Memory, Facebook and the wages of sin

So in the last 6 months or so Facebook has really exploded for me. I have now gotten virtually my entire group of college friends 'reunited' on Facebook. And I am slowly getting the 'wired' members of my family and some old high school friends on it as well. It has been really cool and fascinating to see people whom I haven't seen in 20 years in some cases even if only via computer.

One of the big events that I have experienced second hand via Facebook was the recent reunion concerts given by the Fluid, a band that was very popular in the Denver/Boulder area when I was in college and right after. Here is an excellent review of one of the concerts written by one of these old friends of mine. The review really captures not just the concert and the songs, but it also captures what it meant for a lot of the people who attended, to see a band they hadn't seen in a long time play again. It wasn't just a reunion for the band, in a lot of ways it was a reunion of a group of old friends and acquaintances.

Anyone who knows me or has read many of my blogs knows I am a sucker for nostalgia. I love reunions, gatherings of old friends, sitting around swapping stories, lies, memories etc. As a child I spent a lot of time looking at old family pictures, just because it was fun to be reminded of certain events. So when this group of people began to jell on Facebook I suggested that we try and organize a reunion of sorts next year. My hope is that this concert event will provide some additional impetus for that, as people remember all the old faces and friendships.

Of course, being the isolated family guy that I am I did not attend these concerts because trying to get my act together for a night in Denver away from my family was just not happening. One of the reasons I suggested giving a year of lead time for planning etc. on the reunion is because I know that I need some time to get myself and the family planning for that kind of visit.

But another of the reason's I didn't attend is because the music and excitement of seeing this particular band didn't resonate with me. And I couldn't quite put my finger on why. As I said I am a sucker for nostalgia, one of the playlists on my iPod is songs that I listened to over and over in my college days. And I know I saw this band play a time or 2. But then last night on the drive home it hit me. I was probably so drunk at those concerts that I stood no chance of remembering them. And because I never owned one of the bands albums I had no other way to remember the music. Which is really kind of sad, and a reminder to me of why I stopped drinking. For someone who loves memories and cherishes them to not have some because of mind altering substances is not good. Which is one of the many reasons why I don't drink today, I don't want to miss a single one of the many events in my children's lives that will become cherished memories.