I've got a Max Powers, or at least I had one growing up. He probably was my best friend in 7th and 8th grade, we were a debate team in 9th grade, then things fell apart. Looking back on it, I suspect the onset of puberty had something to do with it, possibly - maybe he became interested in girls and I wasn't, our interests became less aligned, and boom. Either that or [the evil version] he essentially had a choice between being friends with me or another kid, the other kid had more money/ influence/ neat shit, and I lost.
The point of all of this is, since the summer after high school graduation I don't think I've seen him. I knew he had done very well for himself, had been a venture capitalist in California before [and I think after] the dot com crash. About a week ago I got a note from my high school [the joy of having gone to a private institution] inviting me to a ceremony in April celebrating him as a distinguished alumnus, which undoubtedly means he has donated a large chunk o change to the school.
Or maybe I'm just cynical, since the award states it is given for "[A]chievement of exceptional nature in any field, vocational or voluntary, covering an entire career. " But I doubt it.
So, I'm considering going to this thing, outing myself as a gay male as appropriate, and maybe getting a little perspective on life. Or I may be nuts, and it will be the most painful thing I've done in awhile. No one from school knows I'm gay, although several years ago I got a call from an old friend telling me he's gay. [and in a committed relationship, at least then].
Update: hmm. Googled the name of his investment firm and some other stuff. He has been very successful, and did well in school, graduating first in his class in 2.5 years, getting masters and MBA after. Looks like a strong influence for nanotech.
Posted by Owlish at February 15, 2005 09:41 AM | TrackBack