Reunion --All I Never Wanted

So my old high school FaceBook (tm) friends are planning my Class of 1979 35th reunion for this coming Fall. There is building excitement for the event, which apparently one of our number, a corporate lawyer spinster-type woman (I LOVE that politically incorrect description -- courtesy of Dr. Smiley Hill --one of Dr. Barry's medical mentors at UF) has decided shall be held in NYC. Alas, it will be held without me. I attended my 10th and 20th reunions. The 10th was fine -- I went alone, as Wifey stayed home with one year old D1, and it was nice to catch up with my classmates, many of whom I last saw at graduation. My parents and I left for Florida the day after I graduated HS in Levittown, and the 10 ensuing years were very busy for me. I finished college, law school, got married, bought a house, passed the bar, and had D1. I also lost my beloved Dad -- just 3 years after graduation. Still -- I enjoyed the time -- mostly hanging with my old, dear friends MArk and Rita, and seeing how we had all changed from 18 year old kids to young adults. Then, Wifey came along to the 20th -- by then we had baby sitters for the Ds back in Florida, and we turned the reunion into a bed and breakfast weekend with Ken and Joelle -- in the Hamptons. Somehow, the vibe had changed. First, a grade school crush came to my room VERY trashed, looking for a little romance. That went over like a lead balloon with Wifey. And at the party itself, I realized that there was a reason I kept in touch with some, and not with others: many of my classmates, especially those who never left Long Island, were, well, BORING. So I skipped the ensuing reunions, and am done with them. FaceBook (tm) also is partly responsible -- it allows us to keep limited contact with old high school friends -- without the annoyance of having to actually visit or call. One friend, Marcy, who was 50 when we were 18, is a very nice lady living in New Jersey -- married to a doctor. Wifey gets a big kick out of her posts -- all about saving the New Jersey environment, and supporting Israel. These are both important things -- but Marcy is best shared as a friend on FaceBook -- I don't see the need to meet her in person. My friend Jeff, now in the Chicago suburbs, can't believe I don't want to go. I was always very social in high school -- the type of kid who had friends with all different types -- stoners, jocks, and the brains. Nah -- I tell him. I get all the contact I need, and I can stand a night without listening to how bad the Jets are, or the tragedy of the ISlanders moving to Brooklyn. Long Island was a fine place to grow up, but I'm quite content to keep it in the rear view mirror.