Reunion II
Okay, now that I have been to my reunion. Here's what lessons I have learned...
Welcome to another week at Bogworld.com. I just got back from my 30th high school reunion. I know I talked about this last week but now I have a fresh perspective having just come from the actual event.
What did I observe?
High school reunions are weird. Not necessarily bad weird. But weird. For example. I think we all traveled long distances or at least made some personal sacrifice to attend the reunion. All of us probably had specific people we wanted to find and hear how they have faired over the last 30 years. And when you find those special people, there is an odd social pressure to not spend too much time with any specific people and keep meeting more of your other classmates. Even though many of them probably were not that close to you back in the 80s. So all we really get are snapshots of each other. And lets be honest. Snapshots are easy to find right on our home computers via Facebook. I guess I was hoping for a few more long meaningful conversations with old friends. There were a few. But not as many as I had hoped.
I do hope the folks who I did reconnect with find a way to keep the connection in tact this time around. Decades are too long to be away from people you care about.
As a writer/cartoonist, I cannot help but be an observer. High school reunions are kind of amazing fodder for people watching. It was interesting to see who really grew up and who were still clinging to the ever fading glow of their high school days. How many groups that stuck together back then found a way to stick together again. It took a few hours. But you could slowly watch some people fall back into their old social groups. There were times I felt a little like Jane Goodall observing chimp behaviors (I can say that because I actually worked a little with Jane on an IMAX movie back in the late 90s. I think she would agree... Wow. that was some major league name dropping wasn’t it? ). I don’t mean to make that sound derogative. I sought out my old friends and found myself in old familiar circles too. I found my fellow band geeks and folks that I have literally known since elementary school. I just fnd it interesting that it still happens after all these years.
For all of the people who brought copies of my novel, The Prank, to sign. I was seriously flattered. You did wonders for my ego. Its so nice to know people thought enough of the book to do that. Thank you so much for the kind words.
For the few folks who somehow thought I was going to pull up with a trunk full of books to sell at the reunion. 1) that’s not how it works. And 2) I am just not that guy. I have a publisher who does a nice job making the book available through most national outlets and on Kindle and iBooks. I would much rather collect my royalty check and enjoy the company of old friends than try to peddle things out of my car. Please buy it through Amazon.com or barnsandnoble.com or your favorite reader services if you want to check it out. And thanks in advance. I do appreciate the interest in it.
It was a good weekend. Hope to see many of you again much sooner than 10 years from now.
Johnny Clegg in Minnesota
This past week I got to see South African singer/song writer Johnny Clegg live in concert at a small venue in Minneapolis. Johnny is by far my favorite musical artist. You probably have heard his songs and maybe not even realized it. His music was everywhere in the late 80s and early 90s. And today he is still putting out music. Wonderful, thought provoking songs. His latest CD, Human, is some of his best work. If you get a chance to see Johnny live, do so. He and his band of amazing musicians have the uncanny ability to raise an audience out of their seats... Even an overly mundane Minnesota audience... and get them up and dancing. Johnny’s music is an enthralling mix of western pop and traditional African songs. If you would like to sample some of his music, here you go...
CLICK HERE!
Bing Incorporates Friends In Searches
I don’t use Bing much. But the idea that it somehow incorporates your Facebook friends in searches is a little disturbing. I mean if my friends knew how to get someplace or knew the all the answers to questions, I would not be using a search engine, would I?
What did I observe?
High school reunions are weird. Not necessarily bad weird. But weird. For example. I think we all traveled long distances or at least made some personal sacrifice to attend the reunion. All of us probably had specific people we wanted to find and hear how they have faired over the last 30 years. And when you find those special people, there is an odd social pressure to not spend too much time with any specific people and keep meeting more of your other classmates. Even though many of them probably were not that close to you back in the 80s. So all we really get are snapshots of each other. And lets be honest. Snapshots are easy to find right on our home computers via Facebook. I guess I was hoping for a few more long meaningful conversations with old friends. There were a few. But not as many as I had hoped.
I do hope the folks who I did reconnect with find a way to keep the connection in tact this time around. Decades are too long to be away from people you care about.
As a writer/cartoonist, I cannot help but be an observer. High school reunions are kind of amazing fodder for people watching. It was interesting to see who really grew up and who were still clinging to the ever fading glow of their high school days. How many groups that stuck together back then found a way to stick together again. It took a few hours. But you could slowly watch some people fall back into their old social groups. There were times I felt a little like Jane Goodall observing chimp behaviors (I can say that because I actually worked a little with Jane on an IMAX movie back in the late 90s. I think she would agree... Wow. that was some major league name dropping wasn’t it? ). I don’t mean to make that sound derogative. I sought out my old friends and found myself in old familiar circles too. I found my fellow band geeks and folks that I have literally known since elementary school. I just fnd it interesting that it still happens after all these years.
For all of the people who brought copies of my novel, The Prank, to sign. I was seriously flattered. You did wonders for my ego. Its so nice to know people thought enough of the book to do that. Thank you so much for the kind words.
For the few folks who somehow thought I was going to pull up with a trunk full of books to sell at the reunion. 1) that’s not how it works. And 2) I am just not that guy. I have a publisher who does a nice job making the book available through most national outlets and on Kindle and iBooks. I would much rather collect my royalty check and enjoy the company of old friends than try to peddle things out of my car. Please buy it through Amazon.com or barnsandnoble.com or your favorite reader services if you want to check it out. And thanks in advance. I do appreciate the interest in it.
It was a good weekend. Hope to see many of you again much sooner than 10 years from now.
Johnny Clegg in Minnesota
This past week I got to see South African singer/song writer Johnny Clegg live in concert at a small venue in Minneapolis. Johnny is by far my favorite musical artist. You probably have heard his songs and maybe not even realized it. His music was everywhere in the late 80s and early 90s. And today he is still putting out music. Wonderful, thought provoking songs. His latest CD, Human, is some of his best work. If you get a chance to see Johnny live, do so. He and his band of amazing musicians have the uncanny ability to raise an audience out of their seats... Even an overly mundane Minnesota audience... and get them up and dancing. Johnny’s music is an enthralling mix of western pop and traditional African songs. If you would like to sample some of his music, here you go...
CLICK HERE!
Bing Incorporates Friends In Searches
I don’t use Bing much. But the idea that it somehow incorporates your Facebook friends in searches is a little disturbing. I mean if my friends knew how to get someplace or knew the all the answers to questions, I would not be using a search engine, would I?