Joe Young
Bio
Blogger and freelance writer from the north-east coast of England
Stories (108/0)
When Toys Influence Careers
Picture if you will, the following prehistoric scene. Inside a cave, a Neanderthal family gathers to celebrate the fifth birthday of their eldest child, a boy. After blowing on his cake (there are no candles; fire hasn’t been discovered yet), the excited lad opens his presents. There’s a Tamagotchi rock from his brother, a pencil case made of triceratops hide from his sister, and, best of all a hunting kit from his parents.
By Joe Young7 months ago in Confessions
Eleven Monkeys
As the twentieth century sputtered to a close, I worked for four years as manager of a video rental store. To give context to how long ago that was, the movies Fargo, Jerry Maguire, and Independence Day had just been released on VHS. The store also hired out video games, but only for the Sega Mega Drive and the first incarnation of the PlayStation. The most popular games for those consoles when the store opened were Sonic the Hedgehog and Tomb Raider, respectively.
By Joe Young7 months ago in Confessions
Putting Ourselves in Danger
I was raised, and still live in Blyth, a town on the north-east coast of England. It stands at the mouth of the River Blyth, and further along, waves break upon miles of sandy beach. Growing up, Blyth had just about everything other towns had, but its bonus features of river and beach opened up all kinds of adventure and mischief for us.
By Joe Young9 months ago in Confessions
My Act of Petty Vandalism
The incident is so far back in time, it's like looking down the wrong end of a telescope, for while the image is distant, it is vividly clear. This is probably because how I occupied myself that afternoon was well outside the usual happenings on a school day. I'm not proud of what I did, but we can't erase the past and, with all that is wrong in the world, my act of petty vandalism was a minor transgression, totally in keeping with the behaviour of a mixed-up adolescent.
By Joe Young11 months ago in Confessions