- Our tenth-grade English teacher gave a really wonderful talk, during which she read from some of our essays about music (circa 1985-86), including a little chunk where I earnestly discussed my admiration for the band Chicago. I was topped, thankfully, by the QB who wrote about his preference for Lionel Richie.
- During that talk, someone's cell phone rang, and the ringer was "Danger Zone" from Top Gun. This was not a special reunion ringtone, I don't think.
- Pour Some Sugar on Me, why don't you?
- A woman I've known since fifth grade (and who I adore) came up and shouted enthusiastically, "I used to have big curly hair, and now I have big straight hair!"
- A classmate informed me that it's obvious I had moved "up north" when I used the word "commute." (As in: "You work in Knoxville and live in Greeneville? That's quite a commute!")
- The refrain: Classmate: "Do you have any kids?" Me: "no..." A sampling of responses after a slightly awkward silence: "Is that because you don't want to, or can't?"; "At least you have a life!"; "Well, you better hurry!"; "Dogs?"
- R.C.'s homemade pickles!
- "Oh my goodness! I didn't recognize you!" (Usually not a good thing to have to say.)
- "Oh my goodness! You haven't changed one bit!" (A bit better, except when there is a mullet involved.)
- Business in the front, party in the back! (hat tip to JM; c.f. the lead image.)
- Someone asked our classmate, who is now a highly regarded pediatrician, if he went through a late puberty.
- My h.s. bff, who is a full foot shorter than me, got mistaken for a child. [for the record, 11 and 12 both go in the !? category.]
- The Lionel Richie fan in #1, who got voted "most athletic" with me our senior year and who now, besides owning a wildly successful engineering firm also does a little coaching on the side, asked his daughters to guess who I played ball for. One daughter shouted, "Coach Ricker!" (our famed high school coach). Their dad said, "Yeah, and guess who else?" There was a long pause, and then another daughter shouted, "You!"
