementary School (Throwback Thursday Story)

                  Way, way, way back when I was still in elementary school, I do not remember what grade I was in technically but I played on a school team. Now mind you the school I was a part of the soccer team on does not exist anymore and is 2 of the elementary schools that do not exist and 2 out of the 3 that had the original name as one other school nearby home change their name. Anyways, I had 0 clue how soccer works and I still have no idea the rules of the sport as it's not too common here minus our MLS League, Toronto FC, Montreal team and some teams down in the state but I mean it is popular in the UK and in Europe. So I mean I had a little bit of an idea with the sport. I remember very little about the team and I remember the tourney north of us called Port Perry which yes I have filmed 2 series up there for on location in the past but this was on the outskirts of the town. I do not think we did too well at the tournament, it was quite a hard tournament and I do not remember if we placed in the top 3 or not but I don't think we did but again this is a very long time ago. 

                But hey it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I never really played on a team team again since then. I have played freely at the Lake with my camp and also friends and kicking the ball around and I still got a soccer ball but since then it has deflated itself and we would have to reflate it but my niece and nephew could have the ball or we could of gotten rid of the ball since but still would be nice to kick the ball around still despite my knee issues. I know the sport requires a ton of running and a lot of exercise is involved with the sport, but all worth it. Once last neat thing I do remember is the team name was the Griffin's and how I remember this to this day is beyond me as I remember. Anyways that is today's update and I will talk to you all tomorrow morning with an weight loss update how I have started my journey back down to 222 pounds. 

Chris

I Won A Writing Award In Elementary School! (Throwback Thursday)

              Way back I am talking 20 years ago, I wrote stories. It was the photocopier that had it's own life stories and unfortunately they were destroyed by an individual and I never had a chance to re-create that story whatsoever, however I do remember it was a trilogy of 3 of them that I did. If I remember the 3rd one which I do not remember the name of the 3rd book but I remember the fact it was a short story not like a huge book. I really wished I had back-ups of the books on the computer. Anyways I got an award I believe it was for my second story or my 3rd but all I know is I got a trophy and it is on my top shelf and hasn't been brought down in many years but I truly deserved that award I put a lot of effort into all the stories. I might get into re do the stories and maybe I need to put more oomph into it, meaning bigger and better storyline in the short stories so it is definitely a possibility and I plan on doing some writing when I get some free time and that is coming up with me closing in to the finish line of notes for at least 3 of the collabs.

                I just wish I knew the title of the final book but that is gone and I do not remember whatsoever what it is so this might be the opportunity for me to actually come up with a catchy title. Anyways that trophy means the world to me and I never ever wanna let it go. It is a very treasured memento to me and I think it will be something I will treasure for the rest of my life. Actually it was 20 years ago 2 months ago to when I actually won this trophy. I cannot believe it has been that long since I actually won this and there was a photo taken of me with it but it was lost and not sure if the teacher who took it is still there which I can contact her to get it sent to me here and I believe she could of now retired from teaching so it is a disappointment but I can always take one now of me now with it and maybe it is just time for me to take a picture of me with it 20 years later. Anyways that is my post for today, I will talk to you all tomorrow on the last post of the week. 

Chris

Elementary School I Drove By Yesterday and Memories.... (Throwback Thursday Story)

 Yesterday, I got a chance to go for a small 15 - 30 minute trip down to the lake and I passed by my old elementary school when I was in Grade 7 and I'm talking 21 years ago since I left this school. Unfortunately it has recently closed down which the school board decided to shut it down. I got a close up picture and the windows I captured, I'm sure was my classroom was in there and I can bet you anything on that. I remember once we do a morning group session and yes I was in a special class and for those who didn't know I have autism and was in a special class to help me. Anyways one of the staff ended up in a laughing fit and I was doing the "your crazy thing" going round and round by my ear and she gave me the look like what the heck are you doing. She left the class till she settled down. Last time I ran into her was when Zellers was still a thing here in Ontario which no longer exist anymore. 

                  Also I remember we took walks behind into the bush by the river and another time we took a trip down to the lake which was only a 10 - 15 minute walk down. I remember I actually found  a fossil on a rock and I wish I kept it. I know better to keep the neat looking rocks. I have a lot of memories there and it is unfortunate that it has now closed down. I remember the Principal and Vice Principal's name Mr Barkwill aka Mr Broccoli as one of my classmates nicknamed him and Mrs. Chambers. How the heck do I remember their names is beyond me. I remember I got kicked off the bus for a while for misbehaving and I didn't get along with the driver till I went to the other school 2 towns over the  following year. Once last thing I want to say is one of the drivers whom I think replaced our normal driver. Anyways Debbie who has since passed away was one of my all time favorite bus drivers of all time. So funny, and everytime we got near the train tracks near my end here, everyone would say, train, train, train and Debbie and I use to say no, no, no. Was a moment I will always remember. She was a dispatcher at the school bus company and I heard her voice once when I was in High School and I got a chance to say hi to her through the CB Radio, haha.

Chris

The Year I Was In A Musical (Throwback Thursday Story)

               This is way back in the day this is my final years of elementary school I got the honor and privilege to be in a school musical called "The Highlight Zone" which the description of the music is or your consideration, Jess, who is to begin his/her first day at a new school, is especially apprehensive about taking Music Appreciation class. His/her fears about the unknown lead this unsuspecting student into "THE HIGHLIGHT ZONE!" It was a fun play to be on but was very stressful when it came to the rehearsals and staying after school to practice the music an the lyrics to the song and boy our teacher, she was tough on us but that is a good thing especially if we want to have a really good performances that were on May 31st an June 1st of 2001. Yes I remember the performances date to be exact and I remember that Tuesday, I had a school performance before the ones for the families and friends of all the students in the school. I also had to during the school performances for all the classes I had to do one extra line to fill in for someone and boy I was nervous but two of the girls ensured that I would be fine and I was they even said quietly during the performances and I remember them very well too. I remember the dress rehearsal that was a very dramatic and also hectic Saturday as well.


                 In the end it was a great show both the 2 shows we put on for the classes on that Tuesday and also the two performances we put on for the parents and families. I wasn't the greatest singer back then but you can hardly tell with my very coarse voice but I enjoyed it. I think with me in a musical, it really got me into being an entertainer to this very day so this dates back to 2001, 18 years ago before YouTube was an actual thing, before even live video streaming platforms existed but I am now sure a performer, even to this day I enjoy being an entertainer and it sure fits my personality as I am always cracking up stupid jokes at people or about myself, especially when it comes to my mishap behind the microphone from time to time. I hope you guys enjoyed this little throwback Thursday story as I always enjoy talking about experiences I had in the past, including when it comes to when I was in school, elementary school to be exact. I will see you guys on tomorrow's blog which I will be talking about my vision for the studio's future look when the reno is done.




Chris

The Day I Broke My Wrist (Throwback Thursday Story)

              Yes! Throwback Thursdays are back again. I feel bad that I have not done one in maybe over a month now but I have an interesting Throwback Thursday for you today and this stems all the way back when I was still in elementry school for goodness sake. I think I am talking about when I was around 10 or 11 years of age, could of been 12 but I remember it was in Grade 6 and a school that has since then been torn down and rebuilt and renamed to another name but a new school on the exact same lot. Anyways this was in January and I remember it very vividly it was in the afternoon before going home for the day and we were all outside playing in the snow and I accidentally slipped and fell down the hill breaking my left wrist. At the time it was sore and we iced it when I got home. However it wasn't getting any better so my mom took me to the clinic and we had it x ray done to see if it was indeed broken and it was. So I was put in a cast and I can remember then putting it on me too. I was in a cast for 6 full weeks so the wrist would heal properly. I remember coming back into school and all my friends signed it including my teacher too. It was a freak accident and I didn't break anything else till 2013 or 2014 when I accidentally hit my hand against the beam of the wall fracturing my hand but least it wasn't a full break this time around.


                 Now do I remember when my original family doctor took off the cast? Yes I do, actually I remember the smell of the plaster and wasn't a pleasant smell to be honestly. Also seeing my hand with it being covered and I am trying to not be gory or gross on this as I am keeping things PG all the time but that is what happens when your hand is covered with a cast for 6 long weeks. Anyways I truly cannot learn from this because honestly this was a freak accident that happened but I wouldn't wanna do that again honestly as I do not want another busted up bone. However I did break my left again it wouldn't be in the same area actually as we all know, you break a bone in one spot then you will not be able to break it again. I still have bad memories of this day and I honestly do not want to remember this as it wasn't the greatest day of my life when I fell down the hill. I do remember having Kool Aid which I still a thing to this day, something called Koolaid Jammers which is totally different from when I had it. However I remember I had a big cup of it while lying on our flowery old coach that we had back then before the couch we had then. Hope you guys enjoyed this throwback Thursday Story and I will talk to you guys on tomorrow's blog post which will be definitely sports related.



Chris

My Favorite Moments In Elementary School!

                In today blogs, I am going to be talking about my favorite moment's in elementary school and my top moments during my years in elementary school and which ones made my list on today's blog topic.


1) Doing recycling in the entire school each Monday or Friday: Every week, I did recycling with my behavioral Intervention class or B.I.C. Class and it was a nice break from being in the classroom for 30 minutes or so and going class to class and getting recycling and emptying it. I ended up getting a reward for leadership which was amazing. This was in my second year at the elementary school.

2) Choir: I was involved with the choir on my first year at elementary school, 2 years prior to high school starting for me and was obviously involved in performances at Pickering Recreation, Pickering Town Centre and my favorite event, The Ajax Santa Claus Parade which I was in singing and a lot of memories from back in the day.

3) Musical, The Highlight Zone: When I returned to the elementary school I was at prior to the high school from hell, thanks to the high school b.s. In the new year, I decided to join or audition for the musical The Highlight Zone and of course got a minor part in the musical where I sang and had only 3 lines and of course had to fill in one extra line during the actual performance the entire school. 

4) Walks Down To The Lake: Going to the lake with the B.I.C. Class from time to time to get out from the classroom and still learning at the same time. I found a rock with a fossil in it and boy I wish I kept it.


                      There is my list, its not too long as there isn't too many fond memories of elementary school but Tuesday's blog will be a ton longer then usual as I will be talking about my fond memories of High School in this 3 part mini blog series on Dec 24th, Dec 26th & Dec 27th.




Chris 

My Autism Story...

             First of all a few people has inspired me to write this and I have talked about it on YouTube which that video is no longer on that platform as I've deleted the channel almost a year ago. You guys probably can tell via Twitter, I sometimes am moody on Social Media quite often but for those who didn't know and I do not talk about it much online anymore as people have given me grief over it but I shouldn't been afraid to tell people and usually I get bitched at, saying I am making things up when I am not. I've had autism since 8 or 9 years of age which was like back in Grade 3 or 4 when my teachers noticed something off that wasn't normal to what they usually seen during class. So after I left my Catholic Elementary School I went into the Public School system from 1998 right till 2001. When I entered my 2nd elementary school, I was tested and I was diagnosed with Persuasive Development Disorder, also known as P.D.D. I finished Elementary School went into High School near home, which the school is now closed many years later after I finished High School. I got such a stupid suspension there and my parents pushed to get it lifted & they did. After Donovan High School, I went back to Duffin's Bay P.S. for the remainder of the year. They up'd my progress putting me into 2 different integration classes with the Grade 8's and met really nice friends, still connected with 2 of them to this day which is really amazing.  I even joined the Musical called the Highlight Zone and I really put myself out of my comfort Zone, I was very nervous at the first 2 performances for the school 

             After my Grade 8 graduation, yes I actually got a Grade 8 Graduation this time around compare the first time I left Duffin's Bay I was off to O'Neill and the rest the history, made tons of friends and connecting to a whole pile of them, still connected to my EA, and even Kellie who seemed to follow me from Duffin's! Just kidding! Was such a small world her and I ended up in High School and I almost had her as my first ever Girlfriend, too bad I didn't give her a chance. I met the most amazing teacher, Mr. Plishka, yes he was a pain in my ass but he got the best out of me and had such an amazing time with him in both Grade 10 Gym, Canadian History & Civics class and he also was my Homeroom Teacher. I still got so many memories of High School and my friends were ever so understanding with me having a disability. Also I got reward after reward and even a metal for having high marks for the semester and I still got the medal upstairs in my room to this day. After High School, I started The Video Projects Team up and obviously the rest is history which you can find on chrisbontheweb.com/about 

            So moving into 2010 I went into the Community Integration Throughout Cooperative Education for 2 years and studied Pre-Media with some General Studies like Creative Writing, Communication 1. But Media was my primary focus and I learned so much over the 2 years met so many friends in the CICE program. From there I continued on with my group till the end of it, then you guys know the remainder of the story. I have had a lot of hard times dealing with friendships ending, people turning their back on me but not only that putting me down, I got right back up on my feet and continued to strive myself on a daily basis. I had my very first job at a Book Store that lasted 4 weeks but was one of my most major challenges having a disability and even now I still have my challenges but manage through them one thing at a time.


Have a great Wednesday!


Chris