Erlkönig: Anderson High Reunion

The 2004 Anderson High School Reunion (class of 1984)

One of my high schools had a reunion at Scholtz's Biergarten, and it turned out to be really rather cool. Although I didn't recognize even close to everybody, there were a number I did remember, especially some cohorts from the engineering-prep honors physics class a bunch of us were in under the esteemed Mr Lynn; our cheerleader Dana Parker, tall and gymnastically unhindered by it (and as outgoing, attractive and determined as ever, it seems), Billy Sederholm, and others.

Me, in elementary.
Yes, I'm a blonde. ;-)

But the real surprises were from further back, like finding out that my girlfriend in 3rd(?) grade, Lisa Pyland, is still sweet and refreshing to be around, and grew up to be quite as attractive as an adult as I ever thought she was then. The girl who is one day younger than I, Suzanne Hardin, was also there, with similar effects. They're both quite unsurprisingly married, and there's a cute tale of one watching her son golf at a competition, desperately wanting to cheer, with her husband holding her to the ground by her shoulders to prevent her breaking her son's concentration (again).

To my frustration, my cellphone camera managed to enthusiastically destroy the pictures I snapped of these two very photogenic women, so I can only hope Lisa's pictures from the event turn out, and that I'll have a chance to scan them..

Too bad the girl I was smitten by in fourth grade, the pretty Norwegian from Oslo named Solveige Aas, didn't somehow appear as well. My elementary school social life would have had better representation - and from a language perspective I probably could have talked with her, now.

On the sad side, it seems that one girl from elementary, Gina, can still remember my teasing her about her laugh. I think I thought she was cute then, so it was probably just the only excuse I could think of to talk to her. It would be shameful to have a shy misexpression of interest end up scarring someone instead.. I feel guilty, especially since there wasn't anything wrong with her laugh to start with, it was just distinctively hers. I wonder if taking her out to dinner nearly thirty years later would make up for it somewhat, or even be a welcome suggestion.

Later, as a high
school senior.

Back on the high school side, the reunion did lead to a lot of interesting conversations, compulsive picture taking, an unexpected binge of chatting in German with a couple of folks, an so on. So, overall, a pretty good time.

Presumably there will be another such event in September or so, where there's some inconceivably small chance my mostly-unrequited first love interest from high school, and good friend for years, Julie McDougall, might appear. But most of the really complex social interactions for me were after I switched high schools for my senior year, so wouldn't be at the Anderson reunion, but rather at Westwood's - the beautiful german girl, Katrin Herzog I went out with until she returned to Germany (and then once day again ten years later in Germany), my second and thankfully requited second love, Janet Oncken, still a good friend thirty+ years later, all the thespians and other musicians, etc.. Of course, I've already run into a good number of them, at the drama reunion a year or so ago. :-).