In 1999 I donned a cap and gown and made a grand exit out of that cesspool of adolescent enterprise known as high school.
(If the back of my mother's camera hadn't been accidentally opened by my younger brother, I'd have a picture to post here of me accepting my diploma, but since the negatives were ruined you'll just have to use your imagination. Imagine a young Justin Timberlake in a purple high school graduation gown. While that's not exactly what I looked like at all, it's a serviceable replacement image.)
For those of you keeping count, that was ten years ago, which means 2009 is the year of my ten year reunion.
Even though my closest friends from high school were either a year ahead or a year behind me, I've always been excited about the idea of going back to visit my graduating class. Something about the guaranteed awkwardness, the possibility of reconnection, the prospect of seeing old friends and enemies with new eyes: something about all that has always appealed to me. Yet the RSVP and money are due tomorrow, and I have yet to RSVP. I, who was so eager to dive back into the fray, am now on the fence.
Why? Well, I can answer that in one word: Facebook.
My graduating class was too old to get on the Facebook bandwagon when it first came out: It was launched in 2004 as a social network for people in college, and most of us had graduated in 2003. You couldn't access it without an .edu email address. Any online social networking that had to be done was done over MySpace and Friendster (Note to self: I wonder what my Friendster page looks like. I haven't even thought about Friendster in years...), and I never "friended" anyone from high school on either of those two platforms.
But now, Facebook. About a year and a half ago everyone from my high school started "friending" each other on Facebook. People I never even talked to during our four years of forced scholarship together sent me friend requests, which I gladly accepted. I wanted to see their pictures, see what they were doing, peak into their lives, and they wanted to see the same things about me. Oftentimes we never even exchanged words. Just friend requests. Voyeurism invitations.
Now I'm wondering why I even need to go to my reunion. I know who got fat. I know who got married. I know who has kids, and what they look like, and what they were for Halloween (pumpkins, mostly). I know which skinny dweebs are now handsome studs and which Mean Girls are now fat, divorced alcoholics. I know what people do for a living. And they know all of that about me.
A reunion just seems redundant. It seems like a lot of money and travel for very little payoff. At the same time, it'll be another ten years before the next one. Maybe I should just go.
I have one day to decide. I'm going to check on Facebook to see who else is going...
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I knew it!
Geez Shaggy, usually I'm the one making people feel old--now I know how they feel!
Class of 1988,
I don't have any advice for you, though. It's been almost 30 years since I graduated, and I never went back for a reunion. Now my school doesn't even exist anymore!
I also went to my 25th college reunion. I blew out about halfway through and spent the rest of the weekend with my town friends who I always visit when I'm back there. It was pretty much the same people there that I avoided when I was in college.
However, I go to my college Reunion as often as possible and it's held each year, though my actual reunion is only held every five years. For example, in 2010 the 0's and the 5's will have their reunion year. So if you graduated in 2005 or 1925 or 1940, it's your reunion year, creating an overwhelming alumnae bond over many, many generations. It's a weekend long event with more activities than you can even imagine (well worth the price of a plane ticket and a hotel room). And that's what you get for a 1980's 100K education.
What was the question? Oh yhea ... so if you've got the time and the money - go, that way you can always say, "Well I went to the 10 year." You could wear your tiara and take Dr. Steve as your +1 ... or take your cat in a costume ... the best part would be the live blog you could do from the bathroom serving up all the dish on the facebook liars that you will be able to call out.
Ok ... but why aren't you my friend on facespace? and why do you hate Jason Varitek?
R~
Honestly they are not that fun unless there are certain people you are hoping to see and you know they are going or you have a good idea that they will go. But if I had a choice to go to the 10 yr, the 20 yr or the 30yr, I'd pick the 10 year. Everyone is still young and some are still single and their is a greater likelihood of an after party than at any other year reunion... I guess.
Hell, let's face it. I don't know either.
R
.209, Madre, .209!! Dike-K could probably hit .209 if we gave him a bat! I'm just happy Captain Fenway's coming back for another year.
Oh hell, maybe I'll go, just to live blog it. Damn you, Indecision!
Lafayette was once one of the crown jewels of public education in New York. Located in a working class area its alums read like a who's who of sports, media, theater, business. Its graduates include 21 major league baseball players including the incomparable Sandy Koufax. Larry King went to our school as did Vic Damone, Michael Lerner, Paul Sorvino and Rhea Perlman. Peter Max practiced his art. Larry Merchant and Jerry Della Femina practiced their writing. Freddie Wilpon saved his pennies and eventually bought the Mets.
We had "Sing!" - the original "high school musical".
We didn't have facebook.....:-)
Education was the way out for the children of hod carriers, bricklayers and cloth cutters. Our class of '59 has its fine doctors, dentists, a Judge, lawyers, bankers, writers, teachers and yes, administrative assistants and blue collar guys.
Lafayette will soon be closed and "restructured" into 4 smaller "academies". Now it is considered a "low performing" school.
Maybe a ten year reunion is a little to soon to worry about - by the time your 50th anniversary roles around you will be glad if you can still go! I was hot! I still have all my hair!
people you like and care about can get rare as you get older because we are all so intent on doing our own thing.
I went to the 30 and it was hilarious...We were all pathetic fools with chinks in our rusty armor. I don't think I could do another one though. That would be too geriatric.
I loved "Gross Pointe Blank"... talk about a flash back . :)
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-commit-facebook-suicide