Tim Petrone

Been busy trying to get a business started here in Coos Bay that will provide the local youth with a wide variety of entertainment, as well as valuable services to help keep them safe from negative influences such as drugs; alcohol; criminal acts; sexual activity; etc.

My ultimate goal is to help reduce the serious drug problem in the area (primarily the 'meth' epidemic), as well as teen alcohol abuse; teen pregnancy; the high school drop-out rate; and INCREASE the number of young people involved with the community in a positive way.

The business will be a coffee house with entertainment such as live music, karaoke, movie nights, games, open-mic nights, etc. (the 'entertainment' list is quite long).

On top of the entertainment, there will also be services such as tutoring and drug & alcohol counseling (just to name a couple...this list is also quite long).

Incentives will be offered to customers who can provide documented proof of any volunteer work they've done (possibly a free beverage or something for every five hours of volunteer work...the details haven't yet been worked out). High School students will receive a small discount (10%) on every beverage purchased during NON-SCHOOL HOURS (excluding weekends). Rewards will also be given to students with good grades.

I could go on and on about this, but I don't want to give too much away. This project has been in the works for several years, but my official Business Plan was recently completed and is ready for banks and investors.

Unfortunately, the first few years following high school were a bit rocky for me, and I lived a very "free-spirited" lifestyle...the results of which were poor credit, poor work history and a few minor offenses on my criminal record...all of which are making it difficult to acquire funding for my business, but rather ironically, are also the very reasons that I came up with the idea for my business in the first place.

I won't give up though. This town desperately needs a way to fight the problems facing its youth, and I've been working closely with a Business Advisor to make it happen as soon as possible...so if you happen to see a sign that reads, "Adrenaline Performance Cafe", come on in to say "hi" and check it out.

Aside from my business plans, I've done a variety of interesting things since high school.

I've lived in Portland; Salem (3 times...always against my will, as I'm NOT a fan of that place); Medford a couple times; and Bullhead City, Arizona...but I've always been driven back here by forces unknown. Where my life will take me in the future, I don't know?

I've had a number of different jobs, but the most interesting was during the summer of '04...or '05...can't remember which...when I worked as a prep cook and later a buffet cook at Crater Lake National Park.

The job itself wasn't exactly "ideal", but the experience was one I'll never forget...in fact, I met my current best friend Stephanie while working there.

The company hires employees from all over the world, so I had co-workers from all over the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa...pretty much everywhere. In sort-of a crazy coincidence, one of the foreign employees (from the Czech Republic) had been an exchange student from our class at Marshfield (Patrik).

The average age of the employees there was 24, and we all lived in college-style dorms (though we could get away with a lot more than college students could). As few employees had cars and we were stuck on top of a snow-covered mountain (the snow there melts a little in August, but only for about a month)...the partying was endless! Even the employees that didn't speak a word of english had a blast partying with us, and vice-versa. I made friends with countless people from countless parts of the world, and I'll cherish that summer for as long as I live. I highly recommend it for anyone seeking a seasonal job or an amazing cultural experience. If you think you might be interested, go to http://www.coolworks.com to apply or to seek similar work. The site offers job opportunities at every National Park, most State Parks, Cruise Line jobs, Resort Jobs, International work, etc. You can apply for most online, and many aren't too picky about your past experience.

As some of you may know, I dropped-out of school 2 months into our senior year, but immediately received my G.E.D and fully intended to further my education, despite my troubles while at Marshfield. I didn't get into college right away...as I said, I was quite "free-spirited" for awhile...but in '02 I attended SOCC (a.k.a Southwestern Oregon Community College...or "Empire University" as some of us called it) as a Business major for one term, then was forced to postpone my education due to a lack of funds and my ineligibility to receive financial aid at the time.

Then later in '02, on a whim, I attended a Bartending college in Tualatin, Oregon and became a certified bartender, though I've never actually worked in a bar since then. I guess I just did it to have something to fall back on if my other endeavors failed.

More recently, in '06, after I got my head on straight and decided to REALLY get my life together, I was accepted into The Art Institute Of Pittsburgh - Online Division, to work toward a Bachelor degree in Media Arts and Animation. I completed two terms, and though the coursework was intensive and at times overwhelming, I still managed to maintain a 3.8 GPA.

I eventually decided to put my education on hold due to the fact that my top priority was to get my business off the ground, but intend to continue with it as soon as I have the time and the means.

As far as my personal life is concerned, I've been single for 9 years (by choice, as I haven't had the time to seek love...though I do go on occasional dates...I'm just not actively seeking a relationship).

I live alone and obviously have no children, though my cats Godric and Draco are sort-of like my children (pathetic, I know...but being single it's nice to have them around).

My family is well. My parents managed Midway RV Park for a few years, but are both semi-retired now and live in Reedsport. They also own property in Wasilla, Alaska (home of Sarah Palin)...though I think it rather pointless considering they bought it like 6 years ago and have never done anything with it...but whatever.

My younger brother, and only sibling Adam joined the Army Reserve at 17, then went active-duty at 18 after graduating from CE2 in '01. Since then, he's served two tours of duty in Iraq, and has advanced in rank VERY quickly.

While stationed in Anchorage, Alaska after his first tour, he met his wife Erin (who was in the Air Force at the time), and they were married in March of '05, just before Adam left for his second tour in Iraq. Adam's still in the Army and they're now living in Clarksville, Tennessee, where they own a new beautiful home which they share with their two labs (one Black, one Chocolate), Gus and Bailey...and hopefully in the near future, a niece or nephew for me. They're doing exceptionally well, and I only wish I could see them more often.

Well that basically covers the basics.

Update: 7/8/2010 - Recently opened a business called Dionysus Decorating & Design. It's mainly to get me established and help me save money until I can get my coffee house open. I currently live in a nice studio apartment in Coos Bay with my cat, Draco. Sort-of dating...we'll see how that goes. Check-out my business profile at www.myspace.com/dionysusdecorating

A story I'll never forget happened early in my senior year, and was more embarassing than almost anything I've ever experienced.

I rode the bus to school every day, which was embarassing enough for a senior, but on one unfortunate day that I'd LOVE to forget, the events that occurred were HORRIFYING...funny, but horrifying.

As the bus stop was right outside my house, I always watched for the bus through the glass sliding-door in our family room. That day, I guess I was caught-up in a daydream, because the bus pulled-up, waited, then drove away without me even noticing it.

My mom was a few feet away in the kitchen and asked, "wasn't that your bus?", to which I replied, "yes", and explained that I had been spacing-out and didn't even notice it...which normally would have made her irate, but much to my surprise, she didn't get mad at all and told me she'd give me a ride to school after she got ready for work, but that I might miss my first couple of classes.

I was shocked and couldn't believe my luck...but it didn't last long. A few minutes later another bus stopped outside, and my mom told me to go out and try to get on it. I tried explaining to her that it was probably a Jr. High or Elementary school bus, but she didn't care.

When I refused to go out and try to get on the bus, she took-off outside in her bathrobe...hair in curlers, like something out of a bad 80's sitcom, and began yelling for the bus to stop while waving her arms around like a crazy person. The driver got the message, obviously, and didn't go anywhere.

My mom then came back into the house, grabbed me by the arm and dragged me outside, then shoved me toward the bus (which of course, was packed with people).

I reluctantly got on the bus, only to discover that it was MY bus. A couple people on it had seen me sitting in my family room the first time around, and convinced the driver to come back for me.

Thankfully no one laughed at me (at least not that I heard), and some people actually showed some sympathy. By the end of the day, my embarassment had subsided and it had become just a really funny story that I'll never forget...unless I'm fortunate enough to go senile one day...or suffer from amnesia.