Went to my 20-year high school reunion last weekend. I thought perhaps, that after 20 years, the specific high school experience would be not as important to people as having grown up together; the fact that some of these folks went to school K through 12 with me would mean more than the rest. A lot of them were my good friends until middle school when, alarmingly, appearance became more important than... well than anything else. I was wrong. Several people with whom I had been very good friends as a child just seemed remote and uncomfortable. Maybe it was just them. On the other hand, I was pleased to discover that Craig Ruffolo is just a really nice guy, and Josh and Brenda and Charles, among others, continue to be very cool and I was happy to reconnect with them.
The picnic on Sunday, however, was much more laid back. Everyone's kids were running around together. Joe Poppas and I geeked out on SF for a good 45 minutes. Made me feel better about the whole thang.
The strangest moment of the entire weekend was when someone I had considered to be my personal tormentor, the overly handsome male peer in high school whose pointed comments about my appearance and intelligence always stung fiercely (WS for those who would know him), who continued his reign of abuse long after the generic cuts of middle school had ended.... well, he came up to me and said he just wanted to say hello before I left the picnic on Sunday. I was floored. Dumbfounded. If I'd had any idea that he would come up to me, I would have had some pithy offhand remark at the ready. But instead, I made polite conversation, and left in a state of shock. I asked Matt if he thought maybe he'd wanted to say he was sorry; Matt said perhaps that was the apology.
Go figure.
Regardless, I'm done with summer. Bring on the snow!
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