GranolaBox

Before my unofficial college reunion I was almost afraid of what my old friends might have turned into. Would there be the typical reunion crowd with the typical reunion characters?

You know… the guy that made a fortune in some technology company that drives a hot car and tries to buy drinks and dinner in the most ostentatious and magnanimous way possible? The woman who famously crashed through the glass ceiling of her corporation who looks at the other women who chose to have children with sense of unspoken but clearly obvious pity? The man or woman who’s been dealt a lot of bad blows and feels like he or she needs to explain why they haven’t ended up like the others?

There was none of this among our group. For the most part, we’re all getting by and are getting into a groove in our forties that’s sustainable and affords a lot of non-material happiness. Everyone had cute, not stiflingly well-mannered children who, like their parents, instantly gravitated toward one another.

With all the changes in belt sizes, hair growth patterns and other newfound physical frailties, inside all my buddies had the same endearing qualities. Jamie still has the same dry, deadpan joke delivery and eccentric taste in music. Joe still tells amazing stories which would be impossible to tell without physical enhancement. Jeff still sits back sagaciously and takes everything in. John still has that mischievous twinkle in his eye when he’s using his powers for evil rather than good.

Staying in the dorms wasn’t entirely horrible… just regular horrible. Instead of drunken idiots making noise till all hours of the night, it was children playing loudly in the halls until bed time. The beds are still famously uncomfortable. The most odious sacrifice was the lack of wireless internet.

This was really our first weekend off after the end of the school year, so when the Saturday afternoon/evening barbecue (the only semi-planned event of the weekend) rolled around, the Queen of My Universe and I decided that it really wasn’t our scene and played hooky.

We had coffee at a delightfully bohemian coffee shop (with wireless) found a thrift store where both of us found some killer footwear, walked along the river, swam in the river for at least an hour, had a romantic dinner and took a killer nap before everyone came home exhausted from the barbecue. Since we were one of two couples who didn’t bring kids, everyone pretty much understood why we ditched, and were kind of jealous that they hadn’t had the same incredibly romantic opportunity.

All in all, a fantastic weekend, and something I’d prefer not to wait 21 years to do again.

Filed under: General Observations on July 24th, 2008