Worst Dates

What do you recall about your worst dates? 

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Schmirtzendoof in the making 

There are two that stand out in my mind.

  

My First Worst Date was with this guy I'll call  Schmirtzendoof.  Schmirtzendoof was a few years older than I was, and when you're both still in high school, that can sometimes be a big age difference. I only saw him briefly during end of the school year activities, and it was one of those big crushes you develop on people you see from afar.  He was cute in a sort of geeky way, drove a hot car, and - well. Some of you know how this works.  You watch that person, you have mental drool, and your girlfriends all giggle and nudge you whenever he walks by and says "hi" to you just for the sake of politeness.  One day, one of my bolder girlfriends did one of those "do you like her circle yes or no" kind of things and asked Schmirtzendoof if he wanted to go out on a date with me.  He said ok, and that weekend, off we went.  Me and Schmirtzendoof, the couple of the hour.  Which is probably about as long as the date lasted.

Thankfully.

I'm sure he felt the same way.

See, when you have this big, bad crush on somebody from afar, nine times out of ten it's better if it stays that way.  Afar. Afar, afar, and very afar away.  Because the reality is far different.  For one thing,  I was totally clueless what to talk to this guy about.  He didn't seem to have much of an idea about conversation, either, so pretty much we just drove around in his car, drove through the various places around town that teens go to hang out (which were deemed too crowded, so we didn't stop), and after increasingly exasperated queries of, "Well, what would you like to do," with me being unable to form a coherent thought, we cut things short and called it a night.

That was the end.  Worst date ever, likely for both of us.  I'm sure he thought I was a complete, bubble-headed moron, and that wouldn't have been too far from the truth at that moment.


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Potsy Webber
(Anson Williams)

The next Worst Date wasn't nearly as bad as the first Worst Date.  Fast-forward a couple years. Potsy Webber was all right.  He was a guy I had a couple of classes with, and we actually could talk to each other.  My sister persuaded me to go out with him.

It's probably not a good sign when you have to be persuaded to go out with someone.  It's not that I disliked Potsy - but I didn't want him to think that I liked him "that way." 

We did the standard teenage movie thing at that time.  A movie - I can't even remember what we went to see - and out for the burger & fries afterward.  It was a "worst date" in that something happened that was very like something that probably happened in an episode of "Happy Days." You young'uns can probably catch that retro show on cable somewhere.

We're in the movies.  It's dark, of course.  Potsy decides it's time to make his move, and does one of those exaggerated but trying to be normal arm stretches, and then suddenly . . . that arm is around the back of my seat, hovering gently just above my shoulders. 

I'm sure Potsy thought that was a pretty slick move.

I was mysteriously busy whenever Potsy called that summer, but we still remained friendly - though not in "that way."

Be sure to click on the links to read about other people's worst dates.  Better yet, share some of yours in the comments.



Class Reunions

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A couple of years ago, I wrote a list of  "It's all about Stylish me" items for a blog post. I admitted in that list of things about me that I had not ever attended a high school class reunion.


Last year, in 2012, I attended my first ever high school class reunion.

I admit it took someone else to generously offer me tickets to fully convince me that I should attend.  This friend couldn't use them, due to a conflict in scheduling.  I had waffled too much in making a decision, and had missed the deadline for getting tickets.

Getting ready felt a little like getting ready for a high school dance.

What do I wear? Will I be overdressed? Comfortable shoes vs. stylish shoes?  Does my hair look all right?

Will anybody recognize me? Will anyone be pleased to see me? Is everyone going to say, "Wow! You got fat!"  What will we talk about? Did I just use someone else's reunion tickets to eat a dinner with my husband because no one else will talk to me?  Who else is coming?

Some of us may envision reunion scenes such as this:

(You-Tube, 30 Rock Reunion)


Others will think of their high school days like this:

(High School Sucks: The  Musical)



Still others of us remember the social hierarchy this way:

(Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, part 9, you-tube)

And then, there's this take: 

(Gabriel Iglesies, You Tube)

Some of us hear a name, and it brings back many memories:

(My Ten-year High School reunion, you-tube)

So, I went to my high school reunion.


I saw a lot of nice people I hadn't seen since high school graduation.  It was interesting to see how the years melt away, and to find out what everyone had been up to over the last 25 years.  It was also fun to interact with former teachers and staff as adults, rather than teacher/student.

I learned that there are still moments in adulthood that will make you squirm with embarrassment as though you were still in high school.  Most people are happy to see you and have a good chat.  Others, just as in high school, are indifferent to your presence.

Meh.

And just like in high school, in adulthood, you'll survive those moments.  You'll find that you have more in common with your classmates than you  may have expected.  You'll find that many of them, just as in high school, still accept you just the way you are and there's no need to try to impress the "A-Team", Romy & Michele style.  You'll renew old friendships.  You'll make new friendships.  You may discover that most people there had the same insecurities and qualms about attending that you did.

If you decide it's too much for you, you can always kick back with a good reunion movie.