Two Degrees of Separation

By Johnny Fox

Two Degrees of Separation chronicles Johnny Fox's college years. How his burgeoning golf addiction almost derailed his academic plans at 18. How he switched courses, then towns but still couldn't shake the urge to hone his swing. And how, years later, he sought redemption at the college of Saint Mary. Two degrees is a light-hearted account of Johnny's journey from college dropout to star pupil ~ featuring juicy stories, alluring anecdotes, and waves of wistful wisdom. Whatever the hell that last bit means. Plus, the fun and games he had in the States and Oz after wangling a year abroad.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Johnny Fox
• Release date: Aug 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301383061

Johnny Fox

Johnny Fox—AKA BC Johnny—is an award-winning British-Canadian humo(u)r writer living in Canada. He's worked as a sports journalist since his early 20s, including stints at the Daily Mail, Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Canadian Running. Highlights include chasing Tiger round The Open in 2001, blagging his way to Wembley multiple times and watching Kournikova at Wimbledon. He was there to see Becker and Henman, but kept getting distracted. He's also edited for the Vancouver Sun, written for BC Business and hosted his own radio show in Toronto. Johnny has a First-Class degree in Sports Science—which sounds good but obviously means diddly-squat in the real world. And he loves to run, though vehemently claims it's not "away from" anything and always "towards" something. Usually a post-race buffet. And the 'award-winning' he refers to up top is nothing to do with humour writing: They're all for playing soccer, golf and running. But if people want to assume things. Those humour gongs are imminent, though. It's simply a matter of time... and some focused bribery. Johnny lives in Victoria, British Columbia—the perfect place for his conservative pot-smoking. He's single and something of an anomaly, now being in his mid-40s and never having married. He believes this may be to do with his secret admiration for King Solomon, and would be up for trying out the 700-wives thing—at least for a month.

Book preview

Two Degrees of Separation

When Education Becomes an Education

By

Johnny Fox

Smashwords Edition

Two Degrees of Separation

Copyright © 2013 by Johnny Fox

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One: The DEN Club

Chapter Two: Bare Minimum of… Fore!

Chapter Three: Stoked for the Potteries

Chapter Four: The Getaway

Chapter Five: Sluggin’ it out in Etruria

Chapter Six: Letting Go and Moving On

Chapter Seven: Platteville

Chapter Eight: Dancing Down Under

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TWO DEGREES OF SEPARATION

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Chapter One: The DEN Club

THROUGHOUT high school, the Holy Grail – instilled into us from the day we first pitched up as 11-year-old fresh-‘kids’ with bad haircuts and oversized clothing – was going to college.

Snagging a university place, then studying hard (at least the night before Finals) to gain a hallowed degree was faithfully endorsed as the key to securing a dream job, dream life and living happily ever after.

With no better plan I put faith in this strategy, studying hard (mainly the night before) for my GCSEs (England’s first tier of secondary education exams) at St. Peter’s High School in Gloucester. Bagging at least four grade Cs would secure my Sixth Form entry. And the right to tackle A Levels.

Unfortunately right around this time – in fact two months before my GCSE exams – I discovered golf.

This was pretty bad. Not so much for my GCSEs – I’d done most of the donkey work for those – but for my A(dvanced) Levels.

When I should have been chaining myself to a desk and discussing why European leaders of the early 20th Century were all corrupt, follically-challenged dictator-types, I was all too often sneaking off to groom my backswing in-and-around the cow pats at Minchinhampton Old Course.

As such, my A Level results were more riddled with bogeys than birdies. I was secretly hoping for A-B-C (easy as 1-2-3?) and needed B-C-D