Graduation

Graduation season is upon us. I graduate in two week in two days. The rich kids over at Bishop Verot graduated last Saturday (congrats to them, especially Justin & Britt.) This leads me to ask (and answer) the often asked question; how important is a high school graduation?

The answer really depends on your personal background. If you're the first person to graduate from high school in your family I'm sure you've overcome a lot of adversity, had to turn the other way when faced with drugs and violence and you should feel proud about this accomplishment, as anyone should. But in reality graduating from high school is one of the easiest things you will do in your life. If you head into the "real world" thinking that you're set after you graduate high school you are just delusional. Best case scenario, you get a job waiting tables at TGI Fridays. Worst case (and more likely) scenario, you can't get a job anywhere and you live off unemployment checks and food stamps in your apartment. In most cases (especially these days in this economy) you are going to have trouble finding a job even with a bachelors degree from a university. The best thing that you can do is stay in school as long as you can earn as many scholarships as you can and make it impossible for a future employer to turn you down. But even then your education is only half the battle. One thing that (i think) could help you as much or even more then a degree is the people you know. Networking has become a major part of everyones life, especially with the rise of the social networking sites (facebook, myspace etc.) If you can build relationships with people in high places that is another edge that you will have over other people going for the same job as you. If I'm faced between choosing my buddy, someone that I know and trust or some guy that I have never met with the same qualifications I'm going to obviously choose the guy I know.

But in the end it feels nice to have a celebration every couple years in your life because there are many kids that don't live to see 18. And there are also kids that completely f**k up in high school and have to bus tables there whole life. So just enjoy these couple weeks, enjoy the graduation ceremony, have fun with your friends and then move on. Thats what I'm going to do.

-Joey

http://twitter.com/joeyearle

Time for a talk

"Are you talking to her?"

We've all heard this phrase at some point in our lives. We've heard it, let it run through our brains, and  we kept on with our day without questioning anything. But what does it really mean?

In case you don't this phrase will come up when someone is talking about boy/girl that they might possibly go out with in the future but aren't quite at that level yet. The phase of the relationship when they are "feeling each other out."

So why do like to refer to this in such a vague way?

We do it because we are afraid of failing in anything that has to do with the opposite sex. There will always be that cop out when you fail and you say, "we weren't TALKING we were just talking." What other reason is there for a saying that has two very distinct meanings but no way at all to differentiate one meaning from the other?

So, if this isn't the write word to describe this situation what is the right way? I say that we quit beating around the bush and just tell people, "I'm trying to get with (insert name) and we are in the phase before that happens and I'm just trying not to screw it up." There are so many things that are not said when dealing with the opposite sex but are intended (I know there's a better word to use hear) and no one knows for sure what any one means. I think eventually the dating scenes will just be a bunch of people looking at each other really confused while saying very ambiguous things like, "we're just talking."

In conclusion my idea of people being up front with each other and just telling the girl/boy they like that they actually like them and are interested in a relationship will never happen, so the least I can do is come up with a new term for talking..... A "pre-lationship." 

Nice talking to ya.

-Joey