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Didnt I just graduate a couple of years ago?

I discovered two very disturbing things this week.

1. A schoolmate from my high school years has just become a grandmother.

2. My High School, which was only one year old when I attended it in 1976-79, is being closed by the district due to a lack of students. Whats worse, its being converted into an elementary school, making it the worlds only elementary school with a science lab, metal and woodworking shop, football stadium and gymnasium. Whats even worse, the other high school in the district dates to 1910, and its being kept open.

Yes, the rival high school. You know, those people...

So first I have to adjust to the idea that the sweet lovely squeaky girl that sat in front of me in 10th grade calculus class, whom I was in deep teenage lust for, is now being called "grandma". To me, its everyone else in the world who ages and grows infirmed, whereas I of course remain exactly the same as I was in 1979. (Maybe even better!)

The first thing about my high school that I had to adjust to was the idea that the people attending it today werent even born when I was there. Impossible you say? Yeah me too, and yet the truth was made clear by demonstration of simple math.

Now I have to adjust to the idea that my brand spanking Pre-"Proposition 13" funded "modern architecture as modern art" high school, complete with its 1970s olive green shag carpet in the administration building is now being closed; while the turn of the century, brick faced farm community school, which was out of date and inadequate to the task in 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970 and yes, 1980 is going to stay open.

Those people? They get to stay and we have to go into the dustbin of history? how is that fair? how does that make sense? Doesnt the School district realize we beat the hell of of that school in football, soccer and baseball for nearly 20 straight years? doesnt that count for something? anything?

Back then,we were cool. They were, well dammit, they didnt even have a student parking lot. What kind of high school doesnt have a student parking lot? I mean really...

And...and...AND

They arent going to have the common decency to just close it and plow it into the ground and put condos in its place, oh no, they are going to do something worse. much, much worse.

They are going to make it into an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!

My entire catalog of high school memories has now been tossed about in my mind like so many plastic snowflakes floating in a snowglobe.

Grandma? Elementary school?

I feel like Charlton Heston in 'Planet of the Apes' yelling "its a madhouse! A madhouse!.

Posted @ August 31, 2006 11:41 PM | Current Affairs

Comments

At least you can say that even then you had a good eye for willing, er, partners. With apologies to sweet, lovely and squeaky, of course.

Posted by: Uncle Mikey at September 1, 2006 07:30 AM

I experienced a similarly disturbing revelation two days ago, when Amazon sent me an ad for the 50th anniversary release of "Lady and the Tramp".

Which I saw in its first theatrical release.

Gaaaa!

Posted by: leelu at September 1, 2006 11:01 AM

"The older I get, the better I was."

Posted by: roberto at September 1, 2006 12:56 PM

I graduated in 1977, I just recenlty learned the joys of arthritis. This was not supposed to happen to me!

Posted by: Jeff at September 1, 2006 02:41 PM

As far as I know, my old high schools (two different ones in 3 years) are both still serving the same areas essentially unchanged. But since I graduated from college in the same year that you graduated from high school, I can totally empathize with your emotions.
A few years ago I was part of a hiring project at my company, setting up a new location. I started mentally tagging each resume as Before and After ... depending on whether the person was born before or after I graduated college. A depressing number were in the after category ... *sigh*.
Plus, my cousin (one year older) is a grandmother 3 times over. Yow!

Posted by: Barb at September 3, 2006 11:32 PM

You only have 2 choices, grow old or die young - and it seems like you've missed the opportunity to die young, so you might as well relax and enjoy those senior citizen discounts.

Posted by: Zendo Deb at September 14, 2006 01:44 AM