This picture is of my car mileage in a 24-hour period between last Friday and Saturday.

Good times. I launched off to the Martin Harris "The Man Who Knew (and left)" Pageant in Clarkston, Utah. From there I bounded over to Bear Lake to a friend of a friend's unfinished family cabin. The place was nice, but some carpeting would have made the floor much more comfortable to sleep on. The next day I logged in some boating hours, effectively re-sunburning my last boating burn from two weeks ago. I had to leave early so I could go all the way down to Provo for something I had been dreading for weeks.

The Class of '95 Timpview High School Reunion was held Saturday, August 20th, 2005.

Strangely, I like to be known as an encourager of attending high school reunions. Somehow, I developed a strict philosophy on it. My theory is that although you may find such reunions irrelevant, unimportant, childish, uninspiring and just plain unfun; you only enhance the experience for those who choose to go. In other words, if the party is lame, you only encourage it's lameness by NOT going. I remember a few years ago I actually convinced a cool, cute chick to go to her reunion based on this reasoning. This surprised me so much I decided to spout off non-sensical life notions all the time.

Unfortunately, with my convictions intact, that meant I couldn't just flake off my ten year reunion. Even with my strict opinion on the matter, I still found myself not really desiring to go. Most of my close friends wouldn't be able to make it (or didn't want to make it). I had to go to prove to myself I was cool. The way I see it there are three types of people in the world: 1- those who look forward to high school reunions with giddy delight, 2- those who are too cool for the first group and 3- those who are too cool for the second group. I'm in group #3. Yes, I'm that cool. Another problem with going was that I had very little to brag about. I came from a very well-to-do high school and I knew that most of my peers would be intimidatingly successful. I couldn't scoff off their success by saying, "Hey, I'm so successful I actually have two jobs!" Actually, maybe I could.

I met up with a few of my fellow single friends near the party venue. I originally met Sara Morrison in my Sophomore first period gym class. She introduced my buddy J.R. to his wife. My mother wanted me to marry Sara based on the size of her parents' house. I was always more impressed by how clean her family kept it. Sara still looks exactly the same. I don't remember ever originally meeting J.B. Flinders. We've played many drinking games (often using root beer laced with a high concentration of salt) and gone to Depeche Mode whenever they came. Still, the guy never told me when he'd moved back to Salt Lake. J.B. used to be jolly and pudgy, but now he's a jolly, freakish bodybuilder. He brought along a prepared list of people he wanted to punch. The three of us met at the home of Dave Harrison and Emily Gardner-Harrison. Sara told me on the way in that the two acquaintances I casually knew in high school had, indeed, gotten married.

The Harrisons live in a condo adjacent to the park containing the pavillion where the event took place. This time the park they selected was the one over by the Wynnsong theaters. I considered the venue a minor step above where the reunion was five years ago, which was, if I remember right, a dumpy park in West Provo. An indoor venue would have been far more ideal. My first encounter was at the table containing the name tags and sharpies.

It was Tiffany Ashton. I'll always remember Tiffany as the girl my good friend Peter liked in third grade. After escaping Peter's clutches, she made quite a name for herself after grade school through cheerleading, choir, National Honor Society and just being popular. I only talked with her long enough to find that she was now a supermom. Tiffany was absolutely radiant about her mommy status.

Deanne Dahl was nearby. The first time I met Deanne was sitting next to her in Sophomore history. I remember her for having a healthy tan and a first and last name that were fun to say really fast. She came with her husband, Darin. After a little small talk I discovered that Darin's company was probably going to be taking over Grapevine Radio, one of my employers.

My memory is vague, but I think it was Amy Groespeck who said that she attended the reunion strictly for comic relief. Amy was actually the first girl I met in Provo. She sat next to me in third grade. Very, very well behaved. Smart too. When the third grade guys made me pick a girl for MASH fortune telling purposes, I'd often pick Amy.

I never would have guessed that so many people at Timpview High School would have married each other. Besides Emily and Dave attending the reunion, I noticed the coupling of Natalie Parker & Jared McQuarrie, Jenny Dolen & Mark Gulbrandsen, Amy Talbot & Matt Kohler and Abby Hawkins and Dan Gonzales. I am well aware of several other same-school couples who didn't even attend. It's not that it's that unusual in general. I just found it unusual at my school. Everyone was just so anxious to leave. When we graduated, I thought I was the sentimental one. I grew up on John Hughes movies and I always thought that high school was the summit of emotion. Everyone else seemed so ready to leave high school behind, but I was still pissed that I didn't have as many coming-of-age experiences as I saw in the movies. I'm not sure if, eventually, everyone else felt the way I did back then and then came back. All I know is they didn't just stay with each other, they found each other again.

Well, actually, Natalie and Jared were pretty inseparable in school. Natalie was one of the people in charge of the reunion. She said in her research she came across a site all about me. Yay! The internet works. I told her to click on the ads next time. My conversation with Jared consisted of trying to remember what he majored in. I fondly remember Jenny as our choir piano player. The chick had talent! I never really knew Mark. Amy was a year younger than us and very attractive back in the day. I awkwardly told her that I still thought she was attractive, but felt plenty weird about it. Matt and I used to ski together, but we didn't have much to talk about this time. I saw Abby and Dan, but they hung out on the outskirts and left before I had a chance to visit. Dan was a goofball, but also a scholar and student government officer. I really regret not talking to Abby (and I'm pissed that she didn't talk to me). The first I remember of her is when she started yammering to me at lunch in the commons area Sophomore year. I've missed her terribly. I had a small crush her that went in and out throughout my days at Timpview. She was smart, funny, outspoken and pleasant... usually all at once. Sometimes she'd hang with my groover friends instead of her high-society girlfriends. Don't know how she's doing. We didn't talk.

At this point the only girl I felt like hitting on was Cheree Rogers. I know I knew Cheree in elementary school. I know this because one day in high school I went to a pizza place with friends and this beautiful girl named Cheree said hi to me and I didn't recognize her at all. She calmly explained that we had known each other since elementary school, but hadn't seen each other in a while. I just stood there like an idiot. At the reunion I awkwardly told Cheree she was lookin' good. I didn't notice a ring, but on her blurb in the bio docket of people who provided information to the reunion committee, she claimed to have one child. Strangely, when I spoke to her I got the feeling she had no idea who I was.

Surreality. I can't believe I got Sarah Larkin, Alicia Hoggan and Brittany Kelly all in one picture.

Wait, Alicia and Brittany stop talking. Okay, there.

One of them reminded me how tight we all were when she mentioned catching "Space Ghost" on TV a few nights ago. These chicks were always together and we were always with them. My buddy Peter dated Sarah a few times. Sarah worked at Arby's and we'd always bother her there seeing how many Arby-Qs we could eat. Sarah's friend, Alicia 'the leash' Hoggan was J.R.'s girlfriend (by the way, if you're confused about Peter and J.R., please see the groovers page). He was committed to her like many are committed to an asylum. I actually know surprisingly little of their relationship, but it's probably novel-worthy. Brittany could have been my girlfriend. She expressed interest in me, but for the most part I shied away. I took her out a few times, but kept my hands off. I even took her to Prom and gave her a hard time about ordering the filet mignon.

It blew my mind to see them all together again. I'm not sure, but Brittany seemed to have swiped a little bit of Alicia's mammary tissue. When we saw each other, Brittany spoke of Prom again. She wasn't angry or anything. After all, she came with her husband, Greg the cop. Greg's actually her second husband. She divorced her first one, but she's been with the cop for about six or seven years. Apparently the guy is about to retire from the police force after serving on it for 20 years. He spoke to me a bit about trying something in the private sector. J.B. talked with the guy for a while, while I wound up talking with Brittany more than I thought I would. As I was saying, she bugged me about Prom. I told her I was sorry for being rude, but that I was just a kid and didn't know what I was doing. I found out that she was also mad that I didn't kiss her goodnight at Prom. I didn't expect her to complain about that, but I apologized. I'm not sure if Brittany realizes that at that point I hadn't kissed any girl except for the one that kissed me in first grade while a bunch of other people held me down.

The only thing more surreal than seeing those three girls together again was when I bumped into my present roommate Clint hanging out at my high school reunion. A week earlier he picked up on a girl named Shalene Hatton at a party. They were supposed to go out that night and she had him meet her at her high school reunion which also happened to be my high school reunion. Ten years ago Shalene and I were at Disneyland with the Timpview A Cappella Choir. About four years ago I ran into Shalene through a mutual friend. She had no memory of my going to high school with her. Last week at the party where Clint met the girl, I talked to her again. She remembered sharing our mutual friend, but she still had no recollection of attending high school and Disneyland with me. Hopefully she'll remember Clint after all this is over.

Ellora Mrykalo. I Always thought she had the weirdest name. I remember her primarily for actually giving me a hug because I actually got her a Christmas present. That year I gave everyone ramen noodles for Christmas. The wrapping paper actually cost more than the gift. Most people thought my Christmas concept was silly, but Ellora thought it was adorable. On Saturday She appeared in a green Pink Floyd t-shirt and looked a bit less happy than she did in high school. Apparently Ellora just bought a new house in Provo. She says she's committed to stay now. She's also divorced and has a couple of boys. She didn't have anything good to say about their father.

Alas, after the mild chatter it came time for me to sit down and eat. I laughed to myself a bit because the situation suddenly, vividly reminded me of wondering where to sit during lunch ten years ago. I always wanted to sit with the people who were well-oriented and practical. Somehow I always wound up and became more comfortable with the misfits. I sat with Jeremy Tuck.

Jeremy was a maladjusted non-socialite nerdy sort of fellow who could annoy better than anyone I knew. Admittedly, when I was first getting to know the guy, I didn't appreciate him. I mostly remember being paired with him to do mime skits in drama class. Once we were partnered, I couldn't get anyone else to join us. We actually made a fabulous movie in that class. I'll post it here soon. Eventually, Jeremy wore me down and I finally began to enjoy his company. At the party, when I asked him how he was doing, he sighed, then went off. He's been divorced for a while. It was after his wife's third indiscretion that he split for good with her. Fortunately, Jeremy made it to the reunion. He just heard about it the morning of and he had just gotten off the anti-depressants that week. In fact, after suffering severe anxiety and depression, this was one of the first times he'd ventured from his home in a few months. The infidelity, divorce, separation from kids and judgments of others wasn't all that broke him down. He had other problems, but he's upbeat now. "Better to be pissed off than pissed on! I've got kids. I've been both!"

Near the end, I picked up a door prize for being on TV (Everwood) and ran into, or actually maneuvered around the pavillion in order to run into, Heather Rogers. I took Heather to Senior Dinner Dance, the final dance of my high school career. Heather was pretty, but kooky back in the day. I remember the night of the dance she tried to get me to tango, although I don't think she knew how herself. I wish we had more times together. I think eventually we would have really connected, but even after the dance I felt like I barely knew her. When I saw her on Saturday, she was the only bona fide single woman without kids that I talked to (okay, I guess Shalene and Sara didn't have kids). She went on a mission and is getting ready to go to China. She's been to Vietnam, but she doesn't know Chinese. I guess she'll be teaching dance over there. In return, the Chinese will train her in martial arts. I told her to take me on her next Asian trip. I don't think she took me as seriously as I meant it.

In the end, the event was far less harmless than I thought. I didn't talk to everyone there. That was nice. I only talked to those I felt like talking to. Everyone I never said hi to in high school I didn't bother dealing with all over again. Perhaps I should have. It's cool though. I haven't grown up much at all. I only hung with the fun. There were a lot of people I wanted to see who weren't there, but that's their problem. For now they're in group #2. If you went to my high school and you're reading this, please let me know how and what you're doing. Some of you really were cool. So if you're thinking about going to your ten-year, go ahead. It was way better than the five-year. The five-year was all about comparing kids, while this time around it's all about comparing divorces. Way more interesting.