I have been meaning to get together with people from my past. People who helped me through life. People who made a difference. People who were just there to be them, sometimes that is all that is needed is a little bit of normalcy. I met a lot of these people during my time at NDSU. Some during class, some around campus and some I met around Fargo doing stuff and things.
The memories from college are awesome. It was scary at first being as shy as I was and coming from a small town with the class of 36. But that goes away in a hurry when you can’t be shy anymore unless you want to not succeed. I really had no clue what I was going to college for but all I knew was it was going to be entertaining and I was going to meet a lot of awesome people.
I was thinking about going into Ag Econ but after I talked to an instructor about the coursework, I knew the science and math were not going to be my huckleberry. By this time I already had all of my classes scheduled for my first semester in the fall of 97. A couple of those generals included a speech communication class and mass communication class. Now being shy I did not think I would like these classes but my instructor in my speech 101 class got me out of my shell. Laurie was awesome. It didn’t take long and I was comfortable in front of strangers. My other communication class was intro to mass comm. At least I think that’s what it was called. One of the first days in this class the instructor put us in groups. We had to do research on some topic and then give a presentation. A couple of the people said they would do the research if someone would do the presentation. I gladly said I will give a two minute speech instead of doing hours of research. Seemed like a good trade-off for me.
That is pretty much how I got through college. Group projects. I was always the one who gave the presentation in front of the class. Still can’t believe I graduated. Doing group projects in just about every class you get to meet a lot of people. People from all walks of life. By the second and third years of college you get to know these people. Some of these people I haven’t seen since college. That is actually why I am writing this blog. I reconnected with one of my friends from college a couple weeks ago at Brewtus Brickhouse in West Fargo. It seemed to me that it was just like yesterday we were in class, but now we were reminiscing about the past 20 years and what we had been doing with our lives. It was great to see and visit with Erin, someone I hadn’t seen since probably December 2002.
At the end of that get-together, we agreed to get together again in the near future. Maybe next time with some more fellow classmates from the greatest university in North Dakota (NDSU).
After that meeting I had a chance to go to my first Bison football tailgating. Can’t believe I have never gone. I watch or listen to every game and it is crazy to me that I never went. I have gone to games but not tailgating. I always seem to be busy on those Bison home game Saturdays. But I was able to make it September 3 for the game against Drake. I still can’t believe how many people were in the parking lot. Everybody of course had green and yellow on, except for the few Drake fans. It is crazy how friendly everybody is. Everybody is smiling and having a good time. I’m pretty sure you could walk into any lot and ask for a libation or bite of food and they would gladly give it to.
I met a couple friends right away at their lot. Then I decided to tootle around to see what I could see. I ran into a handful of people that I hadn’t seen in years. And of course some randoms that wanted to get to know me. And some strangers who said they knew me or seen me somewhere. I ran into one of the kids I used to coach in Babe Ruth baseball who I hadn’t seen since probably 2006. Micah came up to me and we found a spot to sit and we talked probably half hour. Good times reminiscing about stuff and things we did during those summers. We both agreed those summers were the best, just like the movie, “Sandlot.”
I ran into some other friends from high school I hadn’t seen in years. They had kids with them that were anywhere from eight years old up to 17. Crazy.
I checked my schedule for the rest of the fall to see if I could make another Bison tailgating. And wouldn’t you know it I am busy every single home game. I guess there’s always next year. I can’t wait.
It was great getting together and seeing people who I hadn’t seen in years. The memories that came back and all of the good times we had came back to the front of the brain. I still am thinking about a lot of those great memories. So I am making a pact to myself to get together with friends from the past and to not just talk about doing it. If you are reading this and want to reminisce about the glory years, hit me up. I am always up for a night of libations and socializing.
By the way I graduated from NDSU in December 2002 with a degree in Mass Communication with a minor in Speech Communication.
Sidebar: The best part about communication classes is the group projects. The best part about the group projects is the ratio of women to men in communication classes 7-3. I like those odds.
Thanks for reading, Clint.
