karatetentacles

Remember you live in a country that allows you to say you hate it.

Remember you live in a country where you can blog, where you have internet access, where you can access information.

Remember you live in a country where you can participate in the legal process.

Remember you live in a country that millions -- billions -- dream about. Remember you have opportunities some people can't even begin to imagine.

Remember you live in a country where people can stand up for themselves: African Americans, women, now gays.

Remember you live in an "experiment." It's a process, and it has been working, and we'll get there. To that idealized land of opportunity and freedom and justice for all; where the rights of the Constitution will be applied fairly and justly and rightly; where bigots don't exist and equality is all around.

Remember that for all its flaws, there is someone out there trying to reform your country.

The complete guide to making everything as awkward as possible! Anyone can do it! All you need:

-- a high school
-- a lunch table with other people
-- a phone
-- a disappointing glare
-- inborn awkwardness!

1) Find a table in your high school's cafeteria that's already occupied. It's better if you recognize some of the people, so they have some idea who you are (trust me, it makes it even more awkward).

2) Listen to the friends at the table exchange tales of fancy and Friday night fiascoes. Don't ever enter the conversation. Act aloof, text, put on headphones without music playing, but always be listening and retaining information.

3) After each story, make a disappointing glare at the story's teller.

4) If the teller is looking around the table and makes eye contact with everyone at the table, wait until (s)he sees you and break the connection.

5) Look immediately at your lap, pull up your phone, and send a text to anyone. Make sure you have a sly grin on your face; that way the teller will think you are talking about him/her.

-- Mom walks in my room to wake me up.
-- Groan and go to sleep an extra 5-10 minutes.
-- Wake up, get dressed, pee, brush teeth.
-- Pack my backpack, put on shoes, walk downstairs, go to class.
-- School, where I sit and I learn and I absorb and I try to get those meaningless points to get that pointless A. Figure I don't really have to try that hard to get a B, that an 89.4 looks the same as a 79.5 once report cards come out, zone out for whatever the teacher's talking about.
-- Focus what little energy I have into stuff I actually care about: newspaper, FreeLancer, reading the books for English, AHAP, occasionally calculus, the rare chemistry worksheet.
-- Stay after school usually until 3:30, sometimes later.
-- Go home, nap, talk to people on skype, eat something, internet.
-- Homework.
-- Talk to people on skype
-- More homework.
-- More talking.
-- Sleep at 12:34.