It's 30 years today since I graduated from high school

It doesn't seem that long.

The weirdest thing of all is that I still get pimples. They go nicely with the gray hair and the wrinkles. ;-) :woohoo:

How did your life turn out differently than you initially anticipated it would?

It's amazing how brilliant we all are till we're about 21, then we realize that no, we don't know everything. ;-)

I turned out to be slightly less nerdy than i expected to be (I assumed I would remain in the lowest circle of Nerd Hell forever, but I settled on one of the higher circles of geekdom and even managed to get married, temporarily). And my complexion cleared up long before the gray hair and wrinkles appeared. For me, high school seems a long distance away, although I still have the occasional nightmare that takes place there. I hated high school and I'm glad I don't think about it much any more.


--- Oops, bad math. It's been 44 years. MY GOD....!

It's amazing how much we change, but how some things stay the same. ;-)

I was wrong. Then I had to figure out what I was going to do with myself when I grew up.

I figured it out. But I never really grew up.

and still didn't know what he wanted to be when he grew up.

I think this is a good thing: We're still changing and growing!

You are so correct

Or, till I wake up in the morning and lurch into the bathroom. ;-) :woohoo:

Here's to the next 30!

Pimples AND wrinkles. No justice. I know it well.

Well, in high school I was pretty insecure and had no idea if I'd find a career or a husband. Majored in partying both in high school and college- but finally straightened out and found what I was looking for.

I felt the same way: I was afraid to go after what I wanted. Increased age showed me that failure isn't fatal.

It sounds like things are going well for you!

Graduating HS was one of the happiest days of my life. I wonder where the years have gone. 30 years?! WOW!

I didn't have any idea how my life would turn out. I've just gone with the flow and didn't really ever have any specific plans of what I would do or be, but I'm very happy with my life.

Our grandma tells me it speeds up even more as we get older. ;-)

I really thought I would travel the world and lead a glamorous life. HA!

Are you going to your 30-year reunion? The last one I went to was 25 years and everyone looked so different, I didn't recognize them. I stopped going because I don't want anyone to see me as "old".

I'm still not sure if I'm going.

It's not so much the "old". I went to the ten-year reunion and discovered that everyone, after a couple of drinks, was still the same.

Mostly, I'm struck with the idea that we should enjoy our lives; they go so fast.

My life turned out quite differently than I expected. I was the apotheosis of the nerd, but I ended up marrying a prom queen. Life is good... B-)

I don't know if you've ever heard of Mark O'Connor. He's the preeminent fiddle player in the world. We graduated with him. He married our friend Carla, the tall, blonde, gorgeous cheerleader. ;-)

HA, she of the slutty screen name, you're nothing but JAILBAIT!

Since I never had any plans for my life, nothing ever disappointed me. I had some dreams, but they seemed impossible when I was young, yet they all came true, and then some.

It's been a weird ride. Gets stranger every day. I'm constantly surprised, and, mostly, I laugh at what takes me aback.

I thought I'd be taller, actually .......................

God bless you, Tangerine. For that one, I owe you a drink! :toast:

Being taller would have been good.

I have to laugh at the stuff I'm still shocked by, too. One would think by this advanced age that nothing would faze me, but I'm still surprised.

:woohoo:

:hi:

It's thirty years, and we're still here.

Plus, we showed those young kids. There still isn't a band that can rival Zeppelin, is there? LMAO!

:woohoo:

let's see...

one big thing I didn't understand back then was that 47-year-old me wasn't going to feel 47 on the inside. I feel like I've just heaped some wisdom and experience on top of that same kid I was. I imagine in 30 more years, I'll still feel the same... only slower.

:hi: Class of 79!

:rofl:

Are we having fun yet?

Does this mean I'm a cougar now?

:rofl:

I'll bet you have great stories, too!

So much has changed in the world since 1964, that my life has not been at all like I thought it would be.

Nevertheless, It has not been bad. I can't think of anything that I would really want to change, because I am satisfied at this point with how things turned out.

And yes, time speeds by more rapidly the older one gets. Months go my like weeks used to.

And I hear ya. I hurt more, I wear down faster, and my recovery time is way longer. But in my mind, I'm still a teenager.

I did not grow up to be what I wanted to be. Not sure if I ever really wanted to be anything. But my life is so very much more than I ever dreamed was possible. Life is good. Life is huge. Life is more.

So yeah, I'm a teenager trapped in a middle-aged body. But I've earned every wrinkle, every gray hair. And kids, if I look sideways at you with a crooked grin and a twinkle in my eye, it's not because I'm guessing. It's because I know. ;-)

My life could have really badly, had I stayed hanging with many of my circa 1971 influences, but instead, I found an immediate job, which turned into going back to school (over the next 20 years).

That rollercoaster ride was a good one, but it wasn't easy. Bottom line, I learned to not be afraid of taking as long as I want to find what I want.

Truthfully, I would care to only see 2 or 3 people from my old highschool. The online world of "classmates" frankly doesn't look too enticing, cause all the "free spirits" appear to be right wing jaggoffs from here!

When I graduated, I was being told by everyone that I HAD to pick what I wanted to do immediately and it had to be something "important".

Now after a year of college, I realized that making money isn't that important. What matters is that I like my life and I am helping people.

I thought I would be a very highly motivated attorney.

Instead, I am a middle of the road schlub with quite a few kids and I am pretty happy.

I guess I would fall into the middle of the spectrum. I was class President and Valedictorian. Now, I blend into the woodwork except that my children are all-stars. Very nice kids. Good kids.

We didn't have kids. I think I knew in high school I really didn't want to.

Sometimes, blending into the woodwork is a good thing. ;-)

to instill in them.

Regarding the High School Reunions...I just was never that fond of the whole High School thing.

I remain friends with a small circle of friends...mostly from my Elementary School days or my college days.

it seems like a hundred sometimes, at other times it seems like just yesterday... i know i still have hair and teeth!

Yeah, yeah. Mom wrapped me up in a bear pelt and threw me out of the cave, rode a mastodon to school, fought off saber tooth tigers on the way, football team used rocks instead balls, yeah, yeah.

I didn't anticipate. I'm of the Indiana Jones life style -- make it up as you go along.

but, I graduated in 1979, too.

June 8th sounds about right, I know it was on a Friday seems like it was in the beginning of June.

I don't remember how I anticipated things would be, but it hasn't turned out all that bad.

I still feel like a kid - although my body argues with me, from time to time. :)

I have pimples too. :hug:

I expected to be making lots more money at the age that I am, but that's OK, I'm getting by OK.

I used to think I was going to do something grand. Now I know that just getting through life one day at a time can be quite an accomplishment. :-)

I'm much happier than I was as a young person. :-)

in history of the school till that time.
I hated high school, have never been back, and have no plans to do so, but I did learn a lot, although not always what was intended.

I had no real plans when I graduated, in fact it was a day or so later that I realized I had better do something about getting another job (I had been working part time and playing music for money since 15) so I got a steelmill job and later went to college and te Army.

I turned out better than I ever expected, and I feel very fortunate every day to have been so lucky.
I still get the occasional zit as well - I find that I now have some places on my face that are very dry, some oily - pretty wierd...
:shrug:

mark

Was that a TV special or something? I just remember the phrase.

Fellow graduate here. We had 1200 in our graduating class, and we were the 100th graduating class. Our HS is long gone. I don't go to reunions anymore, since I never really kept in touch with anyone. Left my hometown at age 17 and never looked back.

:hi:

and send regular appeals for money.

Like I have some extra.:rofl:


mark

and it does seem like yesterday.

I think alot of people had higher expectations of me than I had for myself. I disappointed them but disappointed myself more for not taking more control over things I should have been in control of. I'm a much bitter person toward myself than I should be.

But I am eternally grateful that I'm the father of 2 great kids. We don't talk alot to each other and that hurts some, but I know the types of people they've become and I wouldn't trade teaching them the moral values that my ex and I shared for anything in the world.

That is SO sad...

:feeling old:

RL

Well, I feel young till I try to get out of bed in the morning, or read anything without glasses. ;-)

:woohoo:

I was sure I wouldn't live past 45. I couldn't imagine being so incredibly old. :D

I never looked to the future -- just took one day at a time. Though I never would have never expected to end up working on a COMPUTER...

The fastest 29 years of my life. If someone had told me, as a teenager, that this is where I would be at age 49 I would have said .... "YEAH!!!!!"

About 6 years ago, my high school had an open house for its anniversary. Since I'm back in the city, I thought I'd stop by. I didn't stay longer than to make a quick walkabout in the halls, then got the hell out. What's past is past. Especially high school.