Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Hello Me, It's Me

Inspired by Zoe's post today.

Dear 17 year old Lk,

Heyas - omg look you're like all old and stufff 10 years later. First off, senior year is going to completely SUCK. You'll be a bitchy, bummed out shell who spends way too much time on this new thing called the interwebs. Have no fear. After 10 months of lonely, hellacious school, you’re going to embark on one of the best times of your life - college!

Pointers for senior year, trust in Hubs, he is all ready at college, but he won’t forget about you. He's a keeper. When an uppity cheerleader states “I never thought I’d have something in common with a person like you” after quoting Monty Python skits while handing out band uniforms, have a witty comeback. Don’t just stand there dumbstruck with your jaw dropped at her lack of tact and obviously over-inflated ego. Remember the witty comeback you did have that shut up a jerk on the bus back from an Academic Super Bowl match. If you don’t, you’ll be wracking your brain years later to remember what you said that worked so effectively.

Academically speaking, check citation formatting in your senior term paper; it may be the difference between an A and a rather disappointing B after months of research and planning. >.< Stick with music in some form, you'll meet a lot of great people and learn a lot from these experiences.

Now this one is a bit harder. People that you’ve considered to be friends for years will prove otherwise. You’ll be lonely, feel horribly left out, and wonder if there’s something wrong with you, but you can get through it. It’s best you don’t follow their lead. Besides, you will hardly ever talk to these “friends” after high school graduation. It will take you all of college and a good couple of years into your working years to find your social groove.

Don't be afraid to rethink your long-held dreams of being a psychiatrist. You can’t listen to people’s problems all day. You’re too empathetic and would need serious therapy yourself after all that. Oh, and being a psychiatrist would require you to talk to people all day – yuck! Don’t be worried about announcing that you’re changing majors two weeks after getting to college. IT work is a much better fit for you.

Basically, stick with it, persevere and you'll get through whatever is slammed at you, blah blah blah...

With much nostalgia,
Older (and wiser!) Lk

P.S. Don't get too hung up waiting for the newest installments of the Dark Tower series, the ending really blows!

P.S.S. Patent the words Google, flickr, Facebook, and MySpace...

4 comments:

Zoe said...

Good sound advice. Love the P.S. and the P.S.S. btw. You crack me up.

Good call on rethinking psychiatry. I can't imagine you would enjoy that as a living.

Sylvia said...

Wish you had told the younger me (although older than 17) not to be so hung up on the Dark Tower series too. Some of the ending stuff still makes my heart ache and tears well up - "ake!"

lkmanitou said...

Zoe - Yeah, glad I came to my senses about the whole career thing. Can't even imagine how far I'd be off my rocker at this point had I stuck with psychology!

Sylvia - Damn it, you had to go and mention Oy. *sniff* That part tore me up, but the very last paragraph of the series just pissed me off :)

Phollower said...

That was a great post lk. I'd write one to myself but I'm unclear on a lot of things that happened between 17 and 27. I think my post would be:

Dear 17 year old Phollower,

Ummm, yeah. Just do whatever the hell you feel like doing for the next 10 years. By some miracle you'll end up marrying a great woman who'll take care of you and let you stay home and clean. Don't ask me how. I don't remember much of it.