Two fairly diverse things converged this weekend to inspire this post.
Out of the blue, I got a Facebook message from a high school classmate saying a couple people are starting to talk about our twenty year high school reunion next year. She asked if I’d mind setting up a Facebook group where people could start coordinating efforts. I was one of the main organizers of our 10 year reunion but was planning to back off this time around and let somebody else do it. But setting up a FB group takes about five minutes so I didn’t mind doing that!
The other thing was that today was the annual Queen City Marathon and it’s entered my consciousness more and more as I age that running a marathon (or half-marathon) seems to be (at least for a large number of folks I know) something that becomes a bit of a early-mid life crisis goal for some people. They hit their late 30’s or early 40’s and suddenly, running a marathon becomes this gi-normous focus of their life – for many Gen-X’ers the spiritual equivalent of a Boomer buying a Mustang convertible when they turn 50. 😉
A marathon’s not something that’s even on my radar in terms of physical activity (and in all honesty, I’m probably at one of my least physically fit points in my entire life. If anything, I’m going in the wrong direction health-wise so I admit to some envy of those folks who decide to get healthy/healthier at this point in their lives.)
But I find in funny that my high school yearbook entry named “Run a marathon” as one of my future goals. (Of course, this was written quite tongue-in-cheek and probably the last thing I could imagine myself doing – pretty much the equivalent of writing “Climb Mount Everest”.)
So anyhow, I thought I’d dig out my copy of “Anyway You Look At It – IHHS Reflections 1991″ yearbook and steno that profile so my readers could bask in the random in-jokes, dated 90’s references and general lack of worldliness that was Jason Hammond circa 1991. (Oh, I see that I tipped that the marathon thing was a joke with my effective use of the (‘zif) parenthetical comment.)
In a mini-autobiography intended to sum up my life thus far but which is really just one embarrassment after another, easily the most embarrassing part is the reference to my dislike of “artsy types” considering I would go on to spend pretty much the next decade of my life consorting with and being employed by folks best categorized as “artsy types”.
In my defense, I think this was a high school insult, aimed at those who had pretensions of being “artsy” while living in Indian Head, Saskatchewan, population 1800, main industries including tractor sales and hockey tournaments. Also, in my own defense, I was in drama, yearbook, choir and cited “writing” as one of my main interests. So I’m also not quite sure I understood what an “artsy type” was!)
Anyhow, here it is (best read with the following picture in mind)…
“My interests are all sports, traveling, spending enormous amounts of $$$, “deep” discussions, writing, Rock Talks with the Robison Street Rebels and women who look like Julia Roberts. My pet peeves are puds, squeakers and artsy-types, wine & cheese, people who never have parties, morning classes, morning practices, mornings in general, the “McFlys of the world”, when people say something, when people say something you don’t quite catch and then, when asked to repeat it, say “It’s nothing!” (that really irks my crick!) My fondest memories include the infamous BANGLE VS. GO-GO WARS!!!, Christmas Dance ’90 (I think), being chased by stoners in Regina, 66’s, camping with DM, PS, SM, NR, ED, tobogganing, Midnight Burger Runs, Mosaic ’91, Halloween 89-90, Eng 20 with Mr. Marshall and Physics 30 chippies. My nicknames are Ham, Hambo, Hammer…and Pitbull. My future plans include: writing a novel, making millions, running a marathon (‘zif), bungee jumping, visiting each continent on Earth and to eventually become a Chem Teacher (NOT!!!) To my classmates, I bequeath my knowledge of GOD and SWITZERLAND which has affected you all somehow!”
