Articulations from the Extroverted Introvert

It being my LAST DAY of HIGH SCHOOL and all, I thought I should write a little tidbit about it. Mostly, today I keep watching the teachers and find it hilarious. The teachers that you can tell weren’t “cool” in high school are really easy to pick out. Either they have a huge chip on their shoulder and hate senior pranks or anything remotely related, or they try way too hard to now become cool with the “cool kids” in high school. How silly of them.

I had no idea that now that I am finally down to the end of high school, there would be the tiniest little piece in me that says, “No, I don’t want this to end yet.” Then I remember all the stupid stuff we’ve had to put up with just because it is high school and apparently that’s just the way it is.

It’s odd to think about all the people that you are just school friends with, as in you talk to them at school but never really hang out with. Those are the people that I might miss the most. I’ll see my good friends for at least the rest of the summer, the ones I don’t talk to at all are much less likely to be missed, and teachers can be visited some other year (if necessary). Other than reunions (maybe, assuming I attend and others also attend) when will I see the ones I only see in school? That’s kinda sad.

The school has been thoroughly tp-ed, the parking lot is completely full of parallel parked cars across perpendicular spots, the crickets are about to be released, someone has a lobster on them, the bomb threat was done earlier this week, the parking lot is to be barricaded at the end of the day, and I’m four hours from being officially done with high school forever.

…but now I hate eating mushrooms.

Having been the same person my entire life, it is odd to think of all the different traits I have once exhibited. The whole time, I was still me, Samantha, and I was acting in a way I thought Samantha would act. Just the same, my ideals have changed, my actions have changes, my overall outlook has changed…but it’s still me.

What was important to me ten years ago (like Wishbone, recess, a way cute boy named DJ, The Boxcar Children books) serves no purpose to me now. What was important to me one week ago no longer even matters (like prom, finishing make-up work, my graduation party). I’m almost sure that a year from now nothing from high school will seem remotely important.

How can so much change? These things stay the same. I am still Samantha. It seems as though I would be the same person therefore, and with the same general ideas of who I am. It never works like that. I am only who I am in the present. Who I was is not who I now am. Who I am is not necessarily who I will be.

This is my common response to most all beards. Why, you ask? Let me tell you…

Beards are grown so men feel manly. Apparently, being able grow something on your face just to prove that you can automatically qualifies you as masculine. Well, good job buddy. Now shave. I know, I know, “But it looks so cool.” No, it doesn’t actually. In fact, there are a very slim amount of girls that find beards the least bit attractive, and even those few I have my doubts about. Sometimes girls will say it is okay, just to get the guy to give them a second glance. The girl does not actually find the beard appealing, but the guy behind it instead.

Let me now further explain beards and what it makes you really look like:

 For starters, we have the goatee. This is often chosen if a man is unable to fully grow the rest of his beard out or if he thinks this looks a bit more professional. You are wrong again. The goatee signifies you are probably a convict trying to cover up a bunch of lies. Scott Peterson here can serve as our example. What did he do immediately following the murder of his wife and unborn child? Grow a goatee. Yep. Next time you consider that one, please don’t.
 

Secondly, we have small mustache. Again, eww. Does anyone else immediately think of Hitler when they see one of these? This may be the reason why this is thankfully not a frequent choice among men.

Next, is the infamous “Mexican-looking” mustache. This seemed to have first gained popularity during the Mexican Revolutionary War (but don’t quote me on that) with Emiliano Zapata. This is worn very heavily over the mouth with a slight curl. It was thought to be a more distinguished look. Maybe it makes a “furrowed brow” more attractive….hmm, doubt it.

Our last basic type of mustache is more commonly called the “stache.” This is quite possibly the grossest type of mustache to have. There are so many things I could say about it, but in a sentence I would describe it like this: The stache is meant for men that consume a large amount of alcohal and look like a cross between a bum and a country singer.

Let’s return to more of the beard genre with a few miniture rants and raves about their ugliness.  The “soul patch” … more like sweat spot. Think of how much grime gets stuck in that little square inch that food brushes against before entering your mouth. Nasty. The chin strap flat out puts me at a loss for words, it is so disgusting. Sideburns… oh man. They can be alright if properly groomed. How often do you guys actually stop to take care of them though? Uh huh.
                

Now comes the one I am most worried about. When many bright young men first go off to to college they feel as though they have something to prove or want someway to change in order to feel and look older. Unfortunately, those that can, resort to the full on beard. The problem is, they don’t live in the wilderness, and they definitely do not look more intelligent/philisophical.  Instead, they look like a homeless man. That is certainly NOT attractive.

SICK.

In conclusion, boys, do yourself (and your future girlfriends, friends, family, and mere acquaintences) a favor, please shave.

There is always that statistic that something could happen to you. Then a constant little reassuring voice in your head promises that “it won’t happen to you.” Have you ever thought about all the life you have left to live? Sometimes it is really neat to think about all this time that could potentially be stored up for you to explore the world and meet people, with which you can share incredible experiences. Then, there is another thought process that one must seriously consider every so often just to remind ourselves, “You aren’t invincible.”

Looking at my grandparents or other elderly people I often wonder what exactly they thought their lives would be like once they turned 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, etc. My assumption is that, like the rest of us, they never gave it much thought. For me, it is different. The majority of my life has been spent looking at what might be ahead of me. Many times this is a great thing to look forward to all life may one day offer. Other times, it can be painful to think that far in advance.

My grandparents are all currently living, which is quite a feat considering their ages, conditions, and previous lifestyles. They all have difficult living conditions right now however. It greatly saddens me to see them in such states.

Why is it that when we don’t have something or are without something do we automatically think we are safe and have been skipped of such misfortune? We still have the rest of our lives for all of these things to happen! Perhaps this is why it is always interesting to see that people are so shocked when something is going wrong in their lives. Yes, it is terrible to suddenly realize someone close to you is dangerously sick or that something that once belonged to you is gone. That’s just it though - it’s bound to happen one day. I will get sick and die. I could face immense trials before then as well. So let’s take that with a grain of salt and live in a way that doesn’t hold expectations to turn out just like life in the movies.