High School Meme--1969
Once in a while I do these when it's hot, and they cause me to look back down the years. And if the questions make me laugh.
1. Did you know your spouse? No. He would be just starting university at the then-new U at Riverside.
2. Did you car pool to school? I walked the three miles to school, usually at five a.m. so I could get in writing time undisturbed, leaning my papers on a balustrade so I could see them. (I was very nearsighted, but my dad felt that I could see if I really tried. See below.)
3. What kind of car did you have? Dad drove Shelby Mustangs, leased every two years. Mom drove a station wagon. We kids didn't have cars.
4. What kind of car do you have now? We share a Prius and an ancient, broken down Mazda that we can't afford to replace.
5. It's Friday night...where were you? Either babysitting or holed up in my room reading or writing.
6. What kind of job did you have in high school? Babysitting.
7. What kind of job do you have now? Retired school teacher, writer.
8. Were you a party animal? I wanted to be one, but I was a nerd and hopelessly socially awkward. However, when the Mythopoeic Society started up, I took the bus across Los Angeles (it took all day, and five mile walks at either end) to go to meetings once a month, and the costume picnics twice a year. That was my social life, and it was wonderful because it was filled with other nerds like me.
9. Were you a cheerleader? No, a dancer, involved in all the school theater productions.
10. Were you considered a jock? I was considered a nerd before nerds were in.
11. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Nope.
13. Did you get suspended or expelled? Three close calls. Nearly suspended when we got pulled in as seniors and given rudimentary exams, including an eye test. I couldn't see the board, much less any letters on it. My parents were told I had to have glasses Or Else. Nearly suspended by the principal, during summer school, for wearing sandals when it was 114 degrees. When I he found out that I was in a special class (two kids picked from each of the county high schools) he grudgingly let me stay, after a long lecture about Respect, Lady-like Attire, and Obeying the Rules. Also nearly suspended for a skirt check, and forced to wear a hideous ruffled thing from the fifties the rest of the day. Very humiliating.
14. Can you sing the fight song? If there was one, I have no idea. However, I wrote plenty of sarcastic filk about the misery of high school, which could be considered fight songs.
15. Who was/were your favorite high school teacher? Dance and art teachers, and one creative writing teacher who let me go outside and write, rather than do the piddly writing exercises she put on the board to get the other kids to squeak out a page or two. I was happily writing reams of terrible crap, and she just let me go to it.
16. Where did you sit for lunch? Anywhere I could get away from roving gangs of bullies looking for targets.
17. What was your school mascot? No idea.
18. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Not the way I did it, heavens no. But if I could have that body again . . .
19. Did you have fun at Prom? Nerds were not prom bait.
20. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? see above.
21. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Wow, just think, the fiftieth reunion is three years away! But I am sure I will be washing my hair, or vacuuming the dog.
22. Are you still in contact with people from school? A couple of them!
23. What are/were your school's colors? No idea overall, though senior year's colors were blue and gold, and the class name was the Estarii. It still astonishes me that those kids picked something from Tolkien, which I'm sure 99.9% of them never read, but I guess it sounded hip and counter-culturish to them.
1. Did you know your spouse? No. He would be just starting university at the then-new U at Riverside.
2. Did you car pool to school? I walked the three miles to school, usually at five a.m. so I could get in writing time undisturbed, leaning my papers on a balustrade so I could see them. (I was very nearsighted, but my dad felt that I could see if I really tried. See below.)
3. What kind of car did you have? Dad drove Shelby Mustangs, leased every two years. Mom drove a station wagon. We kids didn't have cars.
4. What kind of car do you have now? We share a Prius and an ancient, broken down Mazda that we can't afford to replace.
5. It's Friday night...where were you? Either babysitting or holed up in my room reading or writing.
6. What kind of job did you have in high school? Babysitting.
7. What kind of job do you have now? Retired school teacher, writer.
8. Were you a party animal? I wanted to be one, but I was a nerd and hopelessly socially awkward. However, when the Mythopoeic Society started up, I took the bus across Los Angeles (it took all day, and five mile walks at either end) to go to meetings once a month, and the costume picnics twice a year. That was my social life, and it was wonderful because it was filled with other nerds like me.
9. Were you a cheerleader? No, a dancer, involved in all the school theater productions.
10. Were you considered a jock? I was considered a nerd before nerds were in.
11. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Nope.
13. Did you get suspended or expelled? Three close calls. Nearly suspended when we got pulled in as seniors and given rudimentary exams, including an eye test. I couldn't see the board, much less any letters on it. My parents were told I had to have glasses Or Else. Nearly suspended by the principal, during summer school, for wearing sandals when it was 114 degrees. When I he found out that I was in a special class (two kids picked from each of the county high schools) he grudgingly let me stay, after a long lecture about Respect, Lady-like Attire, and Obeying the Rules. Also nearly suspended for a skirt check, and forced to wear a hideous ruffled thing from the fifties the rest of the day. Very humiliating.
14. Can you sing the fight song? If there was one, I have no idea. However, I wrote plenty of sarcastic filk about the misery of high school, which could be considered fight songs.
15. Who was/were your favorite high school teacher? Dance and art teachers, and one creative writing teacher who let me go outside and write, rather than do the piddly writing exercises she put on the board to get the other kids to squeak out a page or two. I was happily writing reams of terrible crap, and she just let me go to it.
16. Where did you sit for lunch? Anywhere I could get away from roving gangs of bullies looking for targets.
17. What was your school mascot? No idea.
18. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Not the way I did it, heavens no. But if I could have that body again . . .
19. Did you have fun at Prom? Nerds were not prom bait.
20. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? see above.
21. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Wow, just think, the fiftieth reunion is three years away! But I am sure I will be washing my hair, or vacuuming the dog.
22. Are you still in contact with people from school? A couple of them!
23. What are/were your school's colors? No idea overall, though senior year's colors were blue and gold, and the class name was the Estarii. It still astonishes me that those kids picked something from Tolkien, which I'm sure 99.9% of them never read, but I guess it sounded hip and counter-culturish to them.