Thirteen Things About Me in High School
Since the theme this week among one of my Blogger buddies is the high school experience, I decided to glom off of her idea, since I had none of my own.
Visit Pam for more tales from her personal teenage wasteland, and wish her a safe journey south to attend her 20th high school reunion.
Visit Pam for more tales from her personal teenage wasteland, and wish her a safe journey south to attend her 20th high school reunion.
1. I never attended a dance. Even the Sadie Hawkins dance, where the girls were supposed to ask the boys, or the Senior Prom. Since I never had a girlfriend, the choice was pretty easy.
2. There is no picture of me in the Yearbook. I protested the idea, and subsequently wound up in the back of the book with the wasteoids and losers. I had offers of neckties and jackets on photo day, but stood my ground. I can't recall why, but it just wasn't something I wanted to do.
3. I graduated #104 out of 277. Debbie Powers, the girl next to me in home room, (who thought she was so much smarter than anyone else), finished #105 and wondered, "Who came in 104?" I didn't have the heart to ruin her day.
4. I was in the "College Prep" program. I didn't attend college until 1998. Apparently, there is no statute of limitations on the program.
5. I was 17 when I graduated. Not because I was skipped a grade, just an odd calendar twist that had me starting Kindergarden at age 4, a month before my 5th birthday.
6. I had to walk a mile to get the bus. A real mile, not a "grandpa" mile. Now, I see the bus stopping every block to pick up kids. I did a lot of walking through rain, sleet and gloom of late afternoon. Kids today are soft.
7. I missed my last reunion to get married. I think I covered this, but the odd thing about my 15th reunion in 1990 was that it would be the last we would have. Someone is trying to organize something now, but I'm not holding my breath.
8. I was in the No-Pep Club. A small group of us were renegades who didn't want to take part in the Friday afternoon Pep Rallies for the football team. We sat in the back, seemingly not bothering anyone. Once, the band director yelled at us with a bullhorn, ordering us to stand. We sat. I felt like Rosa Parks.
9. I never missed a day. You could look it up. I attended every day of school from 7th grade until the last day. Several of my fellow students were so amazed that, unbeknownst to me, they used to place small bets that I wouldn't show up at homeroom. They lost a lot of bets. By my count, it's 1,080 straight days. Screw you, Cal Ripken.
10. I still have all my report cards. Mom saved every one, from Kindergarden onward, in this little book, with pockets and spaces to write the teacher's name. I'd scan one for you, but they're still at her house.
11. I was in two plays. One, for English class, in which I played a kid terrorizing an airplane full of passengers, that we wrote ourselves. I guess I got the part because I was skinny like Gilligan. It was hysterical. I was supposed to spill a cup of water "beside" Carol, but I decided that the comedy was in the spill, not the near-spill, so it wound up all over her. It was funnier my way, but she did not agree.
The other one was a band pageant, where they ran short of bodies and needed someone to play an Navy seaman (no jokes). I went out there with "my hair tucked up under my hat" (a-la The Five Man Electrical Band), and garnered several chuckles from the audience with my phony portrayal.
12. No Activities. The non-photo in the yearbook was accompanied by a home address and nothing else. I wasn't interested in sports, and I didn't play a "band" instrument. Although I was asked to audition for bass guitar in the jazz band. I declined, since I didn't really play the bass (I played the guitar) and felt like I was stealing a spot from a deserving person, just because my friends wanted me in the band. Good Karma for me.
13. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated. Seemingly, my guidance counselor lost my file, because I really didn't have a clue what to do when June 1975 rolled around. Due to a quirky set of circumstances, a friend got me a decent job in a field I would stay in for the next 15 years. I've only had two jobs. That one and the one I have now.
2. There is no picture of me in the Yearbook. I protested the idea, and subsequently wound up in the back of the book with the wasteoids and losers. I had offers of neckties and jackets on photo day, but stood my ground. I can't recall why, but it just wasn't something I wanted to do.
3. I graduated #104 out of 277. Debbie Powers, the girl next to me in home room, (who thought she was so much smarter than anyone else), finished #105 and wondered, "Who came in 104?" I didn't have the heart to ruin her day.
4. I was in the "College Prep" program. I didn't attend college until 1998. Apparently, there is no statute of limitations on the program.
5. I was 17 when I graduated. Not because I was skipped a grade, just an odd calendar twist that had me starting Kindergarden at age 4, a month before my 5th birthday.
6. I had to walk a mile to get the bus. A real mile, not a "grandpa" mile. Now, I see the bus stopping every block to pick up kids. I did a lot of walking through rain, sleet and gloom of late afternoon. Kids today are soft.
7. I missed my last reunion to get married. I think I covered this, but the odd thing about my 15th reunion in 1990 was that it would be the last we would have. Someone is trying to organize something now, but I'm not holding my breath.
8. I was in the No-Pep Club. A small group of us were renegades who didn't want to take part in the Friday afternoon Pep Rallies for the football team. We sat in the back, seemingly not bothering anyone. Once, the band director yelled at us with a bullhorn, ordering us to stand. We sat. I felt like Rosa Parks.
9. I never missed a day. You could look it up. I attended every day of school from 7th grade until the last day. Several of my fellow students were so amazed that, unbeknownst to me, they used to place small bets that I wouldn't show up at homeroom. They lost a lot of bets. By my count, it's 1,080 straight days. Screw you, Cal Ripken.
10. I still have all my report cards. Mom saved every one, from Kindergarden onward, in this little book, with pockets and spaces to write the teacher's name. I'd scan one for you, but they're still at her house.
11. I was in two plays. One, for English class, in which I played a kid terrorizing an airplane full of passengers, that we wrote ourselves. I guess I got the part because I was skinny like Gilligan. It was hysterical. I was supposed to spill a cup of water "beside" Carol, but I decided that the comedy was in the spill, not the near-spill, so it wound up all over her. It was funnier my way, but she did not agree.
The other one was a band pageant, where they ran short of bodies and needed someone to play an Navy seaman (no jokes). I went out there with "my hair tucked up under my hat" (a-la The Five Man Electrical Band), and garnered several chuckles from the audience with my phony portrayal.
12. No Activities. The non-photo in the yearbook was accompanied by a home address and nothing else. I wasn't interested in sports, and I didn't play a "band" instrument. Although I was asked to audition for bass guitar in the jazz band. I declined, since I didn't really play the bass (I played the guitar) and felt like I was stealing a spot from a deserving person, just because my friends wanted me in the band. Good Karma for me.
13. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated. Seemingly, my guidance counselor lost my file, because I really didn't have a clue what to do when June 1975 rolled around. Due to a quirky set of circumstances, a friend got me a decent job in a field I would stay in for the next 15 years. I've only had two jobs. That one and the one I have now.
25 comments:
wow...high school. I skipped my reunion to have a grandson. HA.
Happy TT!
My ten year reunion is next weekend. I'm skipping it because the best thing about high school is that it's over! This was a really cool list!
I was a graduate at 17 also...
for all of 15 days.
I never went to a dance either. Never got asked.
I was scared to graduate because I didn't know what I wanted to do after High School. I guess staying in HS felt safe.
HS. You never want to remember it and you hope to never forget it.
My TT is about fall.
I was not a big fan of "Activities" in HS, either. Good idea for a list, though...
Happy TT!
Awww high school....It sounds like we actually had the same experience!! Sort of....
high school was a fun time in my life, but i never went to a reunion either. blah.
i missed almost half my senior year-my mom paid us to stay home with her. who can resist an offer like that?
Interesting list! We have #1 in common at least. I haven't been to any of our reunions either and probably won't ever go.
Thanks for visiting my TT!
Interesting list. I didn't love my high school so much but I'm not sure if I'm gonna be skipping the 10th year or not.
My TT is up! All about my love for blogging! Feel free to visit my site and leave your thoughts anytime. =)
I agree...I skipped my prom and reunion..see how much I liked it?
I hated school, college whatever always have been a rebell and terrorized the teachers. But I found my way and I am happy whith what I have done.
I graduated when I was 17 too, for that exact same reason. Though my birthday was only a few days after school started.
Loved this Anthony...and by the way HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
It must be your birthday recently since you are a LIbra so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Super list of high school oddities, a very good idea. Um, my friends and I mthoughtthere were so many groups lined up for yearbook photos and we didn't even hear of them. so we made a group up...the young christian fellowship and stood very solemn for our photos.
I wanted to be an artist when I graduated...please what was I thinking! But I did go to Journalism forst, but it didn't really stick.
I was also in two school plays and loved every moment of them.
This is a great list!
Really does say a lot about you- the interesting contrasts in your personality. Great choice. I wish my high school had had a no pep club. Maybe they did and I just wasn't cool enough to have been privy to it?
I try to block out my high school years as much as possible.
I haven't been to a single one of my high school reunions but I have attended three of my hubby's. That was fun because I had no one I wanted to impress!! Great list.
Thanks for stopping by my list and for being the FIRST to comment!!
Wow. I love memory trips in HS like this. Great post!
you're so right about kids being soft! i too grew up when having to catch the bus meant leaving a half hour early to walk to the bus stop. in a blizzard. great list!
I loved HS, the best five years of my life.
I linked to you from my TT 13 Hand Gestures
Sounds a little like my HS years many, many years ago! I never attended a dance, didn't have a boyfriend - not that I didn't have boys as friends. I was 17 when I graduated, but I was #2 in my graduating class of 65. I was the leading character in our Senior play, and loved it! So many memories.
Check out my TT.
hey, I was 17 too! hmm, that must mean your birthday is right around mine... right around NOW! yeah?
Great idea! I couldn't come up with anything this week, then I read yours! Reunions blow !
Anthony I totally would have told Debbie the Bad News - you're too noble man! :) Great TT - very nostalgic, for better or worse :)
Cool stuff. My whole class was a picture of your "No-Pep" squad at pep rallies. We sat in order of class (Freshman, Sophomores, etc...) and yelled "We got spirit, yes we do, we got spirit, how 'bout YOU?" at each other.
Not until the last pep rally of our senior year did we ever make a peep. Weird, considering that half my class was involved in sports, student government, music, etc...
It was so funny to have the freshmen yell at us all year, and us just sit there. The last one, we boo'd them down so badly they gave up halfway through, then we got loud. It was fun. Felt like a conspiracy.
And I was tied for #5 out of 87. Count 'em, 87!
Not a great time in your life, right? Look how popular you are now! I'm #28 to sign in, I think.
I was never a joiner, and regret it now. I found out later that if I'd been in more clubs and served on more committees it might have really helped on the job. May be the most important thing for kids to do in h.s. or college. Even today, I'd rather do just about anything rather than join an organization. So I do the ad hoc tasks, one shot things so I feel like I'm helping out somewhere.
I graduated at 17 too. Wrote my Monday Memories about that this week.
My TT is up.
Interesting read but I'm surprised that you went to any of your reunions after reading that!!(LOL) I'm assuming you did because you said you missed your 15th year reunion only to get married.
I didn't go to any of mine and I kinda enjoyed HS at the time. I kinda think reunions are overrated but maybe they're not.
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