Homecoming

Well, audioscrobbler seems to have bitten the big one for the time being, so just ignore the links I posted previously.

It was homecoming weekend these past few days, which means parties, football, tailgating, lots of handshaking, and general tom-foolery and shenanigans (and other cliche words for mischief). What draws these alumni back? Why bother hanging out with a bunch of frat boys? Nostalgia is probably a motivation for some, but I don't think that that would be enough for everyone. After we did our end-of-party songs last night, I overheard one of the early 90s graduates say something like "that's awesome, those're the same songs we did when I was here." Maybe it's things like this that really draw them back. They're not coming back just to re-live the old days, or just to see their old buddies. The alumni come back to make sure that a bit of their legacy lived on. Not quite in the same sense that a man's children carry on his legacy, but similarly. They want to see that the traditions, even the minor ones, are alive and well, and still fun. Well, there is nostalgia in that too, but I still think that it goes beyond it. They're not recapturing a piece of their youth, they're making sure that the young still enjoy their own youth. Or maybe I'm just imagining what I want my experience as an alumnus to be, or what the ideal alumnus should feel. I can't speak for the motives or intentions of a few dozen people whom I met for no more than a few minutes apiece while they were drunk. Oh well, it's something to think about at least.