Thursday, June 15, 2006
Gimme shum Pepshi and Sheeds wit my Shammon!
I am two days away from my 20 year high school reunion. I'm not nervous about going, or seeing any particular person, or any of the usual nonsense beside the weather since it's been raining lately and I have 175 miles to drive, and hoping that the small-town coppers don't notice my presence. [That's mostly a joke.]
The thing that's in the backwaters of my mind making swamp gas smells is how I feel about these people. I have no enemies (or among my class; the aforementioned coppers might have another opinion) but I can't really say I have any friends in that group... other than a couple guys I lost touch with in the late 1980's, so they don't count anymore, and I had a lot of acquaintances I'd known for ten years of public schooling, some closer than others. I think of at least one girl I was interested back in junior high that never gave me the time of day and to this day (when I mentioned that midpubescent interest at our 10 year reunion) still hasn't a moment to spare. I'm betting she prefers women. Sometimes I think what I feel is anger, or possibly hate, or just simple ennui... and ennui is definitely preferable, it takes less work and is more accurate. A smattering of people left me with a unpleasant taste in my brain, and rare individuals demonstrated some form of human compassion. It wasn't just the quest for opportunities that did not exist in that town which made me move away, or the pursuit of the woman I eventually married; it was the need to get away from the cyclical redundancy errors and stagnation... and stagnated. "But why would you come back to see these clowns if you despise them so much?" you may ask. Because it's an inside joke; familiarity breeds contempt but it's familiar. I must see what has become of these people I live happily without, whether they're happy with who they have become and whether I am happy with what they have evolved into. And I swear not to take anyone or anything seriously, which is the one lesson I learned from my ten year reunion: out here nothing changes, not in a hurry anyway as a song by Gowan said. The jocks and preps became teachers and state employees, but they were still jocks and preps. And I want to be there to witness this, this time with the attitude: "ah ha ha ha! no matter where they've gone, they're STILL jocks and preps!" rather than what I thought a decade ago: "boo hoo, I'm making a dime above minimum wage at Pizza Slut and they're now teachers and state employees." Things have changed. I am happy and comfortable. They still are dorks. ;-)
The other thing I'm going to do while I'm back in that area is shoot a cardload of photos... the Pioneer Cemetary in the Wenas Valley, the old Canyon Highway tunnel (and the only bug-free without insecticides peach tree in the county outside the entrance), a wander through downtown Yakima for old signs, and to stand out front of the Liberty Theatre to shoot an updated version of this postcard which nancyo23 posted on Flickr:
The thing that's in the backwaters of my mind making swamp gas smells is how I feel about these people. I have no enemies (or among my class; the aforementioned coppers might have another opinion) but I can't really say I have any friends in that group... other than a couple guys I lost touch with in the late 1980's, so they don't count anymore, and I had a lot of acquaintances I'd known for ten years of public schooling, some closer than others. I think of at least one girl I was interested back in junior high that never gave me the time of day and to this day (when I mentioned that midpubescent interest at our 10 year reunion) still hasn't a moment to spare. I'm betting she prefers women. Sometimes I think what I feel is anger, or possibly hate, or just simple ennui... and ennui is definitely preferable, it takes less work and is more accurate. A smattering of people left me with a unpleasant taste in my brain, and rare individuals demonstrated some form of human compassion. It wasn't just the quest for opportunities that did not exist in that town which made me move away, or the pursuit of the woman I eventually married; it was the need to get away from the cyclical redundancy errors and stagnation... and stagnated. "But why would you come back to see these clowns if you despise them so much?" you may ask. Because it's an inside joke; familiarity breeds contempt but it's familiar. I must see what has become of these people I live happily without, whether they're happy with who they have become and whether I am happy with what they have evolved into. And I swear not to take anyone or anything seriously, which is the one lesson I learned from my ten year reunion: out here nothing changes, not in a hurry anyway as a song by Gowan said. The jocks and preps became teachers and state employees, but they were still jocks and preps. And I want to be there to witness this, this time with the attitude: "ah ha ha ha! no matter where they've gone, they're STILL jocks and preps!" rather than what I thought a decade ago: "boo hoo, I'm making a dime above minimum wage at Pizza Slut and they're now teachers and state employees." Things have changed. I am happy and comfortable. They still are dorks. ;-)The other thing I'm going to do while I'm back in that area is shoot a cardload of photos... the Pioneer Cemetary in the Wenas Valley, the old Canyon Highway tunnel (and the only bug-free without insecticides peach tree in the county outside the entrance), a wander through downtown Yakima for old signs, and to stand out front of the Liberty Theatre to shoot an updated version of this postcard which nancyo23 posted on Flickr:
Comments:
<< Home
I attended my ten year reunion which was held at a waterslide park. Classmates brought their spouses and kids. It was fun.
My twenty year reunion was in 2001, and I was recovering from a vocal cord molestation and could not attend.
I suppose I will attend my thirty year one in 2011.
My high school has an alumni website that I go to now and then to see if any of my classmates have posted photos or updates.
At my ten year reunion, there was this guy (a basketball stud) who had become a male stripper. He came in his leopard pants. I noticed the last time I checked our alumni site that he is now doing "normal" work.
Time definitely changes people, some for the better, some not.
Your graduating class was only 90 people, and mine was only 53. I think that's nice. My hubby's class was huge. I attended one of his reunions with him, and he barely knew anyone. It was like a mob of strangers to him.
I've used dial up before, but ours is ridiculous.
It is the slowest of the slow, and half the time photos don't load. It's time for another soak in my bitch relief bathwater. No spray on or roll on that I can find. I would buy it for sure!
My twenty year reunion was in 2001, and I was recovering from a vocal cord molestation and could not attend.
I suppose I will attend my thirty year one in 2011.
My high school has an alumni website that I go to now and then to see if any of my classmates have posted photos or updates.
At my ten year reunion, there was this guy (a basketball stud) who had become a male stripper. He came in his leopard pants. I noticed the last time I checked our alumni site that he is now doing "normal" work.
Time definitely changes people, some for the better, some not.
Your graduating class was only 90 people, and mine was only 53. I think that's nice. My hubby's class was huge. I attended one of his reunions with him, and he barely knew anyone. It was like a mob of strangers to him.
I've used dial up before, but ours is ridiculous.
It is the slowest of the slow, and half the time photos don't load. It's time for another soak in my bitch relief bathwater. No spray on or roll on that I can find. I would buy it for sure!
My ten year, we had dressy dinner at the Holiday Inn on Saturday and a family picnic in the park on Sunday. The twenty, we only had dinner so I'm pretty sure the people who didn't want to pay for dinner didn't have an outlet -- we had a few people at the 10 year Sunday that didn't show for dinner.
The guy who was busy getting stoned because "the reunion was cancelled" was a stripper a few years ago -- one of my classmates cracked us up by telling us about her bachelorette party: he was the entertainment. Surprise!! I think he's found regular work (if he's working); another classmate told us about a different party the guy was working and apparently the woman's fiancee came into the party and beat the snot out of our friend.
No spray or roll-on, darn. Is it available in 55 gallon drums, then?
Post a Comment
The guy who was busy getting stoned because "the reunion was cancelled" was a stripper a few years ago -- one of my classmates cracked us up by telling us about her bachelorette party: he was the entertainment. Surprise!! I think he's found regular work (if he's working); another classmate told us about a different party the guy was working and apparently the woman's fiancee came into the party and beat the snot out of our friend.
No spray or roll-on, darn. Is it available in 55 gallon drums, then?
<< Home
