Comments on: Pinging my past… http://erikrubright.com/blog/2008/09/28/pinging-my-past/ … the funeral procession for the death of taste? Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:29:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Erik Rubright http://erikrubright.com/blog/2008/09/28/pinging-my-past/comment-page-1/#comment-2411 Erik Rubright Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:36:27 +0000 http://www.erikrubright.com/blog/?p=865#comment-2411 @<b>Alexander</b>: How odd. I sent the email last week, and this week I have two former classmates contact me. I have to say I'm not sure what I hoped to get out of it, as I know there is now an ocean of time and space between us. Maybe part of being human is we just <i>remember</i> those from our past and not attempt to bridge that gap. I don't know. @<b>mark</b>: I had no hair sense then (or now). I actually had a mullet—which you luckily can't see in that picture—according to the Husbear. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I've still not heard anything back, but I did have two former classmates contact me this week. Kind of cosmically ironic, don't ya think? @<b>Sideon</b>: Thanks for sharing your experiences with this, and more! And it sounds like you might have a few more extremely interesting stories than I do. @<b>RG</b>: Sorry to hear she had already passed away before you could make contact. That's always a heartbreaker to have happen. And "old" is a relative term... ;) @<b>Dr. Sparky</b>: I don't know about braver. I think the cookies would have been easier on me. @Alexander:
How odd. I sent the email last week, and this week I have two former classmates contact me.

I have to say I’m not sure what I hoped to get out of it, as I know there is now an ocean of time and space between us. Maybe part of being human is we just remember those from our past and not attempt to bridge that gap. I don’t know.

@mark:
I had no hair sense then (or now). I actually had a mullet—which you luckily can’t see in that picture—according to the Husbear.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I’ve still not heard anything back, but I did have two former classmates contact me this week. Kind of cosmically ironic, don’t ya think?

@Sideon:
Thanks for sharing your experiences with this, and more! And it sounds like you might have a few more extremely interesting stories than I do.

@RG:
Sorry to hear she had already passed away before you could make contact. That’s always a heartbreaker to have happen.

And “old” is a relative term… ;)

@Dr. Sparky:
I don’t know about braver. I think the cookies would have been easier on me.

]]> By: Dr. Sparky http://erikrubright.com/blog/2008/09/28/pinging-my-past/comment-page-1/#comment-2372 Dr. Sparky Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:47:51 +0000 http://www.erikrubright.com/blog/?p=865#comment-2372 You're braver than I! When someone like that pops into my head (and it does happen on occasion), I tend to just think about something else ... like cookies. You’re braver than I! When someone like that pops into my head (and it does happen on occasion), I tend to just think about something else … like cookies.

]]> By: RG http://erikrubright.com/blog/2008/09/28/pinging-my-past/comment-page-1/#comment-2371 RG Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:28:58 +0000 http://www.erikrubright.com/blog/?p=865#comment-2371 I did the same thing with one of my favorite teachers, Miss Mitchell - who was my music teacher in grade school, and part-time in high school. She had a great influence on my appreciation for music and the performing arts. Unfortunately, by the time I had decided to see how she was doing, she had passed away. She was a cool lady. I hope you connect with your old coach - it would be nice to see his perspective on you now. And 1991? Now I feel old. I did the same thing with one of my favorite teachers, Miss Mitchell - who was my music teacher in grade school, and part-time in high school. She had a great influence on my appreciation for music and the performing arts. Unfortunately, by the time I had decided to see how she was doing, she had passed away. She was a cool lady.

I hope you connect with your old coach - it would be nice to see his perspective on you now.

And 1991? Now I feel old.

]]> By: Sideon http://erikrubright.com/blog/2008/09/28/pinging-my-past/comment-page-1/#comment-2370 Sideon Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:04:05 +0000 http://www.erikrubright.com/blog/?p=865#comment-2370 Good luck. I hope you hear from him, even if it's for closure's sake. Two weeks ago I got an email from someone I'd not heard from in 6+ years. I'd gone to college and also worked with this guy. Back in the mid 90's I was partnered, he had a girlfriend, but we were great friends. We reconnected in the early 2000's - long enough to have one night together because he was "curious." Yeah, "curious" to be bottom boy and blame it on alcohol, like a bad porn. He wrote me, out of the blue, to let me know he was married and had two kids. I'm betting if we lived closer he'd have another moment of being "curious." I'm hardly without guilt here - I'd do him again in a heartbeat. These guys that cling to labels and social expectations make me sad, make me crazy, and make me want to run screaming from the room, and all the above. K - sorry for the novel. Good luck. I hope you hear from him, even if it’s for closure’s sake.

Two weeks ago I got an email from someone I’d not heard from in 6+ years. I’d gone to college and also worked with this guy. Back in the mid 90’s I was partnered, he had a girlfriend, but we were great friends. We reconnected in the early 2000’s - long enough to have one night together because he was “curious.” Yeah, “curious” to be bottom boy and blame it on alcohol, like a bad porn. He wrote me, out of the blue, to let me know he was married and had two kids.

I’m betting if we lived closer he’d have another moment of being “curious.” I’m hardly without guilt here - I’d do him again in a heartbeat.

These guys that cling to labels and social expectations make me sad, make me crazy, and make me want to run screaming from the room, and all the above.

K - sorry for the novel.

]]> By: mark http://erikrubright.com/blog/2008/09/28/pinging-my-past/comment-page-1/#comment-2368 mark Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:01:20 +0000 http://www.erikrubright.com/blog/?p=865#comment-2368 I wasn't concerned with your uniform as much as I am with your hair back then. :) I've had this happen to me numerous time it seems. People that I haven't been in contact for years, pop into my head. When it happens frequently, I believe it's "someone" trying to tell me something, that I need to reach out to them and make contact. Every single time I've done this, I swear the person had been thinking about me as well and was hoping to reconnect. Most reconnections turned out great, others were strained. Not because of the fact that they didn't agree with my sexuality due to their Christian upbringing (Assembly of God here), but so much time had passed that it was just difficult to pick up where we left off. It took a while. Phone conversations were awkward and full of silences or small talk. I found a long lost friend from the early 90's a month or so agi. It turned out bad. He hadn't grown up or changed for the good. Still a life filled with drama and he tried to suck me back into it again. Another friend I found again, lives here in Dallas and it was like we had never lost contact. We still keep in touch. The most recent friend I wrote about. Our conversation was strained. He had become a Christian since the days of us hanging out and although I didn't feel judgement, it was awkward. Then i received an email later where he opened up, told me he loved me and couldn't wait to see me during Christmas. You took the chance. Good for you. I hope things work out where you can at least open a line of communication again. Um, sorry for the really long comment. I wasn’t concerned with your uniform as much as I am with your hair back then. :)

I’ve had this happen to me numerous time it seems. People that I haven’t been in contact for years, pop into my head. When it happens frequently, I believe it’s “someone” trying to tell me something, that I need to reach out to them and make contact. Every single time I’ve done this, I swear the person had been thinking about me as well and was hoping to reconnect.

Most reconnections turned out great, others were strained. Not because of the fact that they didn’t agree with my sexuality due to their Christian upbringing (Assembly of God here), but so much time had passed that it was just difficult to pick up where we left off. It took a while. Phone conversations were awkward and full of silences or small talk.

I found a long lost friend from the early 90’s a month or so agi. It turned out bad. He hadn’t grown up or changed for the good. Still a life filled with drama and he tried to suck me back into it again. Another friend I found again, lives here in Dallas and it was like we had never lost contact. We still keep in touch. The most recent friend I wrote about. Our conversation was strained. He had become a Christian since the days of us hanging out and although I didn’t feel judgement, it was awkward. Then i received an email later where he opened up, told me he loved me and couldn’t wait to see me during Christmas.

You took the chance. Good for you. I hope things work out where you can at least open a line of communication again.

Um, sorry for the really long comment.

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