THAT'S ALL THERE IS. THERE AIN'T NO MORE.
It took 4.5 months. But I have now blogged about 259 former classmates. As far as I know, I got them all. It's been quite an experience. When I started this quest, it was merely meant to be a diary of my life - or at least my school life, with my former classmates. As I've stated before, I never expected any of the people I wrote about to actually discover the blog, let alone contribute with comments of their own. I never wanted the attention. But I'll admit that I've enjoyed the little bit of fame I've gotten from this.
I've come to realize that in some cases, my comments have hurt some feelings. I truly am sorry for that. It certainly was never my intention to cause anyone to feel bad. I would hope that everyone takes this blog in stride, and wouldn't hold it against me. After all, these events happened back in the 1980's. That's a long time ago. And what happened back when we were kids really means nothing in the context our lives today.
I want to give thanks to the 35-40 people who stopped by to leave comments of their own. Your contributions are just as good as mine.
As I stated on day one, I never thought of myself as a member of the class of 1989. But I feel a little different today. At the very least I think I've made a personal connection of some sort to many of my former classmates. That's been really cool.
I need to give out some special kudos to a few people as well. In alphabetical order:
ERIN HYNEK - Erin has E-mailed me every week or so since she first started commenting on the blog. Whether it be ask me a question, brag about the St. Louis Cardinals, or to simply ask how I'm doing, she's made a point to stay in touch. And that's been very nice. Erin deserves all of the accolades that have been bestowed upon her by her fellow classmates.
JENNY MALLEY - A girl I had a crush on for my entire childhood. We haven't just gotten in touch with each other. We E-mail nearly everyday. Today she is no longer the pretty girl that I admired from afar. She's now someone I consider to be a good friend. Personally speaking, getting to actually know Jenny and befriend her has been the coolest thing to come from this blog. Quite simply, the girl friggen rocks!
GREG PAGEL - A guy I considered a fringe person for me. I always thought that back in the day, we could have been friends - if only I'd have been a little more "normal." Today I know we could have been. I'm just a tad more normal today. And he and I are now getting along swimingly.
CINDY ROHRER - The girl has perhaps millions of photographs in her possession. The candid shots from her days in school are priceless. Thanks to both her and her father for some of the great photo contributions to this blog.
BRAD STROUF - A guy who's been here since close to the beginning. Some have come and some have gone. But Brad is a staple. And his contributions have been great. He also deserves special thanks for getting my butt in gear again when I started to slack off.
In case anyone's interested, I've actually met three of the classmates during this process. Those three are Kevin Dehne, Tom Grassman and Toby Schwartz. Toby I just happened to run into. Kevin and Tom both knew I was coming. Without this blog, those two mini-reunions never would have happened. I also look forward to future mini-reunions which I know are going to occur. Whether it be one-on-one, or when Kevin and I do the town, they will happen. And I'll be posting all the pictures.
I've also talked to a few people on the phone as well. Those people are: Jen Andersen, Joe Antonie, Kevin Dehne, Jeremy Karman, Jenny Malley, Cindy Rohrer and Brad Strouf.
I've also gotten E-mails from the following people: Jen Andersen, Jason Anderson, Joe Antonie, Treesa Carron, Mark Ciha, Carrie Collard, Kevin Dehne, Laura Fowler Jeff and Brenda Gordon, Mark Gordon, Chad Hoerth, Erin Hynek, Scott Jaklin, Lisa Koch, Kelli Kupsch, Jenny Malley, Greg Pagel, Shane Peterson, Cindy Rohrer, Toby Schwartz, Brad Strouf, and Tammy Swoboda.
Lastly, in trying to confirm information about people, I've often called their homes or offices. If someone answered, I would simply pretend that I'd dialed a wrong number. But the voices or voicemails of classmates I've heard are: Larry Daffner, David Duvall, Randy Ertman, Stephanie Gardner, Jamie Grainger, Dana Grasee, Terry Hug, Brian Klein, Shannon Koch, Kelly Kotarek, Sara Kvitek, Dean Lichterman, Jim Messman, Nick Novachek, Angie Owens, Robert Pilzak, Shawn Rappley, Andy Reinhart, Dawn Schmidt, Josie Scott, Chris Staudinger, and Tina Short.
And thank you to all of the rest of you who are reading, but have chosen not to say anything. I know who many of you are!
This quest is not over. Now it's time to start writing about the teachers. But first things first. We're going on a vacation next week. But upon my return, the writings start again.
So now that the classmate blog is done, tell me... how did I do?
posted by TWORIVERSWALRUS @ 7:06 PM
6 Comments:
I'm way too behind in my work to be writing this, but... hey, you all know me.
As all the memories get stirred up by this weird bit of cyberiality, the word which keeps coming to mind is "decency." High School was not what I'd call a pleasant time for me, nor for many of us, presumably. But I can say that a large part of the reason I survived those dreadful years was that, although I didn't appreciate it at the time, I was surrounded largely by very decent people.
One memory that popped up early on when Burt started this blog was when I played something for district solo/ensemble festival freshman year, when our school was hosting. I remember that it came my time to perform, a lot of classmates showed up to listen. Among them, Jay Rozy and Jason Anderson. Jason? I mean, we got along, but we weren't real close. But he showed up to be supportive, because, you know, music was a big deal for me, and it was just a decent thing to do. I thought little of it at the time, but looking back, I now appreciate it.
I remember one time I got into this huge fight with my dad -- one of those you never fully get over. I didn't talk to anyone for about two days, and finally Brad got through to me and I told him about it. I don't remember exactly what Brad said to me, but I remember that it helped.
I didn't belong to any particular "clicque" in school, but I had a few very close and valuable friends. Erin was certainly one of them. She always listened and was polite enough to laugh at all my jokes. I can't describe the pleasure of getting in touch with her again.
I loved Jenny Malley as much as the next guy, but I never knew her that well. That is, even though I talked to her probably most days for twelve years, I never realized what an interesting person she is. Shame on me for not paying more attention! I've been in touch with her quite a bit in the past few months, and it's a joy finding someone besides my wife who actually seems to understand half of what I'm talking about!
Burt, I know I was a "fringe" person, but that's probably a good thing. If I'd spent more time around you, I probably would have gotten killed. Probably by fire, or possibly radiation. Through the miracle of the Internet, it's been delightful getting to know you from a safe distance. Here's to getting reacquainted with my new old buddy.
I always tell people that my youth was hell and I hated it. What I've recently come to appreciate is how much worse it could have been. Truth be told, there were a disproportionate number of people in our class were absolutely golden. I'm honestly not sure if I'd be here otherwise. It's a blessing to have come to see this in my mid-30s. Thanks, Burt.
Oh, and Meff's still a big turd.
Yeah what they said.
dearest burton! thank you! because of you i have greg to talk dharma with and share our passion of ecclectic music!
i now have a cindysue to love and adore once again!
i have a meff to critique film with.
a tommy to rock out to:
a phantom to get reaquainted with, and a long lost best friend to chat with every day!
The teachers will read it. Oh, yes. They will read it.
I'll be in my bunker if you need me....
Grape, orange or watermelon smirnof for me. Barq's root beer for Kevin. You'll be on the list Paula.
The "Phantom Visitor" Hmmm.
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