Thursday, June 14, 2012

"For the Longest Time..."

I logged onto Facebook on Monday (June 11th) to realize that exactly 20 years before, I had graduated from high school.  I still remember that day (kinda) like it was yesterday.

The Michael Jordan Jumpman Silhouette--
This is how I decorated the top of my graduation cap
I used paint to freehand an appropriate design on the top of my graduation cap.

I remember my best friend, CRV, practicing his Jimmy Connors celebration pose, and I remember driving home with my dad following the graduation ceremony on the high school football field.  Right before we got home, my dad kinda stopped the car and told me that he thought I would make a good surgeon.

I don't know why, but I will always remember the exact spot where we were at when he said that to me.  I think it made me happy to know that my dad thought I was good enough to be a doctor.

Jimmy Connors had a huge run at Wimbledon in 1991
Maybe I should have listened to him.  (Unfortunately for me (and to my brothers' collective disgust), I never took a physics course which kinda made the whole pre-med college thing impossible.)  Instead, I became a lawyer--just like my dad.  I guess that's worked out okay so far...

Anyway, even though I graduated from high school, I never actually received my high school diploma.  I think I figured out after I left the high school campus that we were supposed to stop by the office to pick it up.  Honestly, it didn't mean enough to me to make a trip back to pick it up.  For all I know, my diploma is still gathering dust in some file cabinet at SDHS.  Or maybe it got filed in the "circular file" at some point in the past 20 years.  I still don't care.

My very first blog post ("What a Difference a Decade Makes") had me looking back 10 years.  It's hard to believe its been 20 years since I passed another milestone.  I don't think of myself as old, but I certainly ain't getting any younger!

I've kinda been thinking about doing a high school post all week but held off because I couldn't find any high school pics for the post.  (I actually did find one picture from one of my senior year dances.  But, let's just say that that picture will NEVER be posted in the public domain.  The experience itself ("The Dance") was bewildering horrifying traumatic enough, without having to humiliate myself further by putting up pictures that no one needs or wants to see!)

I think that most of my high school pictures are down at my parents' house, so maybe I'll do an update if I can get down there and find and scan some suitable ones.

My 20th reunion is happening later this summer and I've been bombarded with postcards and FB messages reminding me to sign up.  I didn't go to my 10th--mostly because I was in Washington D.C. at the time--but I didn't feel like I missed out on too much.  Are any of you planning on going to your next HS Reunion?  Am I missing out by not being that excited about going?

In the meantime, I realized that I neglected to do my traditional music post this month.  I've always loved this Billy Joel song and think it's suitable enough (and appropriately nostalgic) for this topic.  Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. Looking back at High School is crazy hey. We had our 20th reunion 2 years ago ... I didn't go but when I go back to my hometown I see LOTS of the peeps I went to high school with and that is enough for me.
    Your Dad sounds like a good role model telling you to be a surgeon (but I bet you are a fantastic Lawyer).
    Billy Joel instantly brings back the late 80's for me :-)

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  2. I want to see the pics of THE DANCE, along with the whole sordid tale!

    I've been to 10 and 15. So very fun. I say go. You may be surprised!

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