August 30, 2005
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The Daily News
1 The fun thing about school opening and all is the amount of excitement going on everywhere. There's massive confusion and insanity everywhere. Karena Ramiriz wrote me congratulating all of us on making it through what she deemed "Hell Week". Actually, she mentioned TWO Hell Weeks, the first week of school, and the last week, which ALWAYS goes ridiculously slow!
2 On Friday, she ended her greetings with a quick thought that I'm sure was intended for a lot of people: live long, laugh loud, love lots.
3 Nice thoughts.
4 Thanks, d00d! Right back atcha!
5 It's been a whirlwind week, but nice, because we all just hit the ground running this year. Classes filled fast, and that peace that seems to lull us almost into sheer boredom in late summer suddenly grabs us before school starts, puts us on a roller coaster, locks us in a menacing seat belt, and before we know it, we find ourselves suddenly and with almost no warning on a terrifyingly insane ride into God knows what.
6 Everything hit fast last week. And like the roller coaster concept, we now jerk forward, start slowly going up, read the warnings about bad hearts and pregnancies, jerk again, click up, up, up 'til we can't see what's on the other side, and there we sit, anticipating, scared, tensing up, but excited, because we know there's no turning back.
7 It is there that we sit, for our lives change forever in the next few seconds. We're all prepared, cocky, acting as though it is really nothing, and yet...
8 We are, deep down, all of us, buckled, frightened, but ready.
9 To my '05'ers, a whole lot of us outsiders realize all the emotions going through you right now. Go into it with huge smiles, because it's going to be the ride of your life! Hug one another, love one another in these final days; hold on to one another forever, but move forward with everything you have, because the time is here. Close your eyes, throw up your arms, and scream, but have the time of your life.
10 And to anyone going through massive changes right now, when you get there, and the ride stops, throw up a huge, "YEAH!!" and let the world know you have ARRIVED! Give 'em all you got, 'cause you got a LOT to give!
11 I'm guessing that covers just about everybody...
12 I always liked the Grateful Dead's angle on the whole life thing. It's a song written by the venerable poet Robert Hunter, and it's called The Wheel:
The Wheel's turnin' and you can't slow down;
you can't let go and you can't hold on;
you can't go back and you can't stand still
if the thunder don't get you then the lightnin' will...
13 For years, I thought the last line read "...if the buzzards don't get you then the lightnin' will...", a mistake that is just one of those things. Ever discover a lyric that you thought said one thing and then it said another? I actually like both. Is it okay to change some other guy's lyrics? Under ordinary circumstances, Robert Hunter can out-lyric most of us. But I always played it the wrong way...
14 The Wheel. Great old tune about life's changes. You all really should pull it off the internet, the studio version off an album called simply Garcia. At Jerry Garcia's memorial service in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on August 13, 1995, the song played after everyone spoke. A large tie-dyed flag flew majestically in the wind, as San Francisco mourned the passing of one of its own.
15 It's late as I write this. I began last night at midnight, and it's now 1:35 a.m. and I'm still tacking away on the keyboard. Conan just said good-night, but I find myself jumping all over the internet searching for lyrics, and pictures of roller coasters, and all the rest, until I just fall on these keys and tumble into a well-earned slumber.
16 School starts in around six hours, so I'd probably better sign off for today. Yesterday I did the same thing and almost threw one of my freshmen through my window and on to the lawn, just due to my own lack of sleep.
17 I took a peaceful Buddha breath, crossed my legs like the guru I am, and channeled it all into colorful rainbow chakras. We can all probably thank Jerry Garcia for that one, but maybe with a little Shirley MaClaine thrown in for good measure.
18 Today's DN goes out to my '05 grads, all of whom are scared, excited, ready for change, wishing the world would slow down, wanting things to speed up, confused, confident, euphoric, sad, and realizing that only they and their friends REALLY know what's going on inside of them yet still, feeling alone, but completely brave, and now completely ready for God knows what.
19 In many ways, that describes a lot of us.
20 Godspeed, my wonderful friends. Thanks for everything you gave to all of us; thanks for all the lovely things you gave to me, and most of all, best wishes to you all. I love you all, everything.
21 So that would be it for this morning. Tell someone you love them today. Hug a friend. Say hello to someone who misses you. Pray that everyone you know and love is safe and happy.
22 Live long, laugh loud, love lots.
23 Peace.
