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May 2, Redwood City, CA: Sometimes socializing can be hard work. I had some refreshingly honest encounters this weekend catching up with some people I hadn't seen in years. But I have to admit the group setting was as emotionally exhausting as it had ever been. The only reunions I have ever attended have been for business school. I have always felt like people are able to be much more themselves outside the influence of a social construct as strong as this one. That definitely goes for me, too. I found myself concentrating very hard to not engage in ways that were simply convenient or familiar. The 90-second conversations don't really allow for much involved exchange, but there were a few shining moments that I was really happy about. I look forward to staying in close contact with good friends, but I am more than happy to wait another five years for another gathering of the entire group.