A New Feature

For a long time now I've toyed with the idea of putting the class video I made on YouTube, and I finally decided to take the plunge. It's on YouTube now and I also put it on the blog. Just think, now the whole world can see you. :)

Two Questions

We have all heard, and probably used, the expression “If I only knew then what I know now.” If you are like me you use it almost whimsically to mean there was a missed opportunity of some sort that I could have taken advantage of in some way "if I only knew then."

The antithesis of this then would have to be a line from “Against the Wind”, an old Bob Seger song that said, “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” This implies there has been some damage done or some pain suffered that I would just as soon not have had to deal with.

To me, the two lines define the high school years versus some of the years since. If I only knew then what I know now things would have been different with that girl or in that class or on a particular day or situation and fate would have smiled on me; while I wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then would have saved me a lot of frustration, a few lonely nights and a big broken heart.  Maybe.

So when you look back, which is the longer list for you --- what you wished you knew or what you wished you didn't know?

Classes

Obviously we spent the most of our time in class, and I don't know about you, but I tend to remember the classes by who was in the class with me.  The funny thing is I can't remember no more than a handful of the classes and then only those who sat closest to me.

The class I remember most was Civics during senior year.  That was the only time in four years that I had Allen and Wayne McNabb and Doug Christian in the same class.  They were my closest friends throughout high school but that was the only time we were together.  I also remember Sharron and Janice Arden, Ann Russell and Steve Satterfield.  Coach Dutton was so laid back he really didn't give us a lot of grief over anything.

Biology was sophomore year and I remember Sandra Ward and Susan Jones at the table in front of me with Wayne McNabb sharing my table.  That was an okay class too.

Driver's Ed during senior year was also fun.  I remember Doris Russell and Bruce Lawson.  I think Donna was in that class too.. right?

History senior year was a hoot.  Kenny Parks, Steve Huff, Bonnie Fagg, Jane McCollister, Sue Burnette and Edward Watson were in there.

Journalism was fun too.  Ann Hunt and Janice Hughes put up with most of my stale jokes, and of course Miss Mize was there to highlight the whole day.

Which do you remember?

What Did You Look For?

My daughter mentioned a boy at school the other day, in as little detail as possible, of course. There are some things a teenage girl doesn't talk about with her Dad and boys probably top that list. The only thing is, most of the ones I know about aren't exactly what I would call dashing, at least to me they're not. And like most things, it got me to thinking about when we were in school.

Why did you pick who you picked to date? Was it their looks? clothes? charm? social standing? brains? Or maybe it was the way they smiled or made you laugh or the way they treated you? Was it because they were in the upper classes? Have their own car? If you ever really put your finger on it let me know, because I have no idea.

I guess like most teenage boys I looked for "cute" and I will admit to a little shallowness in that she had to pass the "friends" test. There was no way you wanted to give the guys something to laugh at you about, especially when it came to who you wanted to date.

There was another shallowness too. Most guys were looking for that 'ideal' girl, the perfect one. Girls on the other hand seemed to be more realistic. They knew most guys came with at least some extra baggage so they didn't set their sights too high, they could adjust, and most of them ended up with a nice guy anyway.

I obviously can't speak for every guy. I was no great prize, but I remember one girl I was trying to impress, and the guy who seemed to have the inside track wasn't any more of a prize than I was. Talk about a bruised ego. After a while she got wise and didn't end up with either one of us.

So, why did you pick who you picked to date?

A Nice Surprise

My daughter and her family were here visiting for the past ten days and they left this morning for LA (as in Lower Alabama) after making a stop in Atlanta.  Her husband, Tony, is being reassigned from Hawaii to Ft Rucker to be a training pilot.  Talk about your culture shock!!  Just kidding.  They were there before and they like it pretty well, plus he's locked into a 3 year tour without the worry of going back to Iraq.

Anyway, at about 1:30 this afternoon my cellphone rings and it's her.  "Dad," she said, "guess where we are?"  Where?  "We're right outside your old high school!" (Did I say she was sentimental like me?).  Anyway, she then proceeded to  drive around  town and tell me some of the things she saw.  It's been about 15 years since she was there, so she was enjoying herself.

It made a sad day a little brighter.  I'm going to miss them... especially the two little girls, but she knew just the right way to take some of the sad away.  :)

The Few and the Many

It was only four years, there were really just a few of us and it was so long ago --- why is it so indelibly etched in our memory?

I've said it before and I'll say it again --- we became men and women together.  It is not exactly the same type of bond men in battle have, but we will always carry that with us... good or bad... happy or sad.  When I ask my older kids where do they consider 'home' to be, (and they each lived in 4 or 5 places) they always say the place they spent their high school years.

There were so few of us, but the sweetness of it is that the number of memories can be multiplied that many times and depending on who we sit and talk to, there are that many different memories.  I didn't circulate with everyone, none of us did, but when I look at our yearbook I can remember something about everybody I see.  Some class or event or even just an encounter, but I can still sit down with them and say "Hey, remember when?"

I bet you can too.

The People I Knew

As Freshmen there were 153 of us.

As Sophomores there were 150 of us.

As Juniors there were 123 of us.

As Seniors there were 129 of us.

That is a lot of coming and going.  Where they went and where they came from varies a lot.  Some graduated early, while others from the Junior class joined us by graduating early.  Some moved away while others moved in.  Some changed schools while at least 2 that I know of quit.

In fact, it seems that when I think about it, quitting was a viable option for some.  Whether they needed to in order to work or just wanted to, it was an option some chose.  I don't think people quit school as much today as they did back then.  Maybe I'm wrong.

I do know that it was an option I thought about very early in our Junior year, and one that I may have chosen had I stayed in Atlanta --- but the McNabb family was kind enough to offer me a place to stay and the rest, as they say, is history.  I don't even want to think about what my life would have been like had I actually quit.