I was not-so-recently tagged by the very clever Veronica of Toddled Dredge for an Alumni Magazine Meme. (Ok. I was actually tagged about two months ago, but, what can I say except that I'm running a little behind on everything these days.)
The meme guidelines are as follows:
The idea is to write two blurbs for the alumni newsletter, updating your life. The first should be the perky, show-offy kind that everyone writes. The second should be the darker side of honest.
Hmmmmmm.
I wonder if what this really means is that the first version should be like one of those over the top 'I'm-so-happy-and-my-life-is-so-wonderful-bet-you-wish-you-were-me' holiday newsletters that arrive in my postbox every year come December and make my eyes roll until they hurt. And I wonder if the second version should be a brutally honest update, you know, the type of update that will make people either call you to make sure that you're ok and not at home sitting on the couch staring at a big bottle of pills and a bottle of whiskey on the coffee table in front of you ... or... they'll never call you again out of fear that they might actually discover that this is in fact the case.
Or maybe I'm just overthinking this to extremes.
Anyway, last year was my 20th high school reunion and I missed it. And by 'missed it' I simply mean I didn't attend. I do not mean 'Oh my gawd, how could I have missed such a life altering event! I'm devastated!'
No. Not a chance. Because we all know how I felt about high school, four years of my life I wouldn't be willing to repeat for all the tea in China. (Although I might consider it in exchange for a winning Euromillions lottery ticket. Hmmmmmm.) However, even though I didn't even consider attending the reunion, I did toy with the idea of sending in an update for the on-line Alumni Newsletter. It would have been my very first update since I graduated all those years ago, but, in the hecticness that was last summer, I couldn't be bothered sending one in.
This in spite of the fact that I provide regular mini-updates to my law school alumni magazine, even though I am no longer actually working. Go figure.
Anyway, perhaps this meme is my chance to come up with two slightly alternate universe updates for my old high school classmates, twenty-one years late.
Version 1
After graduation, Ewe headed south to sunny San Diego and the University of California where she double majored in Literature and Political Science. After graduating, she took a couple of years off before trekking north again in order to attend law school in the booming Bay Area. After yet another graduation and some time in a Bay Area law firm, Ewe decided to trade in the Silicon Valley rat race for a warmer more leisurely lifestyle and moved to Hawaii.
After spending half a dozen sunny fun-filled years living and working in Honolulu, Ewe decided to take a break from practicing law and traded in her small rock in the Pacific for a bigger one in the Atlantic. After a summer traveling around the Continent seeing the sights, Ewe settled into Edinburgh, Scotland to pursue a Masters of Law degree. It was there that Ewe soon met her now-husband G at a mutual friend's birthday party. After a whirlwind romance, Ewe and G returned to Hawaii where they were married on a lovely beach at sunset, surrounded by their closest family and friends. They have since been blessed with two lovely wee boys, MF and Baby Boo, who are two and a half and seven months old respectively. The Ewe family currently resides in England, and are in the process of looking for the perfect house for their family.
Version 2
After graduation, Ewe couldn't get out of the Bay Area and away from her high school classmates fast enough (sorry guys!). After determining which University of California campus was farthest from her home, she packed up her old, ugly blue car and headed to San Diego. Once there, she couldn't make a decision regarding majors, so she ended up on the five year plan, finally graduating with degrees in both Literature and Political Science. After graduation, Ewe quickly realized that both were rather useless degrees without a graduate degree, so after a couple of years at a dead end job, she returned to the then-booming Bay Area to attend law school. Of course, the Bay Area was no longer booming by the time she graduated. After another year watching life pass her by in a small Bay Area law firm, she decided to move to Hawaii and start anew.
It didn't take Ewe long to realize that law firms are law firms no matter where you are and that they didn't appear to be for her. When she began actively daydreaming about chucking her sh*t of a boss out a highrise window, she knew it was time to look move on once again. Ewe ultimately decided to trade in her sunny rock in the Pacific for a colder one in the Atlantic. After a summer traveling around the Continent seeing the sights and wondering whether she knew what the h*ll she was going to do with the rest of her life, Ewe returned to Scotland to pursue a Masters degree in a field that hadn't brought her much happiness to date. And yet, there she was. But then, in the middle of the cold Scottish winter, Ewe was dragged out to a club to celebrate a friend's birthday where she met her now-husband G. After a whirlwind romance, Ewe and G were married quietly on a beach in Hawaii, surrounded by their closest family and friends, save for Ewe's dad who passed away before he could even meet his future son-in-law or grandchildren. Ewe and G have their hands full with two lovely but overly-active and exhausting wee boys, MF and Baby Boo, who are two and a half and seven months old respectively. After the economy started to head south in Scotland, the Ewe family followed suit and moved down into England about a year ago. They hope to live closer to family again when the opportunity arises. In the meantime, they are desperately looking for a house that they can afford and like in a nice area. Fat chance.
Hmmmmm. It's off the top of my (tired) head and a little rough and dreary, but seeing as this particular meme has been sitting in my 'to do' blog list for two months now, off the top of my head it's going to stay. Plus it's a weekend; hardly anyone visits on a weekend, right?
:-p
As for tagging, well, I think that ship has sailed. Of course, if anyone else decides to give it a go, I'd love to read it, so let me know.
12 comments:
That's hilarious that you're answering a tag 2 months later!
I actually really like the second version.
The second is honest AND way more interesting, as honesty tends to be.
I like ewe.
I liked the second one, too--it wasn't too dark, but very honest and much more compelling.
And I also *loved* the fact that you're doing this meme 3 months late!
What SM said.
And I'm reading you on the weekend!
have you noticed that readership goes down on the weekend, but it seems like everyone is still posting? what is up with that? ;)
Oh, I'm going to have to take this tag, it's just too awesome.
what a great idea for a meme.
i am kind of scared to write my honest version.. I could make it really scary and dark. Maybe if I did this- I could put the scary one first, and the airbrushed one second- so people wouldn't be all depressed upon leaving me little blog...
I enjoyed your stories- both of them.
I like the whole glass half full or empty idea. I'm a full girl myself, pathetically so sometimes. There's something in me that is very scared of exposing the black side to the wide world, as if people might want to come and kick me when I'm down or something.
But I liked both your versions.
Perfect. Even if it's late. That just gives us time to savor it.
Wanna try my latest meme?
I don't care that it's late. Great meme. And I learned a little more about you which is always great. I loved both versions.
I, too, have found that most people neither post nore read much on the weekend (I guess that's family time then) but I tend to read a lot on weekends.
VM - I'll check out the latest Meme challenge at your place... it had better not be that naked one I've seen floating around! Not going to happen. heh heh
Those were both great! I had no idea you traveled so much! And even though you tried not to in the second version, it still sounds romantic and ideal!
For late night writes, I am thoroughly impressed!
The second wasn't too dark at all, much more honest and realistic.
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