It's getting late and I'm still up, again. In the morning I'll wake up (sort of) and fall asleep, again. Eventually I'll roll out of bed and berate myself for staying up late, again. I'll tell myself that this night I'll go to bed early. It won't happen, forever and ever, amen.

That may be the first time I've used that word since breaking out of a thirteen year stint I served in a couple of Catholic schools in my youth. I wandered the halls of those institutions from Kindergarten up until college, when I bolted for an upstate public university. That said, it's hard for me to compare my time in younger days to public schools, for good or ill. The obvious downsides are uniforms (they still get on my nerves) and the constant stream of religion (ditto). On the upside, I don't ever remember any real issues with fights and various other uncivil activities (well, at least in grade school. Teenagers will fight when provoked by other teenagers, authority figures, or anti-depressants). In summary, it wasn't all good and it wasn't all bad. Just like most people I would guess.

Of course now I'm wondering what the hell I did in that time. Both grade school and high school are now a blur to my powers of recollection. While select moments and people indelibly stand out, the rest slide on by falling into the dustbin of personal history.

I decided to go to one of those alumni sites that let's people put in their various schools, and then pay to contact others in their classes. It's a bit of a scam, but they let you see a little bit (like names and one or two bio questions) for free so it's kind of a trip to check out anyway. They have a page that shows people who went to school around the same time as me; some names are familiar, but usually because they're related to someone I know. This time I actually saw an old friend I haven't seen in years, a Mr. Stanley Jones.

I want to say the last time I saw him was at the mall over a break in college. I walked right by him without recognizing him. He gave me shit for it, and rightfully so. I hate crowded malls and was completely zoned out. He had grown his hair long and had a goatee or something, if memory serves. I have no idea what he's up to, but hopefully everything is cool. If you see this Stan, feel free to send a note… although who knows when google will find this and how well it will be ranked (poorly, I would guess). So it goes.

I graduated high school ten years ago. I wonder if we'll have a reunion? If someone in my class has to organize it, probably not. We didn't exactly have the highest level of school spirit or organization. But who knows. It would be… interesting… seeing folks again. I left as (mostly) quiet shy conservative kid and am now am a long haired bearded liberal freak. I'm not sure if I'd qualify as being particularly quiet anymore, and the whole shy thing is still an issue on occasion. I'll stand up in front of a large group of people and be an ass, but please don't make me talk to that cute girl over there. *sigh* We all have our burdens to bare. Or is it bear. Whatever. It's late and I'm going to bed, and this time I mean it.