Another Picture From That Weekend...

Before and After

Wow! College was so long ago. Who are those babies in these pictures? This photo might have been within days of meeting each other for the first time on the 5th floor of our dorm in Boston. John is already doing toothpaste shots and I'm grabbing Mark with OJ's glove.

And here, John's tongue is out, as it usually was, and Katie's got that signature smile on her face. I believe we are at Noelle's house in Cohassat, MA, where we used to escape sometimes on weekends. Shout out to Catherine Pouch in the background.

Well, we're all grown up now (I guess that's debatable, but certainly we're all aged up now) and here we are at the Hollywood Bowl 25 years later (for 80's night, no less - Berlin, The Fixx, the B52's and Human League - how perfect is that?). The last time Diane, Mark, Katie, Noelle, John and I were all together was perhaps 1987.

Although college was a blast, specific memories are vague at best. I mean, do you remember details about what you were doing 25 years ago?

There were a lot of parties - too many of us stuffed in dorm rooms, drinking and dancing. I remember typing many papers on my giant-sized Brother typewriter, which seemed so modern at the time. I remember being sick a lot - this California girl not quite sure how to dress for the snow. (The storms were so thrilling, though - sleet, hail, snow!)

A bunch of us reunited over this past Labor Day weekend. We sifted through photo albums, jogged each other's memories, spent hours on my couch gabbing, gabbing, gabbing. We ate, we drank, we even sang...

RW really feels it when he's behind the mic...

Overall, it was a spectacular weekend. Time really does have wings and I'm glad we were able to capture these moments before the next 25 evaporate before our eyes.

5 Random Thoughts

1. I am teaching at this wonderful organization. Browse the menu of writing courses to see if anything sparks your interest. I am teaching a 1-day course titled, "Imagination Vacation," as well as co-teaching a longer novel writing workshop.

2. Happened to catch Jennifer Aniston on the James Lipton show earlier this week. I was so struck by her discomfort. She was constantly tugging on her hair, answering long questions with awkward one-word bites and making faces that expressed such sadness. Did anyone else happen to see this? What up with her?

3. You know you're living in L.A. when you've been invited to three "carmaggedon" parties. For the abroad readers: The 405 Freeway, a main driving artery, is being shut down this weekend for major construction. According to the media this is going to disrupt L.A. like no other. We'll see how it all plays out...

4. Many, many Canadian cousins visiting this month, eh?

5. Preliminary plans underway for the "25-years since we met" college party. I'm not sure when I became a reunion organizer, but I suppose I named this blog "Connections Clark" for a reason.

Something to Celebrate

If life is a novel, then last Saturday night was all about turning back the pages to reread the beginning. After months of planning, the Bellagio Road School 30 year reunion was a hit. How to describe the surreal feeling around seeing the little kids inside the grown-ups? The last time I saw most of the guests was at graduation in 1979. We were 11-years old and about to embark on life outside our little safety bubble that was Bellagio.

I'd attended that school since Kindergarten, with Mrs. McLean. I still remember spelling out my name in her class: "M-E-L-I-S-S-S-A" and Mrs. McLean telling me I'd added an extra 'S'. I was 5-years old and thought this was the funniest thing in the world. Ms. Lederfine was my 1st grade teacher and I remember being out of my mind excited when she actually came over to my parents house for a Brownie Troop event. I couldn't believe my favorite teacher was in my house. In Ms. Singer's 4th grade class I had a part in the school play "The Music Man." I played Raymond Pitesky's mother, I think because he was the only boy in the class who was shorter than me. I scolded him for not taking his violin lessons seriously. But the real show stealer was Scott Forst, who played Harold Hill with all the sass and savvy of a Broadway performer. We were merely nine years old. In 5th grade I was lucky enough to have Mr. Levin, the funniest teacher on the planet. He taught through humor and I learned through laughing for the entire year.

Ms. Lederfine.

And then there were the fabulous friends - too many to name individually. We participated in seven years of slumber parties, Brownie and Girl Scout events, school trips, dances, and on and on and on.

Class photos from throughout the years

When I told people I was planning this reunion the majority of reactions was, "I barely remember that time in my life, let alone the people." I have a bit of a crazy memory, as do Meredith and Scott, so I thought it was just us, but at the reunion it was clear that most people who attended remembered teachers, friends, and events as clearly as I did. What was it about Bellagio that triggered such warm feelings? Perhaps it was the times - the mid-70's embodied a peaceful, hippiness. But a lot of my friends who didn't remember their elementary experience went to school at this time. Perhaps it was the location, nestled in the foothills of BelAir, or the strength of the the public school system at the time, the same LAUSD that is crumbling before our very eyes. Whatever it was, it was real, and everyone talked about 'it' on Saturday night. Hands down, Bellagio Road School was a special place and we were so lucky to have been part of it.

Leslie Olshen, Mindy Kirshner

As the night wound down around 11:30, Meredith came up to me and said, "Melissa, we made a lot of people happy tonight." And you can see that in the pictures - everyone is beaming. Ms. Lederfine, who remembered so much about us 35 years later, Raymond Pitesky, who reenacted our Music Man scene, Scott, who provided the 70's tunes for the evening, Sonya who flew in from Florida, and Mr. Levin's son Matt, who flew in from DC.

Melanie Butts, me, Raymond Pitesky, now taller than me.

We hope we can do it again with those who weren't able to make it, and who were very much missed.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to move forward in my 'novel'. I have papers to grade, a kitchen to clean and a blog to post.

Group photo: l-r: Rob Pasnau, Debi Schneider, Brad Jacobson, Shellee Roche, Kevin Kimball, Kristen Redd, Christine Greene, Meredith Robinson, Martina Jones, Melanie Butts, Bill Billington. Bottom row: me, Scott Forst, Rory Paster, Patreece Turner, Sonya Bhalla.

The hosts - Meredith, Scott, me - end of the night silliness.

We Meet Again

Much to my surprise, I find that I have spearheaded an elementary school reunion. I don't know if it's rose colored glasses or what, but I have always looked back on my K-6th grade days with a fondness one feels for, say, puppies and kittens. My time at Bellagio Road School back in the 70's most definitely molded who I am today, and teachers like Ms. Lederfine (1st grade) and Mr. Levin (5th grade) are etched so deeply into my brain that I know I will never forget them for as long as I live.

With the help of Meredith Robinson and Scott Forst and countless others who have extended their nets, the 30 year reunion will take place tomorrow. Some people are flying in for it while others have declined the invitation. We are going to miss a lot of people - those who are out of town, those with prior commitments and those who have passed, like our beloved Mr. Levin. Still, we are so looking forward to seeing a big group and catching up. Our paths have taken us all in different directions but the one thing we do have in common is our elementary school education, the one that nourished us and sent us on our ways.

More pictures and stories to come...