The 10-year high school reunion is an institution, a rite of passage, a tradition. It appears in movies and is something you have in common with everyone "of a certain age" you pass on the street (even if it is only comparing notes on why you didn't go, why you didn't hear about it, how your high school sweetheart looks so happy now, or whatever). This myth - lore, expectation, curiosity - led me to greatly look forward to my 10-year reunion. I'm pleased to say that it didn't disappoint. While some of the cliches applied (there was a drunkard or two that made a fools of themselves, and a few people that had "swelled"*), in general, I was pleasantly surprised at so much. Lots of people showed up, way more than I was expecting (across the 3 events, I would say about half of the graduating class was represented). Most people looked really good. The conversations were much less stale than I might have thought (quickly getting the location/marriage status/job stuff exchanged and then finding a commonality; not nearly as much reminiscing as I feared). But possibly the most pleasant surprise was most people's seeming willingness to leave behind cliques, old grudges, etc. and eagerness to re-meet the people with whom we all share a common past. And while often unsaid, the openness, acceptance, and inclusion displayed signified to me an appreciation and camaraderie the stemmed from that shared experience. My only real disappointment* was the lack of more than a few notable faces. As I pointed out in my earlier post, "the more, the merrier" couldn't be better applied than to a class reunion. Those who chose not to go made the experience that much less complete. During the showing of the senior class video* when a non-attending classmate was featured, you could hear murmurs from the crowd. Why isn't Siri here?, I wonder what Jeff is up to., or I was really hoping that Aron would be here.. Alas. While not the same, perhaps those questions will be answered at the 20-year. See you in 2018! |
Sunday August 10 2008 | File under: Anacortes, misc |
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Thursday August 7 2008 | File under: comic |
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Note to fellas: How come I am the only one creating and posting ridiculous beard pictures? |
Wednesday August 6 2008 | File under: beard |
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One of the upsides for working for a big company is the little perks now and then. Photoworks (now an American Greetings Company) recently made available a couple of Mariners' tickets that I handily snatched up. Baseball games are fun. Baseball games for free are even more fun.
Despite the $4.25 bottled water*, no ground crew dancers*, and the one place that servers soft-serve ice cream in a little plastic helmet being closed, excitement and fun conquered the day, helped along by an epic rally by the Ms late in the game led by a Raul Ibanez grand salami. Yep, an epic comeback, a gorgeous night at the stadium, and free tickets make for an evening that is alright by me. (Lack of a drunken college roommate yelling in Japanese at Ichiro did lessen the excitement, however). |
Tuesday August 5 2008 | File under: misc, Seattle |
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Thursday July 31 2008 | File under: comic |
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Ever since the Back Porch Cafe discontinued quiz night (and subsequently went out of business*) and IHJ's short-lived but incredibly well done Tuesday Trivia went on temporary(?) hiatus, my trivia needs have gone unfulfilled. Sure a nightly rendezvous with Alex Trebek helps, but it is just so one-sided. You can imagine my delight at hearing the Longhorn Saloon in "Historic" Edision, WA has started their own trivia night.
Last night, we got a table early, filled our bellies with brain food (cheeseburger, grilled oysters, and beer) and planned our strategy, which mainly consisted of picking a team name. To make a long story short, Inquire Within came from the ranks of obscurity to conquer the day. After 4 rounds of 10 ?s each (categories of Saturday Morning Cartoons*, Visual Identification, General Knowledge, and Song Recognition), we stood in a tie for first. For the tie-breaker round, each team selected one member to compete in a final 3 question sudden death. Barely edging out My Two Dads, Inquire Within won it all with Paraguay*! Yes, Longhorn Saloon, I will be back to play your trivia again. |
Thursday July 31 2008 | File under: games, Anacortes |
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"Think Fast. Live Slow."
At its inception, the purpose of this here quotes series was to not only share inspiration/affirming quotes, but also to point out that such quotes can be found in our everyday lives where we might least expect them. Case in point: the other day, I was walking down town with shoes (Simple clogs) on my hands* and happened to glance down at the soles of my hands. This week's quote was staring back at me. I've owned these shoes for nigh on 9 years and never noticed said quote before. (As a side note, while I don't really like to encourage consumerism and its associated advertisements, Simple Shoes has been a company I've had a crush on for years and years. Their ads are fun, their slogans are clever, and they once sponsored Dan Price and his Moonlight Chronicles. |
Monday July 28 2008 | File under: quote |
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Thursday July 24 2008 | File under: comic |
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(To all of you who read the Brothers Root version of the events first, sorry for the overlap. But cross-blogination can be fun, like this counterpoint to Andrew's pic)
Summer in Anacortes means a constant flow of old friends passing through town. As a semi-full time resident*, I try to take advantage of their free time and more pressing desire to get out and enjoy what the area has to offer. The most recent case of this involved a trip up river to the NSRA Frolf Course outside of Sedro Wooley. I've been up there once before, but since the first time through a course is never ideal, I was greatly looking forward to this little excursion. On the upside, the area of the course is gorgeous, with spectacular a backdrop of the Cascade foothills and hayfields. It is [supposedly] on the site of an old mental institution and has some old overgrown buildings to fit my creepy mental image. The course is a full 18 holes with decent terrain include varying drive lengths and a bit of vertical change. But... On the downside, the course was overgrown to the point of being almost unplayable. The fields were covered with grass up to 7 feet tall* and the blackberries and other pricklies thankfully only claimed one disc*. In spring there is an issue with soggy ground, so when is the best time to play this course has yet to be determined. But still, tromping around with friends is always a good time. |
Tuesday July 22 2008 | File under: misc, pics |
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Today, I'm sharing 2 quotes, for a couple reasons. For one, they are both from the same author, one from a book I am currently reading and one from a book I read a while back. Also both are a little contextual, so it is possible that they won't be as inspiring to the masses* as they are to me. I figure having two quotes might make up for that. (As a side note, I really enjoy reading Laurence Shames. He's kind of like your typical south Florida writer with tropical settings, action packed plots, and a fun and funny writing style, but he also has some great insights and quotes. If you are looking for a light and fun summer read, check him out.)
"Life was a matter of holding back or plunging in. It was like that at each and every momnent, but there were only rare occasions when the choice came quite so clear" -Laurence Shames in Mangrove Squeeze That was.....vacation, an allowed and strictly bordered break bewteen vast tracts of duty and routine. -Laurence Shame in Virgin Heat |
Monday July 21 2008 | File under: quote |
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