The week of June 8, 1992 turned out to be one of the best in his young adult life. Though it didn’t directly affect his writing life, part of it helped form his ambition to pursue a life outside the realm many people considered ‘ordinary’ or safe. Jay (who took the stage name of Jonn Thomas in reference to his two earliest and best friends) sang lead vocals and played keyboard in his band’s first official show. It was a Wednesday night of finals week, arguably -and notably according to the bar managers and other bands in the area- the worst night possible, but after being told for months that nobody wanted to hear what they were playing and being stubborn enough not to agree, they took on Open Mic nights until they drew enough people in. The bar, ‘The Small Planet,’ tossed them a bone with this finals week gig, but didn’t expect much from this show. When the line slipped out the door and curled around the corner, there was no doubt that Jay knew how to find the pulse of the average individual. Delusions of Grandeur performed to a packed house and within a year recorded an album and were respected as one of the dominant and best bands in the region.

Jay’s father, who filmed the show, took him out golfing -a sport her took on when his grandfather bequeathed his golf clubs to him- on Friday of that week. Jay wasn’t any good, and with a volatile temper that had seen him break many tennis rackets in high school, had a fit when he couldn’t manage to get the ball to go anywhere. On a short par three, Jay tee’d the ball extra high and took an angry whack at it. The ball flew high over the water, bounced twice on the green, and then fell deep into the cup for a hole in one. Jay has since mellowed and found enjoyment in life rather than frustrations and competition … just don’t challenge him. You might just see that competitive edge reemerge.

The next day, Saturday, Jay graduated college. The ceremony was nothing out of the ordinary but when his mother left immediately following it, worried that his father would make it home to Connecticut before her and take things from the house without permission, it soured the moment. This was another major turning point in his life. He couldn’t find a way to deal with the impending ugly divorce and didn’t know in whom to trust: another theme that finds its way into his writing.