The reunion thread- where have we been?

Since Whidden is alive and not off on a secret mission for the government, I think a thread to catch up and see what everyone is up to is in order. I've missed everyone.

Kids and school are keeping me busy. Damon starts high school next week and Nikki will start 7th grade this month. I'm in my last year of my history major and will graduate with honors in May. Hopefully I will get into grad school. Lets see, I did get invited to a grad party that I attended with my friend Mary, but the hilarity of the night will have to wait for the members to show up and post. Yep, a cliffhanger just for you guys.  

I graduated with my degree in history and sort of stumbled into a job doing electrical assembly and testing for an aviation company, which is SO MUCH FUN. Then I got laid off recently and have been tearing my hair out from boredom.

I live in Washington now instead of Oregon, but it's just on the other side of the Columbia so it's really just a few miles away from my old home.

Oh! And I'm a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters now and have been for about a year and a half. I'm on my second match with the sweetest little girl who is way smarter than I was at 9. Her name is Angie. My first match started out well and then crashed and burned. That girl lives in the same town as me and I see her every so often. Lots of avoidance.

I think this thread is a great idea! I look forward to reading what everyone else has been up to. Sure, I have many of you as friends on facebook, but I don't spend much time looking at what people post on there anymore.

What did you do to that first poor little girl!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Other than having a daughter, which everybody knows, nothing's changed with me. I still have the same job. I still have the same interests. I'm even wearing the same pants I was wearing when posting a few years back.

gaboman wrote:

What did you do to that first poor little girl!?!?!?!?!?!?!

She asked to end our match after one year (we make a commitment for one year but can continue the match if we want) because I wouldn't buy her whatever she wanted or count ice cream as dinner. Some time after our match ended, she accused me of being sexually attracted to her. Since not a single person, not even her own dad, believed her, she made a bomb threat against her school to get attention instead. Now she's not in school anymore and I assume that she just hangs around the house. The woman that keeps track of the BBBS matches in my county suggested that I just steer clear of that girl, which is advice that I heartily accepted. About a month ago, the girl started texting me late at night saying that she missed going places and doing fun things with me, and that her dad said that if I accepted her apology she could hang out with me again. I told her that I was going to block her number.

Gabo, old pants are always better than new pants. New pants are all stiff and not broken in, and they don't even come with cool rips that say that you go out and do stuff, unless you buy your pants pre-ripped, which is cheating.

Pippin wrote:

gaboman wrote:

What did you do to that first poor little girl!?!?!?!?!?!?!

She asked to end our match after one year (we make a commitment for one year but can continue the match if we want) because I wouldn't buy her whatever she wanted or count ice cream as dinner. Some time after our match ended, she accused me of being sexually attracted to her. Since not a single person, not even her own dad, believed her, she made a bomb threat against her school to get attention instead. Now she's not in school anymore and I assume that she just hangs around the house. The woman that keeps track of the BBBS matches in my county suggested that I just steer clear of that girl, which is advice that I heartily accepted. About a month ago, the girl started texting me late at night saying that she missed going places and doing fun things with me, and that her dad said that if I accepted her apology she could hang out with me again. I told her that I was going to block her number.

That's sad on so many levels. I wonder what her deal is. Acting up after her mother's death (or abandonment)?


And, yeah, my pants are good. They have been washed at least once or twice, so don't worry about that.

That is great that you are helping children. It's sad that you had a bad experience with the one girl and that she is so troubled.

Grant, I'm just glad that you are wearing pants. :p

Now where is Whidden? Does he still salt beer? Is he a secret agent OR is he running a Real Housewives of New Jersey fan club? All mysteries, all mysteries. Yes, I'm still goofy and can't sleep.

My party story. So my friend Mary and I go to a grad party for a girl we had history classes with. We are both 40+ and we get there and the oldest person is 27. It was a 90s theme party and they had booze and candy. WTF My younger friend at the party gets drunk, stoned, and we have to attend to her. She wears bright red lipstick and kissed everyone on the cheek, but she grabbed my ass and my friend's boobs. So I came home with red lipstick on my cheek, my ass having been grabbed and my son was up for water. No 14 year old boy wants to see his mom come in late at night with lipstick on her cheek. I got a "MOM!" and had to tell the story of why you never mix the drinky-drinky with the smokey-smokey. Yes, for someone my age, a college par-tay is totally funny. OH and I had a really huge nerd from some private college back east who would not leave me alone. He knew I was married, old, yet he could not stay away or leave me alone.

Fuscia! You party animal! Was your son more horrified or amused?

gaboman wrote:

That's sad on so many levels. I wonder what her deal is. Acting up after her mother's death (or abandonment)?

Maybe. Her mom did leave shortly after we began the match, but the girl also has some problems that go deeper. She had a head injury from a bad crash off a bicycle some years ago. I saw pictures of her MRI and her skull was all pushed into her head and stuff. Her dad also used to email me her psych reports because he said that she was showing behavior that reminded him of her mom, who, by the way, stabbed him with a screw driver.

My new match Angie likes to skip, feed ducks, and read with me, and she always thanks me for spending time with her. Being matched with Angie is like a special reward for sticking through one year with my first match.

Sounds like that girl needs someone... but yeah, better that it's not you. She's been dealt a raw hand it seems, and shit's tough. Hope shit works out for her in the end.

I'd much prefer skipping, duck feeding and reading.

By the way, Dave's been playing DC Universe. I'd say that's it.

Besides that whole Holy Land thingy-mah-bob... but please, who hasn't been there at least three times this year?

Pippin, he was horrified. It's just not cool knowing that your 45 year old mom came home with a 22 year old woman's lipstick on her cheek. I thought it was funny. I did see that friend a few nights ago, she was very quiet. I know she is embarrassed about it.

Hello all! It's so good to be back online with y'all! I can't believe it's been so long since we've chatted! What's happened since high school??? Hmmmmm.... not really too many note worthy things. Did the college thing for a while. That was an experience. (Some of it rather embarrassing, for which I blame booze.)

I moved from Dallas to the panhandle of Texas, and met someone. We got engaged and then I got dumped. It sucked at first but in hind sight, I'd rather not be my husband's mother. (He was extremely immature...)

After a few more crash and burn relationships, I finally met someone worth my time. His name is Brian and we've been together two years! He makes me more and more happy each day. (Sorry for the pukey love talk.) We just signed on a house Friday and will be spending most of the month moving. I'm definitely having fun buying things for our new homestead.

I'm sure more things will come to mind but that's it for now! Glad to be back!! Let the shinanigans commence!

I had a fire at the house and it destroyed my land two years ago.

Before or after that I had gout in my joint so bad I could not type anymore. The meds have fixed that more or less. Feeling better.

Muffin died two years ago. Still got the other 3 dogs, Winston, Sparky and Cricket.

Still at the same job.

Still married Sandy June. We had our 20th last December.

Still drunk all the time.

Israel trip was new. And awesome.

I have some new pumpkins growing. Small ones, they might be squash pumpkins, don't know.

Still driving the 89 camry and it's still a junker.

New: wind storm two weeks ago and several trees are down in the yard. Looks like a forest.

I bought a Robby the Robot model, but have not put it together.

I deleted facebook a year or more ago, just gave it up and don't miss it at all.

Been playing DC Online like religion the past year. Something to do.

I started smoking to stand up for my civil liberties. They started fining people at work for smoking, so I started. For all the good it did. Now they are fining fat people and people with bad blood work. Bunch of Nazi's if you ask me. So I will stay fat, I will smoke, I will be the Rosa Parks of my generation. No one will care or notice but me...it feels good though.

I don't really see you as a smoker. I thought at first you meant a 'smoker' not just a smoker, and I thought 'ok that makes sense' - but, no, I imagine you're not getting high at work.

I'm happy your gout is better. But I'm sorry about Muffin. That's sad.

My old pups, I have to be honest, I don't know what the deal with them is. I'm too scared to ask, it's too hard to think about them. I up and left without looking back at them. Sounds bad, but I just couldn't handle seeing them. My ex moved to China, so all I know is she pays someone to look after them in Taiwan. I know she lost 2 of them. Literally lost them, they ran off and she couldn't find them. Better just not to know about that stuff.

We have two poodles. The kid gets along with them well.

Dave, I am so sorry about Muffin.  Hard to picture you as a smoker.  I'm glad your gout is better..  

Grant, she moved to China?  wow.  All these revelations in the thread.  I feel so boring.

hmmmm If I want to get Ron's attention when he is watching soccer, I just do this _    

Dave, I'm sorry about Muffin.   I cried when our fish died, but then again it was a pretty slow death. Those Beta fish hold on for dear life.

Fuscia, that's too funny. I don't have that problem with Brian. But then again, I've never tried to get his attention while he's watching football. Normally, I'm watching and shouting at the TV louder than he is. Haha.

Muffin was a perfect dog. Can't remember her every being bad, ever. Brave. Good hole digger. Good pack leader. Good at howling.

It's fun to smoke. I like it. I only smoke two cigs a day, one on each break. The walking outside and the social aspect of it is cool, and I also get a nicotine buzz. EPIC WIN for the WHID.

I also throw my cig butts on the ground and take great joy in the littering aspect of it. Good times.

I remember the nicotine buzz when I used to smoke. I was the one that would only smoke when I drank. Good times.

I smoked for a week. Before I was with Ron, I dated a guy named Mike. Well, while Mike was away I hooked up with my ex who smoked.   I had butts in my ashtray in the car. I convinced Mike that I was a relapsed smoker. I was a bad girl.  

When I was in high school, my friend and I took some Zig Zags and smoked every herb in the kitchen. Yep, hippie moment. Dave parsley with oregano was good. Just sayin'

I didn't know you could smoke parsley and oregano. What did it do?

You can smoke anything willing to burn.

I guess that's true. I've just never heard of someone smoking cooking herbs. Haha

Oh, I remember something I haven't mentioned. HECK! and I went to see Bobcat Goldthwait in January. Got to be honest, I have not laughed that hard in years.