My old man texted me that I should come home this coming weekend since it's my 15 year high school reunion. That made me sad on a whole lot of levels, not least because I wish I could go "home" and see my parents more regularly. And also, because my plans for this weekend most likely include drawing a lot of robot princesses, reading beat report assignments, or stalking preying mantises in our front yard. I made some really lovely friends in high school, so I'm sad to miss the reunion. Because social media has killed the need for an actual catch-up, I think reunions are less about comparing notes about what you have done in the years since you graduated, and more about the layers you have shed in the interim.

For example, the person I was in high school was basically a shell of a teenager with a deep sadness that she stuffed way down, masked by a bright smile and a constant busy-ness that would distract her from the sadness.

So, in lieu of my physical presence, here I am 15 years later.

And here are 15 things I am no longer:

1. I am no longer a person who thinks the Pope is the boss of the applesauce.

2. I no longer weigh 83 lbs.

3. I no longer think an L.L. Bean barn coat is the height of fashion.

4. I no longer fall asleep teary-eyed listening to Tori Amos' "Little Earthquakes" on my cassette walkman.

5. I no longer subscribe to the National Right-to-Life newsletter.

6. I no longer travel by RTA bus to get home.

7. I no longer spend my Friday nights standing on metal bleachers at Lakewood McKinley stadium.

8. I no longer wring my hands so my knuckles are completely white when I stand next to a 16 year-old boy.

9. I no longer think it is okay for me to not have bangs.

10. I no longer pray the rosary once/week.

11. I no longer am a dues-paying member of Kiwanis International.

12. I no longer use the word "random" to describe pretty much everything.

13. I no longer go without makeup.

14. I no longer study or read things that do not interest me. Like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, for example.

15. I no longer own these shoes.

Wishing my Magnifi-sisters a really happy reunion this weekend!