Summer 2002, Chapter 2

Summer 2002, Chapter 2 - Turkeytown Blank

My latest adventures began on June 21st, with the SDCI "Last
Hurrah". For those unaware, both my brother, Ben, and I, attended
Strathroy District Collegiate Institute, in the turkey capitol of North
America: Strathroy, Ontario. 5 years of my life were spent in that
mishmash of architectural styles, asbestos and lead-based paint.
When I graduated, most of the classrooms were in worse shape than
those that were recently featured on City TV as examples of the terrible
conditions of Toronto's schools. They were heated either by radiators
or by electric heat, neither of which was especially effective or pleasant.
I still remember the days of math classes, sitting beside the radiators,
bleeding the excess air out of them, or trying to close the main valve to
seal them off, so that I wouldn't have to open the window in a vain attempt
to avoid being slow-cooked. Or the days of sitting in the student council
office, which was conveniently located directly above the boiler room,
wondering if it would ever drop below 25 Celsius in there, or how long
those sandwich remnants had been sitting in the fridge for, and how
long it had taken that Fruitopia to ferment. Good times my friends,
good times indeed.

Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get out of there. I remember the
days of sitting in the cafeteria, right under the newly installed
security camera, occasionally talking up so the microphone would
be able to pick up our saying something about a crime that had
never happened, just to see the reaction. The world was our oyster,
and we were going to enjoy what we could, whether it was the nearly
raw cookies, or the gravy smothered hamburger patty on white bread,
with a side of fries.

So, anyways, on the evening of the 21st I was waiting for Ben to show
up and give me a ride to SDCI, so we could make one final run through
the halls, and brush elbows with Strathroy's elites, and those others
who had passed through those same, well, halls. He showed up, later
than he had said he would (of course), with Candace (his wife) and Brad
Weber in tow. After Ben and Brad used our bathrooms, we loaded my
bag into the car and went on our merry way, to drop Candace off at her
parents' house, for a going-away party for her sister Tabitha.

When we got to Strathroy, we found Turkeyfest going on, and the sign
said that Trooper was going to be playing. Well, we continued on towards
the school, and when we got to Kittridge Ave., the sides of the road were
lined with cars. Well, we went on and parked in the student parking lot,
that dirt patch beside the soccer field. We were surprised to see that
everyone had unconsciously parked in the same rows that we used to
park in so many years ago. It was almost as though nothing had changed.
As we made our way up the hill and around to the front doors, we found
a huge line-up of people.

Very few of them looked to be under 30. Immediately, we began to wonder
if we would see anyone we knew, and further, if Ben and Brad would be able
to get in, as they had not bothered to pre-register. Well, after waiting a while,
we got in the doors and found out that Ben and Brad couldn't get in, as it was
all sold out. So, while Ben and Brad went off to Turkey Fest to play with baby
turkeys and drink some brews, I went in to try to find some old friends.

Well, my attempts were successful, as I ran into old friends, old teachers,
and even one of my co-workers here at MCFCS. Well, we wandered the halls,
watched people drinking through the school (and, for a change, not in containers
that attempted to conceal their contents!), we chatted and caught up, and it was
a good time altogether. I saw some friends I had last seen a couple of weeks
ago, and others who I hadn't seen since the last time I was at SDCI, over 5
years ago. I saw my old friend, Sarah Davidson, who used to be the yearbook
editor. She, I found out, had since gone to, and dropped out of, several fine
post-secondary institutions, and was currently back in London, going to
Westervelt College, to finally get a college diploma. We walked the halls,
reminisced about old times and the changes that had (and in many cases
hadn't) occurred, and found out what we'd each been up to. Then, it was
time to go and watch Rogo hold court, puffing away on a cigar, celebrating
the impending destruction of the building, and decrying the conditions for
music instruction in the new, joint Catholic-Public school, which was to be
opened in September. I saw Brent, Andrew and Adam, still up to no good,
looking for all the world like we were back in grade 12 or OAC. I found out
that Rob Read was getting married soon, to none other than Julie Walters.
Matt Izawa was there; two-fisted drinking in the true Strathroy style, getting
Jeff Morral and Ryan Walters to fetch him drinks. I can't recall if Spiff was
there or not. There were a bunch of the old crew I used to hang out with there,
but many were also absent (almost like we were back in school...).

Andrew Moffatt 56.27 KB	Graffitti on the lockers 57.26 KB	Rogo holding court. 61.49 KB
Ben Whitney, Brent Hall, and Matt Izawa. 65.89 KB	Ms. Musto and another teacher 63.04 KB

Well, after an hour and a half, or thereabouts, it was time for me to meet
up with Ben and Brad, after all, nobody should be exposed to too many
hours of Turkeyfest. Well, we headed back to Candace's parents' place,
in time to catch the tail end of the celebrations, and then head back to
Kitchener for a bit of sleep. That Saturday and Sunday were relatively
uneventful, although, on the way back from dinner on Saturday night,
mom and I got caught in what was, at first, a light rain, and then turned
into a torrential downpour, soaking us to the bone. By the time we got
back to the house in Kitchener, it had, of course, stopped raining.


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Next Chapter: Summer 2002, Chapter 3 - Ministry of Silly Hats



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