High School Reunion

I'm heading back to New Jersey this weekend for my (cough cough) 35th High School Reunion. This will be the first time I've been back to New Jersey since my mom passed away in 2016. I've definitely got mixed feelings about it all.

On the one hand, crossing over the Delaware Memorial Bridge is going to bring back a flood of sad memories. Memories I've blocked out for 3 years. Memories of watching my mom struggle to breathe, being restless in her sleep and finally, taking her last breath and passing peacefully. Those are memories I don't want to relive.

But then there are the other memories. The good ones. I lived in New Jersey most of my life. We moved there when I was 7 and I left when I was 39 so that's a pretty good chunk of time. I still have best friends who live there. I have a history there, so I need to suck it up and make the trip.

I married my husband and had both of my babies there, worked in the casino biz for over 20 years in Atlantic City. I lived at the beach for many many years and was spoiled by it. It wasn't until I left the shore that I realized how lucky I was to have it so close. Now, going to the beach is a once a year event to be treasured, but back then it was an everyday occurrence that I could take or leave. I'd take that back in a heartbeat.

One of my very favorite parts of living at the beach was being able to walk on the boardwalk in the middle of the winter without a soul around. Honestly, I loved working on the boardwalk during my high school years, with the crowds, the noises, the sights and smells. And the boys. So many boys!

But the winters were so peaceful, so isolating, so wonderfully serene.

I am looking forward to seeing my crew, my ride or die high school friends, some of whom I haven't actually seen since high school. We've been lucky enough to keep in touch through the magic of Facebook but it will be so good to see them, to hug them, to catch up in-person.

I am also looking forward to being catty and seeing people who I didn't care for back then, secretly hoping they look old, remembering what jackasses we thought they were. There will be many many laughs, maybe some tears but definitely good times ahead and hopefully we'll make more good memories that I can take home with me.

Ever have a song just take you back?

Of course you have. We all have. I was driving home from taking 16 to school (yes, she did) and The Waitresses' I Know What Boys Like came on my 80's on 8. I was IMMEDIATELY transported back to 1983, in Anna's room where my group of girls were getting ready to go out. Anna had 12 clocks in her room. None of them had the right time, we never knew what actual damn time it was. We just knew that we were going out. Probably to the game room. We loved the game room. All the cool guys went there. Twinkie, Claudio & Fabio (Argentinian twins... SWOON), Chuck (Anna's boyfriend), Bob (Chuck's brother) and John. We'd go there most weekends to play video games or shoot pool and drink Coke. We'd always bring extra money for the juke box because I always wanted to hear Steve Miller Band's Abracadabra. We knew the owner so he didn't get pissed when Anna broke one of the fluorescents over a pool table because she was being cool twirling her pool cue like a baton. She made me swear not to tell anybody (we got there early, before anyone else showed up). I promised. It was our secret. And as soon as the first guy in our crew walked in the door, I immediately forgot our pact and spilled the beans. (sorry Anna)

Back to the juke box, it was awesome and had all the day's hits. But because John had a huge crush on Anna (who was going out with Chuck), we were never allowed to play Toto's Rosanna. Why? Because ANNA, duh!

Remember these?

That year there was a huge party at Marie's. HUGE. Party of the Century! All the cool kids were going. Except for me. I went to Philly that weekend to visit my brother and sister-in-law. That Saturday night I went roller skating with my sister-in-law's sister. While we were skating to Dexy's Midnight Runner's Come on Eileen,  the cops were breaking up the party. Everyone I knew was grounded. Except me, because I was roller skating. Does anyone roller skate anymore? I would imagine it's dangerous, skating and texting. Don't text and skate, kids! You could hit a wall and break your iPhone.

I think that year I wanted desperately to learn the dance to Michael Jackson's Beat It, but sadly, I was a white girl and could only do the white girl dance. Swing those hips, snap those fingers. You know the dance. That was back when Michael Jackson was still a black man, before he turned into a white woman. Ahhh those were the days. That was when I DIDN'T hate Duran Duran's Hungry Like the Wolf. At this point, you're saying to yourself, 'why no link to THAT song'?? Because I hate that song. I've only heard that song about sixty-bajillion times. Apparently radio folks think that's the only song Duran Duran ever did, so that's all they play. How about Is There Something I Should Know?  You're about as easy as a nuclear war. I freaking LOVED that one. But no, that wolf song got all the airplay. Blah.

Well, so much for that little stroll down memory lane. Time to get out of 1983 and come back to 2014. Time for me to get ready for work. Just wondered if you were ever transported back by one song. One single song that brought back dozens of memories and hundreds of smiles.

What song takes you back? Good memories? Bad? Tell me about them.