quote

(28 Jul 2006 23:01)

It doesn't matter where you go.
It's who's beside you that counts.
anonymous

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I can so relate.

(26 Jul 2006 21:36)

The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature
born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him... a touch is a blow, a sound
is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a
lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate
organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create -- so that
without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something
of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour
out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really
alive unless he is creating. -Pearl S. Buck, novelist, Nobel laureate
(1892-1973)

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to dare to live

(23 Jul 2006 21:43)

The happiness of most people we know is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things.
Ernest Dimnet

There are many ways of breaking a heart. Stories were full of hearts broken by love, but what really broke a heart was taking away its dream - whatever that dream might be.
Pearl Buck


Treasure the love you have received above all. It will survive long after your gold and good health have vanished.
Og Mandino

To be always intending to make a new and better life but never to find time to set about it is as to put off eating and drinking and sleeping from one day to the next until you're dead.
Og Mandino

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Steve Jobs (1955 - )

Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.
Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992)

Love is not a luxury, not an option; it is a necessity, as
vital to life as oxygen .
deepskystarlight

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Charles Schultz

(22 Jul 2006 21:31)

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.
Charles M. Schulz

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Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn,

(21 Jul 2006 5:53)

A great writer is, so to speak, a second government in his country. And for
that reason no regime has ever loved great writers, only minor ones.
-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, novelist, Nobel laureate (1918- )

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Watch Steven Colbert take on NLRB tonight!

(19 Jul 2006 14:18)

Stephen Colbert Satirizes Anti-Union Assault

The Bush-appointed National Labor Relations Board is poised to issue decisions that could strip millions of workers of their right to have a union at work—all without holding public hearings.

On July 18, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report"—a show satirizing Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor"—host Stephen Colbert took on the National Labor Relations Board and the potentially disastrous impact its rulings could have on workers.

Watch the clip here [ link ]


You can also watch this segment tonight, July 19, on Comedy Central at 8:30pm EST.

If you haven't done so, ask Congress to demand the NLRB hold hearings on these important cases. [ link ] Workers should get a chance to speak out about a decision that directly impacts their lives and their freedoms. But the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is hiding behind closed doors and refuses to hold public hearings! Take action now!

If you've already contacted your representatives, can you take the next step and ask your friends to do the same? Tell Your Friends to Help Save Workers' Rights!
[ link ]

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doesn't it just figure!

(18 Jul 2006 15:30)

We're in the middle of the biggest heat wave LA has had in years.
At least we have a great pool and jacuzzi here where I live. [ link ] Too bad they decided this was the time to get the workmen over here to completely redo them! Oh well, the work is scheduled to be done by the beginning of August. Hopefully I'll be spending a lot of time in the water again then.

[ Post comments ]

Thomas Jefferson

(18 Jul 2006 5:19)

I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we
use our power the greater it will be. -Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect and author (1743-1826)

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People to People-- Lighting candles since 9-11-1956

(16 Jul 2006 16:59)

President Eisenhower, like Eleanor Roosevelt, chose to light a candle rather than curse the darkness. Having seen the horrors of war as a commanding general in WWII and then observing firsthand the difficulties of trying to build a peaceful world as President of the United States, he came away from those experiences with the strong determination that more must be done to create a world where peace was possible. Knowing that the future of the world depended on the young people of the world, he set up the People to People Foundation. This morning, my daughter left with People to People on a 21 day trip to Europe. She has spent the last year studying several countries and will now be visiting them, getting to know the people and spend a weekend living with a family in Germany. At a time when the military/industrial complex President Eisenhower warned us against is so powerful and promotes so much war all over the world, I feel very strongly about doing my part to help ensure that the next generation is better prepared to wage peace.

From the People to People website: [ link ]

HISTORY

The purpose of People to People International is to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among peoples of different countries and diverse cultures.
People to People International is dedicated to enhancing cross-cultural communication within each community, and across communities and nations. Tolerance and mutual understanding are central themes. While not a partisan or political institution, PTPI supports the basic values and goals of its founder, President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Founded on September 11, 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, People to People International was privatized in 1961 and relocated to Kansas City, Missouri. It is incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in the state of Missouri and qualifies for exemption from income tax under the Internal Revenue Code §501(c)(3). PTPI is funded through program fees, membership dues and donations.

Among the early leaders working with President Eisenhower were J. C. Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards, Inc., Walt Disney, Bob Hope and approximately 100 other remarkable individuals from industry, academia, and the arts. The late Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, generously contributed three pieces of artwork for PTPI Worldwide Conferences. Since its inception, nine U.S. Presidents have served as PTPI's Honorary Chairman including our current President George W. Bush. The organization has reaped benefits from the talents of countless individuals who have supported the ideals set forth by President Eisenhower. Today, President Eisenhower's granddaughter, Mary, serves as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Through People to People International's Awards Program, world leaders have been recognized for their contributions toward peace. Among the recipients of PTPI's most prestigious award, the Eisenhower Medallion, are Mother Teresa - 1988; Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin - 1996 (posthumously); President Anwar el Sadat - 1996 (posthumously); Save the Children - 1998; His Grace the Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu - 2000.

"I have long believed, as have many before me, that peaceful relations between nations requires understanding and mutual respect between individuals." President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Founder of People to People International

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It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness

(16 Jul 2006 16:57)

Origin
A Chinese proverb - 'Don't curse the darkness - light a candle.' Used by Adlai Stevenson (1900-65), praising Eleanor Roosevelt in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in 1962 - 'She would rather light candles than curse the darkness, and her glow has warmed the world.' ( from [ link ]

I just loved looking one of my favorite sayings up in preparation for this blog and discovering that one of my all time heroines, Eleanor Roosevelt had been described this way. We all have our frustrations. Many of us who deal with people every day sometimes joke about hating people or put down the noobs who annoy us. Sometimes we have to put up with some pretty annoying stupidity, find ways to not let it get to us or take breaks from dealing with it. It helps to remind ourselves that we are all sometimes stupid noobs in some aspect of our lives. But it is also true that we all know people who spend way too much time cursing the darkness, hating people and then whining about how unhappy they are with life. I really believe that if each of us is not part of the solution, we are part of the problem.

Fear and selfishness are two huge factors behind a lot of the self created unhappiness in people’s lives. Some people are so afraid of other people that they approach every interaction with others from a strong need to control. Yes, when you extend trust and friendship to people you risk getting hurt. But when you don’t, the hostility of your attitude comes across. People pick up on the fact that you don’t trust or care about them. Your disrespect of the rights and feelings of others make you a very unpleasant person to be around. A control freak is hell to live with. Unfortunately, they are the last people to get why those around them can’t take it. It’s a lot easier to just lash out, announce you hate people and go on a self pitying binge about how unfair life is to you than to recognize that it takes way more than meaningless words to show people you care. It is a lifetime of actions that show you care.

I am the first to admit that I am far from perfect. But it is frustrating to live in a country where I know so many of the people are unhappy with the choices our government makes for us and how unwilling they were to actually do anything to work for change before the last election. It was so much easier to just sit and home and watch yet another movie on tv for the sixth or seventh time. I know; I took a 14 hour bus trip with other volunteers to New Mexico, slept on the floor and walked precincts all day for days to get the vote out but my friends stayed home. Some of them live in states where a small increase in the number of activists would have made a difference, but they are so used to assuming that their states are Republican, that they didn’t bother.

I have known several people who spent years showering their attention on their tv shows, pets, work or hobbies, making it very clear that their loved ones came in dead last in their priorities, then wondered why the love ended. They were very upset when, unlike the remotes for their tvs, they couldn’t just turn their relationships back on at their selfish command. They screamed, cried and blamed the victims instead of recognizing their own responsibility. Humans cannot be put on a shelf and just taken out and used whenever you feel like it, then left unloved and ignored whenever you don’t. Years of being told what to think and do with no regard for the need for compromise and teamwork make it clear to a person when they are being used selfishly instead of being treated as a cherished, equal partner in a loving relationship. It is so easy to curse the darkness and expect the world to pity you, when the inevitable happens.

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Bon Voyage!

(16 Jul 2006 14:44)

By now, when I am writing this, Elizabeth is in the airport in Cincinnati and will soon be boarding her next plane to Rome. After months of preparations, studying, and packing, the date has arrived! We took her to LA International Airport at 2:30 am. Because the group is large,( 40 kids and 5 leaders) and because you have to allow so much time beforehand for an international flight they had to meet extra early. Their actual flight left LA for Cincinnati shortly before 7 am. After a 5 hour layover there, they should be on their way to Rome. The trip should be an experience of a lifetime--21 days-- Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, with a weekend homestay wiht a family in Germany as well. People to People has packed so much into this trip for the kids.
[ link ]



European Discovery 2006

IH 07/16-2

Sunday, July 16
Depart for Italy
Day 1



Greet your fellow Ambassadors in your departure city before boarding your international flight to Rome, Italy.

Monday, July 17
Rome, Italy
Day 2



Bon Giorno e Benvenuto in Italia! Upon arrival in Rome, known as the "Eternal City," your People to People delegation manager and coach driver will greet you. Discover the sights and sounds of Rome! Pay a visit to the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, Piazza Venezia. After dinner, take some time to relax and journal your first impressions of Italy.

Tuesday, July 18
Rome, Italy
Day 3



Today you will visit the capital of Catholicism and the world’s smallest state, the Vatican. Marvel at St. Peter’s basilica, which contains hundreds of works of art, including Michelangelo’s glorious Pietà. Just off the basilica, you’ll find the Sistine chapel, containing what are perhaps the most amazing frescoes in the world. You will also have the privilege to speak with a priest or a nun who will tell you about life in the Vatican. The afternoon’s activities include an exploration of the city center. Your group will be divided into teams and you’ll compete against each other to collect information about the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. Don’t forget to bring your coins; tossing a coin in the fountain will grant your wish to return to Roma!

Remember: There is a strict dress code at the Vatican. Girls must cover their shoulders and knees. Long skirts or pants are appropriate. For boys, short-sleeved shirts are okay, but no shorts, please. Sandals are fine for either. You may be asked to leave or be denied entrance if you don’t follow these guidelines

Wednesday, July 19
Rome, Italy
Day 4



Today you will travel to San Felice di Circeo, where you will spend some time swimming at the beautiful Italian sea.

Thursday, July 20
Montecatini, Italy
Day 5



This morning you will travel to Volterra, which offers spectacular views of the surrounding Tuscan hills, you will learn everything about the old tradition of Alabaster arts and the many uses of the beautiful stones.In the afternoon, you will see one of the most famous buildings in Europe when you travel to Pisa, whose powerful navy once dominated the Mediterranean. Discover the Square of Miracles, where you’ll see some of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Italy, including the Leaning Tower. Begun in 1173, the Tower started to tilt even before the third level was finished in 1274; it was finally completed in 1350. Afterwards, continue your journey through the Tuscan countryside to Montecatini, where you’ll spend the night.



Friday, July 21
Jesolo, Italy
Day 6



Travel to one of the most culturally rich cities in the world: Firenze (Florence). Meet your Italian guide for an initial look at the city. You’ll get an overview of the colourful history of Florence and take a walk through the city center. The Duomo, the famous symbol of Florence, is the tallest building in the city and the fourth largest cathedral in Europe. Look for the bronze doors to the Baptistery, known as the "Gate of Paradise." Then, pay a visit to the Accademia Gallery, which houses Michelangelo’s colossal statue, David. This afternoon, head north to your next stop, the wonderful city of Venice. Enjoy the atmosphere of a typical Italian beach town including a swim in the Adriatic Sea!

Saturday, July 22
Venice, Italy
Day 7



If any city in the world can truly be described as unique, it’s Venice, the one-time gateway to the Orient. Winding through the heart of the city is the Grand Canal, which remains, in the words of a French Ambassador of 1495, "the most beautiful street in the world." Spend the morning exploring the bustling alleys, quaint bridges and narrow canals of Venice. Why not enjoy one of life’s great pleasures and take a ride in a gondola? If there’s one thing Venice is famous for—besides gondolas—it’s glass. Watch a demonstration of Venetian glass blowing in the glass factory, Veccia Murano. Here you will have an opportunity to buy some wonderful souvenirs for your family. In the afternoon, enjoy some time to investigate the city.

Sunday, July 23
Sirnitz, Austria
Day 8



Bid arrivederci to Italy and depart for the small castle town of Strassburg, once important for its key location on the Venice-Vienna trade route. Enjoy a walk to a castle and a rousing medieval lunch. Enjoy a formal welcome by the residents and town officials of Sirnitz. There will also be a pool party, so don’t forget to bring your swimsuit.

Monday, July 24
Vienna, Austria
Day 9



Visit a mill and farm in Sirnitz and have fun working with the local residents to gather all the necessary ingredients to make your own lunch. Continue your journey to Vienna, the capital and cultural center of Austria. Later enjoy the Prater Amusement Park, where James Bond had an adventurous ride on the giant Riesenrad (the second largest Ferris wheel in the world) in 1987’s "The Living Daylights." In the afternoon, take part in a discussion with a survivor of the concentration camp Theresienstadt. This is a unique opportunity and a true honor for Student Ambassadors! This evening, attend a concert at one of the famous concert houses of Vienna.

If you want to ride the giant Ferris wheel or any other rides, you will need to bring your own spending money. Most rides are approximately EURO 3.50.

Remember, the concert calls for conservative dress, please.

Tuesday, July 25
Salzburg, Austria
Day 10



This morning explore Vienna, taking in many of the famous sights as you pedal your way through this bicycle-friendly city. Continue your journey to Mauthausen, where you will experience a darker aspect of European history when you visit the infamous Mauthausen Concentration Camp. Here you will have the chance to reflect on your meeting with a survivor and learn about the true nature of these camps as you delve into its terrible past. Later, travel to Salzburg, the city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the world’s greatest composers.



Wednesday, July 26
Salzburg, Austria
Day 11



Continue your journey to Hallein. Have fun as you race down a mountain on an alpine bobsled! Afterwards, visit the famous salt mines. Go deep into a mysterious underground world, as you ride a mine-trolley or swish on wooden slides into the heart of the mountain.Investigate Salzburg and uncover its many treasures. Stop at the strange and ingenious Hellbrunn Castle, where trick fountains and water-powered figures have been attracting visitors for four hundred years. Expect to get wet!

Thursday, July 27
Zürich, Switzerland
Day 12



Innsbruck ("Bridge over the Inn River"), the capital of the region of Tyrol, and home of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics will be your next destination. Enjoy lunch at the "Villa Blanka" in Innsbruck, where you try your hand at baking your own dessert–the famous Austrian Apfelstrudel! Continue your drive through scenic Austria to Zurich, Switzerland.

Friday, July 28
Home Stay, Germany
Day 13



Explore downtown Zurich, Switzerland's most populous city. The Old Town boasts many charming shops, and the lakeside setting can’t be beat! Along the way, see how many of Zurich’s 1,030 fountains you can spot. For lunch today you’ll be divided into four smaller groups to buy part of the lunch for the entire group (money will be provided for this activity). Find local shops, decide what to buy, and communicate with the shopkeepers, who may not speak any English! This afternoon, visit the medieval city of Lucerne, in the heart of Switzerland. Stroll along the picturesque Kapellbrücke, the wooden bridge spanning Lake Lucerne, and have a look at the Lion Monument, dedicated to the Swiss soldiers who died in the French Revolution (1792). Take the opportunity to buy some famous Swiss chocolate for your friends and family back home! Then say goodbye to Switzerland ! Hallo to Germany!

In the evening meet your home stay family and get to experience life in Europe. Be ready to try new things

Be sure to bring pictures of friends and family. Your host family will enjoy seeing them.

Saturday, July 29
Home Stay, Germany
Day 14



Your home stay continues with a chance to live everyday life in Germany and meet the locals. This is your opportunity to make lifelong friends!

Spend the day with your home stay family, learning about German home life.

Sunday, July 30
Home Stay, Germany
Day 15



This will be your last night with your home stay family. Remember to write a thank you note and leave it with them, or mail it right away.

Don’t forget to exchange address information so you can keep in touch!

Monday, July 31
Strasbourg, France
Day 16



In the morning, take part in a community service project—a great People to People opportunity! Lend a hand with an environmental project at a local river.

Then say goodbye to Germany - Bonjour et Bienvenue en France!



Tuesday, August 1
Paris, France
Day 17



Take part in an educational meeting at the Council of Europe. The COE was formed to protect human rights and encourage Europe’s’ cultural identity and diversity. Be sure to have some good questions ready for the representative you’ll meet. After lunch, continue your journey and cross the rolling plains of the Northeast, an area well known for some of France’s finest landscapes. The region of Champagne is also famous for its fine wines. Alsace and Lorraine, regions containing any charming medieval towns, have changed nationality four times since 1871, as Germany and France have fought over the border. In the evening, you’ll pull into Paris, the "City of Light."

Be sure to wear something nice for the educational meeting. Khakis and a nice shirt are fine. No jeans or t-shirts for the meeting, please!

Wednesday, August 2
Paris, France
Day 18



This morning enjoy a guided exploration of one of the most important art collections in the world, the famous Musée du Louvre. Since it would take at least three weeks to see all the wonderful treasures held inside, you will visit only the principal parts of the museum—including a look at Leonardo’s masterpiece, Mona Lisa! A French guide will join you for an orientation of the city Ernest Hemingway called "a moveable feast," because "wherever you go for the rest of your life, Paris stays with you." Visit the historic Montmartre area, a haven for artists and writers before WWI. Marvel at the white Basilique du Sacré Coeur. Explore this vibrant area in small groups Did you know that the dome is the second highest point in Paris? Experience one of the most unforgettable places in Europe, the Notre Dame Cathedral, a building that took two centuries to complete. Point Zéro, the spot from which all road distances are measured in France, is found in the courtyard in front of Notre Dame. Afterwards, enjoy the Opéra Quarter, where cafés and shops line the grand boulevards. Have a rockin’ and rollin’ good time at the Hard Rock Café, amidst its fascinating collection of music memorabilia!

Thursday, August 3
Paris, France
Day 19



For a dazzling view of Paris, there’s only one place to go up! Take the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower (899 feet), built for the 1889 World’s Fair to commemorate the French Revolution. Climb aboard a bateaux, or riverboat, for a cruise along the Seine. This afternoon, explore the magnificent Château de Versailles. Built during the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, it was the seat of the royal court from 1682 to 1789, when the French Revolution put an end to the monarchy.

Friday, August 4
Depart for the United States
Day 20



Pack up your suitcase for the last time and board the coach for the airport. Remember to complete your program evaluations and exchange friendship cards with your fellow Ambassadors! Au revoir, France! Goodbye, Europe!

[ Comments: 1 | Post comments ]

You know you're in California if...

(14 Jul 2006 20:31)

You make over $250,000 a year and still can't afford a house.

The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.

You know how to eat an artichoke.

The high school quarterback calls a time-out to answer his cell phone.

Your child's third grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Breeze.

You've been to a baby shower for an infant who has two mothers and a sperm donor.

You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.

You know which restaurant serves the freshest arugula.

A really great parking space can move you to tears.

The guy in line at Starbucks, wearing the baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney, IS George Clooney.

You live an hour away from Mountains but can't see them because of the smog.

Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.

Your hairdresser is straight, your plumber is gay, and your Mary Kay rep is a guy in drag.

It's sprinkling out, and there's a report on every news channel about "THE STORM!"

Over 85% of the cities, towns, and streets start with San, Los, El, La, Santa, De La, or De Los.

A family of four owns six vehicles.

Everyone who lives here knows that hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and snowstorms are way worse than earthquakes, which are, after all, over almost as soon as you realize what's happening.

Even if the store is across the street, you drive there.

[ Comments: 2 | Post comments ]

the power of words

(14 Jul 2006 19:57)

Ink is handicapped, in a way, because you can blow up a man with gunpowder in half a second, while it may take twenty years to blow him up with a book. But the gunpowder destroys itself along with its victim, while a book can keep on exploding for centuries. -Christopher Morley, writer
(1890-1957)

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Quote of the day

(11 Jul 2006 17:57)

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
- Audrey Hepburn. Belgian born British Actress and humanitarian. 1929-1993

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a really cool story

(08 Jul 2006 11:53)

I read an article in today's LA Times that I found pretty cool. A few months ago I went to my 25th high school reunion and probably had a similar experience to that many people have. Unless you lived in, and then stayed in a very small town, you are probably like me. I graduated; I went off to college and lost touch with all of those people. My graduating class was over 700 people. Some of them, I missed, some of them I never wanted to see again in my life and many of them, I had never even gotten to know at all. I had stayed away from all of my previous class reunions, having little desire to hang around with a bunch of people I had had no contact with for years and many of whom I had unpleasant memories about. Just how popular with the “in” crowd is your average brainiac nerd/musician/girl who hangs around the physics room anyway? (Now add in the fact that I was taking computer class there back when the class was Fortran 4 and every Friday afternoon we had the privilege of hauling our stacks of punch cards over to the one and only “district computer” because they could spare it for our use at the end of each week for us to be able to put in our several inch high stack of cards and then watch a whole roomful of huge metal boxes blink a bunch of lights and eventually spit out a paper on which some very simple mathematical calculation had been performed repeatedly. About which we nerds all felt great pride.) Yeah, if I’d kept on on that track I would be rich. Oh well.
A friend convinced me that after 25 years, as much as life had changed me, it had to have changed many of them as well, and that I should go. We went, and it was in fact, a great time. I did wish my fellow nerds had come but they were probably too busy off coding obscure software to remember that there is a world out there to interact with. I visited with people I had been friends with back then, and enjoyed having a good time with nice people who never would have given me the time of day or whose social circle had been so different than mine that our paths had never even crossed. I don’t suppose they could have predicted that I would be anything like I am now, nor that I would have shown up with the date I came with. (And yes, I do confess to the usual glee at seeing the girls who were always too cool to be seen near you, who always had the hottest guys now looking very ordinary and accompanied by fat balding businessmen. Hey I’m human!) It’s not that we aren’t who we were anymore, we are still ourselves-- but so much better. The cliques, the need to define ourselves by narrow little images and only hang around with those exactly like us are all gone. We can revel in being the complex, unique individual we are. We are all much nicer people than we all were in high school.
So, as cool as that whole experience was, I was fascinated to read this article in the LA Times today [ link ] . The author, a Times Staff writer was a member of the Claremont High class of ’76. Their 30th reunion will be tonight, but unlike the experience I had, or that most people have, they will not be walking up to strangers and trying to remember everything in one evening. Before the reunion, he started up a chat group on Yahoo that has had about half of their class of 500 participating. Some excerpts from the article:
“So when we get together today at Claremont's Cahuilla Park, we'll be able to dispense with many of the usual pleasantries. We'll know what so-and-so has been doing all these years. With luck, we'll be able to do what is rarely possible at high school reunions: form new bonds. Thirty years ago, we felt immortal and unique. Now, as we close in on 50, we feel our mortality — at least 18 classmates have died — and recognize that, for all the things that make each of us special, we are more alike than different.

"I've learned so much more about the people I spent my childhood with, and who they've turned into, than I ever could have at an ordinary reunion party," …………"People who wouldn't spend two minutes with me in a roomful of people with drinks in their hands are opening up about deep, personal things.

"I find it much more fascinating than the inevitable who- looks-more-like-hell-than-whom comparisons or struggling to put that I-recognize-you expression on your face when, in fact, you don't. I think this virtual reunion has gone a long way toward breaking down the social walls that we, perhaps unwittingly, erected 30 years ago.”
…………………………….
“High school threw us together. But its cliques kept many of us apart. Thirty years later, as we muddle through middle age the way we muddled through adolescence, we are discovering what our own high schoolers find on websites like MySpace: The Internet can create a social glue that transcends cliques and time and distance.

"All these years have gone by, and I deprived myself of the pleasure of getting to know all of these great people," Waldman said. "My addiction to this list is fueled by the shared history, but also by the current struggles and interests we now share."

Hewitt hopes that tonight, he can continue the conversations begun online.

"We've had this forum for looking at each other without seeing each other directly," he said. "I'm getting to know individuals whom I never even met in high school. For the few hours we're going to spend, it's going to be worth the drive."

My mom still has periodic reunions with the women she went to elementary and then high school with. (it was a Catholic school so there wasn’t a separate junior high). I have friends from small towns who still are in touch with a lot of their old classmates. For those of us who went to big city schools, we do not tend to have that kind of experience. What a great idea, and a great time they are going to have!

[ Post comments ]

earth

(03 Jul 2006 9:45)

To see the earth as it truly is, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold.
Archibald MacLeish (1892 - 1982)

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:-)

(02 Jul 2006 16:51)

Power corrupts. Knowledge is power. Study hard. Be evil

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grading papers

(02 Jul 2006 11:45)

I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top.
An English Professor, Ohio University

Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.
Samuel Johnson

This is not a book that should be tossed lightly aside. It should be hurled with great force.
Dorothy Parker

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