Sunday, September 28, 2008

Crush... Crush... Crush, crush crush (2, 3, 4!)

(Title credit - Paramore, "Crushcrushcrush")

I've recently been confronted with a problem. Two of my best friends are crushing on the same boy. Said boy is currently involved in a quite serious relationship. However, only one best friend is the focus here, because she is the one that feels strongest for this boy. Needless to say, not only is the boy clueless, but because he is involved in a relationship, the feeling is unrequited. Granted, Best Friend hasn't really hung out with the guy before... that much. She's known him for a couple years, but hasn't really started talking to him until fairly recently.
Now that I've given some background, I can go into the more unbiased side of this. The general, gray area of advice.
When we have feelings for someone, and the object of our affection is in a relationship, how do we handle it?
Can we handle such situations rationally?

Rationality centers around our ability to take things in stride and move on with our life. You cannot contorl your feelings. No one can. It's impossible to control what your heart tells you to feel. No one likes feeling love for someone that can't be returned. But when there's another element in the way - a boyfriend or girlfriend - one needs to learn when to back off and let things happen as they happen. Do not try to get involved with that relationship, or try to end it. As my friend's old biology teacher said, "Love is about being in the right place at the right time." For whatever reason, you're supposed to feel that way for that person. Maybe it's to help you cope with that pain. Whatever the reason be, you absolutely cannot try anything to sabotage that person's relationship for your own personal gain. You cannot do that, because you're putting that person through pain, and if you really cared for them, you wouldn't hurt them like that.
Not only should you not try to sabotage the relationship, but when you know the object of your affection is in a relationship, you should not hang all over that person. You should not be all touchy-feely. You should give them their personal space and back off. Either the physical contact will be unwanted on their part, or they will feel confused and/or helpless, and return the physical affection. This sends so many wrong signals back and forth and complicates things further.
Back off.
Do not try anything with this person. You can't stop feeling what you're feeling, but you can't sit and pine away and wish for things that may or may not have changed anything. Wishing something could've been different in the past - having regrets - makes everything worse. So don't try to hide from your feelings. But don't let your life revolve around those feelings, or that person. It makes everything harder and worse for you. Pining away makes you want the thing you can't have even more. Continue living your life.

~J*~

Got questions?
thesearetheyears@gmail.com

Friday, September 26, 2008

The Plunge

My friend posted a blog earlier today about - generally speaking - love. More specifically, a certain boy she has feelings for. However, she is somewhat nervous - almost afraid - to pursue these feelings. She has been out of a relationship for a while now, yet is scared of the wounds that may be reopened if this potential relationship ends badly. The boy has just gotten out of a one year relationship, and claims to be over his ex, but... one can never be certain enough.
When entering a new relationship, should we be wary? Or should we just take the plunge?

People say to live in the moment, to just do things as instinct says. Do you eat the chocolate now, or save it for later? You want the satisfaction right then and there, not thinking about the consequences later. When it comes to relationships, does it really deviate from that sweet, velvety Ghiardelli chocolate bar? Should we just not think about the consequenses and dive in head first? As Natasha Bedingfield would say, should we "release our inhibitions?"
I'm going to stop asking rhetorical questions and using metaphors and give you my answer.
As always, it comes down to personal choice and, as the cliche goes, listening to what your heart tells you. Live in the moment, or assess the risks. Living in the moment provides more freedom, a wider variety of choices later on in the path you take. Living within risks is like living in a padded cell. It keeps you safe, but it can drive you insane because of the lack of freedom.
The winds of love blow past you. Do you follow the scent they carry to the source, or do you think first, and potentially let that scent die away? I know I say if it's meant to be, it will happen one day, and this is true. But it's up to you to decide when. You have to make the choice.
You don't want to be hurt again, because the pain from the end of your last relationship was so horrible. But will it really be that bad this time, if you know what to expect? Wouldn't that last relationship have made you stronger? Absolutely. How much stronger, I can't say. It varies from person to person. But you can live through it. Almost all pain is endurable, and the shattering pain of heartbreak is included.

~J*~

Got questions?
thesearetheyears@gmail.com

Monday, September 22, 2008

Stress: The Thing That Makes You Want To Choke The Hell Out Of Someone

"It's barely a month into the school year, and I'm already so stressed. I have all of my classes, some of which are Honors-level, and I'm already failing math. I have band, which comes with rehearsals for performances, and I've been selected for pit orchestra for the fall musical. On top of that, I'm part of the school literary club and have chores at home, to say nothing of college applications and graduation tasks to complete. On top of all of that, I also have a job and my mother is urging me to get another job. Everything feels so unbalanced, even with the meticulous schedule I've come up with. What can I do to minimize the stress?"

Whoa there. Let's take a breath now and relax. High school life is complex, especially if you have a job on the side, and you're looking for college; plus the extracurricular cherry on top. Let's take a step back and observe the current situation.
When is too much, too much?

Let's start with the classes. If Honors-level classes are too much work, I suggest you drop down into on-level courses. I realize colleges like to see Honors credits, but if it's to the point where you're this stressed, it's not healthy, and you'll end up insane. Or worse, failing. Dropping down to on-level classes does not make you any less smart. It might just be for work-load relief. If it's too late, then you have to just persevere. You might have to cut back on your social life and doing things you enjoy, such as being on the computer and/or phone and/or TV. You have to get your priorities in order. What's more important to you; grades or fun stuff? I think we all know the answer.
As far as the chores go, there is no way out of them. Your parents are going to make you help out around the house. Money is an excellent source of motivation, but seeing how tight the economy is, that might not work for your family, and you might just have to do the chores for the sake of not getting grounded.
Your job. You want to make money? Stick with it. I don't know what your employment situation is, but I assume you're allowed breaks. On those breaks, maybe work on some of that pesky homework from those Honors classes ;) Try to see if you can adjust your hours to something that bends easier to your needs.
Now for those extracurriculars. Band. Pit for the fall musical. I don't know if this is something you enjoy doing, or your parents are making you do, but chances are, either way, you can't get out. Plus, colleges love them extracurriculars. So the band and such mixed with the job... I can see where that would hurt. Metaphorically, and possibly physically. At the end of a long week, if you can, take a nice hot bath. And if not, a long, hot shower. Then relax with a good book or curled up in front of the TV for some mindless entertainment. Try to get to sleep as early as possible so you're not stressed out the next day.
I hope this helped.

~J*~

Got questions?
thesearetheyears@gmail.com

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Prostitution is Legal. But Attention Prostitution Should Have Limits.

We all know an attention whore. Hell, maybe we ourselves are attention whores. There's nothing wrong with trying to get attention every now and then. Everyone needs some love. Hell, maybe even some hate. Any sort of attention can help fuel the fire inside that we all secretly know we have. But how do we know when we're crossing the line with our attention need?
Are we selling ourselves too much for attention?

Attention prostitution has become a big fad. Any cry for attention, no matter how extreme, from cutting to purging, is just that: a cry for attention. As far as cutting goes, it's only a cry for attention when you broadcast the fact. I'm not saying go cut yourself, but be quiet about it. I'm saying don't do it at all. But people do broadcast it, and that's one cry for attention that is most obvious and pathetic. Harming yourself to get attention is pointless and just... petty.
Everything is not about you. It is also about the people around you. You're not the only one that likes attention. Other people like to be heard and paid attention to. It's not all about just one person. Just because someone is different or of "higher status" - or "lower status" as the case may be - does not mean they deserve more attention.

There's a line that we stand on one side of that sometimes we accidentally cross. Sometimes we don't know we're crossing it. And sometimes, like most lines, it just blurs. I can't tell you when too much is too much. That's your job to determine when too much is too much. But broadcasting the fact that you are hurting yourself is not cool and it's not a good way to get "attention." Hell, hurting yourself in general is not cool and it's not good. Maybe think before you try anything.

I know this wasn't that great of a blog, and I'm sorry. I don't know quite how to address this issue fully and well-worded...ly?

~J*~

Got questions?
thesearetheyears@gmail.com

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Two Posts In One Day?: Pass on That Aggression

"So one of my friends was passive-aggressive with me today..."

In J's words
Passive-aggressive: adj.; When people are too lazy to actually communicate their feelings of anger.

Ever deal with a friend who you've recently fought with that kind of just ignored you for a while? Wasn't as talkative as usual? I'm pretty sure everyone has, because everyone deals with similar dramas with their friends, and at one point or another, you deal with passive-aggression. But the question is, how do you deal with it?
Are we passive about passive-aggression?

When the Big Bad Fight is over, how do you cope? Do you resume normalcy with that friend? Or do you just kind of let things blow over while you remain silent with each other for a few days? Who gets over it first? And if it's you, does the other remain that dreaded, hyphenated word? You know the word. Passive-aggressive. It's obnoxious, really. They're angry, so they half-ignore you, and it drives you up the wall. They're totally stubborn, and you just want to hit them. Or something of that nature. Do you let it affect you like this? No. You take a stand and tell them "Talk to me about what is bothering you. Enough with this half-assed friendship; I want to get over this bump." Because that's what passive-aggression is. A half-assed attempt at a repaired friendship. Be straight-forward. Don't hide behind silence and just say what's bugging you. If your friendship is so strong, then it will withstand the brutality of the truth.

~J*~

Got questions?
thesearetheyears@gmail.com

Welcome to a Town Called Hypocrisy

The title is more of a note to myself, because I totally contradicted myself on this advice recently... I should really start listening to my own advice...

Why do those close to us insist on hurting themselves? Cigarettes. Drugs. Alcohol. All that kind of stuff. We don't like it when they do that, because we care about their well-being. But is it up to us to dictate what mistakes they make?
Are we our best friends' keepers?

This weekend, one of my best friends went down town with a group of her friends and did something called "hookah," which is sort of a midground between a drug and like, a pack of cigarettes. Okay, so sue me for exaggeration. If you really care, look it up on Wikipedia. That's what I did.
Anyway.
I told myself I wouldn't be mad at her. At first, I was. Then I realized it was her life, her mistake to make. She went through with it, and I was absolutely, entirely livid. I still am. But it's not my job to tell her what to do. It's not your job to tell your friends what to do. It's their life to live, their mistakes to make.
How much of it is our business?
This much: 0%
Leave it be, and let them fuck up for themselves. That doesn't mean you have to care for them any less, that you have to love them any less. If it gets too out of hand, maybe you should talk to someone that they will listen to. But until it gets to that point... just keep your nose out of it. Do yourself a favor and just don't get involved. You might lose a friend if you do.

~J*~

Got questions?
thesearetheyears@gmail.com

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Best Served Cold? Or Is This One Dish You Don't Want The Waiter To Bring?

When someone does something to piss us off, we have that moment at first where we want nothing more than to hurt the offender. We want to ruin them, somehow, some way. They hurt us so bad, that we want to hurt them right back. I've addressed revenge before, but not to this degree.

It hurts even worse if they're your friend. It hurts the worst if they're your "best friend." They hurt you, and you feel something ignite within your heart, and you want that spark to burn them, bad. I suppose this can get into the whole nature-versus-nurture thing, but let's keep it simple: Are we instinctively driven for revenge? More importantly: is revenge worth it?

Stooping to their level is a big no-no. You say you hate them, or you reallllly don't like them, for those of you that believe hate is a strong word or whatever. You hate/dislike them so much, you want to get back at them, but then stooping to their level will only turn you into them - even if it's just a "one time thing" - and you'll end up being so mad at yourself. You may not regret it right away, but damnit, you will. To quote Casablanca - though I've never seen it - "maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day you will, and for the rest of your life." Or something along those lines.

Let's jump off the "don't do it" train for a moment. Let's say you're totally going to disregard this advice and you're going to get revenge on someone anyway. Well, then, I can't stop you. But at least listen to this. Do me this one favore.
Think on it.
Think on it really really good. Think of every possible outcome, think about every possible pro and con. Think before you do it. Please, not for me, or anyone else, but for you.

Revenge is like a tattoo. At the moment, it seems like a good idea. It seems so satisfactory. But then as you age, the ink droops and begins to look unattractive and you regret it. Not that I'm saying a tattoo is a bad thing.
I want one.
A small one on my wrist or something.
Or my hand or foot.
But I digress.
Revenge maybe a dish best served cold, but as it heats up, it doesn't taste so good. Regrets. Just the stooping to their level. Not a good idea. Please. To save yourself from so much drama, just don't do it. It'll save you so much energy, time, and just... life.

As my friend WriterGirl17 (http://sameideadifferentwords.blogspot.com/) would say:
Peace, love, and good advice,
~J*~

Got questions?
thesearetheyears@gmail.com

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Ca-Ching.

Ew. Spoiled teenagers. Teenagers with fancy cars that their parents bought for them. Expensive iPhones with the 100 dollar per month plans that their parents pay for. It's so damn annoying.
Yesterday in my AP Psychology class, we got on the subject of punishment and rewards. A girl said that if she got good grades, her parents paid her. Twenty five dollars for every "A" she got. So if you're being paid to get good grades, are you getting good grades for the right reasons?

Friends are an important part of school. But they're not the important part. No, the important part is the education. The electives don't count, so much as the required classes, such as math, english, science, et cetera. If you're being paid to get good grades, then you're not learning. You're doing the work for money, not for your own well being. Are we so subhuman that we're willing to be bought off like that? Do we just try to do good in school, hoping for some sort of rewards? Are we just grade-whores?

Everyone is different - obviously. Everyone's parents are different. If they want to pay you for good grades, so be it. But don't just do it for the money. Do it for you. Some people may think school isn't worth it, but really, it is - if you want to get anywhere in life. You can't live off of mommy and daddy forever, no matter how spoiled you are. Sorry to break it to you. So get out of this habit - now. Work harder for you, not for Lincoln, Hamilton, and Franklin.

~J*~

Got questions?
thesearetheyears@gmail.com

Friday, September 5, 2008

XOXO?

Ah, Gossip Girl, how we adore thee. You provide us with drama, much as the new 90210, the late O.C., all those other fine programs. These shows present the affects of gossip and drama - albeit, the examples are a bit extreme. But even so, think: do you wish for your life to be like those on such teen drama shows? It may look exciting and fun and what not, but do you really want your life to go to hell thanks to rumors? Do you really want to get yourself sucked into the drama and gossip so far that you won't get out till after high school. Maybe you'll go even farther. Maybe you'll be an asshole in the real world if you start now. Do you really want that? Is it worth it?

I know I've said this so much. I know one of the two things I "preach" most about is gossip and drama. I ask, "Is it worth it?" in every other blog. I gossip. I start drama. Are you kidding? Of course I do. Really, who doesn't? But you can't let yourself get so far down, you won't see the light of reality anymore. You need to realize something: your life should be the most important thing to you at this point in time. Your education, your family, your friends. Not other peoples' lives. It's not your job to talk about other people. If they want to talk about themselves, let them. And if people want to tell you things about other people, let them. But try to refrain from spreading that around, because you know something will come up, and you'll have the short end of the stick. I know this is getting old and tiring, but I see this every other day and it gets so so so so so old and annoying.

~J*~

Got questions?
thesearetheyears@gmail.com