Cue Peaches & Herb Song Here

On Saturday evening I found myself in beautiful Pasadena, where I engaged in the final act of my mini-vacation by attending the all-alumni reunion for my high school's 100th birthday. "All alumni?" you ask. Yes. The honorable Polytechnic School is private, so inviting all living alumni to an event is not a terribly daunting task. And of course, not everyone showed up.

But a couple of friends of mine and I did. Since all three of us are single, my friends Kristie, Gabriella and I (pictured above) went to the event as each other's "dates."

There were plenty of other alums there, as well, including several from our class of 1988. (Yes, we're that old.) Based on these photos, it may look like the only students at Poly were girls. Worry not, plenty of boys went there, and many even attended the reunion. These are just the best pictures.

I get very nostalgic every time I go back to my high school, which, technically, is also my junior high and grammar school. I went to dear Poly for 11 years... from 2nd grade through high school graduation. It wasn't perfect, if for no other reason than we all have to experience our secondary educations while we are adolescents. However, much like my beloved Brown University, Poly played a really large part in creating the person I am today. At risk of sounding egotistical, I'm going to tell you that the person I am today is pretty neato. I believe myself to be fairly well-grounded. Plus, I have really good values and never-ending confidence in my intelligence. I do bring along my own special brand of dysfunction, but overall, I qualify as neato.

For all of that, I am truly grateful. Of course, my family has something to do with the person I have become, but still... Thank you, Poly. And happy 100th birthday! You still look young and vivacious to me.

Now, aside from the reunion, plenty of other fun times shaped the second half of my Los Angeles sojourn. As I mentioned in an edit to my last post, I ventured into Hollywood twice on Friday. That afternoon, I met my friend Assaf for lunch, where we posed for this lovely photograph. Assaf and I met ten years ago, when we were both actors in San Francisco. Five years and a Rutgers graduate degree in theatre later, Assaf moved to Southern California to become a big time tv and movie star, and by and large, he's done it. You regularly can find him on your television screen or at your local cineplex.

That night, Mr. Gowdy, another San Francisco transplant (okay, he's originally from New England, but I don't hold that against him), and I went out for cocktails. First, he directed Fabulous Patti and me to Tiki Ti, a teeny, tiny tiki bar on Sunset. I should have snapped a photo in that place, because it was hysterical. The size of a closet with drinks that pack a wallop, Tiki Ti may become a regular stop for me when I pay the City of Angels a visit. Once Mr. Gowdy arrived, Tiki Ti was packed. So Fabulous Patti bid us farewell, and Mr G. and I took off for the Cat and Fiddle, one of the only bars in Hollywood I've actually been to before. Once settled on the Cat and Fiddle's patio, we sipped beer (Chimay for me, Guinness for him) and talked about everything. And I mean everything.

To give you an idea of the caliber of fun that was had on Friday, here are a couple of quotes:
"I didn't see anything fly out of your butt."--Fabulous Patti.
"Are you sure your hair isn't going to catch on fire?"--Mr. Gowdy.
In context those lines aren't quite as random, but they still paint a picture, don't they?

My mini-vacation was so much fun, I didn't want to come home. However, I did and am settling back into my San Francisco routine. Including work. My job is great, but wouldn't it be wonderful if life consisted simply of getting together with old friends, cocktailing and generally just playing? I wonder how I get that life.