Left of Normal with Scott Sery

Left of Normal Episode 19 - Back in the USSR... I Mean Montana

After quitting grad school, I was back in Montana with no hope, no job, no career aspirations, and wondering what to do with my life.

 

So, I did what any other self respecting young adult would do; I went back to my former employer and pleaded for my job back.

 

Fortunately for Jessica Sery, I did so.  Because it wasn't long before she had the honor of meeting me.

Left of Normal Episode 18 - The Fine Line Between Being Alone and Being Lonely

After taking a year off college, I had a bunch of bad news... then some good news.

 

In the fall, I headed down to Texas A&M and started the Nautical Archaeology program.  The schooling was awesome, the program exciting, and I learned a lot.

 

But the most important lesson learned was that I'm not quite as independent as I thought I was.

Left of Normal Episode 17 - I Worked at Walmart Once

Between college and grad school I needed a job.  Walmart hired me at 39 hours a week (so they didn't have to pay full time benefits).

It was a dark 6 week period of my life that was brightened up by the mere fact that I didn't have to talk to many customers in the oil changing department.

Eventually I moved on to the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch; a fortuitous move as that's where I met my wife.

Left of Normal Episode 16 - Dead Humans are Easier to Deal with than Living Humans

Let's take a look at how a Left of Normal person spends those summers when school is out.

For me, one involved digging up the past.  Literally, digging in the dirt and excavating artifacts in Israel.

Another involved digging into peoples' lives and spreading the joy that I have found in Christ.

Both taught very different yet equally important lessons.

Left of Normal Episode 15 - I am Such a Dork

Let's talk about acting.

 

Really, it's all about putting on performances in front of groups of people.  Random skits, funny bits, and the like.

 

But also, there's a message in this one for the professors.  Something that 17 years later still irritates the heck out of me.

Left of Normal Episode 14 - Dipping my Toe into Bozeman

Eventually I transferred from Billings to Bozeman to complete my undergrad work.  But to get there, I first had to test the waters.

 

To do so, I relied on my older brother, once again, to help plug me into the right social groups, vouch for my sanity, and have my back in case I messed up.

 

It was a lot easier than dipping my toe into high school, because by 18/19 years old, I had the performance down quite well.

Left of Normal Episode 13 - How Easy it is to Manipulate Behaviors

We're back into it, and graduating from high school.  The summer after was filled with lighting fires and blowing things up.

 

But venturing into college was a big eye opener.  One where I learned how to tweak my behavior to elicit the appropriate response in a social situation that I didn't fully understand.

 

In other words: how to manipulate people so you don't look like a fool.

Left of Normal Episode 12 - Society Sucks Get Outdoors

Sometime around 3rd grade I went on my first backpacking trip.  Since then, I have loved getting into the woods, climbing mountains, and overall just being outdoors.

 

It took me a long time to understand why, but with the Left of Normal brain, it makes complete sense.

Left of Normal Episode 11 - The Importance of Friendships

One of the ways I benefitted in high school was finding friends that have stuck by me to this day.  There were two core groups of friends; one where I learned how to do groups of friends, and one where I integrated in.

Not mentioned in this episode is Zach Kilwein, who I now spend more time with than any of the others.  The reason: he found his way in toward the end of my senior year and thus will pop up in later episodes.

Left of Normal Episode 10 - Tenth Grade Mayhem

There wasn't really mayhem.  Maybe only in my mind.  Going to a public school I learned that high school is childish, people are mean, and teasing hurts.

I also learned that Spanish is easy to learn, math is cool, and science is awesome.  So by focusing on school I didn't dwell on other students' actions.