Friday, September 5, 2003
Friday, September 5, 2003 |
| Mystery
Meat Fridays
By Rick Ryckeley 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 by the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. He can be reached at saferick@bellsouth.net.]
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