Past And Present

Sometimes you have to leave it all behind. Let it go. When you dwell on something, it can actually change the way you think and react to your surroundings. The things we hold onto are decisions we made that we wish we could make again, significant mistakes in our lives as well. I once had $835.77 after selling the 7th Harry Potter book signed by J.K. Rowling. First thing I did was buy a new iPod. Then the money slowly dissapeared as I bought snacks and drinks after school and overspent when I met with friends. A year removed from recieving that money, it was completely gone. I was so dissapointed with my reckless spending, I kicked myself over it. When you mix that with an upcoming holiday (Christmas) where lots of spending was necessary, and 5 projects at once, it adds up to a lot of unnecessary stress. My head was moving faster than seconds pass on a clock. There is a certain point in one's life where they realize they've just gotta let it go. This occured when working on my English project. I was overwhelmed with all the crap in front of me, and it finally came to me that there actually was an underlying cause to all of my stress. I remembered that the lack of money was freaking me out about doing my Christmas shopping. I talked to my mom about it, and boy am I glad I did. By asking her, I solved my own problems. I got her to fund my dad's present and my sis's, and my dad funded my mom's. So my point is that there's no point holding onto the past. Live in the present, you can't change the past. (boy I just cliched it up just there)

Kids and the Recession

I walk around nowadays and I see kids spending like there's no tomorrow. Every day about 70% of the kids in my school go to buy $10 lunches. I'm fine with going out to eat a couple times a week (Say 2-3 times). But spending 7-10 bucks a day, 5 days a week? I mean, seriously. I understand that it's the NYC lifestyle to eat out all the time, but some people are oblivious. Even if they get this money from a part-time job, they should save some of it up for later, or for college funds. Heck, give your folks some cash. They pay for, well, everything. Believe me, I could eat at Subway for ages ($5 footlongs! Mmmm...). But my parents don't have the financial flexibility for that. Does it upset me? Yup. Do I want more? Yeah. But I can't have more. I remember looking at the stock tab on my laptop seeing 5-digit numbers. Well, that hasn't happened since October. My dad got laid off in October, and he's still out of work. I hope things get better, but I guess I'll just have to make due until then.

The Two Sides Of The Mind

When I entered teendom, I was overlyconfident. I felt that I had complete control of my surroundings. Well, I was wrong. High school life can be overwhelming (not perfect "everything works itself out, I CAN DO IT" like in high school muscial- HSM for short- blech. bad movie.) Anyways, every Monday we have "talk day" in advisory class. And EVERY MONDAY kids talk about friends and dinners and crap. And I just think "why aren't I doing that?" "Why aren't I a prototypical teen?" Here's the deal. Lots of teens aren't who they're made out to be. I have a friend who's an absolute genius capabe of great things and discoveries. She spends lots of time home, not out and about. I have a friend who's a brilliant artist and writer, I'm in love with her. I have a friend who is extremely kind, considerate and forgiving, the nicest person I have ever met. I have a friend who's funny, easygoing, and calm. All these people are great fun without having to go see them every weekend. Me? I'm a total geek. I know it, and I'm proud of it. The jocks and preps can crack all the jokes they want. I used to think they were having all the fun. But high school isn't all about parties and booze and relationships and the like. It's not about living it up 'cause these are the best years of your life. A couple months ago, I ran into a problem. My friend was throwing a party. Lots of people coming, said it'd be fun. However, his parents were out of town. Didn't seem like a problem to me, so I kept quiet. The night of the party I got no conformation, so I didn't go (later on I learned it had been cancelled, not the point.) So, me and my dad went out to my favorite bar/grill for some wings and a movie. We talked about the situation and he smiled on hearing about the absence of parents. My father is a stern man at times. Stern, but fair. (Inside joke). Parents are smart people. They know things. I learned that night that parties without parents are not meant for high school students. Yes, that sounded extraordinairly geekish, but it's the real deal. You gotta put your thrill-seeking half aside sometimes and think "Is this safe? What's the risk?" It's been said 1,000 times but is true: Better safe than sorry.