Reunion
I went to my MIT 5th reunion C Function. I am trying unsuccessfully to corral my thoughts (blame the sleep deprivation and the quantity of wine drunk at the C Function) and ideally would like to make sense of them. At the moment, they are like butterflies blissfully flapping their wings and eluding my net. So here are my random observations:
1. I am not the only one that doesn't know what to say at these types of social events. After the obligatory three sentences about (1) where you live, (2) where you work, and (3) what you do, inevitably a large chasm of unspoken angst, frustration or happiness lies in wait. Bridging that gap is messy and uncomfortable. Hence the copious amounts of mediocre wine consumed. I used it as an excuse out of awkward situations.
2. Someone came up to me and said, "have you seen so and so". It was an excuse not to talk to the people at hand and to move on. Tonight was the night for pulling out all of the social graces. Some were obviously more adept than others, confirming the MIT stereotype. I wonder what Harvard reunions are like.
3. There were definite shades of schadenfreude. I met several that went into management consulting with the major firms after graduation that had later moved onto publishing, home building (aka construction), etc. It was fascinating how few had lasted, based on a small sample size. Actually, I hadn't met any that were still at one of the big consulting firms. Maybe they were still working and couldn't take time off. :-)
4. I am not surprised at the number of people who have changed jobs since graduation but I am surprised at the number of people that were clearly unable to fein happiness. My company is insane; I am the first to admit it. But, I love my client and I really like my job. I felt a tentativeness -- a "I'll bitch about my company if you bitch about yours" mentality. Or maybe it was the sound of settling (to quote Death Cab for Cutie).
1. I am not the only one that doesn't know what to say at these types of social events. After the obligatory three sentences about (1) where you live, (2) where you work, and (3) what you do, inevitably a large chasm of unspoken angst, frustration or happiness lies in wait. Bridging that gap is messy and uncomfortable. Hence the copious amounts of mediocre wine consumed. I used it as an excuse out of awkward situations.
2. Someone came up to me and said, "have you seen so and so". It was an excuse not to talk to the people at hand and to move on. Tonight was the night for pulling out all of the social graces. Some were obviously more adept than others, confirming the MIT stereotype. I wonder what Harvard reunions are like.
3. There were definite shades of schadenfreude. I met several that went into management consulting with the major firms after graduation that had later moved onto publishing, home building (aka construction), etc. It was fascinating how few had lasted, based on a small sample size. Actually, I hadn't met any that were still at one of the big consulting firms. Maybe they were still working and couldn't take time off. :-)
4. I am not surprised at the number of people who have changed jobs since graduation but I am surprised at the number of people that were clearly unable to fein happiness. My company is insane; I am the first to admit it. But, I love my client and I really like my job. I felt a tentativeness -- a "I'll bitch about my company if you bitch about yours" mentality. Or maybe it was the sound of settling (to quote Death Cab for Cutie).