Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Looking for lost friends...

Time with friends has been on my mind lately. Mainly because I haven't been spending enough of it. There have been big changes recently which have been taking about half my week away from my "normal" activities.

Now then, many of my normal activities revolved around trying not to be single any more. So that time isn't missed. ;-) But there are still other things I am missing, such as drinks with friends and time for blogging. (Has anyone noticed a "small" drop in my blogging lately?)

To compensate I'm trying to call and email and keep up with friends online. Email and Facebook and Skype are great tools. It's wonderful catching up with people you haven't spoken to in years!

But while searching for old friends, something has caught my notice. I have not one friend or acquaintance from the first 16 years of my life. In fact, I cannot find a single trace of any person I knew back then. Nothing. No one. As if my entire elementary school experience and early high school just didn't happen.

When I turned 16 the family moved to Burlington, Ontario. I've got friends from high school there whom I still keep up with. I see Nancy every couple years. I found Ray online through FB. Just about everyone I went to university with is out there still, some where. Some have moved far and others have stayed close to home. But if I had to, I could contact 80% of my graduating class within hours.

So it seems all the more strange that there is no sign of any person from my youth. My best friends in elementary school... missing. My buddy from home-room in Jr. High... missing. My friends from high school in Chatham (Ontario)... missing. Each and every one.

Sure the time frame in question is pre-Internet. Pre-Information-Superhighway, even. But I've made it online. Heck, my 'net presence began in 1991 and one of my websites ("last updated in 1993") just recently got taken down. I would think I'm the only person of my generation who made the leap into the modern world, except I'm by no means the oldest person on the Internet.

So where are they? Where's Carl and Jeff and Patrick? We used to play road-hockey together. And where did Marcus go? Did he take his rowing career past school? Or David and Marco and J.D.? All killed in some horrible corn accident? How do so many people avoid email, the Internet and the phone book all at once?

Does anyone out there have physical proof of the 70's and 80's? I'm beginning to suspect some kind of a hoax.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

HAve you checked classmates.com ?

Anonymous said...

Now that you mention it... I only have contact with one person from that period, but that's only because we went to the same highschool too ! I should check on hyves, maybe that's an idea for you too ??
And yes, I've been missing your blogs, but it's worth it now that you've found a new love !!! Big hug, Irene

robkroese said...

I think the 80s might have actually happened, but the 70s were definitely some kind of mass delusion.

Nancy said...

Do I detect a hint of resentment, that you now have less time to blog :-P

But I know exactly what you mean. Living close to home, I do get to see some of my old classmates, but not my real friends from way back in the day. When I checked google the other day to look for one, well you know what happened, you've read my blog.

Fun isn't it trying to locate old friends through the net ;-)

Becky said...

This is what happens. Guy meets a girl, everything else in life gets forgotten.
Congratulations.

I Dive At Night said...

Quilly, I was one of the first people on Classmates.com so I'm there to be found when they look.

Irene, sorry, I want to blog, honestly I do.

Diesel, that's it. It's a "because it was the 70's" thing.

Nancy's "old friend" story is the best I've heard so far!

Hi Becky... I've remembered to eat and breath also.

Anonymous said...

Don't say sorry, I have the same problem. I try to find time every few WEEKS to reply to important mail, but I'm just to busy with work, relationship, family (his and mine) and things like that. But it's worth it !!!!
By the way: happy new years eve :-)

Mother Theresa said...

I've been doing exactly the same thing. I found a couple of people from college and high school. But I'm still looking for some of my childhood friends...nowhere to be found. :(

I Dive At Night said...

Irene, and now with Holland winning football matches we have even less free time! ;-)

Theresa, I'm happy to report my parents tracked down some people successfully. Turns out the guy who was last known to be in jail now has NINE kids. HUH!?!?