Trust Tommy

When I was in second class in national school, I had aspirations of having my own company. I had it all planned out. It’d have walls, floors, in some places, even a roof.

No seriously, we had water coolers for discussing stuff (has Wikipedia clouded my vision or are water coolers still used for water these days?) and desks for working stuff. We had one stairs going up and one going down, and one going nowhere at all, just for show.

And a fiddler on the roof :)

Photo owned by Paul Kehrer (cc)

On a serious note, or, as serious as we get over at the Collison Volcano Lair, I was quite fond of planning things out when I was younger. As usually happens, though, I got that virus out of my system rather quickly, and yesterday, I couldn’t tell my physio what I wanted to do after college when she asked.

Sure I have a few vague notions, but they’re just that, vague notions. Having said that, I’m starting my second year of secondary school next month, not my second year of university. I have plenty of time.

Tommy Industries was my brainchild when I was younger, and possibly my most vivid memory about the whole thing (save Fiddler on the Roof references) was when I asked my teacher how to spell ‘Industries’.

For second class of national school, I had one of those teachers everyone wants, but not many people get – it was the one who’d answer your questions, and other kids would learn from it.

Unfortunately, on this particular day, said awesome teacher was AWOL, and we have a substitute. She did the usual thing teachers did in that school, and set us work.

Once I had it finished (I did finish it, Mom!) I took out my shaky floor plans for TI and put on the finishing touches on it. I realized I needed to label my drawing properly, having called it ‘TI’ all through.

‘Tommy..’ I wrote confidently, then stopped. I realized I didn’t know how to spell my own company’s name.

Shocked at my own unprofessionality, I hopped up and walked up to the teacher’s desk.

“How do you spell ‘Industries”?’ I asked.

“Finish your classwork” replied the teacher, not looking up.

“I am finished” I point out.

“Ask me at lunch” she says, still ticking something.

I sigh inwardly and return to my seat.

**

Fast forward to lunch, I go up and ask her again.

“Ask me at the end of school”

I return to my seat annoyed, and decide to spell the thing myself.

Tommy Industrys was born.

I think it adds personality.