Hi!  My name is Paul Andrew Norem welcome to my web site.

My Background

I was born on February 1, 1953 in Baltimore Maryland to LeRoy and Elsie Norem. My family moved to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania when I was a year old. We moved to 467 Woodland Road in the North Hills Area. My sister Janet was born in 1957. I attended Berkley Hills Elementary School from 1959-1965. My best friends included Philip Ehrman, Jay Linn, Jeff Roos, Peter Smith, Charlie McIlroy, Marita Roos, Sue Cuniff, Sharon Cuniff, Rusty Cuniff, and John Creel. Childhood memories include, kick the can, Pine Cone Hill, basketball at Childs, baseball at McIlroy's field, the haunted house, wiffle ball, crab apple battles, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at Smith's. From 1965-1968 I attended Ross Junior High School and from 1968-1971 I attended North Hills High School where I met new friends. I was on the Cross Country team, the Track Team, and belonged to the Ski Club. I met some of the loveliest young women who I still have a heart for including Janet Hahn, Jan Heinz, Sara Bobb, Kathy Bunce, and Jan Ingram. I also met Dave Dunnom, Fred Brienger, Tim McCurdy, Al Lowe, Dennis Calhoun, Bill Dennison, John the wine man, and many other new friends. Memories include parties at Dave Dunnom's, the pink castle, the coffee house, Mellwood, Drive Ins, Goofy golf, McConnell's Mill, North Park, North Hills football games, pickup basketball and football. Iron City Beer, THC, Lebanese blond hash, Boones farm, Arriba, Oakland, Shadyside, 45s, Soul music, greaser, hippy, clicker, jock, Led Zeppelin, Captain Beefhart and cruising. 

From 1971-1973 I attended Behrend College in Erie Pennsylvania were I met John Yannoti, Debbie Corsello, Roy, Sean, John, Marcia Zimmerman, Penny Lane, and many others Memories include Keg parties, LSD, Jamaican, Mescaline, State Line, the Beach Boys, food fights, Snow, 18 year old drinking in New York, hitch hiking, Co-ed dorms, George McGovern, the draft lottery, Cafeteria food service, towels under the door, Quaaludes, outdoor rock concerts, peace and love, long hair, and albums. In 1973 I moved to State College Pennsylvania and attended Pennsylvania State University until 1975. I bought my first car a 1958 Austin Healey 100-6. I moved into my first apartment spitting the $175 a month rent with Sean and Jeff. The next year I moved into an apartment with Sara Bobb. During the summer I worked for Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Leetsdale Pennsylvania. Memories of this time include Frat parties, streaking, gas lines, Paul Simon in concert, love, happiness, travel, Wildwood New Jersey, New York City, Columbian, bongs, nitrous oxide, magic mushrooms, white cross, liquid LSD, Bar hopping, Penn State Football, a professors suicide, and finally graduation. I moved from State College back to Pittsburgh with a degree in history and no idea what I should do. I began work as a shipping clerk with FESCO a plastic manufacture for $3.77 an hour. I moved into a very large house in Belleview Pennsylvania with Dennis Calhoun and a number of other friends I met. The house turned into a party house and after a while people left me with the rent. I felt lost and confused. My father had been transferred to Indiana so I decided to visit them in Valparaiso Indiana. Two days later I was able to get a job working a United States Steel Gary Works. I soon worked my way up from labor to mobile equipment operator to dispatcher. I moved out of my parents house and got an apartment near Gary Indiana. I was making very good money and hitting the bars at night. The disco era had replaced the hippie era. I began my working class career. Soon I met many different friends to party with including Ned Spiche, Sammy Spiche,  Nancy Paul, Donna Conklin,  Pepe Rivera, Doc Ponda, Camille Simpson, Conrad Perez and Jane, Dale Swanberg, Bruce Bromin, and many others. During this time I had two to three cars, a nice apartment, an increasing drinking problem. In 1981 I had a back operation and was off work for six months. It was during this time I began using Heroin and cocaine. Memories of this time include the farm, shift work, K &D bar, The Annex, Charlie, one night stands, Wild Irish Rose, Mexican Mud, boy and girl, score, and working nights. By 1984 Reaganomics had taken over and I was laid off my job. My working class days were over.

The mid to late 1980's were my yuppie years. I obtained a management job with McCrory Stores. My job was to go around the country and remake their stores. I had an alcoholic boss so the party was on we traveled to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. I finally settled down a got an apartment in Oak Park Illinois were I proceeded to get laid off again. The next year was a blur of drinking, riding the L Cubs Baseball, and unhappiness. I moved back home and obtained employment in Financial Services. Business slowed down after the crash of 1987 and I left Financial Services and obtained a job at Sears in the hardware department. I also returned to school at Purdue-Calumet where I took classes to complete my teacher certification, and worked my off days as a substitute teacher. I was very successful at Sears twice earning awards for outstanding sales. I completed my teacher certification in 1992. By 1997 I felt I was in a rut and moved to California. I worked a number of jobs in security, retail, and customer service before I decided to return to school at Allan Hancock College. I am now taking classes in human services and computer science and tutoring other students.  I changed my habits and am no longer escaping to drugs and alcohol. I no longer seek inner peace from people, places, and things. Peace comes from my contact with God within me and in my life through nature and love and friendship with others. I try to no longer look for happiness as a completion of a goal but now find happiness in the process of day to day living.