Reunion? (Not Réunion)

[redbird]

I am debating whether to go to my high school reunion. The alumni/ae association newsletter, a month or so ago, reminded me that I'm in a milestone class (it's our 25th reunion), and pointed me to a Yahoo group for more information. I don't much like Yahoo groups, and had put off looking at it.

I have just received a letter from someone from a class a few years ahead of mine, whose signature identifies her as the office manager. The letter is dated May 20 (so at least it was mailed promptly). It tells me that my class "is still finalizing its plans for Saturday, June 3rd, which will most likely include a family-friendly [sic] [1] meet-up in Central Park in the afternoon and a bar/restaurant event on Saturday night" and again urges me to join the class egroup or mail the class coordinator. (minnehaha, roadnotes, does either of you remember Mark Lang? The name rings no bells whatsoever.)

At least they're definite about plans for the following day--"continental breakfast and individual class gatherings, followed by a general assembly [this fails to warm the cockles of my heart, and I doubt there will be simultaneous translations] at 11 a.m. and a buffet luncheon." There will be tables specifically for members of my class, so we can sit together.

I'm not doing all of this--not right after being away from cattitude during Wiscon. I'm debating whether to do part of it: either the loosely structured stuff in Central Park, or the stuff on Sunday at the high school. A "bar/restaurant event" with a large crowd of people, few if any of whom I've seen in 25 years, doesn't strike me as a good time. (As best as I can recall, I've seen one person from my class in the past couple of decades. Others from my high school, even if I don't count my mother and brother, but not my class.)

I wonder if looking through the yearbook tomorrow would help me get a handle on whether I want to do this. If I can't think of a reason beyond "you may regret not having done it, if you don't," I won't.

[1] Since I don't want to bring all of my partners, and doubt that any of them would particularly want to attend this, it probably doesn't matter whether their definition of family-friendly is congruent to mine.

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I don't remember at least a third of the names that go by on the Yahoo Group. (Yes, Yahoo Groups. You just have to hold your nose and join; there's no other way.) And I thought I knew who was in my high school class.

My advice is to go to the reunion. Don't worry about the Saturday stuff if it's too much, but go to the reunion. I went five years ago, and had a far better time than I expected. It's basically interesting to see people after all this time.

B

[wouldyoueva.livejournal.com]

I second this. For me, it was a way to experience high school all over again, only with kind classmates. And telling the boys who wouldn't ask me out that they were crazy not to have done so, and having them agree, was priceless.

[redbird]

We clearly had very different high school experiences. My classmates were not unkind, for the most part, I just didn't connect with very many of them.

Also, I didn't want the boys to ask me out, nor feel odd because they didn't--it wasn't a heterosexual dating culture. Which isn't to say nobody was doing that, but it wasn't especially noticeable to those of us who weren't involved (as I suspect few if any of my classmates realized that the tenth-grader I was spending quite a bit of after-school time with was my girlfriend). That we lived all over the city was probably a factor in this.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I also have trouble parsing the idea of a reunion being "like high school, but with kind classmates," and thus desirable. If I want crowds and physical discomfort and people with strange social structures rushing about, learning a hectic mix of broken up into 50 minute blocks, I can get that from cons. The people there are mostly kind.

My dear, if you want to go to your reunion with a sweetie holding each hand, for your own comfort or to test their family-friendliness, I'm happy to be there for you. *hug*

[redbird]

Thank you, but I don't think I need to take you up on it just now. (I'd worry about wearing you out, grabbing three weekends out of four.)

The one thing I'm sure of, which makes this different from high school, is that if I'm uncomfortable, physically or emotionally, I can get up and walk out.

[redbird]

cattitude has reminded me that (by our current plans) Sunday may not be feasible, so I'm going to inquire about the Saturday stuff.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

There'll be more of us on Sunday. And Sunday will be at the school, in an actual classroom -- which has it's own weirdness.

And there'll be an assembly.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Everyone should know that joining and managing a membership in a yahoogroup can be done entirely by e-mail and there is no requirement that anyone sign up with a Yahoo ID.

K.

[roadnotes.livejournal.com]

If Mark Lang is who I think he is, he was a tallish, solid blond, on the newspaper, and possibly in student government. I didn't know him directly.

I went to my 20th, I think, and it was vaguely interesting, and I read the Yahoo group sporadically, in that same sort of absent, "Oh, X; I hope zie's doing well" sort of way that I read about most of fandom.

[bugsybanana.livejournal.com]

It's my 20th reunion, and I expect to be at Hunter (as well as my year's other events), so you can always hang with me if you find yourself at loose ends.