One Year Ago Today the King of Funny Faces Got a Tattoo
It's a thin, one inch, teardrop shaped black stab wound under my right collarbone.
It looks like the wound in "Death of Marat" by David.
Enjoy the rest of this program about the French painter:
BBC's The Power of Art - David p4
BBC's The Power of Art - David p5
BBC's The Power of Art - David p6
Showing posts with label bio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bio. Show all posts
Friday, January 14, 2011
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Roger Ebert Reviewed My Video
"There's a lot of love in that video."
- Roger Ebert - The King of All Film Critics - December 10, 2010 8:49 PM (look in the comments section of his blog post)
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Double Dare Story - 1/11/1987
My father grew up with Geraldine Bond Laybourne, who was the President/CEO of Nickelodeon Television in the 1980's. When I was eleven years old and my brother was eight, she sent us tickets to see a taping of Double Dare. Somehow, my mother got us a day off of school and she drove us down to Philadelphia to see this:
I shouted out "Harvey!" at the top of my lungs. This picture doesn't capture it, but he was annoyed! Harvey was the announcer of the show, very much beloved by me and by many kids of my generation.
And here is the host of the show, Marc Summers. Years later, he was in the news talking about having OCD, and I often wondered if this story had something to do with it. Did it make him worse? Was he trying to repress this memory as much I had tried to? I don't know. But Marc Summers was the host of Double Dare, one of the biggest kids game shows of all time.
It was a kid's dream come true! Before the big obstacle course event at the end of one of the episodes (we saw four being taped), Marc goes into the audience and talks to some of the excited kids in the audience. He picked me! I was so excited!
But then things got ugly...
Of all the questions that the host of the most popular kids game show in America could ask me, he asked me if I had a boyfriend. He slipped. He made a mistake. But the damage was done...
I was a weird kid in the 80's. These were the days of "Nerds" and "Geeks" and "Dweebs" and John Landis movies. I was teased more than most, I fear. Of all the questions in the world he could ask me, why did he ask me if I had a boyfriend? I asked myself that question many times over the years. And I never really talked to anyone about being on everyone's favorite show, at least not until several years had separated me from the pain and humiliation.
I'm not homophobic now. I wasn't homophobic then. This has nothing to do with homophobia. I was just pissed that Marc Summers gave all of the 'popular kids' in school a reason to tease me. Yeah, it had a lot to do with pride and ego, but hey...I was eleven years old. Forgive me, please.
Well that's another amazing story from the life of the current King of Funny Faces.
Have a great weekend everybody.
Warm Regards,
Erik B. Anderson
Independence Township, New Jersey, USA
Established 1782
UPDATE:
I shouted out "Harvey!" at the top of my lungs. This picture doesn't capture it, but he was annoyed! Harvey was the announcer of the show, very much beloved by me and by many kids of my generation.
And here is the host of the show, Marc Summers. Years later, he was in the news talking about having OCD, and I often wondered if this story had something to do with it. Did it make him worse? Was he trying to repress this memory as much I had tried to? I don't know. But Marc Summers was the host of Double Dare, one of the biggest kids game shows of all time.
It was a kid's dream come true! Before the big obstacle course event at the end of one of the episodes (we saw four being taped), Marc goes into the audience and talks to some of the excited kids in the audience. He picked me! I was so excited!
But then things got ugly...
Of all the questions that the host of the most popular kids game show in America could ask me, he asked me if I had a boyfriend. He slipped. He made a mistake. But the damage was done...
I was a weird kid in the 80's. These were the days of "Nerds" and "Geeks" and "Dweebs" and John Landis movies. I was teased more than most, I fear. Of all the questions in the world he could ask me, why did he ask me if I had a boyfriend? I asked myself that question many times over the years. And I never really talked to anyone about being on everyone's favorite show, at least not until several years had separated me from the pain and humiliation.
I'm not homophobic now. I wasn't homophobic then. This has nothing to do with homophobia. I was just pissed that Marc Summers gave all of the 'popular kids' in school a reason to tease me. Yeah, it had a lot to do with pride and ego, but hey...I was eleven years old. Forgive me, please.
Well that's another amazing story from the life of the current King of Funny Faces.
Have a great weekend everybody.
Warm Regards,
Erik B. Anderson
Independence Township, New Jersey, USA
Established 1782
UPDATE:
Sunday, October 24, 2010
One Strong Man in the Skylands
There is One Strong Man in the Skylands.
"I wouldn't mess with that website."
-Master William Duessel, 9th Degree Black Best
Highest Isshin-Ryu Black in the USA,
Oxford, NJ - October 12, 2008
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
The King of All NJ Monthly Letters To The Editor
New Jersey Monthly Magazine - February 2010 - On The Stands Now!
Click Here to Read All of Page 12
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Rooooots Bloody Rooooots!
Click Here to Read All of Page 12
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Rooooots Bloody Rooooots!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Bio
A Taxi Driver named Travis Bickle bought the guns he used to save a Iris from a life of child prostitution on June 9, 1972. Three years later, during the first week of June, 1975, Ted Bundy visited his girlfriend Meg and her young daughter for the last time. Bundy would kill again - many times, unfortuanately - but that young girl never saw him again after the first week of June, 1975. That week was perhaps the last time Ted Bundy spent any happy moments with a family. God willed it so.1
Erik's due date was July 5, 1975. He could have been born on the Fourth of July, but Mrs. Anderson developed toxemia, which led to pre-eclampsia on June 9th. She was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital in Northern New Jersey. The doctors there needed to give Erik medicine to counteract the anti-seizure medication they gave his mother. In order to do so, the doctors shaved Erik's head in a mohawk.
Mr. Anderson's oldest known ancestor was Stephanus Terhune. Sheriff Terhune, as he was known, was the last Sheriff of the British Colony of New Jersey. He was removed from office on July 4, 1776. There was a trial in 1777. It is not yet known to Erik what the outcome of that trial was. What is known is that his oldest ancestor had the same job as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Erik's paternal grandfather, Blaine Ellsworth Anderson, worked for gold magnate Charles Engelhard, Jr. in 1955. A little known but extremely influential businessman in three financial capitals2, the Harvard Crimson Newspapter calls Engelhard the 'number one American corporate sponsor of the Apartheid regime." Charlie Engelhard's eccentric behavior was the inspiration for Ian Fleming's most notorious villain "Goldfinger":
Blaine supported Charlie Engelhard's campaign to unseat Malcolm Forbes from the New Jersey State Senate Seat in the battle of the billionaires of 1955 because Engelhard promised to save their neighborhood from being turned into a reservoir. Engelhard promised Erik's nine year old father Bruce a ride in a fancy car. The boy waited on the front steps, but the rich man never showed up. Blaine put his heart and his soul into that campaign. After they lost, all he got out of it was a fancy crystal ashtray. Blaine drank himself to death eight years later. It was after this event that Marion Vollum Anderson became the first Queen of Funny Faces:
Erik knows a lot about villains. He also knows a lot about heroes.
The B. Bruce Anderson Memorial Flag can be found in Palmer Park in Long Valley, near the High School.
At the Flocktown Elementary School, Mr. Anderson was chosen to attend an acting workshop in the fourth grade. He was given the part of Snidely Whiplash. He was told to put on a mustache and pound money into his hand. When he got onstage, a female student was lying on the ground below him while a train was coming toward the camera on the overhead projector behind them. When the entire auditorium erupted into a chorus of "Boos!" and "Hisses!", Mr. Anderson didn't even understand what was happenning. It frightened him very much; but now he can enjoy remembering the profound impact he had on the crowd.
As a Freshman in Gill/St. Bernard's High School in 1989, Mr. Gene D'Onofrio cast Mr.Anderson as the "insane priest" in Marat/Sade. In the yearbook Mr. D'onofrio said he is very proud of his son, Vincent Philip D'Onofrio, the award winning actor who played the most disturbed character in cinematic history: Leonard "Private Pyle" Lawrence in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket.
As the insane priest, Mr. Anderson sniveled and coughed and "greeted the community" as a patient in a French Insane Asylum after the Revolution. It was a play within a play, directed by the Marquis De Sade. Mr. Anderson didn't even know what the word Sadism meant, but he did as he was told. He said Satan's Prayer in front of all of his friends, their parents and the faculty of the school. His character attempted to sexually assault the daughter of Coulmier, the director of the asylum. This was Mr. D'Onofrio's idea.. Then he was crucified by the nurse. He peeled himself off the cross and caused more mayhem. It was quite a performance. Erik liked playing that part, but there was a backlash.
In the past twenty years, Mr. Anderson has suffered the whips and scorns of time. He has taken classes and workshops at Centenary College and the Simon Studio but he has not been in any productions. His father's death in 2003 was hard. Erik's life story is filled with tragedy. It is safe to say, he can use his painful life experience to perform Hamlet better than anyone ever.
Other highlights of Mr. Anderson's professional career include:
Mr. Anderson usually loathes being called Mr. Anderson. Most people who call him that have tried to scare him like the villain in the Matrix by calling him "Mr. Anderson". He prefers that people talk to him the way Mr. Ward or Mayor Tillman speak to Agent Rupert Anderson in Mississippi Burning. Example:
"You know what, Mr. Anderson? You're startin' to get so far up my nose, I'm beginning to feel your boots on my chin." -R. Lee Ermey, as Mayor Tillman.
Erik Blaine Anderson was born to act. When the King of Funny Faces acts, he changes the world. Acting is not pretending. Acting is taking action. You will not regret it if you hire Mr. Anderson for any job that requires getting things done.
If you are interested in learning more about Erik B. Anderson, the King of Funny Faces, read his blog:
TheKingofFunnyFaces.BlogSpot.Com
He has another personal blog called The Tragedy of Erik, The Prince of Funny Faces. It tells the story of how he became the King of Funny Faces.
Comments are encouraged.
1Rule, Ann. The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy, The Shocking Inside Story (Revised and Updated Edition). New York: Signet, 2001 - p165
2Forbes Magazine, August 1st, 1965
That Monday, exactly three years after Travis Bickle, put his money down; exactly three years after God's Lonely Man turned his will and his life over to the care of God as he understood Him; exactly three years after the Taxi Driver began preparing his mind and body for his mission; exactly three years later, God went to work. Erik B. Anderson was born on June 9, 1975.
Mr. Anderson's oldest known ancestor was Stephanus Terhune. Sheriff Terhune, as he was known, was the last Sheriff of the British Colony of New Jersey. He was removed from office on July 4, 1776. There was a trial in 1777. It is not yet known to Erik what the outcome of that trial was. What is known is that his oldest ancestor had the same job as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Erik's paternal grandfather, Blaine Ellsworth Anderson, worked for gold magnate Charles Engelhard, Jr. in 1955. A little known but extremely influential businessman in three financial capitals2, the Harvard Crimson Newspapter calls Engelhard the 'number one American corporate sponsor of the Apartheid regime." Charlie Engelhard's eccentric behavior was the inspiration for Ian Fleming's most notorious villain "Goldfinger":
Blaine supported Charlie Engelhard's campaign to unseat Malcolm Forbes from the New Jersey State Senate Seat in the battle of the billionaires of 1955 because Engelhard promised to save their neighborhood from being turned into a reservoir. Engelhard promised Erik's nine year old father Bruce a ride in a fancy car. The boy waited on the front steps, but the rich man never showed up. Blaine put his heart and his soul into that campaign. After they lost, all he got out of it was a fancy crystal ashtray. Blaine drank himself to death eight years later. It was after this event that Marion Vollum Anderson became the first Queen of Funny Faces:
Erik knows a lot about villains. He also knows a lot about heroes.
Coming Soon: Biographical Sketch of B. Bruce Anderson
The B. Bruce Anderson Memorial Flag can be found in Palmer Park in Long Valley, near the High School.
Erik's favorite character on television growing up on top of Schooley's Mountain was "Howling Mad" Murdock on the A-Team. He dreamed of running away to Hollywood when he was young to join the cast. He wanted to help people alongside Hannibal and B.A. Barracus. He created a character for himself as Amy's adolescent son. Erik organized a gang of boys on the playground that he called the A-team. The fights he had with these boys were legendary.
- Presenting a Paper About Avante-Garde Musician John Zorn and Postmodernism to the Eastern Sociological Society as an Undergraduate in 1995.
- Working as a Public Relations Intern and Museum Tour Guide At The Chester County Historical Society in Southeast Pennsylvania.
- Asking William F. Buckley, Jr. For His Stance On An Environmental Issue in 1996 and Receiving The Answer: "The world is a giant ashtray that we put things into."
- Lobbying all over Washington D.C. with the Western Ancient Forest Campaign.
- Helping Ann Rule "The Best True Crime Writer of All Time" Fight Off Some Malicious Spammers When He Was a Technical Support Rep At a Barnesandnoble.com Call Center.
- Playing Bass In a Heavy Metal Band
- Singing Rock and Punk Songs at Open Mic Nights Around Northwest New Jersey
- Writing Poetry, Essays, Letters to the Editor
- Editing Music Videos Using Windows Movie Maker
- Mastering The Art of Cleaning Toilets at Quick Chek
"You know what, Mr. Anderson? You're startin' to get so far up my nose, I'm beginning to feel your boots on my chin." -R. Lee Ermey, as Mayor Tillman.
If you are interested in learning more about Erik B. Anderson, the King of Funny Faces, read his blog:
He has another personal blog called The Tragedy of Erik, The Prince of Funny Faces. It tells the story of how he became the King of Funny Faces.
Comments are encouraged.
1Rule, Ann. The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy, The Shocking Inside Story (Revised and Updated Edition). New York: Signet, 2001 - p165
2Forbes Magazine, August 1st, 1965
Monday, October 19, 2009
Erik Hung Out With Tom Hayden
In the Fall of 2003, Tom Hayden spoke at West Chester University as part of a book tour. His autobiography, Rebel, was being reissued. He spoke about a lot of things. Being there with Martin Luther King, Jr., organizing a number of Demonstrations in Chicago in 1968, starting the Peace Corps, how he was supporting Howard Dean for President. After his speech was over, I introduced myself, saying I was the President of the College Democrats and here are my friends. He was so relieved. It was not a big crowd that night, and he didn't want to go back to his hotel, so we hung out in Asplundh Hall for about two hours.
He talked about how he liked the show 24, and where he was on 9/11 (in a hospital bed recovering from heart surgery). I told him I actually owned the book he wrote about Zapatistas and I was dumbstruck because I didn't even know he was the author. Then, much like I did when I talked to Ann Rule, I could feel my heart drop to the floor with a thud when I told him I didn't even read it, that it was at the bottom of a box somewhere in my storage shed. He comforted me, though. He said, "It's okay. That's where books are supposed to go!" I was taken aback, but I was still ashamed. I showed him a trick with a 20 dollar bill that he had never shown anybody. I pretty much shocked the room when I made the 20 dollar bill look like an airplane.
Tom Hayden was just fun to hang out with. He was a lot different than William F. Buckley, Jr., who was a total jerk to me in that same building seven years before. I wish Tom Hayden could have had as big an audience as Buckley did. What's funny is: I don't remember talking about the protest I organized there with Tom. Maybe I was too scared. It was a dark period in my life. I'll never make that mistake again.
I hope I can see him again someday. He's still very active today. Check out his own biography.
He talked about how he liked the show 24, and where he was on 9/11 (in a hospital bed recovering from heart surgery). I told him I actually owned the book he wrote about Zapatistas and I was dumbstruck because I didn't even know he was the author. Then, much like I did when I talked to Ann Rule, I could feel my heart drop to the floor with a thud when I told him I didn't even read it, that it was at the bottom of a box somewhere in my storage shed. He comforted me, though. He said, "It's okay. That's where books are supposed to go!" I was taken aback, but I was still ashamed. I showed him a trick with a 20 dollar bill that he had never shown anybody. I pretty much shocked the room when I made the 20 dollar bill look like an airplane.
Tom Hayden was just fun to hang out with. He was a lot different than William F. Buckley, Jr., who was a total jerk to me in that same building seven years before. I wish Tom Hayden could have had as big an audience as Buckley did. What's funny is: I don't remember talking about the protest I organized there with Tom. Maybe I was too scared. It was a dark period in my life. I'll never make that mistake again.
I hope I can see him again someday. He's still very active today. Check out his own biography.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Erik Met Kofi Awoonor - Poet, UN Ambassador
Formerly known as George Awoonor-Williams, Prof. Kofi Awoonor is one of the most celebrated Ghanaian and African writers. A poet, novelist and critic, Awoonor was born in 1935 and educated at the University of Ghana, the University of London, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he bagged a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature.
Former Chair of the Department of Comparative Literature at SUNY Stony Brook, and Head, Department of English and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Cape Coast, South Africa, he has served as Ghana’s ambassador to Brazil and Cuba and Ghana's representative at the United Nations. He was awarded the National Book Council Award for poetry in 1979.
MORE: Wikipedia
MORE: "What, then, is the way forward?"
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
"The words of FDR have never rung more true." -Dave Ramsey
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The King Helped "the best True Crime writer of all time" in 2002.
After I did what I could for Ms. Rule, I told her that I had read one of her books. When she asked me what I thought, I began to cry because I hadn't been able to finish it. She told me I should "finish it!"
I'm happy to say that I did finally finish The Stranger Beside Me in June. It's a difficult book to read, but definitely worth it. Her thesis statement is based on Hamlet's To Be or Not to Be, which as you know, is my favorite scene to act out.
Warm Regards,
Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
EBA vs. WFB, Jr.: "This is the reason America will never get anywhere."
When he was but a prince, The King of Funny Faces asked William F. Buckley, Jr. a question when he came to speak at West Chester University, April 1996: "What is your stand on the "Timber Salvage Rider?"
The father of modern conservatism rolled his eyes, and a room full of two-hundred rich white people with nice watches and BMW's shouted at the King of Funny Faces. They screamed "Go home!" "Why don't you get out of here!" and worse. The King was scared.
When William F. Buckley, Jr. spoke, he said, "The world is a giant ashtray we put things into..." and then gestured as if to extinguish as cigarette out on the podium.
Click on image to read full article.
Then he said something about, "I question the juvenile nature of people who treat all animals as pets," but the Timber Salvage Rider wasn't about animals, it was about trees.
Click on image to read the full article.
That summer, the King of Funny Faces spent two weeks (one in June and one in July) aggressively lobbying over 200 Congressional offices to repeal the Timber Salvage Rider with a group of activists from all over the country (mostly the Pacific Northwest) led by Former Congressman Jim Jontz of Indiana. The head of the Forest Service gave the King of Funny Faces a dirty look at a Congressional hearing at which only one dissenting voice against the Timber Salvage Rider spoke, and he sat right next to the Secretary of Agriculture in his conference room in the Department of Agriculture Building.
It was a good time, but it was bittersweet. Not only did the King of Funny Faces find out that his cat died on the last day of his first trip to D.C. We ended up losing the vote by the closest margin possible, two votes! The final tally was 211-209. It was a very sad time for us, and for the trees and wildlife that depend on the trees in areas that now look like this.
The father of modern conservatism rolled his eyes, and a room full of two-hundred rich white people with nice watches and BMW's shouted at the King of Funny Faces. They screamed "Go home!" "Why don't you get out of here!" and worse. The King was scared.
When William F. Buckley, Jr. spoke, he said, "The world is a giant ashtray we put things into..." and then gestured as if to extinguish as cigarette out on the podium.
Click on image to read full article.
Then he said something about, "I question the juvenile nature of people who treat all animals as pets," but the Timber Salvage Rider wasn't about animals, it was about trees.
Click on image to read the full article.
That summer, the King of Funny Faces spent two weeks (one in June and one in July) aggressively lobbying over 200 Congressional offices to repeal the Timber Salvage Rider with a group of activists from all over the country (mostly the Pacific Northwest) led by Former Congressman Jim Jontz of Indiana. The head of the Forest Service gave the King of Funny Faces a dirty look at a Congressional hearing at which only one dissenting voice against the Timber Salvage Rider spoke, and he sat right next to the Secretary of Agriculture in his conference room in the Department of Agriculture Building.
It was a good time, but it was bittersweet. Not only did the King of Funny Faces find out that his cat died on the last day of his first trip to D.C. We ended up losing the vote by the closest margin possible, two votes! The final tally was 211-209. It was a very sad time for us, and for the trees and wildlife that depend on the trees in areas that now look like this.
# # #
Erik B. Anderson: Early Childhood
Erik B. Anderson
by Mary Wilkin (Grandma)
The first child of Kay and Bruce Anderson, the first grandchild of Marion Anderson and Mary Wilkin, Erik was born prematurely on June 9, 1975 in Morristown Memorial Hospital. The excitement of his birth turned to anxiety as Kay had a convulsion in the hospital and was diagnosed as having toxemia. No one knows what cause this condition but the baby must be delivered immediately. A Caesarian operation was performed and the 5 lb. 4 oz. boy was put in an incubator. He was only 3 weeks early. His mother, however, was kept highly sedated with only her husband being allowed to see her. He was only 3 weeks early. His mother, however, was kept highly sedated with only her husband being allowed to see her. After a couple of days Kay was allowed to see her baby but not to hold him. We later learned that this was because they thought she might have another seizure and drop the child. Her dream of nursing the baby was denied, but the family of 3 eventually returned to their home at Quakerchurch Rd. in Randolph, N.J. with a healthy, thriving son.
Erik was the joy of the family. Round face, big brown eyes and chubby, rosy cheeks make him a delight to look at or hold. He was content in his swing or on the floor on the bright quilt his Aunt Joan (Wilkin) had made for him. Both Grandmas visited often and took frequent pictures of his various stages of development. Baby-sitting was their pleasure.
Erik sat up alone at 8 months, walked alone at 15 months. His first method of walking was his monster stride. He would put both arms straight out in front of him for balance and cross a room. In his high chair he would pick up Cheerios one by one from the tray while waiting for the rest of the meal. When the food arrived, he stuffed his face putting more in his mouth before he had swallowed the first bite. Kay frequently said "Manners don't count until you're 3."
Climbing out of the crib or playpen was a trick he learned from another toddler in Vermont where the family had visited in August '77. Skipping naps began about the same time at 2 years and 2 months. A month later on a long car trip to Cape Cod, Erik could identify most letters on a sign. When one was pointed out to him he would say, "That's an S or that's a C." While the car was stopped at one crossroad he said, "That's S-T-O-P --- Pots." Indoors adults would point to letters in the headlines and he would name each letter. Once his Daddy pointed to a quotation mark. Erik looked at the beginning and end quotes and said, "That's two sixes and two nines."
At home Erik knew how to turn on the radio for Grandma when she couldn't figure it out. He almost locked Grandma out of the car when she was scraping snow off the windows and he was inside pushing buttons. His first set of blocks he threw but he soon learned to build towers and knock them down. When no blocks were available at a time instead of knocking them down. After learning to make choo-choo trains of blocks Erik made choo-choos of any three items he encountered on a table or the floor.
In November 1977, Erik showed his imagination in a restaurant when he took a drinking straw and held it like a pencil and said, "I'm writing." Next he put the straw across his upper lip and said, "It's a mustache." When he held it above his eyes, he claimed, "It's eyebrows." Finally, he tried to twirl it like a baton.
Erik seemed unusually interested in words. When examining a humidifier in Grandma's house he asked what it was for and how it worked. Still puzzled when he peered inside, he asked, "Did my Daddy light the fire in the humidifier?" Once he said, "When I get covered with dirt, I'm dirty. When I spill my milk, I'm milky. When I play in the sandbox, I get sandy. When I roll on the lawn do I get lawny?" Another time he asked his mother if she razed her legs with a razor. As he got older he decided that a boy who plays soccer is a soccerist.
In the months before his brother was born, Erik knew that the baby was in his mother's tummy. He heard the heartbeat on the stethoscope in the doctor's office. When Kay came home with the new baby, Erik was given a boy doll that was anatomically correct. He would hug the doll and say, "I love my brudder."
At age 4, Erik loved to get presents. He was very particular about picking up the wrappings and putting them in the wastebasket. One gift, a Hop-it, frustrated him because he couldn't get the coordination to put both feet on it and walk as on low stilts. A fishing net he enjoyed because he could catch frogs in it. At this age, he was able to converse and relate details of his recent trip to Magic Mountain. His voice was often very loud. He had to be reminded to use his "inside voice" in the house.
For Hallowe'en of 1979 Erik dressed as the HULK and frightened his little brother. In toy stores, Erik was attracted to all games and toys that are related to monsters. At home he loved television but was very considerate about early morning sound. When he had Darlene, a teenager, for a babysitter he was so considerate he didn't wake her until it was too late for his ride to nursery school.
When his parents were due to arrive home from their trip, I suggested we write a Welcome Home sign for them. Instead he cut out a picture for them and wanted to write it himself saying, "Hello Mommy and Dad" not Daddy.
For one trip to say overnight at my house, Erik packed his own bag which he called his Brucecase. He remembered to pack everything except his pajamas. It was about this time that he declared that he did not want to be kissed. Grandma Anderson said she was going to kiss him anyway. Grandma Wilkin started blowing kisses to him.
by Mary Wilkin (Grandma)
The first child of Kay and Bruce Anderson, the first grandchild of Marion Anderson and Mary Wilkin, Erik was born prematurely on June 9, 1975 in Morristown Memorial Hospital. The excitement of his birth turned to anxiety as Kay had a convulsion in the hospital and was diagnosed as having toxemia. No one knows what cause this condition but the baby must be delivered immediately. A Caesarian operation was performed and the 5 lb. 4 oz. boy was put in an incubator. He was only 3 weeks early. His mother, however, was kept highly sedated with only her husband being allowed to see her. He was only 3 weeks early. His mother, however, was kept highly sedated with only her husband being allowed to see her. After a couple of days Kay was allowed to see her baby but not to hold him. We later learned that this was because they thought she might have another seizure and drop the child. Her dream of nursing the baby was denied, but the family of 3 eventually returned to their home at Quakerchurch Rd. in Randolph, N.J. with a healthy, thriving son.
Erik was the joy of the family. Round face, big brown eyes and chubby, rosy cheeks make him a delight to look at or hold. He was content in his swing or on the floor on the bright quilt his Aunt Joan (Wilkin) had made for him. Both Grandmas visited often and took frequent pictures of his various stages of development. Baby-sitting was their pleasure.
Erik sat up alone at 8 months, walked alone at 15 months. His first method of walking was his monster stride. He would put both arms straight out in front of him for balance and cross a room. In his high chair he would pick up Cheerios one by one from the tray while waiting for the rest of the meal. When the food arrived, he stuffed his face putting more in his mouth before he had swallowed the first bite. Kay frequently said "Manners don't count until you're 3."
Climbing out of the crib or playpen was a trick he learned from another toddler in Vermont where the family had visited in August '77. Skipping naps began about the same time at 2 years and 2 months. A month later on a long car trip to Cape Cod, Erik could identify most letters on a sign. When one was pointed out to him he would say, "That's an S or that's a C." While the car was stopped at one crossroad he said, "That's S-T-O-P --- Pots." Indoors adults would point to letters in the headlines and he would name each letter. Once his Daddy pointed to a quotation mark. Erik looked at the beginning and end quotes and said, "That's two sixes and two nines."
At home Erik knew how to turn on the radio for Grandma when she couldn't figure it out. He almost locked Grandma out of the car when she was scraping snow off the windows and he was inside pushing buttons. His first set of blocks he threw but he soon learned to build towers and knock them down. When no blocks were available at a time instead of knocking them down. After learning to make choo-choo trains of blocks Erik made choo-choos of any three items he encountered on a table or the floor.
In November 1977, Erik showed his imagination in a restaurant when he took a drinking straw and held it like a pencil and said, "I'm writing." Next he put the straw across his upper lip and said, "It's a mustache." When he held it above his eyes, he claimed, "It's eyebrows." Finally, he tried to twirl it like a baton.
Erik seemed unusually interested in words. When examining a humidifier in Grandma's house he asked what it was for and how it worked. Still puzzled when he peered inside, he asked, "Did my Daddy light the fire in the humidifier?" Once he said, "When I get covered with dirt, I'm dirty. When I spill my milk, I'm milky. When I play in the sandbox, I get sandy. When I roll on the lawn do I get lawny?" Another time he asked his mother if she razed her legs with a razor. As he got older he decided that a boy who plays soccer is a soccerist.
In the months before his brother was born, Erik knew that the baby was in his mother's tummy. He heard the heartbeat on the stethoscope in the doctor's office. When Kay came home with the new baby, Erik was given a boy doll that was anatomically correct. He would hug the doll and say, "I love my brudder."
At age 4, Erik loved to get presents. He was very particular about picking up the wrappings and putting them in the wastebasket. One gift, a Hop-it, frustrated him because he couldn't get the coordination to put both feet on it and walk as on low stilts. A fishing net he enjoyed because he could catch frogs in it. At this age, he was able to converse and relate details of his recent trip to Magic Mountain. His voice was often very loud. He had to be reminded to use his "inside voice" in the house.
For Hallowe'en of 1979 Erik dressed as the HULK and frightened his little brother. In toy stores, Erik was attracted to all games and toys that are related to monsters. At home he loved television but was very considerate about early morning sound. When he had Darlene, a teenager, for a babysitter he was so considerate he didn't wake her until it was too late for his ride to nursery school.
When his parents were due to arrive home from their trip, I suggested we write a Welcome Home sign for them. Instead he cut out a picture for them and wanted to write it himself saying, "Hello Mommy and Dad" not Daddy.
For one trip to say overnight at my house, Erik packed his own bag which he called his Brucecase. He remembered to pack everything except his pajamas. It was about this time that he declared that he did not want to be kissed. Grandma Anderson said she was going to kiss him anyway. Grandma Wilkin started blowing kisses to him.
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