After rearranging the home office, I sat down to download some upgrades. Foolishly thinking it might be a short while before it finishes, I sit and stare at the monitor as the downloading bytes tick by.

I've been trying to think of things to put in the bit for my reunion. I'm not doing so well.

I try to think of the people in my social circles. I wasn't popular, but I remember having the feeling of knowing just about everyone in the school, well, certainly my class. This is a bit of a task as the class had over 800 people; the school over 2700. It was kind of big. The trouble is that with few exceptions, everyone blurs into the background. There are a few specific memories that pop in and out; I'll try to grab some of those.

While I ponder this, I catch myself wondering what, if anything, those blurry masses might remember of me. Sure, there are a handful of peers that I saw nearly every day the whole time I was there; similar class schedules as well as friends sought out.

My core circle was a group of about five guys; Jon, Jeff, Mike, Stu, and myself. We played games together. Yeah, a bunch of geeks. Board games, role-playing games, dangerous games with bottle-rockets in the park, and, of course, the occasional pick-up sport.

Another pal, Kyle, introduced me to Jon, but then somehow fell out of favor with the group and we didn't hang out. Jon knew Jeff and the rest, and we became the group that forms so much of my high school memory. I'll reflect specifically on them later.

I met a pair of friends I still have, although of late it's been more "barely have"; Paul and Todd, and Todd's wife Karen, too; so three of 'em. We used to connect more frequently, but recently it's dwindled to occasionally, and some days it seems like less. Adult life, living in different parts of town, kids...the usual disruptions.

Paul and I were inseparable in the years following high school; even through my very early reproductive phase, my first attempt at marriage, and he waited for me to return from serving in the Air Force. Todd came back into my life some few years ago; Paul brought him.

I dated a few girls; meaning those awkward social interactions, like movies or dances or whatever fit and made sense, not like maintaining a relationship. My senior year was dedicated to Corinne. We knew each other because she shared a homeroom with Paul. It's lost now how we started dating, but I remember it happened, and lasted pretty much from the beginning of 12 to the winter following graduation.

Other faces flick in and out, but I'm cursed with an inability to remember names. I think I drank that part away in the years after school.

Other than hanging out with the gang, and one birthday party for Sonya, I don't think I did any partying. Sure, our core group would gather at someone's house, but rarely, if ever, did anyone from outside the normal circles ever show.

Sadly, I wasn't terribly involved with anything scholastic. I guess if there's something I'd change...that'd be it.

I started out in NHS, but had to drop after I missed some school and failed a bunch of classes. I had never failed anything before, and it put me in a bad mood. I tried to overcome it, but in the end, I didn't. After the end, I succeeded, but not until it was too late.

I didn't play sports in school, although I did try out for football my sophomore year. I dropped practice because I got "sick"--turned out it was my introduction to hay fever. Could have popped some Sudafed and been just fine. I considered trying out for baseball, but was discouraged by some thug on the team; he was a class or two ahead so I don't think he matters in the big picture.

I still don't play an instrument, so no band, orchestra, choir, or the like. Along the same lines I didn't partake in theatre at any level, even though "my kind" are prone to providing Audio-Visual services.

I wasn't involved in school politics, and didn't consider any school-based social or other extracurricular activities like debate or yearbook. Pretty much a dud, like I said.

I did lead a campaign to form the Science and Technology club in my senior year. We petitioned for a laser and some equipment to try to make holograms. We never got it to work, but I remember having some fun trying.

Other than that, I was pretty much a classroom-only kind of guy. Well, until the spring of my senior year. Then I slipped and started coming in late and leaving early. Didn't graduate on time; how's that for a high school memory? Between the bad attitude I developed in my sophomore year (the first year we had high school then) and the time I spent away from school late in my senior year, I'm amazed I learned anything. I did get into college, complete the coursework, and later petitioned for and received my diploma.

Refection should be easier. When Paul and Todd and I get together, and they start spouting "hey remember this or that," I seldom can. Takes some prodding and goading, and sometimes it comes back.

I'll keep trying...