(OT) Reunion

[Scott Kominkiewicz]

I'll be attending Reunion shortly, but I've never been to one before.  What's worth doing, what's not?  Any strategies?

Scott Kominkiewicz `84

[ugarte]

[Q]Scott Kominkiewicz Wrote:

 I'll be attending Reunion shortly, but I've never been to one before.  What's worth doing, what's not?  Any strategies?
[/q]Hot Truck on the Arts Quad isn't the same. The selection is limited and they are premade.

This review refers to the reunion weekend in 1998.

[jtwcornell91]

[Q]ugarte Wrote:

Hot Truck on the Arts Quad isn't the same. The selection is limited and they are premade.
[/q]

See, this is why I just periodically go back for hockey weekends rather than going to reunion.

[David Harding]

It's probably too late for the most important thing, which is contacting (by e-mailing, telephone, or smail mail) all your friends and telling them to come, too.

Beyond that, it depends on your general interests.  Get together your various affinity groups - featernities, activities, whatever.  I usually find several lectures or forums featuring professors and prominent alumni talking about various things.  There's bound to be some government profs talking about the presidential election, for example, and others on world affairs.  I enjoy some of the displays by the various colleges and programs in Barton Hall at lunch time Friday and Saturday.  Athletic events - runs, rides, canoeing on Beebe Lake, ....  Music - various bands in the tents on the Arts Quad (9:00 PM - 1:00 AM) for beer and loud music, Hangovers at Cornell Plantations Saturday afternoon for the Treman concert, a collection of a capella groups (undergrad and alumni) in Goldwyn Smith Saturday evening.  Tours of facilities.  Friday there are several (summer school) classes that you can sit in on; the one time I tried that, the class was canceled due to the prof being ill.  Good introductory seminar on computer genelogy.  Leave time for just wandering around.  Climb the library tower for a chimes concert.  Hoffman challange course is fun - low and high ropes, team building.  Cornell Plantations tours.  History tour.  Kroch Library has interesting stuff; they may show you a copy of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's hand writing.  Mars show-and-tell.  Wine tasting.  Cornelliana night has vocal music by Cornell Chorus and Glee Club mixed with recognition of achievements by classes and individuals - oldest, farthest away, etc.  Check out the schedule in advance.  Don't plan too tightly.  Stay flexible.  Budget time to get around.  Hang out.  

http://reunion.alumni.cornell.edu/

[marty]

[Q]jtwcornell91 Wrote:

 [Q2]ugarte Wrote:

Hot Truck on the Arts Quad isn't the same. The selection is limited and they are premade.
[/Q]
See, this is why I just periodically go back for hockey weekends rather than going to reunion.[/q]


As you said, JTW.  There is nothing like being on campus when the students are there, especially when they pack Lynah.  (And the ShortStop deli downtown is the place to get "hot truck" subs made to order.)

[Josh '99]

[Q]marty Wrote:
As you said, JTW.  There is nothing like being on campus when the students are there, especially when they pack Lynah.  (And the ShortStop deli downtown is the place to get "hot truck" subs made to order.)[/q]No no no.  The oven is all wrong at Shortstop.

(Although you are right that they're made to order.)

[Scott Kominkiewicz]

Ahhh, the hot truck.  Do they still make a WGC?

BTW, thanks to Dave Harding for all the ideas.  I've already reached out to most of my fraternity friends, but only a few are going.  Anybody else here going?

[jtwcornell91]

[Q]jmh30 Wrote:

 [Q2]marty Wrote:
As you said, JTW.  There is nothing like being on campus when the students are there, especially when they pack Lynah.  (And the ShortStop deli downtown is the place to get "hot truck" subs made to order.)[/Q]
No no no.  The oven is all wrong at Shortstop.
[/q]
Some of us miss the smaller truck.  I remember when Bob got the big one, the article in the Sun said now they no longer need to crush the sandwiches to fit them in the oven.  I thought that was part of the service. :-D

But never having tried Shortstop's Hot Truck, I can only say it wouldn't seem the same without standing out in the cold and/or rain for 45 minutes at 1:30am (or running off to a friend's coop or dorm room for most of the wait).

[CUlater 89]

Dave gave a great summary.  I would add that even just walking around gives you a chance to remember back to undergrad days, although there are so many changes on campus that you'll find yourself trying to figure out what's different (that include on campus, in Collegetown and even downtown).  You'll also see faces that are somewhat familiar but you can't really place anymore -- people from your dorm or a number of your classes who you used to recognize or might have even spoken to, but now are just a spark of a memory.  For my 5-year reunion, I remembered most of them and it almost seemed like being back in school.  But by the time of the 10-year, too many had started to fade.

My wife and I will both be there ('89), but like you, most of my friends will not.  The preliminary number of attendees from my class seems to have dropped, despite great turnout the last two reunion years from our class.

[dss28]

[Q]Scott Kominkiewicz Wrote:

 Ahhh, the hot truck.  Do they still make a WGC?

[/q]

Yes, they do.  Every time I go back to Ithaca, I make sure to get one

[ugarte]

[Q]jtwcornell91 Wrote:
But never having tried Shortstop's Hot Truck, I can only say it wouldn't seem the same without standing out in the cold and/or rain for 45 minutes at 1:30am (or running off to a friend's coop or dorm room for most of the wait).[/q]I found adjusting to the idea of calling in an order for pickup surprisingly easy to adjust to.  You can keep the cold and rain.

[billhoward]

[Q]Scott Kominkiewicz Wrote:

I'll be attending Reunion shortly, but I've never been to one before.  What's worth doing, what's not?  Any strategies?

Scott Kominkiewicz `84[/q]

Lose ten pounds. Well, maybe you can shed five between now and then.

Be there for the class picture (usually at the end of lunch Saturday).

Be prepared for a lot of classmates to not look like they did. There is no official class vote on this, but you'll keep an internal one: Who's the best looking person, meaning least ravaged by time? (I had the disadvantage of being stocky and not great looking when I was in school, but I haven't gotten any worse. I'll never win, but I won't lose, either.)

If your class is 20 or more years out, you'll hear a little click click clicking as your classmates walk around. If took me a while to figure it ouit: Everybody's on some Rx with a half dozen pills in a small bottle.

Go see a winery.

Be prepared for a disporportionate number of the smart and the lucky and the skilled ones to come back. Not to judge too broadly, but if somebody's just got named president of his division and somebody else has been out of work 18 months, what are the odds of each one coming back?

Be prepared for your dorm or fraternity house to be a little more beat up than you ever recalled.

You'll find at least one classmate who's passed on long ago and you didn't know about it. That's always sad.

If you get into a deeper conversation, you'll find a bunch of people who are not 100% in love with their jobs. Not everyone, but enough to make you wonder if the chase was worth it.

Bring a small fan. It gets bloody hot in the dorm rooms.

Enjoy the fact that you can park just about anywhere for four days without getting ticketed.

[marty]

Bill,

Are you going this year?

[David Harding]

[Q]Scott Kominkiewicz Wrote:

 Anybody else here going?[/q]

It's an off year for me ('72).  Sometimes I (we) go anyway because it's a nice vacation and I have family in the area, but not this year.  While the kids were in school it was always touch and go whether they would be out in time for us to get to reunion.  Several years ago, after a couple of years of not trying to make it for reunion, we decided to schedule the family trip right after school ended.  When we called around, we couldn't find a motel room for twenty or thirty miles in any direction.  Finally, asking, we were reminded that it was Cornell reunion weekend.::woot::  That meant that there was dorm space available for off-year classed down in the Baker complex, so we stayed there and joined the party.  There's even a group called the Continuous Reunion Club whose members attend most years and have the equivalent of class dinners.

Also, if you haven't seen/heard President Lehman speak, it might be worth listening to the state of the university address Saturday morning.  

We once went to the Savage Club show Thursday evening, but were not impressed.  WIth the exception of the Hotel School, which puts on a serious spread, the college breakfasts tend to be sweet rolls at the best, but if you identify strongly with the college, then it can be interesting to hear what the dean has to say.  If it's not cloudy, the Fuertes Observatory is a mildly interesting diversion.  The line is likely to be long and only you can say whether the excietement of looking through a real telescope is worth the wait.  Speaking of weather, it can be anything, though the odds of sunshine are much better in June than during the school year.  It's looking pretty good at the moment.  (http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Ithaca/Weather/)  Drink lots of water.  Bring something to wear for those night time lows in the 40's.

Have fun.  Don't worry about comparisons with anyone else in your class, but be impressed at those who are back for their 75th! **]

[Beeeej]

After about ten reunions - only one of them my own - I agree with most of what David said.  Alas, however, the Reunion Ride has gone the way of the dinosaur.  Not enough alumni bringing their own bikes, too much insurance cost for rental bikes, or something like that.

I'll be there; looking forward to seeing some of you.  Serendipitously, my house in Ithaca will also be between tenants from June 4-18, so I get to stay in it for Reunion and then for a few days afterward just to hang out.

Beeeej