High school survey

I copied this survey about high school years from Katy. I like reading about what my Gentle Readers used to be like in their youth, so I'm tagging y'all.

I've recently taken a shine to the word "ya'll," by the way.

Love,
CP

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1. Who was your best friend?
For the first two years, Gretchen, who is now a Mormon and has little contact with me. My junior year I was living abroad and got very close to Sarah, who now lives in Sacramento. My senior year I was closest with Beth. (I didn't start having a lot of guy friends until college for some reason.)

2. What sports did you play?
Cross country running. I was REALLY REALLY bad at it, too.

3. What kind of car did you drive?
My dad's Chevy Chevette. Confidential to KC & Min: SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!!

4. It's Friday night; where are you?
Since high school ranged from ages 14-18, it varied drastically. Earlier on I was usually out to eat with my parents on Fridays. Later on I was with friends.

5. Were you a party animal?
You know it's funny - I was just talking with someone about how I hate parties. I used to like them, mainly for the drinking. And yes, I used to get very drunk and rowdy in high school, so in that sense I was party animal. But I was very good at getting into mischief without getting caught.

6. Were you considered a flirt?
Hardly. It was a miracle to get me to look someone in the eye.

7. Ever skip school?
Twice. Managed to lie my way out of punishment for both, as well. See #5.

8. Were you in any clubs?
I did a lot of activities, mainly in music and theater (how shocking!) Those weren't "clubs" but they took a lot of time. The only official "club" I was in was the Foreign Exchange Club where I was elected President and didn't do jack shit. But I enjoyed the lofty title.

9. Suspended?
Are you kidding? I was a parent's wet dream.

10. Can you sing the fight song?
Only the first two lines. My school was so jockish that they used to force us to attend "pep rallies" in the middle of the school day any time there was going to be a "big game" such as Homecoming or when the high school basketball team made it to the state championship finals. I thought that was the most retarded thing in the world. If I'd been the type to smoke pot, I surely would have been under the bleachers with the other stoners.

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Mrs. Trethaway for English. she was some bitch, but smart as a whip and really good. Plus she introduced me to Holden Caulfield and therefore is a saint.

12. What was your favorite class?
Aside from Mrs. Trethaway's English class, I enjoyed French Conversation the most. This was when we were fairly advanced in our language skills, so class consisted of putting the desk/chairs in a circle and discussing random topics, which sometimes morphed into Franglish when the subjects became heated, causing the teacher to lose control temporarily.

Tom: L'ancien boyfriend de Mary va se marier avec un Freak.

Teacher: Comment?

Mary: ha ha ha

Rachel: Le mot "freak" n'est pas tres sympatique. Les freaks sont des human beings.

Mary: Oui, mais les freaks veulent seulement fumer le marijuana.

Lisa: So what? I toke up! Does that make me a Freak?

Teacher: Ca suffit maintenant!

Lisa: Et vous etes cool parce que vous etes des JOCKS?

Tom: Je suis desole, je croyais que c'etait marrant.

Mary, sotto voce: I hope we don't run into Rachel and Lisa in a dark alley


13. What was your school's full name?
I'm trying to preserve a slight bit of anonymity here.

14. School mascot?
The Pirate! Arrrrgggghhhh!

15. Did you go to dances?
Yes. I went to Homecoming once, Turnabout/Sadie Hawkins three times and Prom once. They were all perfectly hideous.

16. If you could go back and do it over again, would you?
I am obsessed with the idea of time traveling to go back and fix prior mistakes. So in that sense, yes. But if I had to do everything over again the same way I did it the first time, no way.

17. What do you remember most about graduation?
A singing group I was in was asked to perform the song "Hands of Time," that stupid sappy number from the movie "Brian's Song." While we were singing, a group of seniors threw those little snap-pellet things on the floor - the ones that make a popping noise when you throw them down. They did it throughout the whole song and it was really embarrassing. If anyone remembers what exactly those things are called, please tell me.

18. Favorite memory of your senior year?
Going with a bunch of friends to the Turnabout dance, and then bringing them back to my house where we partied all night and got completely wasted while my parents were upstairs in bed. I cleaned up really well so that my parents wouldn't know, but I got busted after Beth went home and threw up in her bed, prompting her mother to demand an explanation. Which Beth gave, of course.

19. Were you ever posted up on the senior wall?
No.

20. Where did you go most often for lunch?
The school cafeteria. I usually had some sort of musical rehearsal during lunch so there wasn't time to do anything else.

21. Have you gained weight since high school?
My first driver's license, which I got at age 16, listed my weight at 140. I was also 6'2". Now I'm the same height and about 80 pounds heavier. I was unattractively skinny for so long that it took a number of years of being a normal weight and/or overweight to stop thinking of myself that way. That's one reason I don't really mind weighing what I do now - I really hated being called "skinny" all my life. I just wish wearing pants was more comfortable!

22. What did you do after graduation?
Immediately after graduation I stayed out all night with my friends, partying in a hotel room. I had one of my parents' cars all night too. They were so mad at me that I was grounded for a week. The next fall I started college.

23. When did you graduate?
1984

24. Where are most of your classmates?
All over - it was a class of over 600 students. A sizeable number of them are in the Chicago area.

25. Did you have a high school sweetheart?
For a while. I dated a girl named Adriana for about six months when I was a senior. She never got any. Poor girl.

26. Have you changed since?
Yes. I'm much, much calmer. And I had my harelip removed.

27. Have you been to your high school since you graduated?
Yes. My dad was a teacher there until he retired in 1992 so I had reason to stop in there when I was home. But I've not yet been to a reunion. I plan to go to one sometime if scheduling works out.