It has been a while, kiddies.. I have to say that of late.. I haven't been terribly inspired... by anything.. (I chalk it up to the typical malady of a brilliant mind.. The funk.. the boredom.. the occasional search for a worthwhile water tower) ok.. somethings have been interesting.. Anyway.. nothing worthwhile to write about... Til NOW!!
I went to a reunion.. Now you say to yourself.. Reunion?? What is the big deal?? Why is this of any worth to us as your faithful minions?? How does this affect our wonderful lives and the life of our benevolent leader? Well... to explain.. I have to go back.. 20 or more years.. I wasn't always the man you see in front of you.. or.. in pictures.. or wherever you may picture me to be.. weird... BUT.. I was once a very introverted and shy lad.. I was so scared of other people and the world around me.. that I rarely made the effort to get to know anyone. It was a terrible situation.. brilliant... beautiful... and yet.. scared to death to walk into class, a party, a park where people were having a good time. It was absolutely paralyzing. So.. I did what any level headed person would do, and closed up in my shell and hung out with people that I knew could not judge me.. odd ducks... misfit toys.. Though I looked and acted very different from them.. I was accepted in.. (I stood out more with them than I did the typical people.. picture preppy kid amongst stoners) I did most of the talking when the cops came around (I had the respectable look about me).. I had a car..LOL So I buried myself in alcohol and other not so great things. Hey.. ya can't think.. you don't focus on what eats at ya.
Fast forward.. Somewhere... somehow.. I cracked out of all of that crap and became a seemingly good member of society.. and then I see the announcement for this little shindig. I hesitated for a second.. and then my terrible need to push the flashing red button kicked me hard and I put myself all in. There were a handful of people I simply had to see.. people I adored back then.. The rest of the people were strangers to me.. Hell.. I figured they couldn't judge me.. I didn't know who the hell they were and vice versa.. so hey.. fresh start and stuff. Plus.. at pushing 40.. it takes a special person to me for me to be terribly concerned about their opinion of me.. plus.. I am still pretty handsome.. (though apparently yet ANOTHER person says I look like Ron White... WTF...) and I do have the ability to be charming.. So.. with those tools.. I went. The tour was awesome.. I felt my old nerves creeping in me with the familiarity.. but it was more exhilarating than it was panic-ish.. I got to finally get some face to face time with some people I only met online for this thing.. and catch up with relationships that I had sadly forgotten.. Ate lunch with some neato people and went to the hotel to rest and help set up.
The reunion starts and I go in.. I even cleaned myself up a bit.. Started talking with some people that I was familiar with.. (baby steps, man...) but I knew that wasn't gonna fly forever... So I started branching out. I would go up to people and say "Hey!! How the hell are ya doing!!... Oh.. Sorry.. I am Brooks.. Yeah.. the guy who says shit online.. Glad you found it funny.. Was aiming for that.." and then.. I would go get another beer.. I had no real follow up.. just the mouthy guy with a way with words online... I get it.. I am a sound bite guy.. LOL I ran into one of the people whom I considered one of my closest friends in the later part of high school... not even sure she knew she was... but.. she helped me back then without knowing it. She was there with her very cool husband and I was comforted (in a sick way) that she was just as full of apprehension as I was. It was something to exhale and laugh about. We both looked around and she said "Do you know most of these people?" (in her typical snarky yet classy way) and I replied, "I have noooo fucking idea who the fuck the majority of these people are..." (in my typical slightly less than classy way) I cannot say that I had a bad experience.. I MET a bunch of good people. 20 years allows a lot of water to flow under the bridge. Plus.. with all the self promoting I had done prior... I ensured that some people would at least know who the hell I am. I even got a roar from the crowd when I won a drawing.. I mean.. hey.. I will take a cheer even when the situation took no effort on my part!! it is how I roll!! There were some awesome stories told.. I told quite a few self -deprecating ones from way back when "Hey!! That is the girl that punched my mouth when I slapped her ass at graduation!!" "Hey!! That is the room that Suja John yelled at me!!!" "Hey!!.. I didn't even know we had classrooms there!!' It was a ton of fun.
I have to thank the committee that put it together.. You guys are awesome and worked your ass off for our enjoyment. Sue, KriV, Gene and company.. thank you so much!
p.s. I promise the next one will be far angrier and blustery and full of me!!!!
:) You said neato. I liketh it....
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