I Used to be so Popular

As my traffic dwindles slowly to a close, I realize that the only thrill out of making my two mnspeak appearances were that someone I didn't know was reading my posts.

That said, I had given thought recently to closing this project down, but the truth is, I like it too much. People I don't know still read this occasionally, though I do get the random weekly hit looking for some incest porn.

I enjoy having an outlet for these things.

On to the show:

My high school years were a veritable crapshoot. On one day, I felt like the coolest person alive, on others, like no one even knew I existed. It was a pseudo-depression in a bi-polar sense, and we all went thru it.

The problem is, while I wasn't a "popular kid", I was still friends with the popular kids. I never had people over, and the few people who finally did purchase enough rewards points to catch even a sighted glimpse of my humble abode were rarely allowed inside.

Between this, and my random stints and strong friendships with members of the gothic and gay cliques in high school, I became a sort of mysterious figure. Never had I really been skinny, nor terribly fat, my peers were always intimidated by the seemingly limitless bounds my weight training teacher who conjure for his entertainment. (On more than one occasion he threatened me with an F if I didn't "push my limits", these days, that'd get you sued.)

Football players and computer geeks alike would venture to the weight room at the end of the week to see what my max was in the bench press. (280, by the way, before the class was over for the semester. I still hold the sophomore bench press record there.)

This kind of notoriety really set me apart from everyone. Between that, being in drama, the math team, the chamber choir, and a video production virtuoso, no one really knew what to make of me. So, I was popular in some classes and shunned in others.

But then I had my group of outcasts. My best friends. People who thru thick and thin would always be there. Would support me in failure and tell me that I deserved each success. Who did not care what accolades I had except that they were MY accolades, and that they believed they deserved recognition.

These same friends... I've made no attempt to contact during the last 6 years, until now. And I don't know where to start.

Some friend I turned out to be.

Garr... Clarkie... If you're out there. I'm looking for you.