On - Random musings about how awkward your 20’s are.
Everyone, today, seems to be in a miserable mood. No offense to any of you who are, I’m just stating a fact. It’s one of those days.
So, aside from texting a few people (one of which being my girlfriend who, thankfully, seems to be quite chipper) I’ve been pretty anti-social
I don’t go into work until late tonight, 8 pm, so I’ve spent most of the day by myself while cleaning, organizing, practicing, and reading.
Currently I am sitting here listening to music (specifically The Doors, as no one should be surprised if you follow me on Twitter), eating Reese’s Pieces and blowing bubbles, both of which my girlfriend sent me in that package I mentioned in a previous post (she knows me pretty well), and thinking way too much about a conversation I had last night.
Which, for the record, last night I spent participating in my current definition of a “Guy’s Night Out” which in my circle of friends consisted of -
- Cooking dinner (In this specific case I was not the cook, but one of the two guys I was with cooked us fish, baked potatoes, some spinach… you know. Classy.)
- Eating dinner… at a table. With wine.
- Drinking Scotch
- Playing Chess
- Discussing the lives of our peers
The last bullet is the most important because it was, by far, the most interesting.
(I’m pretty mediocre when it comes to playing Chess, the two guys I was with on the other hand…let’s just say that I never won.)
My graduating class, the class of 2007, earned our High School diplomas just shy of 6 years ago.
6 years ago we were all in the same position, with the exception of those who dropped out or any other non-typical situation. We were all 17-19 years old and taking our first steps in different directions.
Up until this point we were defined by what grade we were in, as far as our life perspective.
- maybe add in a couple small changes such as age breaks. I, for one, turned 16 near the end of my Sophomore year in High School, so I was among the last of my friends to get my permit. … I, however, was also one of the first to have my actual license.
…. but then I was among the last to turn 18 and legally be allowed to drive past 11 pm. (local laws are different in different places. Here? Under 18 = No driving past 11 pm. … not that many people are actually caught, though.)
After High School graduation?
Everyone starts to split… and that’s when you start to notice the differences.
I’m finally set to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree… in the same time it took a few friends and acquaintances to acquire a Master’s.
I could go on and on about all of the reasons for this, but it mostly comes down to finances and picking the wrong college (which is a rant for another time. “Here, you’re 18! Pick what school you want to define the next 4+ years of your life!”).
Other friends of mine are just started college, or only started a year or two ago.
Some started…. and then never had the opportunity to finish for a slew of reasons (financial, family problems, personal issues with anxiety or depression, the list goes on).
So here we are, my graduating class… 23-25 years old.
Somehow, making $9 and hour at the most mediocre of jobs possible… and I’m still ahead of many of my class mates.
Yet I’m so far behind so many more.
I’m currently in that terrible process of looking for a “real job”… which I guess is hard to define.
A good friend of mine who, in my opinion is much further ahead in life, has a “real job”… as a manager in a jewelry store… making little more money than I do.
So what am I really striving for?
I guess the honest answer to that is “a job that makes more money than I make now”.
Yet, in 10 years, we will mostly all be in more secure places. It will be back to the “oh, well that’s just how we all are” phase like we were up until graduating High School.
Everyone will have found their place, and most of us will be at least content in that.
But for right now, during our awkward 20’s, we are all so scattered.
… or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe every decade of life is just as awkward as the previous.
I have no idea where I”m going with this. But you get the point. It’s one of “those” days.
8 notebooks, 1 journal, and 5 floppy disks* full of word documents and pictures. My journals from 11 years old until about 22.
Aside from… I think 3 entries, her name was Tracey. … which was sometimes spelled without the ‘e’. I have no idea why.
Otherwise this documents all of my best, worst, and many incredibly generic and mediocre moments of my life.
Although probably, more interesting than anything else, I have my old beard taped in on one of the pages.
… No. I’m not kidding. It’s most definitely in there.
*… floppy disks? Seriously? I don’t even have a disk drive anymore….I’m just showing my age, now.
Andrew York - By Candlelight
Very rarely am I drawn back to Classical guitar (having been forced to play Classical Guitar for 5 years and spending most of that time wanting to go back to playing Rock, Blues and Jazz).
But every once in a while something like this catches my attention.
AnonymousUnder the assumption you are questioning my sexuality, I am not a fag.
Under the assumption you are just using this term as the generic insult it has become? I can’t help it, I was born this way.
AnonymousHow about a picture of this dapper little chaplet?
Meet Fuzzy. She adopted my porch about 3 years ago and has lived here ever since.
How I have more than 4 followers is seroiusly beyond me. I love you people.
Except you people who ask me creepy Anon questions.
I love you people even more.
This is such a brilliant image until the the last two paragraphs.
I would not consider this insanity, I considering it being ms-informed.
We all probably believe things that we were taught when we were younger simply because the people who taught us… we believed them.
What if they believed they were correct?
I remember the day that my mother found out that striking two hammers head-to-head did not actually make them break. She believed it because her father, a part time carpenter, believed it… probably because it was taught to him.
Now certainly it’s not good to strike to hammers head-to-head, but I’m sure you can reason with yourself that you won’t break them.
If you calmly sit down and express to someone the truth about a situation you have a much better chance of having them understand.
When you attack them, as the last two paragraphs of this image do, you’re most likely just going to force them into building up defenses.
Oh, Internet Image. You so silly thinking that insulting people will make them change.
Hyperbole and a Half: Adventures in Depression
Followed by :
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.ca/2013/05/depression-part-two.html
Adventures in Depression by Hyperbole and a Half.
Two blog entries from one of the most absurd and hilarious bloggers I’ve ever heard of, complete with the greatest illustrations known to man-kind.
Never before has anyone explained depression in such an accurate, and yet hilarious way.
I really recommend everyone read both of these articles.
Yes, they’re a bit long compared to many other people’s blog entries, but you should be able to read them both in just about 10 minutes or so.
Seriously, do yourself (and everyone around you) a favor and read these.
