High School Reunions: Classic or Dud?

The second was pretty awful, because the people who didn't bother with me at school were there and they still weren't bothering with me. I remember one conversation with a girl who gave me one word answers all the time and kept staring off into the middle distance. The only real difference was that ten years ago I would have really cared that they didn't want to speak to me, but now I don't give a toss. I wasn't enjoying it, so I left and that's it. No trauma.

Haha, I've just remembered the best part of the evening, though, which was meeting my former best friend who'd left school with the ambition of becoming a hairdresser, but instead went the born-again christian route and went to teach children in Africa. She was very nice, but then started on about the evils of lesbians, at which point Lara, who turned up wearing leather trousers and boasting about her huge mortgage, said "I dunno, I quite enjoy getting down between the ol' beef curtains" and shut everyone up. Hmm, maybe it wasn't such a bad night after all.

or just being at home on xmas eve (which i did last year but am not doing this year) is the equivilent as everyone goes down the pub.

I wouldn't fancy my own school reunion, though. Bunch of elitist stockbroking cunts, I bet.

If I had run into any one of those people on the street, it would've taken me a week to really work through it. However, at the reunion there are like 300 of them and it's total overload. But that's why they serve booze.

I can't go because of the distance involved but I think I will send something in for the 'memory book.' I kinda want to go but I'm also kinda afraid that given the poverty of my classmates, it'll be depressing and I'll feel all guilty about escaping.

I'm not going, partly cause I wouldn't be there for Thanksgiving anyway, partly cause I don't go north that time of year, partly cause I don't remember these kids that well -- I was never in high school except for class, and then I went to Denny's or home to write :)

Gotta admit I'm curious about the class of 94, but I'm not on their list.

*ahem* But anyway, my verdict as of now is "DUD". Later on this may change, but we'll just have to see about that.

I don't think it'd be as pronounced at the ten mark, though.

I might go to 20 - but maybe not.

But at the same time, I don't think I'd have the courage to go. A lot of the people I've keep in contact with have already graduated, whereas I'm barely a sophomore. My reputation was for being the consumate slacker, guess I'm keeping up appearances.

chris v that prog was on uk tv last night!!

but i wz watching se7en

My 20th one is in September - it's going to be a weird scene, so you should come with me.

hooray.

1) The ultra-conservative unix nerd, 23 and about to be married to one of those girls who presumes "efficient" to be the greatest conceivable compliment one human being can offer to another. Got fat.

2) The gym teacher's daughter. Who spent the whole evening talking about her former crush on David Ducovny and how embarrassed she was. Before proceeding to her current crush: Orlando Bloom. Plucked her eyebrows too much.

3) The tedious guy now doing PG work at MIT. Nice person, but not a great conversation. We talked about Tim Berners-Lee for 4 minutes and ran out of topics. Played with his water glass for much of the time. Lost all shape to his face.

4) The girl I thought was my friend but didn't evince any interest in a single thing I said. Made a point of snubbing everybody and talking on her cell-phone. Looks like a pickled version of her 15-year-old-self.

5) The charter member of my school's "Bitch Clique" who loudly passed judgement on everybody out of hearing range. She rolled her eyes toward me at the announcement of the awards, grinning wryly and trying to ingratiate herself with me. As generic as can be.

6) The Wiccan lesbian (the only likeable figure) who left with me at the end and went to the Spiritu Fermenti, where we bought 40s which we drank while complaining about things that happened over ten years ago. A few grey hairs.

I lied to get in, though, and didn't have to pay a cent. And I've totally aged the best: I'm feeling better about myself. I also realize that my adolescent inability to relate to many of my peers is (now) a mark of my discriminating character. An unlikely and unlikeable classic.

Don't regret it either.

The 10 year reunion was after 11 years - that's how much people cared.

The 20 year is coming up this year... I'm almost thinking about going since I still have all my teeth and hair, and I'm not a fatass. But then, I don't really care.

I found out later that there had been a half-assed 5-yr reunion but no one bothered to find me. Again, I didn't really care.

Not that I'd go if invited, but still.

Out of curiosity, I did check in on classmates.com awhile back, but I registered with a fake name.

I just missed my 10-year (it was in the states, I wasn't), then got this email:

Hi Class of 97. I just wanted to say it was great to see everyone that came to the reunion on Saturday. For those of you who could not make it we hope to see you next time. So that I can make sure I have everyone's e-mail for the next reunion please let me know if you change your e-mail address over the next 5 years.

I'm gonna have to keep a note above my desk for the next five years.

I've never bothered to go.

I don't think we even had one at my school. Then again, I went to Catholic girls' highschool and there were less than 100 of us. I probably would have gone just out of morbid curiosity.

At my 10th, people were still kinda uptight about themselves because they were beginning to discover just how large that disconnect was between their imagined goals in life and what their reality was. Not surprisingly, a large number of them were lawyers or were in law school at the time.

By my 20th reunion (four years ago) that uptightness had pretty much dissipated. No one really had anything to prove to themselves or to others and so it was much easier to talk to people without feeling like someone had something to prove. Best part was finding out that people who were complete jackasses at age 16 were now totally nice.

Advantages in my case: small graduating class (79 people) which meant small turnout for the 20th reunion (about 12 people) so it was possible to have just one big conversation.

Additional advantage: a very large supply of beer provided for by the school. (also one of the alums own a medium-level vineyard and provides wine for everyone who goes to the reunions)

facebook etc makes this seem more and more like something i might go to
i missed the 10th b/c i was far away and not really interested - i mean, what's 10 yrs; i still felt really young and carefree/lost at 28.
i think the 20th wld be a party, you're right. i should invest in an okanagan vineyard sooner rather than later.

Ugh, my 30-yr reunion is in May.

I skipped my 10th because I knew no one I wanted to see would be going either (also, most of my friends were in the class ahead of mine). Considering my 20th in 2012, though, thanks mostly to facebook getting me back in touch with people I didn't think I cared about getting back in touch with.

I live in the same town I graduated from HS in (fuck you, fate -- no really, FUCK YOU), but I can't see going to this. Time has not made those years seem any less shitty.

Is this more of an American tradition than a UK one? I'm pretty sure my school has never had one (though I could equally believe everyone in my school simply forgot I existed, ha). I'd be sort of interested to see what people were doing now, but not so much that I'd want to be in a room with everyone. I guess that's what the internet is for? I'm only facebook friends with one person from my year at school, had barely any actual friends there and what few I did have were two years above me.

Americans love nostalgia, which is weird considering how relatively young the nation is. I blame greeting card and tissue commercials.

My tenth is this year. There were about ten people in my graduating class that I'd want to see. Well, maybe more (factoring in random surprises? people who like me that I don't know? these weird Mormons whose faces I don't remember that hit me up on Facebook sometimes?). The people I'd really want to see are the kind who don't do to high school reunions. I'd actually like to see some of my old teachers – I don't know if they go to these things. I really hate my home town, though, and I wouldn't want to spend money to go there.

Not sure where to put this...

Today I learned that a guy I knew in high school murdered his estranged wife and then killed himself. They had a 14 year old son.

A guy you knew well? A guy you knew and liked? Or just a guy you knew?