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Do you find the idea of high school reunions appealing, horrific, or outside your realm of things to have feelings about?
-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001
I loved mine. My wifes was different than mine. I'll come back to this though. James
-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001
Interesting question... my ten-year one is coming up pretty soon, and my best friend and I have talked about it before. I personally don't find the idea appealing. I didn't have a very good high school experience, but that doesn't have much to do with my feelings about it besides the fact that I'm not sure how many people there are people I'd be happy to see again. :) I think if someone had a great time in high school, etc., they could probably have a terrific time at a reunion, and more power to them. But to me, once I left high school I didn't much think about it again and left behind a lot of things that happened there, so I don't see any real need to go back. :)
-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001
I've never been to a reunion. My 20th is coming up in two years, and if my school/class has a reunion, I will attend. My brother went to his but I haven't heard any of his stories yet. I think he had a good time. I think I'll like going to mine. I didn't have a great time in high school, but I liked it enough that I think it might be fun to see these people after all this time. I have had virtually NO contact with anyone from my high school since literally graduation day, with maybe one or two exceptions. And since we didn't have a 10 year reunion, the intervening years have really stacked up. That just makes it all the more interesting to me. I think it will be as much fun as I choose to make it.
-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001
I went to my 20th and had a good time. I hadn't seen a lot of my "old" classmates in the intervening years. And man were they old. The gals were way older than I remember. Except for two of them. After I applied some "blue ice" to take the swelling down, I talked with them. It was enjoyable. I was single at the time but nothing materialized. Damnit. Some were there in spirit only and we shed a few tears for them. We got drunk and laughed a lot. I didn't go to the Saturday night dance. I was working as a contractor and had to be to work by 5am to line out the day for my employees. Yeah I worked them Sundays. I'm a slave driver. Besides Pam had a date and I was bummed. Long story. Now my wife's reunion was totally different. What a bunch of snipey bitches. I was appalled. I didn't know cheerleaders did stuff like that. I kept saying to my wife and her cackling clutch, "she did what?" Finally my wife told me bluntly to f*#k off. So I picked up on this sweet little divorcee and we danced all night. It was great. Then, when my wife saw me having so much fun and dancing "really" close, it was time to go home. James
-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001
You puppies. My next will be my 30th ACK!!! My 25th was supposed to be last year, but I didn't hear anything about it. I went to my 10th. It was the sweetest revenge. I looked better than I had in high school, was doing well at the time and was pseudo-voted "most improved". It was a great equalizer and helped me realize that being popular and beautiful (I was neither) in high school had no bearing on life after.
-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001
I got fat. I'm not going back.
-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001
As usual, deb cracks my shit up. I'm sure you're mah-velous, dahling. You're my twin, you have to be.Considering everyone from my small-town high school class of 130 have all married each other and taken up residence down the road from their parents, I really don't see any reason to go back. Sounds like nothing much has changed in 8 years. I only keep in touch with two friends and they keep me updated on who showed up at the town's ONE bar, who married who, and HOW many babies has she popped out already? I was thinking of going to that highschoolalumni.com site and making up a bunch of stuff (Hey guys, remember me, Luchina? I moved to Las Vegas and opened up my very own brothel, it's Madame Luchina now! Write me, I'd love to hear from you!) but couldn't decide if that would be really funny or really sad.
-- Anonymous, January 03, 2001
Not a chance. If my school even did them, it would be 20 years this year. But it was a department of defense school, we all scattered all over the world after graduation, and I haven't kept up with a single person.I had a good high school experience, but those days are over and I don't see any reason to revisit them.
-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001
After 5 high schools and ultimately graduating from an (awesome) alternative school, I have 0 contact with anyone at all from high school. Which stinks, because I had lots of good times in lots of different places and I met so many great people. But I married right after graduation and moved overseas, and the school from which I graduated doesn't have reunions. Still, even if they did, I don't think I'd go. Maybe if I had kept in touch with just 1 person, and I could plan to hook up with that person and catch up while checking out everyone else, I would go.The person-with-whom-I-live-in-sin has no interest in going to his...last year was his 5 year. Yeah, I'm a cradle robber!
-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001
There wasn't enough money in the world to get me to go to my 10th reunion the other year. God, no.
-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001
I want to go, but invisibly. I want to gawk at what everyone's become but not let them see me unless I choose to reveal myself.But since moving back home, I've seen 2 or 3 people who I wasn't really friends with, at the local after-work-hangout. Either they didn't recognize me or didn't want to make a move (as I didn't) and that's fine. I just smiled a lot and made sure they knew that I was with my guy. I got picked on a lot, so I guess the offenders would stare at me in disbelief if they knew I was married.
-- Anonymous, January 04, 2001
My 10 year is coming up....and if my school had one...I would attend. I would love to see everybody....and Say Hey I have breasts now, and they aren't fake!! No, really it would be nice to see all those people again.
-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001
I loved high school! I couldn't wait to go to my 10 year reunion, and I had the perfect outfit and everything, but I had some Chinese food for lunch which gave me food poisoning, and I had to miss my reunion that night. I'm still so upset about that!
-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001
I've never been to one. I moved to CA in my junior year, so I didn't make that many close friends that I would care to see again. I would love to go to the one from the high school I went to in Ohio, though. My husband hasn't been to any of his either. He probably would if we still lived in Orange County.
-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001
I went to my 5th a couple of years ago, and I had a lot of fun. It seemed like a lot of the kids who felt awkward and unsure of themselves in high school (and I include myself in that corner) had become a lot more comfortable with themselves and happy with their lives. And it was fun to see my old teachers in a new environment (ie, after they'd had a drink or two). I also overheard a lot of catty remarks and bragging, but that didn't surprise me since I figure that's human nature.My 10th is next year, and I'll probably go to that. I like seeing where people have gone with their lives, and I also like that I can see them for one night and then leave.
-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001
Right on, Elena, I think that's a big plus where reunions are concerned and I'm counting on that factor if/when I attend my 20th: see them one night and then leave. :-)
-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001
There were 312 people in my graduating class. Of that number 21 were killed in Vietnam: 18 men and 3 women. I will never go to a reunion. Ever.
-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001
I've heard some negative and positive comments on reunions. Let me give you some realities. There are many fast and true friendships born of highschool reunions. Remember that we all were a lot different and most were very shallow at that time of our lives. Things change and we change. Most for the better. I encourage you all to go. Just let things flow. See what happens. Like Paul says, "it's just for one night." I have heard of quite a few people who have gone to reunions and found that the conceptions we held of others at the time are not what were real and that because most of us have matured, we are able to resolve some things that we held tight to all these years. And most reunions are a real kick in the pants. We have learned how to have "real" fun and are old enough to regret it the next day. So go to your reunions and have fun. Don't be a stick in the mud. And it's a hell of an opportunity to stand up for yourself and snipe about the cheerleader who now has 4 kids and is fat as a pig. james
-- Anonymous, January 05, 2001
Hmm. How to put this without sounding like any of those things...It's not that I don't recognise that people change and grow up and what happens in high school is not indicative of lifelong attitudes - I know this quite well, and in fact have run into a couple of people from that time and made peace with them, with sincerity and enthusiasm on both sides. The people that I was on good terms with at the time remain so, and I wish them the best. It's not that I'm a stick-in-the-mud or holding tight to things that happened years ago and ought to be let go. It's not any of that. The truth is that high school was not a significant event for me, aside from one teacher and a couple of friends whom I've kept in touch with since then. Apart from those people, it wasn't interesting or fun or important. It's not that I'm being bitter - I'm not bitter. I just have absolutely no interest in going. The things that have happened to me since that time are far more significant and far more responsible for shaping me as the person I am.
Now, an elementary school reunion... THAT would be fun. :) I could go back to Catholic school and see all the nuns and teachers I loved so much, see what happened to all those kids I still remember. My father went back to an elementary school reunion (same Catholic school, actually) and he had a blast. They had one event in the church where they introduced one of the nuns, Sister Clarissa, who had taught every single person in the church in kindergarten, and in some cases many of their children. She got a standing ovation that brought the house down.
-- Anonymous, January 06, 2001
The problem is, James, what if you *are* the cheerleader who's now "fat as a pig"?Bottom line is that I have no interest in a high school reunion, and I'm sure no one's itching to know what I'm up to, either. But even if I did, I'm far too self-conscious to go because I know that I would be one of those lumped into the the "MAN, did she get fat!" comments. And I just don't feel like dealing with the emotional trauma of that. My accomplishments -- namely, that I am one of two women in my entire school's history to go to an Ivy League Grad program, I am one of maybe a dozen students total to hold a graduate degree, I am one of three people to have lived and worked in New York -- would all feel negated by the fact that I "got fat." That shit's worse than high school itself was.
I'll pass.
-- Anonymous, January 06, 2001
Dwanolla, I would be so blinkin proud of my accomplishments that I wouldn't care how anyone in the old school thought of me. I'd go just to let them know all about my accomplishments. I guess it's just me. James
-- Anonymous, January 06, 2001
James, if you don't care what they think of you, why would you want to go just to let them know what you've done? :)
-- Anonymous, January 06, 2001
Because I like to visit with people. I'm a social animal. Ok! There's chicks there I can vicariously flirt with. My wife is the real deal but I still like to flirt. I like to listen to people who have done things in life like me and not like me. I'm just interested in people. Once you get there you find that people are really different than you thought. It's fun. If you went and let down your barriers, you'ld find out. It isn't any different than going to any other party. I used to be a recluse. I still love to go to the mountains and be totally alone for days on end. But I learned that be social is a kick in the pants if you just let your guard down a bit and just experience other people. Of course I'm not real good at explaining shit but this is as close as I can get to why I like going to social events whether with complete starngers or old classmates who don't really care what I'm about if I don't let them know. James
-- Anonymous, January 07, 2001
I was scared to go to my 10th because this crazy kid in my class started stalking me right after graduation and the last thing he said to me was that he would see me at our 10 year reunion and I would know we were meant for each other. But that is five years away, and the gossip from the 5th year reunion last November (which I skipped) was pretty good, so it might be worth it.
-- Anonymous, January 08, 2001
I suppose the latter: "outside my realm of things to have strong feelings about". I'm mostly indifferent.I haven't been interested in attending any high school reunions. I didn't get "fat" or anything, but I already see all the people I want to see that I was close to in high school. I don't care who got married or had kids or got a cool job or any of that if they aren't close to me, it doesn't interest me at all. I don't enjoy small talk. I don't want to share what I've been up to with people who didn't really give a damn what I was up to when we actually used to go to school together. All in all, I don't enjoy enforced merriment. I go to enough parties that I don't feel deprived not to drive or fly home just to pick at canapes and struggle to remember maiden names, etc. Sounds grouchy, but I had a really serious attitude abotu high school. My father died when I was a freshman, and my priority wasn't being social or trying to avoid classes. We didn't have any spare money should I decide to fuck around and fail a class due to apathy or whatever. I see now that I wasn't in any danger of failing out, I actually made good grades, but I thought I was just getting lucky with each test and somehow guessing what the teachers wanted us to say. I cut up with my friends between classes and during free time and lunchtime, but while in class, I was dead serious on learning everything I could as fast as I could and getting the hell out of high school. So most of my classmates were more like co-workers.
College was different. I lived in a dormitory and spent more time out of class with people than in it, as I was the only person in my circle of friends majoring in either English or Art. I went to my college's 5th year reunion. It was a bit boring, but I was actually glad to see some of the people. *shrug* Everyone's different. My best friend in high school had such a traumatic, awful, emotionally devastating time during her teen years that she not only won't ever go to a reunion, she actively despises everyone she went to high school with. I don't share her feelings, but I don't really have the urge to bother with it.
My mother is coming up on her 45th HS reunion, and still hangs out with 15 out of 16 of her classmates. Most are our unofficial "Aunties" and "Uncles", which is pretty cool. And yes, that was 16 graduating students. Small school, no? Anyway, she doesn't understand why I'd find it a bore to go to any of mine.
-- Anonymous, January 08, 2001
I didn't go to my 10 year reunion last year. Most of my friends in high school were in the classes before and after mine. I had planned on going, though, because I am curious about what has happened to my former classmates, but more importantly because my parents still live in the town where I went to high school and it would be a good excuse to visit them and my sisters. But I ended up visiting them in September and December, and didn't want to make the 8-hour trip (one way) to go in October, when the reunion was, too.I did go with my husband to his 10 year reunion 2 years ago, and I had more fun there than I could ever have at my own reunion. I already knew some of my husband's friends pretty well before we went, and met a lot of really cool people there too. I had so much fun socializing at my husband's reunion that now I'm looking forward to his reunions much more than mine! I wish I had gone to school with the same kind of people he did.
-- Anonymous, January 09, 2001
idint go to mine cuz i did'nt rilly fnish hs. i dropped out.
-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001