I feel a need to chronicle the lives of others. Maybe to offset my random bursts of stagnation. I admire so many of my friends and their distinctive paths, whether they are on their way or already there, or not even sure what the hell to do. Some are research scientists, web developers, social workers, world travelers, writers, designers – scary smart, ridiculous and endlessly inventive. Since I derive much of my inspiration from others, I’ve decided I want to feature one of them every now and again. Maybe this will be the impetus of creativity for someone else, too. I’m all about public service.
This is Lauren. She is one of my craziest friends and I mean that as a compliment. We have had a lot of arguments and gotten into plenty of trouble together. Arguing is a lot better than just sitting around and agreeing with each other. She’s really opinionated about politics and has curly hair. We’ve also traveled a lot together in the heydays of our youth. She’s got her own way of doing things and that’s why I chose her as my first victim. Also, she was on Gchat when I thought of this.
When you think of yourself, what would you want to change but can’t?
Nothing. I really like myself.
Would you rather have a head the size of your fist or a watermelon?
Watermelon.
Okay why?
Isn’t that easy? I would way rather have a watermelon than have a head the size of my fist.
Alright, fine. What do you do right after you wake up?
Listen to my alarm for about 10-15 minutes. It’s the radio, set to NPR.
Who do you like better, me or (insert any other friend’s name)?
You.
Thanks! That’s so nice! Do you think the Internet is a suitable means for dating or does it spell out only d-words (disaster, depression, desperation, disease)?
Suitable! People don’t know how to talk to one another in person anymore. What are we left with?
Should I get bangs or not?
Yes they always grow out.
Okay those were icebreakers. What about life after college has disappointed you the most?
That the world is the opposite of pandora. And you really do have to work hard to make a living.
For those of us that only know pandora as a music site, please explain what you mean by that.
No, Pandora as in the magical land of Avatar. A most beautiful Earth. but we keep fucking up our Earth.
Oh I haven’t seen that movie yet.
Me neither. But I read a story that people are suffering from post-Avatar depression because of how beautiful their Earth was and how ours is being destroyed.
I wonder if it’s because it was in 3-D and felt more real? Maybe James Cameron has a pharma lobbyist.
Maybe.
Well moving on, you used to live in Seattle. Now you live in Philly. What separates them in your opinion, meaning anything other than actual logistics. Do you prefer one over the other?
Well. I hate to be critical. But you meet a lot more interesting people in Seattle. They are more worldly and spend a lot of money at REI. Philadelphia bores me and the local politics are a disgrace.
What is the lamest part about our generation? Are we generation Y?
Yep. MTV generation. Lame. Short attention spans. We faced a new phenomenon in grade school because of a new fear of harming children’s self image/esteem. So we were always praised constantly for what we did, even if we were sub-par. We’re wimps and we want stuff handed to us. Instant gratification.
Do you feel like you’re actively trying to overcome that perceived obstacle or are you riding it out until we seem better than those after us?
Trying to overcome it, totally.
What reminds you to act on it?
Pop music. The value of traditional education. And jon stewart, for different reasons.
Yeah I could see the distinction. Okay so we’ve established some grievances. What are the raddest things about our generation?
Cheap and easy access to music. International news at your fingertips. We know how to get information we want.
Does this phrase resonate at all: “Parents just don’t understand.”
Not really.
Are your parents cool or are the Beastie Boys overrated?
I don’t see how those questions correspond. My parents are pretty cool, the majority of the time.
Oh wait, it’s from the Fresh Prince of Bell Air.
Ah.
I’ll take that as a sign to end this thing. In closing, what do you want to go down in history for?
Running the most self-sufficient, green, renewable country.
Oh and also, what is the worst fashion trend of recent memory?
I don’t follow fashion trends at all.
Comon.
I honestly can’t think of anything.
You suck.
Uggs. They’re conformist and ugly.
Thank you.
oh lord i always end up portraying myself as a f*ing hippy. s’pose there must be some truth in the matter…
jenn, this is great. your creativity inspires me. i need to start putting my own site together. we’ve talked about this before. but once my job is over and i have more free time i need a project like this. i’ll be soliciting you for help…
keep it up.