I finally fit in at high school

Even though I finished 40 years ago

High School Is The Worst

The words ‘school reunion’ fill me with a certain dread that takes me straight back to Sunday nights as a 15-year-old; that horrible pit of dread and loneliness that comes with the end of the weekend and the thought of getting through another week of school.

I hated high school. I didn’t fit in, I didn’t like the people, I didn’t like the teachers, I didn’t like the institution, I didn’t like anything. (Actually the canteen served a very good hamburger - but I remember feeling too scared to eat in public).

Like any typical teenager I thought my experience was unique. I sat at home and imagined the rest of my year group getting together at parties and at each others homes doing their hair and makeup together and acting like the T-Birds and Pink Ladies in Grease. I felt as far removed from my class mates lives as possible.

This hangover from high school has dogged me for 40 years. I’ve tried to disassociate from any of the people I went to school with and, when people ask me where I went to school, the blood rushes from my face as I whisper the name and hope for a swift subject change.

So you can imagine my horror when a new WhatsApp group popped up on my phone with a chime announcing my 40 year school year reunion. There were almost 200 people on the WhatsApp group and suddenly I was 16 and scared to read any of the notifications lest I be spotted. For the billionth time I was grateful there was no social media when I was at school.

But then the group started to chat and a strong pattern emerged. So many of them talked about hating school, most people felt like they didn’t fit on or that they were unhappy. I didn’t add my sentiment to the group (still too scared to lift my head) but I certainly felt like I had a lot more in common with them than I did 40 years ago.

The WhatsApp group has been chiming for a couple of weeks now and the dread at seeing the names pop up has diminished - mostly because I can’t remember half the people. I see their names on the spreadsheet that’s being shared around and no bells are ringing. I must have done a better job at hiding from them than I realise.

What I do realise is that the power these people have had over me all these years was really in my head. I’m quite sure now that when they see my name on the spreadsheet they think ‘which one was she?’ and they go back to remembering what they were going through during their own tumultuous teenage years.

I have no intention of joining in the chat and absolutely no intention of attending the reunion and again, I realise I am not alone. So far three people have put their hands up to join a reunion in Sydney (there are a LOT of us here) and talk has quickly changed from catching up to hating on Trump and worrying about the world.

So now I know I really am not the odd one out.

Have you been to a school reunion? Would you go to one?

Stop Motion Lego

I can’t stop watching this so I thought I might as well share it with you .

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The Most

This novella (it seems to be my new thing at the moment) took me immediately to the 1950’s to a small American town on the day of the launch of Sputnik 2. With a deft touch and economical use of words Jessica Anthony manages to shine a light on the lives of housewife and former tennis player Kathleen, and her husband Virgil, an insurance salesman.

Although the book is set on one particular unseasonably warm November day, when Kathleen gets into the pool of her apartment block and refuses to get out, it tells the story of how Kathleen and Virgil met and married, it unwinds both of their family histories and allows a deep analysis of life in the 1950’s. It also shows us who Kathleen and Virgil really are and takes us behind the scenes to see how unhappy they are together…

The only problem I had was that I was reading on a kindle and was 80% through the book, clicking the next page button in a frenzy to see what was going to happen, when it ended. The remaining 20% on the kindle was an excerpt from another book. I don’t know if it was because I was expecting more or because the book is so open to interpretation, but I was left feeling a little blindsided by the ending.

That said it’s the kind of book you can read in a day, although there are hundreds of scenes you could unpack for more meaning and analysis. But if you just want an easy trip to suburbia in the 1950’s it’s also perfect.

Eating

I made this garlic bread in the air fryer and it was DELICIOUS.

budgetingmumofficial

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Also made Sweet Chilli and Lemon Roast Chicken from Better Together Kitchen (cannot recommend their cookbooks enough for easy and tasty meals).

Thanks for reading my musings.

See you again next week when I can update you as to whether the school reunion found more than three people who would show up. I can assure you I won’t be one of them.

Lana