The year was 1985 when Bruce made a splash with the song “Glory Days”.  25 years later, I bring you the lyrics.  I’m sad and a bit disappointed. I really wanted, hoped, wished, and looked forward to this gathering of classmates.  But due to lower than expected ticket sales, even with many verbal commitments, the Reunion has been called off.  Yes, it has been called off and for those that paid for tickets, you should have received your refunds by now.

Its tough out there, I know. The economy is in the crapper, unemployment is high, and we’re not out of the woods yet as a nation.  I just thought for one night, for a few hours, we could have left that all behind.

I’m a story teller.  Some might say I just have a big mouth and I never shut up. But, I’m also a good listener.  I really wanted to recount the stories of old -- and I wanted to hear all the new stories. I wanted to be able to tease others about “being old”, “being over the hill”, and “having lost it” years ago. It would have been in good fun and I would have bought you a drink (or two).  I would have given you advice on what not to do, what to do, how to do it, and you would have given me the same advice. I would have sheepishly admitted I didn’t remember you but that I was pleased to meet you tonight. And that your spouse seemed great. Or that I was sorry to hear about your divorce and that your child winning that accolade was nothing less than I would have expected from your offspring. I’ll miss that.  Tremendously.

Maybe next year.  Maybe in five years. Hopefully the desire to gather and celebrate will be stronger in all of us. So, although I might not see you this year, please take care and be safe. Don’t drink and drive and make sure to always drink plenty of water. Don’t sweat the small stuff and yes, I can’t stand Dr. Phil either. And with that being said……enjoy the last song from our youth.

GLORY DAYS, Sung by the Boss.

I had a friend was a big baseball player
Back in high school
He could throw that speedball by you
Make you look like a fool boy
Saw him the other night at this roadside bar
I was walking in, he was walking out
We went back inside sat down had a few drinks
But all he kept talking about was

Glory days well they’ll pass you by
Glory days in the wink of a young girl’s eye
Glory days, glory days

Well there’s a girl that lives up the block
Back in school she could turn all the boy’s heads
Sometimes on a friday i’ll stop by
And have a few drinks after she put her kids to bed
Her and her husband bobby well they split up
I guess it’s two years gone by now
We just sit around talking about the old times,
She says when she feels like crying
She starts laughing thinking about

My old man worked 20 years on the line
And they let him go
Now everywhere he goes out looking for work
They just tell him that he’s too old
I was 9 nine years old and he was working at the
Metuchen ford plant assembly line
Now he just sits on a stool down at the legion hall
But i can tell what’s on his mind

Glory days yeah goin back
Glory days aw he ain’t never had
Glory days, glory days

Now i think i’m going down to the well tonight
And i’m going to drink till i get my fill
And i hope when i get old i don’t sit around thinking about it
But i probably will
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture
A little of the glory of, well time slips away
And leaves you with nothing mister but
Boring stories of glory days…..

Deadline:  Tomorrow

Why?  Although we’ve had a large group of people indicate to us that they would be going, not enough people have purchased their tickets.

The sticking point is that we can pay deposits on all of the things/events we’ve scheduled or planned for, but without an assurance of actual ticket sales, we could not guarantee that we could cover the rest of the cost. That would have been too great a risk.

And yes, we DID look at many different scenarios in terms of reducing costs. Believe me, we spent a lot of time doing so.  But the attendance numbers just don’t add up high enough to overcome the fear that we would not have the amount of Corona Panthers we required to cover costs.

This is our 25th year reunion.  That’s huge. Especially at this point in our lives.  Yes, I might have a shirt or two that might be older than that but the quarter century mark is very special in this sense. And the committee really wanted it to be special.  So many people have stated that there isn’t anything to bring them back to a reunion – that’s why we wanted to make this more of a party. Block party, keg party, birthday party, whatever…..but a party it would be.

Growing up in the 80’s as we did was very unique. There are very specific periods in each decade that are marked for history. The end of the 60’s, the early 70’s the mid 80s.  We were born during some tumultuous times. We grew up in the disco era. We matured during Generation Me and all that was material [girl].  The 80’s were the last of an iconic age.

Now, there is a good chance that this could be my last blog post.  No more recounting of great times, music or movies.  No additional stories of stinky lockers, hated teachers, and falling asleep in class.

I joked it would take a miracle to make the numbers work in order for the team to pass the go/no go stage. But I was still hoping….

Purchase your tickets.  Spread the word.  Tweet, Facebook, IM, Call, Email, Fax, Text anyone from our class.

Please.

Regards,

Bobby Arellano

bobby@coronareunion.org

Varsity Football, Varsity Track, Honor Roll

King of Comedy and Barbs

Friend of Letting the Good Times Roll

What the heck is a Flatbadger Pilat you ask?  Its not a what, its a who.   Keith Pilat, Class of 1985, baseball player extraordinaire <at least that is how I remember from the bleachers> writes a blog called Flatbadger’s Flashback which is a collection of interesting articles, posts, or news blurbs that he has read across the WORLD WIDE WEB. What the heck is a Flatbadger?  Well, you’ll have to ask him but having lived in Iowa and Mississippi, I can venture a guess…

His site:  http://flatbadger.blogspot.com/

The first two or three posts didn’t really catch my eye. I’m not one for old television shows (more of a cartoon buff myself) but i loved the collection of old signs. I don’t know of anyone that can’t at least marvel at the old nostalgic artwork. To me, its a depiction of life itself. Art, even pop art, captures the mood of a generation.  Have you ever looked at advertising from the 80’s???

One story that definitely caught my eye was about Strawberry Quick.  What the heck is strawberry quick?  Not the over-sweetened Monster/Red Bull drink of our childhood. Its actually a new form of crystal meth!  Who knew!?!?!?

And of course, I had to read the post about The Six Million Dollar Man!

“…I can’t hold it. She’s breaking up, she’s breaking up”   -  Words to haunt a nation of young children who were glued to the old picture tube.  The government scientists [darn them!] put ‘bionic’ parts into the near death Steve Austin [the original, not the wrestler]. Born, was a superhero.  But wasn’t this the same thing that basically happened to Wolverine?  But I digress.

Check out Keith’s blog. Its worth a look through – you’ll find quite a few interesting tid -bits. And Keith is thinking about going to the reunion….I’d encourage him to go.

I’ll leave you with the last little image from Keith’s site.  Just cracked me up

Regards,

Bobby Arellano

bobby@coronareunion.com

All of us, and I mean ALL of us, hummed along to a Go-Go’s song at one time or another. Whether it was during junior high at Auburndale, Corona Jr, or Raney, we all “got the beat”.

I can’t say that the Go-Go’s were a big musical influence but they were the first all female band to have written their own music and played their own instruments…..AND went to the top of the charts. Why do I bring up the Go-Gos you ask?  Well, have you ever watched the VH-1 Behind the Music?  NO??? Well, you should. To me, the way the Go-Gos lived their lives were so representative of the era we grew up.  In fact, I remember a certain group of girls who did a lip synch at a CHS Talent Show to a Go-Go’s song….You know who you are!

The Go-Gos came to prominence while we were in junior high. They rose to fame as we entered high school….and their decline? Well, as we graduated. They partied, they got into trouble, they wore outrageous clothing. AND, just like us, they are still going strong in 2010. Although in February, Belinda Carlisle did announce on Facebook that the 2010 tour would be their last…..IS THIS OUR LAST TOUR!?!?!?  I think not!

I’ll be just shy of 43 when we convene in less than two months in Riverside, CA for our 25th.

I have 20 good years to work, if I choose.

I can still hold off on getting my AARP card

I can still wear a hat backwards and I can still ride a skateboard

AND, on a good day, I can still get “carded”….Ok those are few and far between.

So, as Belinda, Jane, Charlotte, Gina, and Kathy ride off into the sunset I’ll leave you with Vacation….because its all I ever wanted.

Regards

Bobby Arellano

bobby@coronareunion.org

BUY YOUR TICKETS!!!

Do you remember how important it was to have THE right pair of shoes?  Even from grade school through junior high, having the right shoes meant so much.  And it differed for various groups! In my social circles, it used to be that if you had customized Vans, you were cool. Then, I don’t remember why, it was Converse hi-tops. Then came the Nike, Reebok, and Run DMC led Adidas…

“And out of speakers I did speak
I wore my sneakers but I’m not a sneak
My Adidas cuts the sand of a foreign land
with mic in hand I cold took command”

We had four brothers in my family.  We had our dress shoes, school shoes, home shoes, baseball cleats, track cleats, wrestling shoes, etc.  We were all growing and growing fast. We outgrew shoes like Obama outgrowing his public favor. We didn’t take care of anything, much less our shoes so needless to say the Parental Units did not splurge on shoes. They were old school -- if you could walk in them, they sufficed.  And THAT led to a lot of angst.  High school is tough enough but without the right SHOES….well, even if your friends didn’t care what you had on your feet, YOU cared.

Do you remember when Izod was the IN thing? The whole “preppie” years? And how about Jordache jeans?  What marketing genius/idiot led us to believe that if we bought expensive jeans with a 2 penny logo on the pocket and even cheaper stitching that we would be BETTER than we were?  Did certain clothes make you feel better about going to school? Or did you feel crappy?  I vote CRAPPY.  I never felt like I fit in. I didn’t have all the right stuff it seemed. And when I finally got the right stuff, it STOPPED being the right stuff.  What the heck was this thing called a fashion trend? In one day, out the next.  Who could keep up with this stuff?  Not me and especially not my parents. While I was getting my fashion tips from Teen Beat, everyone else was picking up on MTv. When I switched to MTv, GQ was the leading source of clothing. What the heck???

What’s funny [not funny ha-ha but funny strange] was that my favorite pair of shoes were my track spikes. AND they were the one pair of shoes that my dad would splurge on. I worshipped my track cleats.  They were red and gold with a fade pattern.  They were both spirited and cool [at least, I thought so]. When I put them on, I was invincible. And to go along with those spiked shoes were my cruddy pair of red sweats.  I bet if I stood those sweats up in the corner, they would have stood on their own before demanding a place to sit down.  They completed me. I was Superman in my cleats and sweats. I could step on the track and feel superior if not equal to everyone else. I ROCKED!!!

If I could find them, I would wear them to the Reunion. Clack, clack, clack. I would dance in them.  I would flirt in them.  I would meet and greet in them. I would get funny [funny ha-ha and funny strange] looks in them. So I better not. Besides, my 42 year old body might get hurt.

So, I’ll just wear a suit to the Reunion. Nothing too flashy or pimped out. Black oxfords, polished. Nice tie, maybe toward the expensive side. No cuff links but maybe a pocket square. Should I break out with a scarf? NAW, too lame. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard.  Oh, decisions.  I can’t believe it! I’m all angst’ed up over clothing again…..I just want to have fun. So enjoy this video -- one of the weirdest songs about fashion and clothing I’ve ever heard

Bobby Arellano

bobby@coronareunion.org

Do you remember this song?  For some reason [explained below] I started to sing it this morning and had to go looking for the video.  BTW: Where was YouTube in 1985?  Or Google?

I just want to drop a quick note to thank the new confirmed attendees.  Really looking forward to sharing some faulty and misguided memories of how wonderful I was in high school

But, seriously, thanks to: David Barrone, Bob Heipley [my favorite lineman of all time], Dyana Goldston [Cointa Herandez], Maureen Decker Wilson, Chris Anderson Turner, Lisa Williams Graham, our OC DD [Orange County Designated Driver] Joanne Davider Pittman, Donna Vermette, and Mariano Jimenez.

It was actually Mariano who helped inspire this.  Why?  Because of the amazing band [horn section] in the Kool and the Gang song. I remember there were two things I totally enjoyed about high school football:  playing in them and listening to the band as we came back on the field.  Our band rocked in high school! If we can get my childhood friend Christina Romero to come too, we could have a three piece band.  Mariano, Chris, and me [on a Guitar Hero guitar].

It’s really funny how little things are triggering memories of high school. Remember our break dancing twins Melvin and Kevin? or was it Kelvin?  Didn’t they go on to dance in vids or movies?

Enjoy the video and Kool and the Gang!

The year was 1987, the movie was Less Than Zero.  The lead characters were Julian [Robert Downey Jr], Clay [Andrew McCarthy], and Blair [Jamie Gertz].  Clay is returning home after his freshman year, back to his old high school friends.  Much has changed and nothing has changed.

The Bangles sang the theme song and the lyrics [Paul Simon] stuck with me over the many years.

I remember the references to “see what’s become of me” and listening to the band down by Riverside.

Time,
Time,
Time, see what’s become of me
While I looked around for my possibilities.

I was so hard to please.
Look around,
Leaves are brown,
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.

Hear the Salvation Army band.
Down by the riverside’s
Bound to be a better ride
Than what you’ve got planned…

A memorable line from the movie sums up the 80’s to me.

Clay: “You don’t look happy”

Blair: “But do I look good?”

Do you remember this movie?  Did it make as big of an impression on you as it made on me?  We were just turning 19-20, leaving our innocence behind us. I was just entering my sophomore year at ol’ RCC and not really sure what the heck I was doing in my life. It took me a long time to figure things out.  I noticed during that time period that some of my old friends really knew what they were doing.  Others acted like they did and at the time, I was fooled by them.  I was just confused and lost. But I always wanted to look my best -- even when I felt my worst.  I’m glad I survived those years and got to the 90’s.

Now……I’m 42. Fourty-fricken-two.  Man, does that sound wierd or what?  The reunion is only about two months away. I’m going to be with a bunch of other 42 year olds and we’re all going to say the same thing

Classmate 1: “You don’t look the same”

Classmate 2: “Yeah, but I look good!”

I’ve purchased my ticket.  Have you???

I know not many of us from that year have.  Why?  Waiting till the last minute?  I joke as children of the 80’s, the Gen-Xers, members of the Me Decade or the Decade of Decadence that we often feel that the beat of our drum still runs the world.  But it doesn’t.  And the truth of the matter is that without tickets being sold, we face not having a reunion.  And that bums me out.

I haven’t been to a reunion in 20 years. Life just flew by -- and I always had the intention of going.  I wanted to see others but life just always seemed to get in the way.  Or at least that was the excuse I used. But I’m making sure I slow the bus down so I can make a stop off for at least 1 day in May.  My birthday is only a few days later [Damon B., you're right behind me] so I think this would be a nice little trip.  I’ll be flying from somewhere far.  Either Virginia or Michigan depending on where business takes me.  But I’m going to make it and I’m going to have fun [dang it]!

Do me a favor?  Buy your ticket! The various vendors that will be providing the services, food, and entertainment need deposits paid and unfortunately, the Reunion-Fairy-with-Scads-of-Cash seems to have missed stopping by the PayPal account.  And if you know of a classmate who hasn’t gotten the word, let them know.  We’re reaching out to you!  Facebook, Classmates.com, regular email, and this blog is a place to ask about what’s going on.  I’ve invited more people to join the groups -- ask them to join too. We’re not 18 anymore but we can still party like its 1999….just as long as I’m in bed by 10:30 p.m…..I get sleepy, ya’ know?

Enjoy the video -- Hoffs was hot back in the day! And so were you!  And you still are you sexy beasts!

In reading the blog Marital Musings by Paula Holt http://maritalmusings.typepad.com/, she poses the following quizette:
If Spouse X went to the high school and Spouse Y did not, does X + Y at the high school reunion =
a. A great time for X and Y
b. A great time for X while Y stands around being the adoring spouse
c. A great time for X until Y ruins it by wanting to go home early
d. Trick question – Y should not attend the reunion in the first place

Isn’t this exactly what we are trying to figure out??? Paula hit the nail right on the head with this test.
Is it the fear of possibly making a fool of oneself when we spy our high school love [more on that in a later blog post!]. Is it that we’ll get caught up in some really good memories and the comradeship takes over the spousal agreement to “NOT LEAVE ME ALONE”? Or does it have more to do with the fact that we are over 40 and sometimes being in bed by 9:30 pm has more allure than being up past 11 pm?

I think for most of us, we understand our spouse well enough to know how they will do in social settings. Its stressful, I will admit. My wife does great in social settings though – very much the Southern social butterfly. But that doesn’t mean she would have the time of her life as I relived old glories with football, baseball, or track buddies. I mean, I was great but doesn’t she already know all of my old war stories?
I found a small primer on questions to ask of total strangers at my loved one’s reunion…or something like that. I found it at http://biblicalspirituality.org
How did you meet your spouse?
What are your kids like?
What do you like best about your job?
What do you like best about the place where you live?
Do you have a good church?
How have you changed (other than appearance-ha) since graduation?
What’s been the biggest tragedy in your life since our school years?
How is your life different now than you thought it would be at this point?
Would you go back to our school years if you could?
If you could change one thing about the years since graduation, what would it be?
BONUS QUESTIONS
What’s your favorite school memory?
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
What’s your favorite sports memory from school?
What was your most embarrassing moment?
What was the funniest moment during our school years?
What’s been the most influential book in your life since graduation?

I know some of these questions would take a bit of courage to ask but these are the ones I will have scribbled on my hand so I have something to talk about!

I strongly encourage spouses to go. The 25th year reunion is such a huge milestone. I haven’t attended one in 20 years and I have a very strong feeling that I have to attend this one. I might not have the chance to make the 30th and I hope I’m alive to go to our 50th! It would be a shame to not spend three to four hours in our lives to meet up with our old friends. Know what I mean? If you’re in town, the barrier is lower than those of us who might have to travel by plane. And think of this as a big formal, a second or third prom, a chance to dress up! You can always leave early – besides, it will provide you gossip fodder with your friends the weekend after!
Please come to this incredible celebration – I promise you won’t regret it.

Regards,

Bobby Arellano
bobby@coronareunion.org

….Because of my involvement with this year’s kicking a$$ Reunion, I’ve talked to many people about their own Reunions.  Some will honestly say that they could care less about attending -- there isn’t anything that would draw them back to seeing their old classmates.  Some will also admit it is because they haven’t accomplished much and others will state that they weren’t “anything or anybody” in high school “so what’s the big deal about attending”?

I have probably talked to over 100 people of different graduating classes about their reasons for and against attending. There seems to be a common thread that often traces back to the old stigmas and insecurities. I’m eager to attend this year’s reunion and not because I’m world famous or have lit the world on fire. I want to attend because I’m eager to share in life experiences with those that I had a common starting point.  But I also understand the mind set of those I’ve talked to and how 25 years can put up a wall.  I ran across some lyrics to a song by One Republic that I think reflect how some might feel.  Enjoy reading them and listening to the song.  Hope it allows you to re-think your doubts about attending or re-affirms your decision to attend!

Regards,

Bobby Arellano

bobby@coronareunion.org

This town is colder now, I think it’s sick of us
It’s time to make our move, I’m shakin off the rust
I’ve got my heart set on anywhere but here
I’m staring down myself, counting up the years
Steady hands, just take the wheel…
And every glance is killing me
Time to make one last appeal… for the life I lead

Stop and stare
I think I’m moving but I go nowhere
Yeah I know that everyone gets scared
But I’ve become what I can’t be, oh
Stop and stare
You start to wonder why you’re ‘here’ not there
And you’d give anything to get what’s fair
But fair ain’t what you really need
Oh, can u see what I see

They’re tryin to come back, all my senses push
Un-tie the weight bags, I never thought I could…
Steady feet, don’t fail me now
Gonna run till you can’t walk
But something pulls my focus out
And I’m standing down…

Stop and stare
I think I’m moving but I go nowhere
Yeah I know that everyone gets scared
But I’ve become what I can’t be, oh
Stop and stare
You start to wonder why you’re here not there
And you’d give anything to get what’s fair
But fair ain’t what you really need
Oh, you don’t need

What u need, what u need…

Stop and stare
I think I’m moving but I go nowhere
Yeah I know that everyone gets scared
But I’ve become what I can’t be
Oh, do u see what I see…

I’m a HUGE music junkie. I listen to almost everything and I’m always out on the hunt for new music.  I’m currently in the Motor City so its kind of cool to pick up on the MoTown vibe at various shops/stores.

Flashback Heart Attack won’t be confused with any of the great MoTown acts but they carry a bit of nostalgia with each song they sing.  The 80’s were/are a very weird, eclectic, trend setting, and SUPERFICIAL time period.  Much of the music carried a bit of “ME” [not me personally but "me" as in ego] in each note.

I went on the hunt to YouTube to see if I could find some performance vids of FHA.   I mean, I will be hearing/watching/dancing to them at the reunion so I thought I would get an early taster.

Verdict:  it depends on the song.  The Depeche Mode was not good.  The Tears for Fears and Pete Burns songs were good. The Violent Femmes was ok but the Modern English ROCKED.  I guess, as with every cover band, it will depend on the mood, the number of drinks, and the friends you are with.  The one thing I will say is that EVERYONE, and I mean everyone, seemed to be having a hell of a time.  And why not?  That was OUR generation and our music.  Yes, it wasn’t very deep or meaningful but we had U2, The Cure, The English Beat, Plimsouls, and Loverboy out of that time period.  Did I say Loverboy out loud? Yikes.

Any-hoo, enjoy the clip of FHA
Regards,

Bobby Arellano

bobby@coronareunion.org