Garry Kasparov, himself then the age of 22, became the youngest world chess champion by defeating Anatoly Karpov. Kasparov’s win crossed over into the mainstream news of the time not only because of his youth, but because he was already preaching political ideas that Western countries, still in the grip of the Cold War, approved of. I was 9 at the time of Kasparov’s victory, and my father had already gotten me interested in chess, but I think Kasparov being in the news as I watched Today before school every morning was one of the main reasons I played as much chess as I did in my teen years. On that note, let’s play the friday5.org Friday Five.
1. What’s something that’s hanging from your ceiling?
Cobwebs. We don’t believe in hanging stuff from the ceiling in this house, and I can’t think of anything I’d like to hang from the ceiling here. (Once I get my own place, though, that will likely change.)
2. What’s something that’s hanging on your wall?
The only thing that’s actually hanging on the wall are brackets for some shelves above my television which currently house most of my old VHS collection and my Nintendo 64 games. Before the fire I had a bunch of Björk, Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, and Sugarcubes posters on my walls, but I’ve never bothered to put them back up. (I’m not even sure where they are right now.)
3. What’s something that’s hanging in your closet?
My clothes? Um, I guess the most interesting thing that’s in there right now is my witch costume from that Halloween Party in 2003 that I still don’t have my props back from …
4. What’s hanging from your rear-view mirror? (for those without cars, what’s something hanging from the rear-view mirror of a car you’ve recently ridden in?)
It’s actually against the law to hang stuff from your rear-view mirror unless it’s a parking tag. UT used to have those tags, but MCCC uses a sticker for staff permits, so right now I don’t have anything on my rear-view mirror.
5. What have you been hanging onto for too long?
Too many bad memories and bad feelings to even mention. Seriously.