Pomp and Circumstance vs. Awkward Reminiscing

Today was an early morning for me, as I caught the metro with the family to attend my brother's high school graduation. Riding on the metro, with my ipod drowning out the murmurings of the train conductor, I thought back on my own High School career... and how happy I am that it has been over for four years. I was never one of those kids who really felt that High School was my time to shine. I just never could get into an institution that would mark down my papers for using purple pen instead of blue. I happen to like multi-colored pens, and none of my bosses have ever mentioned having a problem with it. Call me a rebel...

In all seriousness, regardless of where you grow up, much of high school is pretty standard. You've got your terrible lunch food, your standardized tests, eccentric/burnt-out teachers, and your obligatory pep rallies. Add a pinch of self-doubt and you've got the recipe for an awkward four year experience, where you make friends with a few and forget about many. However, in the spirit of graduation and blogging, I thought I'd share with you some highlights of my high school experience. Names and locations are anonymous so that I can still Facebook these people in good conscience ;)


1) I remember a rather awkward situation with this guy in my ceramics class. He once wrote his number down on a piece of clay, handed it to me in the middle of class, and returned to his seat without a word. Much to his surprise, I was not wooed. Eventually, the art teacher had to call his mother, after he put what can only be described as a "sexually interpretive" piece of artwork on my shelf. I never could look at clay the same way again...or him for that matter.

2) I took a trip to Disney World with my school choir. We sold candy bars to try and fund raise. I think I ended up paying myself back for a lot of the candy...they should have known better than to leave me with a suitcase full of chocolate bars! Regardless, it was awesome, and I still look back on that experience with fondness. I got to sing Pocahontas and go down splash mountain in a day...what more can a 15 year old ask for?

3) Prom... I ate vegan food. It was awkward. There were waffles at post-prom. But, I LOVED my dress!

So yes, those are the first three memories that come to mind when I think back on high school. By the end of high school...I had a pink dress, butterfly clips in my hair..and a stomach full of waffles.

Having recently graduated myself, I can honestly say that I really felt like I accomplished something when I completed college. By that time, I had traveled/lived in foreign countries. I had worked and lived on my own pretty much year-round since my freshman year. I really grew, and became a much more worldly person. So, the moral of this story is: for those of you who are not saddened to leave your high school behind, welcome to the rest of your lives!

On a sidenote- tomorrow I am going to do a more in depth review of the restaurant that we went to today, called Equinox. It was fabulous, and definitely deserves a spot of its own- so stay tuned!