My dad and I travelled fairly similar educational paths in many ways. He also started out college and finished much much later.

I remember a day back in the 80's when he had received an alumni letter from the first college he had attended. I had until that time thought you needed to graduate a school to be an alumnus. But as my dad said, when they want money for some cause or something, EVERYONE's an alumnus.

I didn't fully appreciate that until yesterday.

See, my interrupted attempt at college included a stint at a small, now defunct, university in my home town. It took me about 8 years to pay off the student loans from that go round (which is why we're trying to live without them now), and it wasn't until last summer in preparation for THIS go round that we finished paying off the bill. In the interim, I was persona non grata. I did not exist.

Now, though, they're having a reunion of people who went to that university. And suddenly I becaame an alumnus. So, let's get this straight: I WASN'T alumnus when there was a debt outstanding, but now that it's paid I am one? Peculiar, to say the least.

Oh, I'm sure I'll go when all is said and done. It's only a three hour drive, and we need places to get off to at the end of the work week. But I still think the standards for alumnus are a little odd.

I'll leave my checkbook at home, though