It's Official: Everyone Is Married

Well, that's how my 10-year high school reunion felt. Now, I have the utmost respect for the fine institution of marriage. And by no means am I itchin' for a hitchin' myself. But, geez, with nearly everyone I met it was yet another reminder of my singleton status. Yeah, I had this anxiety going into the reunion, but the confirmation didn't help.

Excuse me. I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me! Okay, back to the reunion.


It was weird. And when I first got there, I was so nervous I was shaking. Scott (above with fellow Burkhart Elementary alum Heather), my school-bus buddy from elementary school, had to try to calm me down. I really think it's unnatural to throw strangers and acquaintances together after so many years.

See, I was a big nerd in high school. Band, yearbook, one season on the Spell Bowl team. Need I say more? I didn't have any enemies, didn't really hate anyone. It seems so silly now, but I felt a lot of the social pressures of not being "popular." So it was strange talking to folks I never really spoke with in school. Everyone was very friendly, actually, but in the back of my mind, I couldn't help thinking, "Why are we talking? We weren't friends!" It was a good thing, though, and good for me to have normal exchanges with those folks.


Overall, I had a good time, and it was great to see old friends (such as Adriane, Angie and Amber, above, and Jonnelle, Jenni and Amy, below). But a lot of long-lost pals I really wanted to see weren't there. Julia, Colin, Brad -- where were you? And then there were the folks I recognized, sort of, but couldn't place for the life of me. So I'd make eye contact with them, smile, then look away, hoping they didn't think I was a bitch.


I did have a short conversation with a guy I had a HUGE crush on in middle school and early high school. Heh. Married, of course.