Bring back the slam book

I had this thought yesterday as I surfed Classmates.com. Yes, I am a Gold Standard Member. Yes, it is really a throwback and possibly I want to relive my great days of neon pink and yellow, the blue streaks in the hair and the hair bands when I believe that music was at its best. Maybe it is my shallow way of hanging on to my youth. But as I surfed and looked at the names I so wanted them to include a Slam Book. Does anyone remember the slam book, or am I talking out of my ass here? I know girls will remember them better than guys. They were the books made up of notebook paper where people had their names on them and each person wrote something about the persons name titled on the page. The catch, each person who wrote something had a number tied to their comment so you could go back and see who was responsible for each comment.

Many a feeling was hurt during the slam book era, especially mine. I can remember this being a moment in my life where I finally called someone out on their comment. One person in particular wrote that I was "Cheesy". Yes, the horror of being called Cheesy when you are in the 7th grade, how would I ever make it in life because Orleen called me Cheesy! I just could not believe what I read, so I asked Orleen, "Why did you write I was cheesy in the slam book?" She actually looked embarrassed to be called out on her comment and from that point on never wrote anything negative about me that I could find. This whole memory long as it is, made me think yesterday why not have a slam book on classmates.com where we can address classmates from our past. I would love to know why Cindy was such a bitch. I would love to ask, "Why such a bitch to me? What did I ever do to you to make you call me such mean and hateful names?" And all the other 20 people that called me names. But then I think, are they worth it? Do I think that they have done valuable things with their life? No probably not. Half of the people that were mean to me are not even on classmates.com. Why you ask, my guess, they cannot afford a computer, or do not have a job where they even know how to operate one. Yeah, call me cheesy, but you know what? 19 years later, I will be the one calling you cheesy because I put forth the effort to advance in life and did not give up at the age of 14. Bitter still, no just able to see the whole picture for what it is. Makes me think about these kids that come back and shoot up schools or fellow classmates because they were teased. Yeah, so was I but my Mom told me early on in life, there is always someone who is not going to like you, that is life. Better to try and understand that now than to walk around and always have your feelings hurt.

I was fortunate in my high school years, in a sense that I moved during my sophomore year in high school. I left my old life behind and the people that I had gone to school with since kindergarten. Moved to Texas with no history, clean slate. Moved to a state that each and every person I met worshiped me for being 6'1" tall, went from being a freak to a jock overnight. Strange to get to walk both sides of the fence. I miss my friends from my geek days the most, I only had 3 really good friends from high school here in Texas that I really care about today, but the friends I had right before I moved to Texas are the ones I still wonder about and miss still to this day. Cheesy, yep and that is me, and I would not have it any other way. Orleen was right and I was wrong in seeing it as the bad thing, it just takes 19 years to get there.