ten years post Rydell High

Considering my recent forays into the past (because college was clearly the dark ages), you wouldn't think my upcoming ten year high school reunion would freak me out at all. And it doesn't, for the most part...it's just strange. If you had asked me at 17 who I thought I'd be at 28, I would've thought I'd be a completely different person. Not that I really wanted to be, it's just that at that age, ten years is such an unfathomable amount of time that I couldn't imagine who I might end up being on the other side of it. And I suppose I'm pretty much who I thought I'd be: I went to school, found my way to meaningful work, try to pay the bills on time, held onto some good friends and found some new ones, thought about getting married but didn't, basically got a life (instead of a so-called life...and let the mid-90s references begin!).

My five year reunion was pretty anti-climatic. All the guys were investment bankers and all the girls were in marketing. Actually, it's funny how some stuff comes rushing back to you when you see someone that you literally haven't thought of since the last time you laid eyes on them, probably at some bonfire during senior week. There's this kid Paul that lived next door to my friend Katie, and we spent all of elementary school and junior high terrorizing each other. I slept over Katie's house all the time, and he and his friend Brian would sneak over and throw stuff at the windows or make weird noises outside and then, for whatever reason, it was ON. They'd chase us around the yard and I don't even know what the goal was, because one time one of them tackled me but then neither of us were sure what to do next, so we just got up and kept running. I remember Paul's most ingenious hiding place was taking a huge branch from the woods behind the house and impersonating a tree. Anyway, we saw each other at our five year reunion and went, "Oh, my God! Barnyard Commandos!" Because that was, um, what we called ourselves. There was this kid Scott who told me that whenever our teachers read examples of good writing aloud, it was always something that he or I had written, and apparently he felt like he was always vying with me to be the best writer. (Maybe he could start The Sticky Bun Tent and we could have a blog-off.) And then there was Billy MySameLastName; we discussed the pain of separation after being next to each other for every alphabetically-ordered event throughout twelve years of school. There are so many random people that you feel like don't even exist outside of the one tiny memory you have of them...how can Barnyard Commando be a corporate lawyer?

And I'm happy to have an excuse to see my high school friends, because no matter how long I go without seeing them, hanging out with them again is always like no time has passed. I guess it's just like that with people that you've known for so long and spent so much time with. They're not a part of my everyday life anymore, but I'm excited to have a built-in reason for us all to go out together again.

I guess it's on my brain today because I just got this email from Peter:

...Anyway, so apparently if we want to go, we have to send So-and-So our $35 by October 15th. Which isn't that far away. I want to go, but it won't be any fun if you guys aren't there too, so i just want to see if you have your outfit picked out yet and have marked off your calendar. I mean, i'm sure there's no way you would miss it, but if you're even considering that, please let me know ASAP. We can have a pre-party/drinkup somewhere to help numb ourselves in preparation...

And, of course, the big question: Will I finally find out if the ex-boyfriend ever got the sex change? Haven't I waited long enough?