WWMLD? high school reunion this year

[sonrisa]

I'm still in touch with a number of people and had a good experience. However, I don't know how I feel about saying "yeah, I'm not doing shit with my life" to dozens of perfectly pleasant people. It's silly. My vanity doesn't care that I've aged. I don't need to impress anyone. I'm at peace with my life while I'm living it. Yet admitting I've completely given up on the professional front, to person after person, makes me cringe.

Should I go? No one really cares what I'm doing with my life. Or, should I just arrange separate drinks with the people I'm still in touch with.

(Law school reunion is this year too and I know I can't face that. Both are just a bridge away so travel isn't an issue.) 

[mrsjuleshs]

I too do not go to reunions.

[ECB]

Mar 27, 2014 11:36:06 GMT -5 @evelynrichards said:

Besides, hasn't Facebook pretty much made them irrelevant?

My 25th was this year. I actually found that FB made it more fun.  It wasn't a bunch of people who haven't seen each other in years asking "So- are you married?  Do you have kids? what do you do?".  It was more "Oh- I saw the pictures of your trip to London.  How was it?"  or "I saw that you ran the ___ 10k.  I've just gotten into running.  I'm hoping to do it next year.!".

Or what have you. 

Sonrisa- what exactly do you mean that youv'e given up on the professional front?

[Deleted]

My twentieth is this year.

People keep Facebooking me to ask me to go.

I don't know why they are so interested now when they didn't give a shit about me then.

[Deleted]

I went to my 20th recently.

It was surprisingly...FUN.

People were just themselves and not their highschool clique-y selves of the past and they seemed genuinely happy to see me (got a lot of squeals and rushing to hug me, etc.)

I'd go - I doubt it's going to be the kind of thing where you feel tempted to resort to this:

[firedancer49]

Skip them both.

[sonrisa]

Mar 27, 2014 11:38:32 GMT -5 ECB said:

Mar 27, 2014 11:36:06 GMT -5 @evelynrichards said:

Besides, hasn't Facebook pretty much made them irrelevant?

Sonrisa- what exactly do you mean that youv'e given up on the professional front?

I'm a professional mommy these days. It's by choice and it's the right thing for me. I really love putting my energy into my kids while they are young. I do some pro bono stuff on the side and plan to transition back to a mellower law practice in three or four years. I'm fine with living this decision. I'm ambivalent about talking about it. I don't feel like I need to keep up with my classmates who have made partner, or are ivy league tenure track professors, or curate world renown museums, or whatever. It still feels pathetic to be so outside of my profession.

[jennistarr1]

so since FB, I think reunions are going to be a dying breed but I like the tradition and would like them to stick around...

that said, with FB...people are less "so what do you do for a living" "do you have any kids" so I wouldn't worry about that so much

[sonrisa]

Mar 27, 2014 11:40:07 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

I don't know why they are so interested now when they didn't give a shit about me then.

Wisdom and good taste develop with age.

[underwaterrhymes]

I did not go to my 5- or 10-year reunion.

I did go to my 20th and had a nice time, but we paid an absurd amount of money for what we got. I won't be going again unless there's something really awesome about the next one.

[Deleted]

The advent of social media has kind of taken away most peoples' desire to go to reunions I think. I didn't go to my 10 a couple years ago because I'm FB friends with most of the people I'm actually interested in keeping touch with.

Apparently a bunch of people got utterly wasted and caused problems... just like grad night. Glad I didn't waste $90 on going.

I might go to my 20th depending on where I'm at in life, but I'm meh about it currently.

[Deleted]

Mar 27, 2014 11:50:40 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Mar 27, 2014 11:40:07 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

I don't know why they are so interested now when they didn't give a shit about me then.

Wisdom and good taste develop with age.

TOO LATE, FUCKERS!

[sergey]

I get you. I hate when people ask me what I'm doing if I'm in between contracts but my HS reunion sounds like my version of hell anyway. If you otherwise want to go this is just an issue of phrasing;"I'm only taking side pro-bono projects at the moment while I spend time with my young kids."

[sharknado]

I went to my 20th, it sucked donkey balls

[ECB]

Mar 27, 2014 11:49:29 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Mar 27, 2014 11:38:32 GMT -5 ECB said:

I'm a professional mommy these days. It's by choice and it's the right thing for me. I really love putting my energy into my kids while they are young. I do some pro bono stuff on the side and plan to transition back to a mellower law practice in three or four years. I'm fine with living this decision. I'm ambivalent about talking about it. I don't feel like I need to keep up with my classmates who have made partner, or are ivy league tenure track professors, or curate world renown museums, or whatever. It still feels pathetic to be so outside of my profession.

Well, I think you're making a lot of assumptions about the people you went to school with.   I'm sure some have powerful careers, and I'm sure some are SAHMs, and I'm sure there is a lot in between.  I don't know - I really didn't feel people were at ALL judgey or looking to judge.  It was about catching up w/ old friends and just having a good time. 

If you don't want to go, then don't go.  But I really doubt it's going to be you, the sole SAHM, surrounded by lawyers, professors, etc looking at you and snickering. 

[ECB]

I will add, though, that while I went to my 25th (the only one I've gone to), I highly doubt I'll go to another one. it was fine - it was good to see people and what not. But the food was SUBPAR and the overall experience was just "eh".

I didn't hate it and actually made a couple new connections. But - I'm not waiting in anticipation for my next one either.

[sonrisa]

Mar 27, 2014 11:56:02 GMT -5 ECB said:

Mar 27, 2014 11:49:29 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

I'm a professional mommy these days. It's by choice and it's the right thing for me. I really love putting my energy into my kids while they are young. I do some pro bono stuff on the side and plan to transition back to a mellower law practice in three or four years. I'm fine with living this decision. I'm ambivalent about talking about it. I don't feel like I need to keep up with my classmates who have made partner, or are ivy league tenure track professors, or curate world renown museums, or whatever. It still feels pathetic to be so outside of my profession.

Well, I think you're making a lot of assumptions about the people you went to school with.   I'm sure some have powerful careers, and I'm sure some are SAHMs, and I'm sure there is a lot in between.  I don't know - I really didn't feel people were at ALL judgey or looking to judge.  It was about catching up w/ old friends and just having a good time. 

If you don't want to go, then don't go.  But I really doubt it's going to be you, the sole SAHM, surrounded by lawyers, professors, etc looking at you and snickering. 

I can't imagine anyone would care enough about my career choices to snicker. I know I'm being silly. NWP (nerd world problems)

[ZoeHart]

I just got a FB notice about mine being in November and I've made it my mission to do something exciting with my life before then. Lame.
DH and I went to the same school and we are still local so I'll probably go just to check out everyone not on FB. If travel was involved I would not care enough to go.

[ECB]

Mar 27, 2014 11:58:50 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Mar 27, 2014 11:56:02 GMT -5 ECB said:

I can't imagine anyone would care enough to snicker. I know I'm being silly. NWP (nerd world problems)

Even though I've connected w/ a lot of alumni thru FB - many who I wasn't even friends w/ in HS - and there have been a couple "mini-reunions" (at someone's home w/ about 15 - 20 people) which I actually really enjoyed, I was still nervous about the big reunion.  I was FAR from popular in HS and I'm still shy when it comes to being around people from that era.  So... I do get where you're coming from. 

[shostakovich]

I didn't go to my HS reunion, and I was senior class president.

Oops.