13 Going On ...13?

First, allow me to preface this post by saying I SWEAR I tried to come up with a better, classier, more adult name for this blog, but after 3 years of failing miserably I'm just going to admit defeat. I'm tired and uninspired. ...And all the good names are taken (especially anything with the word "musings" ugh).

Anywhoo. Moving along.

So tonight I was rifling through the Mt. Everest of paper stacks I keep in my room containing all of the decently preserved schoolwork I've done over the years and I came across a few things that kind of made me stop and think.


1. Old Homework

Now when one comes across one's old projects, assignments, annoying math exercises, etc., it's only natural to kinda check 'em out and give 'em a read. You know, grade yourself 5+ years after the fact. If you're anything like me, this may come with the realization that you were a hell of a lot smarter at 17 than you are almost four years into adulthood.

Brutal.

I have French notes that I can barely even comprehend now. I have 5 verb tenses listed but can barely remember which passé composé verbs use être and which ones use avoir. I'm proud that I even remember which verbs are the helper verbs quite frankly. Let's not even get into trying to understand my calculus notes, you've got to be kidding me. It looks like I've just written and scrambled up the English and Greek alphabets with a couple random squiggles and the word 'sin' everywhere. Why do we always invert things? And then there's the chemistry homework. Dear god, kill it with fire.

But really, all of these things that were second nature to me then are like complete gibberish now. Long division?? No bueno, friends. But when I stop to think about it, I can't think of what I've replaced this knowledge with... it's just disappeared. I feel like I had way more knowledge stored at a younger age than now, despite currently being in post-secondary school. Or maybe it's just that we are simply incapable of seeing our own level of intelligence until we are reflecting on it in later years? I don't know. Sometimes I feel like university isn't giving me as much as I got in high school. I'll have to get back to you on this one...

...in a couple years when I'm crying over my B.A. telling myself it makes me feel "less stupider".


2. Sentimental Stuff

Oh god I'm the freaking worst for getting attached to things. I still have pictures drawn for me by my friend Tanya when we were 13, most of which feature Michael Jackson, the girl from the ring and/or fat stick figures with Revels.

I also, sadly, have a diorama I made in grade two, or maybe three? Any and all school pictures I got from my friends (don't worry, I won't post them). Beanie babies, class notes between friends, everything.

My mom says I'm kind of a hoarder, I disagree, I just value these things probably more than all of the expensive nice looking things.



I'm not entirely sure what my intention was with this post, maybe just sharing my opinion on the value of reflecting every once in a while. You've done a lot of stuff in your lifetime.. good, bad and yes, sometimes ugly... but at the end of the day sometimes it's worth stopping to take a look at some of the parts that make up the rich tapestry that is your own personal history. Seriously though, clean out your closet sometime, you'll understand.