Friday - 10-Year Reunion
Most of Friday before the reunion was spent in bed with achy joints, from napping on too-short couches, though I did manage to crawl out of bed after having sufficient levels of pain-killers in the afternoon. Had a second TG dinner, from all the leftovers, and got all dressed up for the Reunion. When I first heard about the reunion this summer, I was 85% certain I’d go, but I’d put off sending in my reservation until the weekend before, since I was nervous about how I’d be received after my unusual departure from school one semester from graduation, and didn’t feel confident comparing how my life had gone since then compared to the imagined lives of people I knew from back then. I finally decide to go, since I’d probably feel worse for not going because I felt sorry for myself and missing the chance to see how I was really received versus my own preconception. I had missed the five-year reunion, since I had really isolated myself after Joanne died, and wasn’t able to be contacted by the organizing committee, but thanks to Facebook, and its search by classmates function, I was found this time around.
The reunion was held at the Erie Yacht Club, right on the bay, though I couldn’t see much, since the evening was dark well before the start of the event. When I arrived, a few minutes late, there were quite a few people there, in groups of 3-5, with a constant intermingling, as people caught up with one-another. The room was decked out in blue and white covered tables, with balloon centerpieces. In the center, a table was arranged with snacks, and along one wall, beverages were available.
There was a good mix of people I recognized, and those I didn’t, though I probably did recognize about 2/3 of my classmate’s faces, if not names. The good thing about reunions, is that, I think anyway, you aren’t expected to remember everyone, since people change as time goes on, and people you saw every day in their school uniforms were now dressed up in more formal wear, and you can ask the person next to you if they remember, and they can ask you for someone they need reminded of.
A few people were in grad school, of those, one was working on developing a mind-computer interface out in California. Others were living in the Carolinas, or NYC. Many were still living and working in the tri-state area. A majority of folks were married, and a few had children.
When I explained what I was up to lately, I explained that I had a computer programming degree, but that I wasn’t working with it right now to act more as a live-in nurse to help care for my mom. They responded exclusively positively, remarking how good it was that I was there to support my family that way. I mingled for a couple hours, bouncing from group to group, and meeting newcomers as they arrived. After a couple hours, a group photo was taken of the whole class, and I joined a group of two other Matt’s (yes, there were three Matt’s in my class along with a half dozen or more Kate’s, Katie’s, or C/Katherine’s). Matt Y. is another Programmer, developing the Verified by Visa software used by businesses to cover losses when sales go wrong. I’ll have to talk to him and get some practical insight on designing software for the business world. Matt K. has held a variety of jobs, but his time in Maine building boats was quite impressive to me. Also in our group was Matt Y.’s wife whose name escapes me right now. The other Matt’s started a discussion on reason and religion, which was quite insightful to listen to, and then moved on to the technical aspects of ring forging and nuclear reactors. We’re quite the technical group :).
Around eleven o’clock, a few of the musically-inclined folks started singing the alma mater, and plans were made by some to move the party to a local bar. I declined that opportunity, and said my goodbyes, exchanging email addresses with a few folks, and looking forward to increasing my friends list on Facebook.
I did feel a little alone, being single, and following the pattern of high school of not really clicking into any of the social groups that had developed, but the fact that I was accepted back into the group was quite exciting.
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