Tenth Reunion

I was going through my mail pile and finally decided to open the thick packet with the details about my upcoming Yale 10th reunion.  I began mentally making my to-do list to get ready for the event.

To do before June 2-3:

1) Lose 15 lbs
2) Win major professional, literary, or intellectual award
3) Attract and marry glamorous husband, preferably with foreign accent
4) Pop out a couple of precious and handsome children.  Learn how to care for them, graciously and effortlessly.
5) Develop a singing, acting, or athletic ability and form a nationally-recognized organization around it, as a "little hobby" 
6) Do some international humanitarian aid work
7) Study up on politics, economics, pop culture, literature, linguistics, etc.
8) Get featured on National Public Radio
9) Produce an independent film
10) Take a company public, then travel the world for a year or so afterwards around India and Asia, connecting deeply with own spirituality
11) Get PhD
12) Work in an inner city school
13) Hold elected office

Can't wait to see all my classmates in New Haven!  We'll have so much to talk about!

Comments

[pjm]

It's the curse of the highly-ranked institution, yes, but also the curse of reunions in general (perhaps less so for HS reunions, but still.) Only the scale changes. I sometimes feel like the only one of my undergraduate classmates not to have a wife/grad degree/stupendous job or some combination of the three. I've been pretty successful, but in a very, very narrow and insular field.

I gather from our mutual friend that my 5th reunion (which I missed) would have been quite the opposite of what you described. I'm hoping that my upcoming degree-starting will make me presentable for our 10th.

[deb]

Too funny...and I thought gearing up for my 10th from the Highly Esteemed Terre Haute North Vigo High School was scary.

Last year I was thinking how cool it would be to go with my Persian doctor boyfriend (preferably right after he'd proposed), with pictures of our fabulous high-rise Chicago life, and me an up-and-coming immigration attorney.

Instead he dumped me and I probably won't have a job yet by the time the reunion rolls around. I will be certain that I failed the bar exam (and won't get confirmation of that failure for another couple of months). My hair will be in a stage of growth and color that requires a handful of self-deprecating jokes (jokes I'll spend several hours preparing). I will still be carrying the 10 extra pounds that I meant to lose two weeks ago. And finally, everyone will know that my "adolescent" acne was not confined to my adolescence.

Oh yeah, and when people ask "how are you?" it will be with a knowing and sympathetic emphasis on the "are". Last time my friends saw me, I had blonde hair to the middle of my back. Now, post-chemo and surgery, I am one breast lighter, and my very-short hair is two hair shades darker. Maybe I'll just wear a t-shirt that says, "I'm FINE!" :) That's one thing to be thankful for, anyway. Hm...and just maybe one or two of my male classmates are still bachelors (so busy getting their lucrative careers going, they didn't have time to think about women...)

This is what I love about your blog: your honesty mixed with humor. This is funny, but it's also a very sincere reflection of some real thoughts you're having (along with many of the rest of us). It's great to get that every day. How about "running a popular blog" replaces one of the things on that list? (Suggestion: #4)

[Milbarge]

Just wondering...does "southern" count as a "foreign accent"? No reason.

[Carol]

You can combine #'s 3 and 4 by marrying a guy who already has a couple of beautiful, well-mannered children! (Save lots of time and energy that way!)

[Dennis]

On the other hand, how many of your classmates are rock stars of the blogging world or have better Google rankings?