With the class reunion on my mind lately, something else has been on my mind too. It’s been bothering me for the last 8 years – I’d have to do some looking to figure out exactly when all this occurred, and since the computer I had at the time stayed with my ex-bf/roommate in Branson, I’m not sure I could. I do know that I was living in Branson, MO when my high school boyfriend tracked me down to see how I was doing. Over the course of one of our email conversations, he asked me where things went wrong between him and myself.

I won’t print my full response to him here, mostly because I don’t remember it now. I do know I’m totally ashamed of what I said. It was insensitive and I came off as a bitch. I also suspect that I hurt him deeply with what I wrote. I the memory of that email has frequently bothered me over the years. I’ve often wished I could go and take everything back, delete the email before I sent it and write a proper response. One that respects how much he meant to me when we were dating after high school and one that shows and what he meant to me when I left my now ex-husband in ’95. He helped me find a part time job when my son and I were living with my parents after I left my ex, and I appreciate that more than I ever told him.

Now, though I deeply regret what I said, I’m not letting it make me depressed. I just can’t express how much I wish there there was a way to reach him and apologize to him. I can’t take it back if I did hurt him, but I’d like him to know how awful I feel about it.

So, for what it’s worth, Loren, if you’re reading this, I’m deeply sorry about that email, you deserved better and I have no excuse for what I wrote.

That’s a long way for me to say this: I recently found out that Garret Keizer is writing for Harper’s Magazine among other places.  He no longer teachers for the high school I attended, instead he is a freelance writer.  His more recent writings pack more punch than the book I got for Christmas my senior year.  Probably because he was a teacher when he wrote the book, now he’s writing for a liberal magazine and is able to say more about his political views.

Anyway, you can check out a number of his articles at http://www.harpers.org/subjects/GarretKeizer (Opens in a new window or a new tab for FireFox users).  For some of these articles, you’ll need a subscription to Harper’s Magazine, others you can read the text of the article.  He’s got some interesting stuff in there.

 Each town in Vermont comprises 36 square miles.  As a result, you can have several villages in the same town area.  Barton and Orleans are one example, Colchester and Mallet’s Bay are another.  I suspect the same goes for Essex and Essex Junction, but I’ve never lived there, so I don’t know for sure.

Which brings me to the title of my post.  Real Vermonters.  There used to be a series of books sold in local stores around Vermont talking about “Real Vermonters.” One of them was called “Out, The Vermont Secession Book.” All of Frank Bryan’s books are satire.  One of the running jokes is about ‘flatlanders.’ which by definition, is anyone who was not born and raised in Vermont.  Wouldn’t you know, I married a real ‘flatlander.’  As in someone from the great flat state of Oklahoma.  I know irony when I see it.

It’s the new year, and an election year to boot.  I’m going to be taking an in-depth look at the different political candidates and give my opinion.  Whether you want to listen to me or not, that’s your perogative.  Like Huckabee, I am Christian.  Unlike Huckabee, I do not feel we should be trying to bring God back into the US.  I believe that he never left.  God is only gone if we let him go. 

 Oh, and we can’t force our beliefs on anyone else.