Where did the twenty years go?

It’s hard to know just what to expect when attending your 20-year high school reunion. When my class of ‘88 gathered at a golf course on Saturday, I expected there to be a few familiar faces, plus a few unfamiliar ones, all rolled up in the warm blanket of nostalgia. I expected there to be a few more chins than there were 20 years ago, a few more foreheads showing, and a few more stories to share amongst old friends. What I didn’t expect was how good everyone else looked. It appears ugly people don’t go to class reunions. It takes a certain measure of self esteem to brush what’s left of your graying hair, suck in your expanding belly, and make an appearance at a reunion. Graduates with no job, no teeth and no prospects can’t be bothered, which is too bad, because they are the interesting ones. Not everyone golfed, but just about everyone made a trip or ten to the bar, where regular reunions with old friends Johnny Walker and Captain Morgan helped ease any old nerves and bridge those gaps in the conversation that two decades of separation can create. By the time supper was ready, we were all one big happy family. Many had families of their own, such as a guy named Mark who said in the yearbook he was going to become a dirt farmer. When he arrived with a newborn baby in tow, he laughed and shrugged his shoulders and said that at least he’d “had 38 good years.” A guy named Ron, who said his probable fate would be a career at the dump, almost won the baby lottery for his clutch of four children. The prize winner was a girl named Jennifer, whose yearbook predicted a life of nursing, but said nothing about raising a family of five children. There were a number of happy couples in attendance; those high school sweethearts who are still married to each other and living the fairy tale, and those who have been married so long they’ve lost count of the years. There were also those unfortunate few who were once married, but aren’t anymore. A girl named Ruth, whose yearbook listed “success” as her future plans and “becoming a wayward nun” as her probable fate, actually married a man, divorced him, and then married him a second time. The reunion also featured those sensible graduates who, for whatever reason, decided marriage and children and a white picket fence just isn’t for them. Jeff, whose future plans were to open a chain of restaurants, spends his days running a restaurant. Chris, who said all he wanted to do was run away with a rock and roll band, actually played drums in a band, and now tries not to make spelleng mistakes each week in a newspapur. Another Jeff had plans to be a teacher and became one, and the guy who was nicknamed Stoner is also a teacher. I wonder if his students know his old name, or that his pet peeve was “the only sleep you get all night is at the wheel.” In the end, it was a rare treat to see so many old faces in one place, hearing about where life has taken them, and the twists and turns that got them there—and that life, like school, is more about the journey than the destination.

Don’t neglect the Olympic ladies

When you are watching the Olympics this month, do yourself a favour, and don’t neglect the ladies. I plan on keeping a keen eye on two in particular, pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and high jumper Blanka Vlasic. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why would anyone want to watch a pole vault competition. The whole sport seems rather ridiculous. Back in the day, presumably, the pole vault was a useful skill for clearing castle walls. It seems a little dated now, what with the ladder being invented and all, but it is still a treat to watch. Especially Yelena Isinbayeva. The 26-year-old Russian is clearly the best female pole vaulter in history. She won gold at the 2004 Olympics with a new world record, has gone unbeaten since, and is already an eight-time Olympic and world champion. Watching Yelena clear the bar is like watching poetry in motion. She has, literally, raised the bar to new levels when it comes to competition, and shows no sign of letting up. She recently cleared the five metre barrier with a vault in Monaco, earning her 23rd world record. What makes Isinbayeva so much fun to watch, is the fact she appears to be having so much fun. She often poses for photographers, and has said it is “important that there are women who bring glamour to sport.” Enter Blanka Vlasic. Most people, when they say the word Vlasic, conjure up images of a jar of pickles. Nothing could be farther from young Blanka, one of the most entertaining elite athletes competing on the track and field stage today. Named after the city of Casablanca, the 25-year-old Croatian is the world’s top-ranked female high jumper and current world champion. She is also on an unbeaten streak of 34 competitions. Vlasic first competed at the Olympics at age 16, and she will be at her best this month in China. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why would anyone want to watch a high jump competition. The whole sport seems rather ridiculous. The high jump might have been a useful skill for clearing fences, and does seem a little dated now, but it is still a treat to watch. Blanka Vlasic and her fellow jumpers know how to put on a show. Like Isinbayeva, Vlasic is another athlete who loves the camera, and a little attention. She is becoming well known for striking a pose or doing a cute little dance each time she successfully clears the bar, which is often. That alone makes the Olympic Games worth watching. Do yourself another favour, and watch the women in the pool. You can’t go wrong there, and the Canadian team will be fun to cheer this year. If you’re really feeling brave, and want to listen to some interesting commentary along with it, check out the female weightlifters. Yikes. All in all, the Olympics are the single greatest sporting event the world has to offer. Don’t be lured into watching any nonsense about politics, culture, or controversy; and don’t be lured into watching any American coverage of the Games. Stick with the CBC, and with Isinbayeva and Vlasic, and let the Games of the XXIX Olympiad begin!