It has been 27 years since

I walked down the hallowed halls of academia at Briarwood high school,

home of the mighty Buccaneers. Guess that officially makes me an "old

guy." Lots of things have changed in this world during that time,

but even as constant as change has been, some things never do.

Back-in-the-day, we had mystery

meat Fridays, something very similar to what they have in schools today.

None of us really knew what lay under that blanket of warm, lumpy, off-white

gravy and didn't much care. We just knew it was good, and if you turned

away from your lunch tray for even a second, Bubba Hanks would swoop down

and scarf it up.

You'd think in the last 27

years some smart high school AP kid would've found out what mystery meat

really is, but that hasn't happened yet. Your local lunchroom still serves

mystery meat on Thursdays, covered in a warm blanket of lumpy, off-white

gravy. From listening to The Boy and his friends, it's just as good today

as when I was in school.

Back in the day, we had a few

Geeks and Nerds in high school. For the most part, they kept to themselves,

and if you ever had to question whether someone was a part of that group,

all you had to do was look down. They always wore white socks. They were

shunned by some kids, made fun of by others and, upon graduation, cast

out by society and eventually forgotten. There were no Computer Geeks

at my school, which was understandable 'cause we didn't have computers

way back then. Yeah, I know. I'm an "old guy." Even so, some

things certainly have changed in a few short years.

Nowadays, schools are full

of Geeks, Computer Geeks. They're a greatly sought-after commodity by

other kids who need help with their computer woes. After graduation, Geeks

are no longer outcasts in society; now they are in high demand and highly

paid. Some, like Bill Gates, will never be forgotten. Nerds are still

just Nerds. Some things never change.

Back in the day, only Geeks

and Nerds wore white socks; everyone else in school wore blue, green,

black or brown. Even after school if you played sports you didn't wear

white socks, but rather "Athletic socks." If you wore white

socks to school, you were made fun of and called a Nerd.

Nowadays, everyone wears athletic

white socks to school, even if they don't play sports afterwards. The

Computer Geeks all wear colored socks (blue, green, black, or brown),

but no one makes fun of them anymore. They just want the Geeks to come

over and fix their computers. Nerds are still Nerds. Some things never

change.

Back in the day, we ate a hot,

home-cooked dinner together as a family around the kitchen table. After

dinner, my three brothers, The Sister, and I would sit at the table as

Mom helped us do homework. After all the homework was done, we would watch

TV in the living room. If Mom or Dad had a question about how things went

in school, they could just throw a couch pillow our way and ask. Things

certainly have changed in a few short years.

Nowadays, family members rarely

eat together. Leftovers or chicken strips are the main staples of dinner,

rarely a hot, home-cooked meal. Homework is done in kids' bedrooms, and

family time enjoyed around one TV is a thing of the past. You can still

ask your kid questions; that is, if you can find them. Now kids have TVs

and computers in their bedrooms. Any surprise you don't see them anymore

when they come home from school? The Geeks in the home can easily be found;

just follow the DSL line to the computer. Nerds are still just Nerds.

Some things never change.

One last parting thought about

the kids in high school you call Geeks and Nerds. Don't! If it's like

when I was in school, ten years from now you could be calling them "boss"

and "sir."

So what's the solution? How

can everyone fit in? School uniforms, of course! Better not write about

that though. I'm still getting e-mails for that bus story a couple of

weeks ago.

[Rick Ryckeley is employed

be reached at [email protected].]