Chapter 1 - Shoom
Hello
My name is Jason Socrates Bode Romanus.
This is the story of my life at up to 40.5 years old with having complex motor syndrome and “maladaptive daydreaming” every day of my life.
In a rough summary of what you are about to read…
While this is going on I am unaware of my pacing and movements. My mind is 100% in another world where I watch things happen and talk to strangers. I stop time and rewind the moments changing one small detail and then watch again. Then I am I there and I say something, just to see the reaction. When the reaction is what I expect it’s boring, when the reaction surprises me it’s exciting. Sometimes this can go on and on. Other times I am in the middle of a crazy scenario and I just watch as people do things. Sometimes I have no idea where I am, sometimes i am no where, and other times I am places that make no sense like the moon lol. The things I see seem 100% real and often my heartbeat will increase and i will sweat to the point that the intensity kicks me out. Like waking up from a dream while standing I feel refreshed. These moments coming back are weird to think about, but never feel weird while happening. Although the things I see seem real, I have never confused my thoughts with the real world. I refer to this whole process as “shooming” because I got the nickname “shoom” some point before my 2nd birthday. I would say shoom instead of the words intended and eventually would ask my mom if I could go to my room to “shoom.” The longest I have stayed in a shoom was around 11 hours. The shooming starts on its own and has never happened in front of another person or pet. My hands flap and arms shake in front of people if I’m not careful. At 40 years old I have pretty much mastered hand and arm control to prevent embarrassing moments.
I hope this book helps someone somehow. I couldn’t imagine growing up without a loving family. This is all still confusing to me so most likely I am not alone. I am not saying I did life 100% correct and someone with these things should do things the way I have, but maybe reading how I got through things could give insight and might be found helpful. I would say my life has been awesome and I have used these things to my benefit the best I could.
Blue = family history and the unknown world
Purple = Music Performances
Red = stupid things i've done or happened to me
Green = Clever Times I Put myself ahead
Pink = Shoom Theories
1983
My name is Jason Socrates Bode Romanus. I was born 11:30pm Saturday December 3rd. One older brother awaited me with my parents who had just bought their first and only home in Waynesburg, Pa and were married for a little over 7 years.
My pap was Greek, my grandma was Italian and German. My Granny was German, English, French, and Swiss. My absent grandfather was German, Swiss, and Austrian
Paul Romanakis, my great grandfather immigrated to America from the island of Crete in Greece in 1912. He lived to 106 passing away in 1996 when I was in 6th grade. My great grandmother, Mary Kozis Romanakis also immigrated from Greece, but from Chios which was on a different island. She was 13 when she had her first of 11 children. She died in 2001 and lived to 95.
Philomenna (Minnie) Hartman, my great Granny lived in Warren, Ohio and lived to 96.
My great Grandma Berkbile died in New Bergen, New Jersey and lived to 92. I only met her once and it was when I was 3 years old and took my first plane ride to visit her.
Around a week into my life and I started throwing up and pooping blood. My parents took me to Children’s hospital where they gave me a spinal tap and ran various tests on me.
Before Christmas I was staying at Children’s hospital intensive care. I had an IV taped onto my forehead and my mom stayed with me. My mom said the room had around 30 other babies in there, but only one other mother staying with her baby. A group of college students came by and asked my mom if they could sing Christmas carols to me.
Shortly after my problems had gotten better and I got to go home. The doctors never knew what happened to me.
1984
My parents said goodnight to me and then I realized that my dad, was my dad. It was the first lightbulb moment I can remember.
When I could first walk I would go to the refrigerator and mutter something like “some more” but sounded like shoom. On top of the fridge was where my mom kept the cheerios. I would get very excited and shake my arms when she would get me more. This is when my mom gave me the nickname shoom.
I had a nightmare that me and my dad were running out of the back basement door of the house and a cave man poured a bucket of sand on our heads.
1985
Jimi tried to mail me away
When I would get excited I would shake my hands. During shooming it is a flap fest with all the excitement.
I had a dream about a cheetah
1986
Here in the real world is the life of me and in Shoomland it is the life of not me
December 25th my grandma & pap got me the Monstar Monstar silver hawk action figure for Christmas. I complained that it wasn’t the one I wanted and my parents told me to apologize for being rude. I did and felt bad ever since.
1987
September 7th Jordan, my younger brother was born. He originally was supposed to be a girl. I was very excited to have a younger brother.
Jimi had made friends with a kid name Ben Howland, he had a younger brother my aged named, Caleb. Since we were the same age and our brothers were friends our parents arranged a day for us to meet. We immediately became best friends.
1988
My parents gave me a birthday party at long john silvers in Waynesburg. My Uncle Chuckie came to Waynesburg to visit. He went and looked at the road roads near the VFW hall.
December 3rd, my 5th birthday I got Winston, the ghostbuster as a gift from my parents.
It was starting to get dark, the ground was completely covered with thick snow. Our home had the best yard for sled riding in the neighborhood. Some of the older kids JP and Olin wanted to go sledding so me and jimmy joined them. Olin made a ramp at the top of where a hill made a big dip. About half of the attempts led to crashing, but the soft snow was there so it was ok. Hitting ramps with a sled was one of the most fun things to do. The older kids were much better, but they never made it feel that way.
1989
Later summer I went with my granny and mom to the south hills village to see Babar the Movie in the theatre. I remember the monkey saying I have a banana and I know how to use it was my favorite part. It was hilarious.
I started kindergarten in the fall. My teacher was Mrs. Hartlarb, she was very nice. I remember crying when my mom dropped me off for the first day. I asked her how I was going to make friends as I stood outside the door of the trailer that was my school room. She told me to just be myself and I would make friends. There was a deck connected a couple other trailers for other rooms as well. The first letter we learned was “M”
I went over to Sammy McLaughlin’s house where he had some type of video game system I had never seen before.
My dad’s basketball team won their first game breaking a very long streak
I went to Chad Cowell’s birthday party at his house. It was the first time I had ever played musical chairs.
I went over to Greg Kilnefelter’s house to play. He lived near the Waynesburg swimming pool. We played super mario brothers 3 on nintendo.
December 31st On I went to my granny’s for Christmas. My granny got me the Babar stuffed animal which was one of my favorites.
1990
In the spring our school went to the Pittsburgh Zoo for a field trip.
In the spring I graduated from kindergarten .
Trying to prove to my older brother that a rock was a rock, not dog shit, by putting it in my mouth
There was a new kid on the bus at the beginning of the school year. Ryan Hampton, who moved down the street from me. We became best friends and then one day when he came over he wanted to kill a frog so I helped him. We took little shovels and killed it for no reason. I don’t know how my mom found out, but she did and was very angry. She didn’t want me hanging around him anymore.
I went to Robert Gooden’s house to play. He lived in a trailer and his parent gave me iced tea to drink. It was the first time I ever tried tea and thought it was disgusting. (because it is) I didn’t try tea again until in my late 20’s
I went over to Cody Patton’s house where we played with Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles. I remember his bed sat really high off the ground compared to what I had ever seen before. We had pizza to eat and I could remember the texture of the cheese very well.
November 15th my great Uncle Mike Romanakis died the age of 48 from cancer
Dancing in the rain, but it was actually another kid pissing himself
1991
I set my bedroom up as a classroom for Jordan. I had my own school for him where I gave him test.
June my great grandparents had their 70th wedding anniversary party. All of my family from my dad’s side was there.
There was a new kid on the bus for the beginning of 2nd grade. Randy Runyan, who lived a couple streets away from me. Randy was from Colorado and was super nice, but a little spoiled by his parents who were also very nice. We would ride bikes, explore the neighbor hood, and play with Gi Joes. Our bus driver, Ralph would call Randy “Colorado” which then became his nickname
December my parents gave me a birthday party at our house. My mom had set up lots of games for me and my friends to play with prizes. Randy had gotten me a Gi Joe helicopter which blew my mind a little.
December My parents gave me a birthday party at Pizza Hut in Waynesburg. Patrick Braddock noticed there was something under his seat or plate. So he switched with me. Shortly after the pizza hut worker asked everyone to look who had the different seat. It was me since Pat switched me and I won a prize for the game. Pat didn’t care and was happy for me.
1992
I had surgery done remove my tonsils and adenoids. I weighed 48lbs before the surgery was done. When I was falling asleep from the sleeping gas I had a vision of the main bad guys in the mario bros 2 video game. When I woke up I was in a bed, Mcguyver was on tv and the Hogan family was there with my parents to wish me well. The Hogan’s and my dad’s basketball team got me “Fantasia” on vhs and a bucket of army men as a gift. Although I could have anything on the hospital food menu I wanted my mom’s orange soda, which she gladly let me have. Me and my mom stayed at my granny’s house for a week as aI recovered. My mom bought me the board games guess who and stratego. I remember having a really good time that week.
In the Spring our school went to the Carneige Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh for our field trip. We rode buses and had lunches packed.
I started drawing snoopy very frequently and started collecting anything snoopy. A few of my friends started calling me snoopy as a nickname which stuck around for a few years.
I had Mrs. Monas for 3rd grade. We were going over multiplying numbers and I had known how to do this for years. I was easily the best kid knowing these. The class would split up into 2 groups and we would compete with each other. My team won 100% of the games throughout the year. We would each get a small prize out of box of things Mrs. Monas had. One time I got a snoopy magnet and Gina a kid in the class accidentally broke it. She said I cried, but I didn’t although I was bummed.
I was the only kid in the 3rd grade to make the 4th grade boys basketball team. I did not start, but got to play a bunch. I remember feeling the pressure of the game was exciting.
I successfully helped potty train Jordan by making a big sign and he could draw a smiley face on it when he correctly went to the bathroom. At this point in life Jordan thought I was pretty cool so it worked.
I pulled santa’s beard down in Mrs Monas’s class. I got in a little bit of trouble and I did not get the bag of M & M’s like the other kids, but it was worth confirming that he was not real and I was being played.
1993
In the Spring our school went to the Carneige Science Center for a field trip. My mom was a parent helper.She bought me a black solar system tee shirt.
I played baseball and Mr. Zwerver was my coach. This was the only year I was good at baseball. The coaches pitched to the kids so no one was trying to throw like a crazy person.
- Josh Morton -
I played in the local soccer league. There were games every sunday thoughout the fall.
I played on the school’s 4th grade basketball team. I played point guard and went 5-1
1994
I won the mile run in the 4th grade of East Franklin school
I played baseball and was on the best team. This was the first year that kids pitched to other kids. We had the best pitcher in the league on our team, Lee Fritz. He was really good, but learning and I took a couple of his fast balls to the face during practice. Bloody noses and tears on my end. I was so bad this year that I felt proud when I got walked onto base. My coaches never wanted me to swing which made it only more clear they thought I sucked. Although our team got first place I did not enjoy the hot scratchy pants in the heat and I clearly wasn’t an all star so at the end of the season my baseball career had ended.
I signed up to play the trumpet in the school band. My parents had rented me one and I was very excited. I wasn’t very good and I didn’t like buzzing my lips into the metal mouth piece. I learned how to play the base notes and some simple songs. I would practice in my bedroom and sounds of horror blasted.
I played in the local soccer league. There were games every sunday thoughout the fall.
I bought the Boyz II Men II cassette and listened to it non stop.
I played on the school’s 5th & 6th grade basketball team. I played point guard
- James Raddish -
Me and James Raddish had to class partners in Mr. Corella’s science class. We both made fun of each other and then became best friends. I told him he was crossed eyed, I forget what he called or told me.
Mrs. Jacobs read my English class a book called Nancy and Plum. I remember thinking that the book was great and enjoyed listening to her read it. Her copy was very beat up and she mentioned how it was hard to find. To this day I think about getting a copy of it and sending to her somehow. My mom got me snoopy plush christmas gifts for me to give my teachers.
1995
In the Spring Mr. Corella would give me bonus points to catch praying mantis’s and crickets so the class could watch the praying mantis eat the crickets.
May 25th I came in 3rd place for the Hershey’s 800 meter run 3:11
Towards the end of May me, my mom, and Doug Mason, the new middle school band director briefly met. We told Mr. Mason that I didn’t really like playing the trumpet. Mr. Mason said that if I got private lessons for the snare drum I could switch to drums.
June I started private snare drum lessons with Dave Coldren, at his music studio, called moonlight studios a few stories up in a building downtown Waynesburg.
I played cymbals for the middle school band for the 4th of July parade in downtown Waynesburg.
July I bought Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morisette on cd. This was the first cd I bought.
I played in the local soccer league. There were games every sunday thoughout the fall.
When school started and the marching band got started I was moved onto bass drum. I was very excited about this.
I became good friends with Heath Wood
I played on the school’s 5th & 6th grade basketball team. I played point guard and went undefeated.
December 14th I performed in the 5th and 6th grade Winter concert for band and chorus.
1996
I played on the 6th grade all star basketball team. My dad and Mr. Nicholson were the coaches. I was the point guard, we had red t shirts as jerseys. We played in a tournament in West Virginia where we went undefeated and took won first place.
In the spring my school went to Meadowcroft Rockshelter in Jefferson Township, PA
Leading a Dog into the Hospital
I played golf with John Fahey at Rohanna’s golf course a few times. It was one of the first time I got to have enough responsibility to do something without an adult.
Chris Evans decided to move me to snare drum in the marching band for my 7th grade year.
My mom took me to Drum World in Castle Shannon to get my drum set. It was a black Mapex kit, that was not the Pearl Export I wanted, but I liked the way it sounded.
I played in the local soccer league. There were games every sunday throughout the fall.
I became good friends with Cody Smith
Mr. Mason brought in another percussion instructor from WVU. Mr. Haleem was from Africa, He wore penny loafer shoes and had an afro with a comb in it. He had an extra pep to his walk and was very nice and extremely talented at the marimba. He wowed me when he played.
September 30th The Waynesburg band competed in The Buckwheat Festival is Kingston, WV. We got first place
October 28th my great grandfather, Paul M. Romanakis died at the age of 106.
I played on the 7th and 8th grade basketball team. I didn’t get to play much and it was the first year I didn’t enjoy playing.
December 18th was the 7th grade winter band concert.
1997
Climbing into the ceiling at school
May 13th was the 6th and 7th grade Spring Band Concert
July 12th was the Mountaineer Music Camp’s Final Concert. We performed “Africa” by toto and I played the congas
July 14th was the first day band camp for drums and percussion.
The waynesburg band went to Jackson’s Mill in West Virginia for band camp.
I played in the local soccer league. There were games every sunday though out the fall. I scored a hat trick in one game and was the leading scorer of my team that year.
September 30th The Waynesburg band competed in The Buckwheat Festival is Kingston, WV. We got first place
October 30th I performed in the Waynesburg Halloween Parade.
December 16th was the Winter Band Concert. I performed with the other 8th graders.
1998
May I went on the 8th grade field trip to Kennywood Park. Before we left, my band Green and White Fish performed for the 7th and 8th grade. This was a our first show and we played Smells Like Teen Spirit, Dammit, and Sex and Candy. Ryan Hampton our singer got nervous before the show and wanted to bail. I pressured him into continuing. josh played guitar sitting down.
The marching band went to Jackson’s Mill in West Virginia for band camp for a couple weeks. I was now in the high school band and was shy, because I was much younger than everyone else.
- Clutter -
The marching band had additional band camp days at the school and there was a new kid that moved to Waynesburg from Trinity who played drums. I remember being told he was really good. This kid was Chris Clutter. We immediately became good friends.
September 15th The marching band performed in the Band Spectacular at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown.
September 21st I received a letter from American Musical Ambassadors inviting me to perform in Europe.
I had Ms. Boros for advanced algebra / Algebra II. Math got real weird. Every question was in the form of a short undeveloped story. There were word problems before, but now with the algebra variables. It should have been more of a philosophy class on why the society had such a trading dilemma. I remember wanting to ask if she knew where these example characters are from. Their location would be a huge factor in the equation. Most of the other kids were in their junior year of school.
Sometime in the fall I had to tell Ryan that he couldn’t be in the band anymore. Me, Josh, and Jimi had been playing 5-6 days a week and he hadn’t. He was upset and our friendship was never the same.
September 30th The Waynesburg band competed in The Buckwheat Festival is Kingston, WV. We got first place
Travis Shiftko started playing guitar and singing with us. He had previously played in a band with my friend Cody Smith.
I went out for the 9th grade basketball team, but after a few practices I decided i did not enjoy it. I could tell it was going to be like when I was in 7th grade again and because I wasn’t a favorite, I wouldn’t be playing much. When I played music, I got to play all the time so I told my dad I didn’t want to play cause of my asthma and quit.
1999
I was losing faith in math as the year went on. Ms. Boros was a nice person, but I could not stand her class. She went right from the book which helped in some ways. In the back of the book was the answers to half of the questions in the book. Therefore; just by copying the answers from the back of the book I had a 50%. To make the abundance of homework down I would do this and then only do 60% of the remaining questions which should give me a c average.
March 20th My mom took me, Jimi, and Josh to Drum World in Castle Shannon, PA. Stephen Perkins, the drummer of Jane’s Addiction/Porno for Pyros was there for a promotion. We got our pictures taken with him, got his autograph, and told him about our band. He was really nice.
May 3rd was Waynesburg high School band banquet.
May 7th I started dating April Carrigan. James Raddish, my best friend arranged the whole deal.
May 21st was the Waynesburg High School Band Spring concert.
My math plan for Ms. Boros’s class took a turn for the worst when I failed the final exam which than gave me F overall. This was the only class I ever failed. After the last day of school I Went to Abby Church’s house with a bunch of friends to go swimming. My mom picked me up and I had to tell her about my F on my report card. Both of my parents were very concerned, but rational about it.
I went to the Van’s Warped Tour to see Blink 182. My mom bought me, Jimi, and Josh a ticket from a Giant Eagle grocery store that had ticketmaster tickets. After the bands were done playing I was leaving through the sea of people when I was solicited to check out a band. Steve was selling cds of his band, punchline for $5 so I bought one.
The summer of 1999 Passive Shadows went to Rude Dog Ranch studios, where we recorded analog. I recorded drums at the top of a stairwell. The album was called “Racoon Rescue.” The day we were suppose to originally start recording was rescheduled by Jimi so he could hang out with Jen his girlfriend. Travis punched Jimi in the face on my back porch that day.
September 25th Passive Shadows played our first show at Ryerson State Park for the Arts in the Park battle of the bands. We got 2nd out of 3 bands. Optical Illusion and 7’77 were the other bands.
September 30th The Waynesburg band competed in The Buckwheat Festival is Kingston, WV. We got first place
October 30th I performed at the Bands of America Regional Championship at West Virginia University.
Dec 31st I stayed at my Granny’s house during Y2K