After posting about the deaths of two people in my school year and getting quite a good feedback from old classmates, I remembered something that had been put on the back-burner. I regularly talk on Facebook with someone in my school year, although I don't recall her playing a big part in my school days I did at least know the name when the friend request came through, and the subject of a school reunion came up. It was forgotten about until today when I posted about getting it back on track what with all the recent talk about how short life is. The response was amazing so it actually will go ahead now.
I have been to Skegness twice since leaving school, the latest being last summer when I visited my old house and found that it has been turned into two flats which is a weird feeling when I think about what would happen if a house stored memories. It was mainly a happy household but my sister and myself were both teenagers so obviously a lot of voices were raised during those years and a fair few girlfriends were snogged in my bedroom when nobody else was at home. Before you think I was some kind of Fonzie figure, that's about as far as it went. The newsagent that gave me my first paper round has now gone and the family run mini-supermarket I had a Saturday job at is now a Spar, so progress has erased my own history, at least until the blue-plaque brigade get involved. An example of the strange way that memory works is that I remember the telephone number for my old family home off the top of my head but don't know my own mobile number.
The reunion will be interesting as there are still people who live in Skegness and see each other and people who moved away at the first opportunity like myself. Hierarchy will no longer exist, no cool kids, no bullies, no nerds, no barriers just a room full of equals on the wrong end of their thirties meeting up to talk about the old days.
The Sunday Alternative #51 is available from here.
===
August housekeeping
We are now in the eighth month of the year and at a standstill as far as work is concerned. In unrelated news, it is my birthday on the 27th of this month so a nice present would be a donation using the PayPal button. This would be spent on creating podcasts, documentaries, short films, comedy sketches and various other entertainments that I will make available to enjoy online for free.
The above t-shirt and bag is also available to buy, all the money goes to the same creative fund. They are on my shop page.
I'll play you a kazoo song request, find out how here.
Letter of complaint written for you for £2, here.
steveEoliver@gmail.com
