(This is the eighth part of an album I am building. For more information please go to homebrave.com.)

Everything changed, for me, when Ira Glass started “This American Life” in 1996. I’d been working odd jobs, trying to support my family, and pretty much failing. Then Ira called and asked that I contribute stories for his new show. He wanted me to write about the odd jobs I’d been taking. So I went back to the beginning, just after I quit my “real” job.

The Test, produced and edited by Alix Spiegel and Ira Glass, aired on This American Life in 1996.

I invite everyone to listen to these stories for free, and then decide whether they are worthy of a donation. If so, please go to homebrave.com and look for the DONATE button.