Ten years happens in the blink of an eye, sometimes. While a lot has happened, it seems like yesterday I was walking down the hallways at GCHS, nodding hello to my fellow Class of '95.
Saturday was my 10 year class reunion, and, of course, I couldn't miss it. Who would show up, and who wouldn't? The answer was more surprising than I thought. Half the faces were of people I expected to see, and half, those I never would have guessed in a million years would attend. A couple people looked exactly the same, while some had changed so much, I couldn't recognize them.
Ten years erased all the games. The snobby were now just happy to see a familiar face. The playing field was, for once, leveled (for the most part.) It wasn't about who had "escaped the 'Burg," it was about the Class of '95, as one.
I eagerly made my rounds, trying, almost succesfully, to say hello to everyone who attended. It was important to me. While I was but a speck on the Class of '95 map, these people were in my soul. I enjoyed my short conversation with everyone, and missed the people who didn't make the trip. At the end of the night, I collected only one phone number, and made a promise to keep in touch with all of 3 people of the 40 or so classmates that were there.
You're thinking it's because the others meant nothing? That's not true. I would entertain a dinner or gathering with any of those who attended. I genuinely enjoyed the company.
I made a point to say goodbye to every guy with a handshake, and every girl with a hug...as if it were the last time we would ever meet. Maybe it will be. I hope not, but who knows, really? I tried to slip my e-mail address to everyone there, along with this website address. I hope everyone stops by, but realistically, they probably won't.
It's ok.
If by some chance you are reading this Class of '95...thank you for including me into your lives. Drop me an e-mail, and I'll save your address so we can really keep in touch. I had a wonderful time, and I sincerely hope this isn't the last time we exchange words.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Kids and Their Candy
What's the deal with Butterscotch? I don't recall any scotch in that particular candy, do you? No butter for that matter, either. What a gip!
Root Beer is 100% BEER free. And we sell that to kids? "Here, Johnny, have a Root Beer and some Candy Cigarettes...you like the hard stuff, eh? Then go ask Grandpa for some butterscotch!!"
Root Beer is 100% BEER free. And we sell that to kids? "Here, Johnny, have a Root Beer and some Candy Cigarettes...you like the hard stuff, eh? Then go ask Grandpa for some butterscotch!!"
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
All The Groom's Men
There is an alarming trend happening these days...
Why is it, more and more, when you go to a wedding, you see the Groom has the Bride's family as one or more of his groomsmen, or the Bride has a few sister's of the groom as Bridesmaids? I don't understand this practice, nor can I accept it.
Are you to have me believe that Mr. Groom cannot find 3 to 6 (or so) male friends that will stand up and validate his choice of soulmate? I know after the ceremony there are 5 gabillion male friends of said Mr. Groom who agree with the choice of alcohol he has chosen for the reception...but oh, no...they didn't stand up and vouche for their "friend."
It's alarming (did I already say that?)
Now, don't get me wrong, there are always exceptions. Mr Groom and Bride's brother were great friends before the bride/groom met...or groom's sister introduced the two...or whatever, but for the most part, I just don't see the logic.
How many people out there, who are married, actually had the chance to form a friendship with the bride's brother(s) in the time they courted their wives-to-be, that would hold stronger than the bond they had with their childhood friend...their own brother(s)...their dad...their work buddies...the guy who cuts their hair...whoever that they had known for YEARS.
Not many.
To each his own, I guess, but I just don't dig it.
Why is it, more and more, when you go to a wedding, you see the Groom has the Bride's family as one or more of his groomsmen, or the Bride has a few sister's of the groom as Bridesmaids? I don't understand this practice, nor can I accept it.
Are you to have me believe that Mr. Groom cannot find 3 to 6 (or so) male friends that will stand up and validate his choice of soulmate? I know after the ceremony there are 5 gabillion male friends of said Mr. Groom who agree with the choice of alcohol he has chosen for the reception...but oh, no...they didn't stand up and vouche for their "friend."
It's alarming (did I already say that?)
Now, don't get me wrong, there are always exceptions. Mr Groom and Bride's brother were great friends before the bride/groom met...or groom's sister introduced the two...or whatever, but for the most part, I just don't see the logic.
How many people out there, who are married, actually had the chance to form a friendship with the bride's brother(s) in the time they courted their wives-to-be, that would hold stronger than the bond they had with their childhood friend...their own brother(s)...their dad...their work buddies...the guy who cuts their hair...whoever that they had known for YEARS.
Not many.
To each his own, I guess, but I just don't dig it.
Frees, You Scumbag!!
I was just sending out an e-mail and I asked the receipient to let me know if his schedule "frees up" later in the week.
Frees? That can't be right...is that a word? How about "freed"? That doesn't look right, either.
So, I looked them both up. Lo and behold they are BOTH actually words.
i.e. -- "Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves." and "If something frees up, let me know."
Huh, you learn something new everyday, I guess. Oh, FYI...freeing is also a word.
That is all...now go lay on the couch and turn the Britney Spears reality show on you nerds!!
Frees? That can't be right...is that a word? How about "freed"? That doesn't look right, either.
So, I looked them both up. Lo and behold they are BOTH actually words.
i.e. -- "Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves." and "If something frees up, let me know."
Huh, you learn something new everyday, I guess. Oh, FYI...freeing is also a word.
That is all...now go lay on the couch and turn the Britney Spears reality show on you nerds!!
Friday, June 10, 2005
Buy This Album
I've tried, purposely, not to hawk products on this blog. I don't want to tell you how you should be watching a certain movie, or drinking a certain soda...however, I would be remiss, if I did not try to get you to listen to, buy, and love the new CD by the White Stripes.
Get Behind Me Satan
I picked up my first White Stripes album in the days when "Seven Nations Army" was big on the radio. I heard it a few times and thought, "this band is pretty catchy."
Then I heard it was 2 people making those sounds. I was still skeptical, because with editing these days, you can make a whole album by yourself.
(Ed. Note: For some great albums done solely by one person...check out:
1. McCartney - Paul McCartney
2. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
3. Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder
4. Broken - Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor)
...etc, etc, etc...)
Anyway, I didn't think much of it, until I saw them perform on the MTV Music Awards. There they were, 2 people, blasting out Seven Nations Army...damn, impressive. To add to the awe, they broke into Son House's Death Letter mid song!! I had to listen to this band.
I bought White Blood Cells (the band's 3rd album from 2001). "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," and "Fell in Love With a Girl," were on the radio, but the way they touched different styles of music in a new fresh way...like "Hotel Yorba"s country feel, and the old style guitar sound of "I Think I Smell a Rat," and the ease of the high pitched singing in "The Same Boy You've Always Known."
How could they top that? I ran out and bought the rest of their albums the next day.
Buy them all.
1999's Self Titled - White Stripes (with a better-than-the-original cover of Dylan's One More Cup of Coffee ...and that's coming from a big Dylan fan!! - and the amazing, AMAZING St. James Infirmary, amoung a great album)
2000's De Stijl - You're Pretty Good Looking For a Girl, Apple Blossom and Death Letter are 3 of a flawless album
2001's White Blood Cells - See Above
2003's Elephant - Seven Nation's Army, I Want to be the Boy That Wins Your Mother's Heart, Hardest Button to Button, and the incredible new blues sound of Ball and Biscuit.
and now...Get Behind Me Satan.
BRILLIANT!! BUY IT!! NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!
Get Behind Me Satan
I picked up my first White Stripes album in the days when "Seven Nations Army" was big on the radio. I heard it a few times and thought, "this band is pretty catchy."
Then I heard it was 2 people making those sounds. I was still skeptical, because with editing these days, you can make a whole album by yourself.
(Ed. Note: For some great albums done solely by one person...check out:
1. McCartney - Paul McCartney
2. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
3. Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder
4. Broken - Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor)
...etc, etc, etc...)
Anyway, I didn't think much of it, until I saw them perform on the MTV Music Awards. There they were, 2 people, blasting out Seven Nations Army...damn, impressive. To add to the awe, they broke into Son House's Death Letter mid song!! I had to listen to this band.
I bought White Blood Cells (the band's 3rd album from 2001). "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," and "Fell in Love With a Girl," were on the radio, but the way they touched different styles of music in a new fresh way...like "Hotel Yorba"s country feel, and the old style guitar sound of "I Think I Smell a Rat," and the ease of the high pitched singing in "The Same Boy You've Always Known."
How could they top that? I ran out and bought the rest of their albums the next day.
Buy them all.
1999's Self Titled - White Stripes (with a better-than-the-original cover of Dylan's One More Cup of Coffee ...and that's coming from a big Dylan fan!! - and the amazing, AMAZING St. James Infirmary, amoung a great album)
2000's De Stijl - You're Pretty Good Looking For a Girl, Apple Blossom and Death Letter are 3 of a flawless album
2001's White Blood Cells - See Above
2003's Elephant - Seven Nation's Army, I Want to be the Boy That Wins Your Mother's Heart, Hardest Button to Button, and the incredible new blues sound of Ball and Biscuit.
and now...Get Behind Me Satan.
BRILLIANT!! BUY IT!! NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!
Movin' On Up
Seems like only yesterday I was in front of all my friends at my birthday party last year, singing, strumming, and having a great old time donning the wig for "Hey Ya!"
Yesterday, the wig came back out.
We just moved into a new building at work (our third in 5 years...man, I get bounced around like a red-headed step-child!) and the old tenants decided to throw a block party to welcome us newbies aboard.
Catered lunch, door prizes, and getting to know you presentations.
"Be Creative!!" the signs screamed. "Top prize wins a great reward!!" Oh, yeah.
So, I cooked up a little song and dance and waited my turn. First up was a very informative game show themed presentation. Not bad.
One by one, groups got up, said their peace, and returned to their seats. Nice, informative, but very vanilla. Then it was my turn...lucky #7.
I started with some general introductions, a joke about my twin brother, Brad Pitt (quit laughing!!) then I whipped the crowd into a frenzy with some clapping, pulled out the wig, and sang a little ditty to the theme of the Jefferson's theme song...
"Well, we're movin' on up..."
The crowd roared. Before I hit the high end note, I paused, shamelessly plugged by company one more time (for those of you not in the know, I am contracted to work for these people by an outside company), threw out some frisbees with the company logo on them, and then hit the high note...
"PI.....EYE....EYE...Yeah, yeah!!"
The crowd loved it, even the guy I hit with a frisbee...who actually turned out to be the CIO...whoops!! A few other groups tried to follow, but the crowd was a buzz with what they had just seen.
The vote went overwhelmingly my way, and I won a $200 gift card to the company store. How ironic that the contracted worker gets a gift card to a company store for whom he doesn't work. I looked through the store, and they have lots of great stuff! I am very much looking forward to my shopping spree.
Everyone was very nice, and congratulated me, and told me how energetic and fun the presentation was, which I appreciated. Later, however, when I won a door prize, I got booed..."there's a $200 limit, Tony!!"...
...guess I should have spread the wealth!!
Yesterday, the wig came back out.
We just moved into a new building at work (our third in 5 years...man, I get bounced around like a red-headed step-child!) and the old tenants decided to throw a block party to welcome us newbies aboard.
Catered lunch, door prizes, and getting to know you presentations.
"Be Creative!!" the signs screamed. "Top prize wins a great reward!!" Oh, yeah.
So, I cooked up a little song and dance and waited my turn. First up was a very informative game show themed presentation. Not bad.
One by one, groups got up, said their peace, and returned to their seats. Nice, informative, but very vanilla. Then it was my turn...lucky #7.
I started with some general introductions, a joke about my twin brother, Brad Pitt (quit laughing!!) then I whipped the crowd into a frenzy with some clapping, pulled out the wig, and sang a little ditty to the theme of the Jefferson's theme song...
"Well, we're movin' on up..."
The crowd roared. Before I hit the high end note, I paused, shamelessly plugged by company one more time (for those of you not in the know, I am contracted to work for these people by an outside company), threw out some frisbees with the company logo on them, and then hit the high note...
"PI.....EYE....EYE...Yeah, yeah!!"
The crowd loved it, even the guy I hit with a frisbee...who actually turned out to be the CIO...whoops!! A few other groups tried to follow, but the crowd was a buzz with what they had just seen.
The vote went overwhelmingly my way, and I won a $200 gift card to the company store. How ironic that the contracted worker gets a gift card to a company store for whom he doesn't work. I looked through the store, and they have lots of great stuff! I am very much looking forward to my shopping spree.
Everyone was very nice, and congratulated me, and told me how energetic and fun the presentation was, which I appreciated. Later, however, when I won a door prize, I got booed..."there's a $200 limit, Tony!!"...
...guess I should have spread the wealth!!
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