Nothing could have prepared me for Thanksgiving break – my last as an undergraduate student.After having a talk with my mother about 401(k)s and seeing the “My New Haircut” video for the first time on YouTube, I thought I was ready for anything.

That was before stepping into my unofficial high school reunion at a local bar Wednesday.

For some reason, having to scream in a loud, smoky bar with some people you have not seen in years concerning topics such as your school and your major never gets old.

“You’re in journalism? Do you like it? Do you like living in Dallas?”

Do I need to slap someone? Ugh.

My response is unprintable, but it ended with the person nodding his head in approval to the tune of a Buckcherry song, taking a swig from his Bud Light bottle.

Some classmates gain a few pounds, some become skinny. Some keep in touch as others drift into oblivion.

Heck, some even go to jail, get married, have kids or go for the hat trick and do all three.

Do not think the hat trick group does not exist either.

And though all of this change is happening, these people are still the same deep down.

And yes, the same applies for Gary Patterson’s crew.

OK, maybe a near 700-yard performance from the offense was a little out of character for a group that has looked out-of-sync on more than one occasion this season, but showing the type of poise, focus and above all else, composure to respond to an early 17-0 deficit? It was like watching Jack Bauer, on the verge of death, bite a chunk of flesh from a terrorist’s neck during the sixth season of “24.”

If you watched Joseph Turner and Andy Dalton have their way with the Aztec defense, then no guess is needed as to who was on Team Bauer.

Yes, things have changed, but what is done is done. The regular season wrapped up with two decisive victories that guaranteed another winning season and a possible return to, by most standards, a pretty good bowl in Houston.

Hey, with the way the season has gone, Albuquerque, N.M. is nice this time of the year, too – or so I have heard.

When walking out of the reunion Wednesday, I was reminded that it is never too late to make a positive impression on someone, or in TCU’s case, an entire fan base in relation to this season.

Even if you do not understand what I am saying, just nod your head in approval.