10 Year High School Reunion Recap

So, as most of my readers know, I recently had my high school reunion.  It started off with a slightly embarrassing moment.

So, long story short - there were several events planned, then canceled, then rescheduled, then some people chose to make alternative events happening at different locales at the same time (all whilst I started to ask myself 'wait, what am I about to subject myself to?').  Long story short, I spoke with a real-life friend (not just one of the facebook variety).  We both agreed that we would show up at one of the multiple bar names thrown out, and, worst case scenario, we would sit together and catch up just the two of us, and if that happened, that would be fun in and of itself.

Anyhow.  We both show up at the bar around the same time.  By 'we both showed up at the same time', I arrived, sat in my car in the parking lot and texted/facebooked until said friend showed up.  I don't know why or where this came from, but I felt too self-conscious to walk in alone, even though nowadays I have no problem showing up at an event alone provided I will know at least one person there at some point (I figure if someone thinks I'm the weird girl who showed up alone, well, fuck them).  I don't know where this burst of self-consciousness came from, and I really hate to think that it had something to do with stupid high school insecurities, but anywho, a mere 10 minutes later, my friend is banging on my car window in a dark parking lot (serial killer style) and we're headed in.

We walk up to the hostess.  Since this is our 'unofficial reunion' not at the original meeting spot, we're not sure if there's some formal reservation or any such thing.

Us, to a hostess who looks like a high school student herself:  Uh, we're kinda sorta here for, uhh, maybe, our high school reunion, we're not sure if there's a reservation....
Hostess:  Are you guys here for the Hersey Reunion?
Us:  YES!
Hostess:  Ok, we're still clearing the room out from a previous party, it will be ready shortly!
Us:  Great, will go sit by the bar and talk in the meantime!

So said friend and I are chilling for around half an hour, having a nice catch up chat.  After a short bit, we see said hostess head over to us with a big smile on her face.  "The Hersey Reunion is getting started upstairs - some people are up there already."

Great.  Thanks!  We pay our bill and head on up, excited and curious who might be there.  We reach the top of the stairs.  I immediately search a small crowd for a somewhat familiar face.  I see a large banner:

John Hersey High School Class of  1981 Reunion.

My friend and I are part of the class of 2001.  We were not even BORN in 1981.  Everyone we see in the room, well, looks like a member of the class of 1981.  This hostess thought we belonged in the group?!  This only brought on a bigger series of self-conscious questions than one could expect from a high school reunion.

Have we reached the point of just 'looking old' to anyone in the 18 and younger crowd?  Do my friend and I need botox?  Had this girl just assumed my friend and I had been the ones to stumble upon wealth and, subsequently, had had a lot of botox?

Anyhow.  We then went back down to the main area, feeling painfully dejected, and shortly thereafter stumbled upon a handful of fellow classmates from the class of 2001 and had a very nice brief catch up conversation.  The only thing we were really truly missing were more people.  And maybe some botox.  We are thinking a possible 11 year reunion, since, for some reason, this one just didn't pan out (it wasn't poor planning).   If not, well, apparently, there's always the 30 year....

Did Anyone See....

The Nightmare on Elm Street remake that was filmed at my very own John Hersey High School?  I remember it hitting the theatres and then not hearing much more of it.   I see it did very well on Rotten Tomatoes.  Anyone have anything to say about it?  Does it coordinate nicely with my impending ten year high school reunion?  Your thoughts?

It's Coming....

I just got an email about the John Hersey High School Class of 2001 Reunion.

Sigh.

Earlier, I wrote a post about not needing a high school reunion these days, what with facebook and all.  Which is true.  People who would have dropped off the face of the earth in my world I now know are married, with baby, living in suburbia, working at company xyz.  So, I must say - people whom I was friendly with whom I wouldn't mind exchanging a couple nice words with - well, I can pretty much just comment on their statuses and be done with it.

Anyhow.  A close friend, whom I am trying to drag with to this blessed event, lamented that this is just going to be one big 'one up' fest.  Everyone will be trying to prove how wonderfully successful he or she has become.  It'll be a big 'who gained weight' 'who lost weight' 'who looks better' 'who makes a lot of money' 'who is now with someone better looking than his/her high school sweetheart' fest.   What is the purpose of a high school reunion?   Is it just to rub everyone's face in the whole 'you should have been nicer to me in high school' idea?  Is it just to see if someone you hate got fat or miserable?  Is a high school reunion ever anything BUT this?  Should I attend?   Your thoughts?

How Facebook Has Changed Things....

Ok, so the other day, a good friend of mine mentioned her upcoming 5 year college reunion, which got me thinking....

(Editor's Sidenote: I do not know if my college has a 'five year reunion', but even if so, I won't be going, unless a group of my college friends plans on attending all together. I cannot imagine my graduating class of, say, 7,000 all running around bumping into each other saying 'oh, hey, how's it been?' or, more likely 'do I know you? have we ever met?' Anyhow.)

I will, in the semi-near future, have a high school reunion coming up. (I do, at this point, fully acknowledge it hasn't been 10 years since I graduated. Just sayin'.)

However, at this point in time - with facebook, I pretty much know what everyone from high school (and basically, the past, in general) is up to because of facebook!! Granted, all the people I was actually close to, I am still in touch with and could see if I wanted to, so I don't need a 'reunion' to get reacquainted with these individuals. My main motivation for going to a reunion would be to find out what all the other people I'd lost touch with are doing these days. However, based on facebook, I know this already! So, I ask this - what, really, is the point of the high school reunion any more?

Forget My Past, Part 2....

My friend Matt brings up the tennis ball shirt. There's a good story here.

I had a shirt the color of a tennis ball. A brand new tennis ball. It was a long-sleeved fleece from the Gap. It went well with the rest of my wardrobe (gold leather pants, silver sparkle shirts, etc.).

So I wore said shirt to high school. I was at orchesis (dance team) rehearsal with a bunch of the other dancer girls, wearing this shirt. Matt walks by. I yell 'hi Matt'.

Matt continues walking, even though I know based on the distance between us/noise level in the hallway that he HAD to hear me. Then, five seconds later, he stops, freezes, and looks at me. He then delivers the following line:

"Oh, Jaime. Hi! I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over your shirt."

This got a good laugh at the time from the group of 20 or so dancer girls. Someone even proclaimed "That was good!"

So, from there on out, Matt took it upon himself to tell this story approximately once every couple months for years to come. I'm telling it now, but if I wasn't, it was only a matter of days before he did in the comment section (or on his own blog). It was quite possibly one of his best lines back at good old Hersey.

Sigh. Memories. There'll be more to come.

Whatever Happened to These Guys?

Matchbox Twenty.

Ok, so background - on this 'spring break', I've been cleaning out some old stuff and I've come across some high school pictures/memories. I then decided to resort to music that reminded me of said time to appropriately set the mood.

So, Matchbox Twenty was one of my favorite bands back in high school. It seemed like they had staying power, too. Of course, my dad was all like 'you young people's music can't stand the test of time, these bands will be gone in a couple years, you whippersnappers, etc.' But I really thought Matchbox Twenty would rise above that. I mean, they went through the evolution/maturation of changing the title from Matchbox 20 to Matchbox Twenty. It seemed like they had a future.

Are they still around? I know Rob Thomas (the former(?) lead singer) has made a couple attempts at a solo career. Are they officially broken up? Does anyone out there who reads this blog still care about them? I suppose I could answer these questions on my own with a simple google search, but I was just wondering if anyone out there is still following them. Did anyone else like them like I did? Did a couple unfortunate choices in album cover art do them in?

Enough Nightmares?

So, apparently, the remake of "Nightmare on Elm Street" is being shot at Hersey High School (my alma mater). Kind of cool, if you think about it. I am curious what, exactly, about Hersey High seemed to give off the right vibe for this movie....

Anyhow. Whilst some alumni are finding themselves at the center of various situations, a part of me can't help but think this is what a public relations specialist calls 'a distraction'....

Huskie Pride, Cont'd?

From suntimes.com:

April 14, 2009

Marlee Matlin, who grew up in Chicago's north suburbs, says she was molested by a female baby-sitter at age 11.

"I remember feeling very, very violent and very disgusted," the Oscar winner tells "Access Hollywood."

The disclosure comes as Matlin releases a memoir, I'll Scream Later.

She also says she lost her virginity to a teacher in high school. "I was older and I knew about sex. ... I didn't really understand it wasn't right," she says.

She did not specify the school, but Matlin is a graduate of John Hersey High in Arlington Heights.

Just as I was thinking Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin (well, I know her as the tennis ball-girl on Seinfeld and a contestant on Dancing with the Stars) could save our school's name....

Pride?

So, recently, my fellow high school alumni have been really doing their fellow Hersey Huskies proud....

First, there's this story all over the news....

In short, this girl (one year younger than yours truly), is/was a high school teacher who was recently caught doing something uber-cliche (banging a student). Lovely. Anyhow. Moving right along....

Another distinguished alumni, Amy Jacobson....



No comment about her. Moving right along....

There's a facebook group dedicated to my high school graduating class, appropriately entitled 'John Hersey High School - Class of 2001'. Within said group, there are comments on the wall from multiple individuals along the lines of 'I can't believe it's been TEN YEARS since we graduated! Whoa!'

Yep. It's a proud day to be a Huskie!!



Sidenote: Is THIS why I'm having dreams (nightmares) that I'm back in high school?