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Joe DeRouen

Joe DeRouen


Last Updated: 4/8/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 41
Sign: Virgo

City: Rogers
State: ARKANSAS
Country: US
Signup Date: 9/14/2006

Who Gives Kudos:

Sara (1)
Rob Pierce (1)
Creaturella (2)
(2)
Monday, September 25, 2006 

Current mood:  contemplative
Category: Friends
Okay, here's the deal - I grew up in Carthage, Illinois, (population 2,000 and falling) but moved away in my junior year of high school. But it's definitely the school I consider my high school.

Found out a couple of weeks ago that the 20th high school reunion is this coming weekend, and I'm not sure whether or not I want to go. We now live in Arkansas, and it's an eight-hour drive, which is part of the reason for my hesitation.

The other part is that high school wasn't such a wonderful time for me. I definitely wasn't one of the popular kids. In fact, I absolutely hated a good number of the small (maybe 80 people) class.

But I also liked some of them. And, hell, it's been twenty years, and I'm no longer the nerdy, shy fat kid. Would going bring back bad memories, or would it be cathertic? If I didn't go, would I regret it?

Help me decide, and decide quickly! What do you think I should do?
4:03 AM
 
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plasticfetish

 
It kind of sounds like you want to go, but you're trying to talk yourself out of it.

My 20 year reunion is this year (I think... no one knows where I am really), and it's something that I'm completely not interested in. In all fairness though, I had a chance just a few years ago to connect with some of my good friends from Jr. High and High school, so I sort of got that out of my system.

I dunno. It's hard to say what kind of an experience you might have. After 20 years you'd be surprised by how much people change. It might be fun.
 
Posted by plasticfetish on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 4:38 AM
[Reply to this] 
James Neely/Ddraig Graphics 龍画家
Ddraig Graphics

 
I blew mine off entirely. I was navy brat and did not form attachments anyway. *shrug* I wasn't popular either. Keeps me humble today =)Ultimately up to you as decision maker, but gas prices these days...
 
Posted by James Neely/Ddraig Graphics 龍画家 on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 5:00 AM
[Reply to this] 
Sara
Sara Hutchinson

 
I'd go... make trip of it! Being English, we don't really buy into 10/20/etc year reunions, but i'd definately go, if only to satisfy my curiosity about the people i grew up with. Most of them should have grown-up enough to not be the idiots they used to be, and it might be a chance to build some bridges? If it does suck, you don't have to stay long (make a statement by leaving early!) and that way you know to avoid the next reunion! If you do leave early, it's a chance to spend some time in the town you grew up in, surely thats gotta have some appeal? As long as it's worth the 8-hour journey, whatever you do should be fun. :)
 
Posted by Sara on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 3:34 PM
[Reply to this] 
Rob Pierce

 

Same thing happened to me a few years ago. The school reunion party invite arrived, I spent a long five minutes thinking about it and didn't go.

No regrets - I was never particularly popular, never a member of a clique, glad to get out of school and out from under the yoke I'd been carrying since kintergarden with a pecking order based on class and income. I've moved on, and my absence was my way of announcing it both to myself and those I was imprisoned with.

There wasn't even an 8 hour drive involved - 20 mins tops.

I'm not an antisocial misfit...well a misfit maybe...but I'm actually pretty sociable. I'll drive miles for a get together with the people I work - just not the bunch I went to school with.


 
Posted by Rob Pierce on Monday, September 25, 2006 - 9:24 PM
[Reply to this] 
Creaturella

 

I can relate my friend.  At least I graduated in a class of 900 + students (Little Rock Central High) so my nerdy, introvert self could easily disappear.    However, I did go to my 10 year reunion and had a blast.  As a shy kid, I didn't have many friends, and those I did have did not show up at the reunion.  But because I'd broken out of my shell over the years, I made a ton of new friends and had a blast! 

Why not go?  You have so many wonderful things going for you.  You have a successful career, a beautiful family and lots of Megos.   

Keep us posted!


 
Posted by Creaturella on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - 1:56 AM
[Reply to this] 


 
Go, Go, Go, heck I can't wait! I wasn't popular I was the shit disturber, they probably thought I nodded off somwhere and died after school. Contrare I must go back to the 20th and show them how well I aged etc...I didn't attend the 10 year one on purpose..(the popular 90210 crowd hadn't had enough time to fail yet) but I say go! My mom always said the popular kids in school are always the not so hot ones at the reunions! So fill me in on this please.
 
Posted by on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 - 8:00 PM
[Reply to this] 
Joe DeRouen
Joe DeRouen

 
I went!  More (much more) soon!

 
Posted by Joe DeRouen on Monday, October 02, 2006 - 12:45 AM
[Reply to this] 
Beanie

 

I hope you enjoyed it. :) Sorry for not helping with the decision making, but I couldn't really think of an opinion.

                                Mela


 
Posted by Beanie on Monday, October 02, 2006 - 9:32 PM
[Reply to this] 
Joe DeRouen
Joe DeRouen

 
Find out what happened here!
 
Posted by Joe DeRouen on Wednesday, October 04, 2006 - 3:41 AM
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