What's The Deal With Alumni Junction?

So I periodically get emails from 'Alumni Junction' that my high school classmates have posted messages for me on their site.  It is specific classmates by name that I remember, but either a) it's someone I've never spoke to, so I highly doubt he or she is contacting me or b) it's someone who could contact me on facebook, so why is he or she writing me on a random site instead?

Anyhow.  I keep getting these emails.  I went to their site.  I know these 'messages from my classmates' must by lies.  I attempted to login - I clicked 'forgot password'.  It emailed me my 'password'.  Let's just say I'm, for better or worse, too much of a creature of habit - this is not a password I'd choose.  I found it odd that it sent me a password, instead of telling me to create a login/account.  As I started to think about it, I had no recollection of ever being at the site and creating an account (not that it is something so noteworthy that it'd stick out in my mind, but still).

I know there is some kind of sham here.  I am not sure what, exactly, and I do not want this blog to be sued for libel.  So, I do not have any hard evidence, nor am I making a direct accusation, but something seems off.  Does anyone know anything about alumni junction?  I did a brief google and I found someone discussing, on his own blog, in relation to his upcoming high school reunion, that he directly spoke to someone who 'posted a message to him on alumni junction' and she directly told him that she had not.   Your thoughts?  Anyone have more information?  Any alumni junction users out there? 

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....

How We Met....

So, as a lot of my loyal readers know, my high school reunion came and went this past weekend.  I stopped by.

A cliffnotes version:

I saw a guy I was acquainted with - we had several mutual friends, but never really knew each other too well.  Let's call him Tom, well, cause that's his name.  We started the usual casual banter.

J:  What are you up to these days?
T:  I work in x field, at x company.  I live in Chicago with my fiance.
J:  When is your wedding?
T:  Next weekend.
J:  How long have you and your fiance been together?
T:  A little over two years.
J:  How did you two meet?
T:  On the metra.  She and I were sitting across from each other.  I randomly struck up a conversation with her.  It was the one day I was randomly taking the metra.

Ok, let's assume he's 100% telling the truth and this isn't a cute cover story for eharmony.  I was just, in my mind, wondering if people met like this any more.  I felt like 5-10 years ago, maybe, people pushed themselves to meet speak to strangers this way because it was one of the only ways to meet new people.  However, with the existence of the internet, I wonder if people no longer stepped out of comfort zone in such a way.  I suppose I must say, thank you, Tom, for answering this question.

Does anyone out there sometimes strike up a conversation with an attractive stranger?  Does anyone else have a 'how we met' story like this that has taken place in the past three years?

It's Coming....

(cue for Jaws music)

No, not shark week.

The 10 year high school reunion.

Dun dun dun.

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?