Thursday, November 20, 2008

A Year Older

Long time no post. Huh.

Two days from now, I will be 17 years of age. I have been alive on this Earth for 17 years.

But what does that really mean for me?

The almighty Gospel of all things ridiculous, Wikipedia, says that at age 17, I can...

- Purchase M-rated video games according to ESRB ratings.
- Donate blood.
- Get drafted.
- Rent or purchase R-Rated movies by myself.

In a word: whoop-de-doo.

At age 13, you're finally a teenager. At age 14, you're finally not 13. At age 15, you're entering high school. At age 16, you're freaking 16. But at age 17, I can give blood.

I don't really understand why I should really be psyched for this birthday. I am, of course; presents, unwarranted love, and constant celebration is all I need to get excited. Plus, this year I'll be at JSA, which means it'll be the craziest party SMCA nerds can muster.

But as far as being excited about the number 17... I'm not so sure.

This last year has been possibly the best of my life. Through it all, I've developed incredible new friendships, gotten the best girlfriend I could ever hope for, become editor of The Word, gotten my first job, and gotten into 4 AP classes. (Okay, maybe that last one I really could do without.)

I'm having a hard time preparing for this because my sixteenth year was unconditionally my best. I don't want to see it go. I don't want to become worried about things I shouldn't be worried about yet, like college, work, etc.

But we all gotta grow up sometime. I guess, for me, now's the time. But as long as I have Kristen, Jimmy, Miguel, Austin, Lily, Becca, Adrian (x2), Suzanne, Matt, Katie, Rachel, and all those friends I can't exist one day without...

I'm sure this year will be just fine.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

The Seven Years' Election

Two years, actually. Feels like seven, though.

In two days, what might be the longest election process in history will come to an end, and either Sen. John McCain of Arizona or Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois will be the next leader of the free world. And frankly, I don't care much anymore.

Do I still have an opinion? Of course. But I'm just tired of voicing it.

During this election, politics have become the dominating force in our lives. Lunchroom conversations have shifted from discussing Homecoming Court to bipartisan politics. Nary a Social Studies class avoids the topic, and even other classes (Statistics, Newspaper) become embroiled in political brawls. Tomorrow, we'll release an entirely political edition of The Word. It's an incredibly well done issue, but I can't bear to talk politics much anymore. There have been too many fights, too many screaming matches.

For those of you who can still talk passionately about the Election, God love ya. Whenever I hear the words "Obama", "Palin", or "McCain", my stomach turns. Even SNL has become unwatchable for me. The quality is better than ever, but I just can't stand all the political turmoil.

The worst part is that most of us (myself included) will not be able to vote in this election. So all this discussion, all this bitterness, will have been for nothing. As teenagers, we can be involved in the debate, but not in the election.

So, though I never thought I would say this, I'm just tired of all this. I want a new President. After that, I want to move on with my life.

But can we move on?

Regardless of who wins, one side is going to be annoyed. Like him or not, you cannot deny that President Bush has once again ignited the flames of partisanship in our country. Will we be forced to sit through four years of bitterness? And, really, will the winner do a good job? Is Obama just too inexperienced? Will McCain die, leaving a woman none of us knew three months ago in charge? Will Biden shut the hell up?

I'm tired of all this. I don't want four more years of it.

But hey, that's politics for ya.