The "planning " committee for my 25 th high school reunion met tonight. I couldn't make it- a combination of snow and lack of child care made that impossible. I think I actually wanted to go tonight. I think. I haven't been to a reunion since I graduated. The last one (20) I had just had the cancer surgery, and the new baby, and I REALLY didn't want to go.
I see very few of my old classmates- on purpose really. I mean, I see my husband obviously- and a few select others. But I don't go out of my way to do "townie" things. Hell, I don't remember most of the people I went to school with and certainly don't recognize them now. It can make for some uncomfortable meetings- for them mostly- since honestly I don't much care. But my husband likes this sort of thing. He's always lived here and these are "his people".
I left this town a few weeks after graduation and never really looked back. That is, until I moved back to get married and actually live here. I suspect that I will have to get off my high horse and involve myself in this reunion. I have been told by some that I will "enjoy" it. I don't think they are right.
I graduated in 1984. I didn't hear my first Madonna song until after I graduated.( Yes, her first album DID come out in 1983, but I already told you I live in a one horse town. ) I went to school and there were no computers. I drove a 1964 Ford Fairlane (which looked like this- except mine had a hard top that was the same color blue as the car)
We went to see Footloose at the theatre, The Terminator, Repo Man, Breakin' and it's evil cousin- Breakin' 2 Electric Boogaloo (which wasn't so much electric or full of boogaloo ) , 16 Candles, Amadeus, Porkys. I listened to AC/DC, Rush (not so much me-but my boyfriend), Ozzy. A lot of my memories of that time have the album "crazy train" in the background. We had older brothers buy us beer and had parties and drank in abandoned summer cottages and in the woods. We played video games in an arcade- no home systems for us!
It seems so long ago, I guess because it was. I am going to be 43 in less than 2 months. I have been able to drink longer than I was unable to legally drink. Plus some, because I moved to Texas when they changed the drinking age to 21- they grandfathered in all the 18 years olds so they could keep on drinking, and naturally, I took full advantage of that situation.
I have been driving for 27 years. I have worn everything from preppie to trashy the first time around. Toe socks and Candies heels- but not together. At one time I had big, feathered back hair. Parachute pants and Gunne Sax dresses. I used to get sun tans. I remember when pagers were the rage, then when getting a cell phone was a really, really big deal. But now, my classmates have actually been dying of natural causes. I am old. And I have a 4 year old.
Right now you are probably thinking- ohhh- it's a friday night and she's doing some drinking and blogging- never a good combo. But I'm not. I just put the chicklet to bed and looking over the huge list of emails that I have gotten from ex classmates. I'm just thinking out loud. No Gin involved. Yet.....
2 comments:
One of the disadvantages of visiting my hometown is that, although we had 5 high schools of 2000 students each, I seem to have gone to high school with EVERYONE. In Modesto, we sit around and play TWO degrees of separation.
Somewhere along the line, I also seem to have swapped generations, as my mother's current best friend was my best friend in junior high.
It's absolutely normal to go all reflective (without the gin!) in your forties. I know I have.
I won't be going to any reunions, though. I attended three different highschools (at four different times, so it was like going to four different highschools) and I really wouldn't know which one to pick.
But go. Enjoy it. It's your very own, personal, back to the future type thing.
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