You know, do you remember
those viewfinders from the 70s?
I was really into that,
and I had viewfinders
and I had a projector.
I was allowed to bring boys up to my room
IF I was going to show them
these projections I had.
So that was really exciting.
I really liked showing these projections
in the dark and telling stories.
There were types of stories
that were supposed to go with them,
but I would change the order
and make up other stories.
That was a very calm moment for me,
these stories I would make up.
The Red Baron was a favorite one.
[Laughs]
And then mixed with, if you can imagine,
the story about Bessie Smith
and her car accident, that she wasn't able
to get to the hospital
--or she was able to get to the hospital,
and they wouldn’t take care of her.
So these slides would all get
jumbled together and would end up being
part of my slide show and my narration.
[Laughs]
And you know, it kept people really quiet.
I mean, usually I was really territorial
and really fighting with boys
from my neighborhood a lot,
and they were very
--at least momentarily--
obedient and quiet and listening.