while driving down 101 South with my usual everyday routine (zoning out with Howard Stern on the air, weaving through traffic because i'm late for work, etc) a memory rushed into my head that was more like hitting a brick wall rather than wading slowly into the deep end of a pool: i never got the super nintendo.

when i was in middle school, my parents would reward my sister and myself 100 dollars for getting straight A's for the marking period. the only catch was, we BOTH had to get straight A's - otherwise, nobody would get 100 dollars. my sister has gotten straight A's all her life - from K through 12 and probably through college and beyond. i, on the other hand, did not. 7th grade i would get a few B's each marking period, and i would have no idea why. my parents were definitely not happy about it, and i was certainly depressed and embarrased about it. that is when my parents introduced the idea of bribing me to get better grades and adding even more pressure because 100 dollars was on the line for my sister. in middle school, i remember getting straight A's only once - there could have been more times, but i don't really remember. what i DO remember was my parents sweetening the deal because my sister would complain all the time that she gets the good grades but i would get one B and screw us both over. so to encourage me to get straight A's, my parents proposed this: get straight A's and we'll buy you a super nintendo. needless to say, my sister and i were both ecstatic at the idea of THE hottest game system in our very own home.
time would pass, and the grades would roll in. straight A's for my sister, and one B for andy. my sister was furious... and i felt bad. she did all her work (yes... all the hard work that comes in 4th grade) and i could not hold up my end of the bargain. my parents reverted back to the 100 dollars per marking period after that and kept it all the way till high school. my mom would remind me every now and then, even in my senior year, that the 100 dollar policy is still in effect.
my sister and i never saw it again since middle school - and all because of me.