A Reunion To Remember - Ontario Science Centre

Saturday consisted of routines, checking a clock, more routine, checking my watch, more routine. Missed the faculty gathering at the school; wished I'd seen some of the teachers from my era, given that there is a chance that there may not be another gathering for some time.

Fast drive down to the OSC from Ajax, flipping the iPod through different songs, trying to pick off the high energy tunes from our time and cranking them up as high as the Mazda would allow. There's nothing like the stare from everyone in the parking lot as I rolled in, having forgotten to turn down "Won't Get Fooled Again"!

Did anyone else find the first couple of hours boring? I was worried that the best time had already passed us the night before. Too much time trying to find people, hit the buffet and drink tables, and figure out where we were.

All of a sudden though, things started to thin out, and the groups from different eras finally found each other, and new conversations of the past were tossed around. New people, not part of the night before joined in. And I found someone who wasn't coming until I managed to convince them not to miss such a special event. I even managed to catch up to Katharine Ross, finally.

What did I see? Groups formed and didn't move most of the night, not even bothering with the band, more private conversations either in a corner or a quiet place in one of the halls or even moving from area to area. There was even some "crushing" going on, which I thought was really cool. While I remember, a special thanks to the bartender who made sure that my screwdrivers only had a hint of orange juice; she may as well have given me the Absolut bottle and sent me on my soon to be merry way. Connections were happening all over, thoughts of times past and passed, when's the next one happening, or will there even be a next one.

As we got close to 1 AM, a number of us started talking about wishing there was another night, or that this one could continue. Not quite satisfied with the time spent, not quite finished with catching up or learning more. A realization that the build up was over, that the events for which some had waited 10 years had come and gone; like an Olympic Games which consumes a host city for years, then becomes a focus for a couple of weeks, then ends abruptly with nothing to follow except a package of fresh memories. For some, a hangover begins, especially when it means a return to the routine.

After a nightcap at the Crowne Plaza and a late bite with Dave, it was a drive home towards Ajax with dawn breaking. The music was playing, then Styx's "Don't Let It End" came on, and although the song's subject matter didn't really match, Dennis De Young's powerful voice, the music itself, and the title I thought summed up the mood for a lot of us there. A return to routine after two days of something different, and new, and old.

Random thoughts? How about "don't let it end"? Maybe an informal, annual event at some club somewhere would be something to really look forward to. It may not be as unique as the 50th or as formal as a reunion like this, but given the affinity that may exist, it's worth a shot.

I got to know a lot of people a lot better than I knew them before, and I like them very much. That's my take away from this weekend. There are alumni that are very special to me, and they know who they are. So as I go to sleep, to prepare to return to the routine, I'd like to say a very special thanks to everyone this weekend; you touched my life in small or large measures, and that's the marker I'm placing next to my life's highway.