How were you like at 19?

Second that motion. Glad you're all with us.

Not too bad.... I am grateful that my life wasn't too bad at all... though it sounds unpleasant, it had its ups too....

And in the last 2 years, the way my mind has grown and the way I look at things now.... is amazing.... I never realized how much I would learn in only 2 years!!! And to imagine how much I am going to learn in the years to come.... it is exciting

You are exactly two years elder to me........thats exciting.

I was born at 8:30 p.m 23 rd Jan. Any idea about your birth time?

I was born 1/23/85... at 1:15 pm... I was 13 days late and they were about to induce my mom... when she went into labor... Then when I came out the imbilical cord had wrapped around my neck a few times...

Scary stuff lol

Happy belated birthday

Thanks

that was the year\age my mom asked me why I was so mean to people on the football field (you know playing vollege football)

I told mom it was about survival - me or them - controlled war for me. thats why nobody was willing to haze me in college

my heros were like
Mean Joe Green
Dick Butkus
Jack Lambert
Conrad Dobler
those kinda guys

I believe the age of 19 is a crossover.......your teenage ends.......and you are expected to be responsible etc.

Well, CL, What all have you learned over these 2 years?

...the way to Cambridge...

I can describe my 19 year old self with two words: "fed up".

I turned 19 on January 5, 1988. The first six months after that, I was fed up with high school. (Germans stay in school for 13 years altogether, so we tend to finish with 19, not 18.) For three years, I had been helping a loose clique of maybe 15 fellow students organizing student events, writing for the school magazine, researching political facts for student representatives who needed them for meetings and speeches.

I was fed up that everybody else in the school ignored the 90% of our work we did well, and kept complaining no end about the remaining 10%, which we found trivial. "Why didn't the magazine get out on schedule", or "why did the beer run out after just an hour at the pre-Christmas party?" Around that time, I pledged to myself that I'd never get involved with any altruistic organization again, and have remained true to this pledge ever since. (No wait, I did weaver once: I donated money to the Kerry campaign in 2004, and look at all the good that did. )

I was fed up with having to learn things I didn't want to learn and my teachers didn't really want to teach me, but were on the curriculum because they'd always been.

The second half of my being 19, I was fed up about the army. There is no point in giving the details because I'll never finish this post if I get myself started on them. Suffice it to say that I had a very bad attitude about being bossed around by a bunch of incompetents just because they outranked me.

Perhaps that sounds overly ungrateful. In general, my life went pretty well so far (knock on wood). But I'd rather forget the year I was 19.

Well, is the way to Cambridge too long and zigzag sort that you take two years to learn it?

No, but I once guided CrazieLady and her buddies by phone while they
drove along searching for the location of our last Boston-area A2K
gathering.

Nah I forgot lol

Over the last 2 years what have I learned... Well I am gonna write a book on this subject now that you asked me, so bare with me

Ok I learned

1) That I don't need a man in my life just to be happy, I need to make myself happy first... I always knew that, but I never followed it...

2) I learned how to stand up for myself and do the things that I need to do, actually put myself first once in a while instead of letting people walk all over me

3) I learned how beautiful life really is... the sun, the stars, the moon, the sky, the rivers, the people.. etc... When I was 16 I was really depressed, I cut myself, I self medicated myself, etc... I just wanted to die...For the longest time I never thought I would snap out of it, I thought I would just kill myself from the inside out, a slowly as possible, because it was the only way I could feel alive... because in my heart I was already dead....
But now, I couldn't even think about cutting myself, let alone suicide... I have never been happier... granted I do have my ups and downs... but I would consider myself content in life right now

4) I learned just how important my family is and how much they love me... even though I listened to their advice, I never really took it and put it in action.... Years later I realized at times, they were correct and I was just being stubborn.

5) I learned that jobs are NOT meant for just walking out of, no matter how much you hate it

6) I learned that you can't help everyone, even those that ask you for help... even if they seem like they want your help, sometimes they really don't, if they aren't willing to take action on their own problems, you can't let them bring you down, no matter how much it hurts you to see them the way they are...

7) I learned that sometimes you really do have to pick and choose your friends, even if you have known them your entire life... sometimes you just gotta let go and let them go their own way

8) I learned that getting out of a four year relationship and jumping into another one that lasted for 2 years was not healthy

9) I learned that breaking up with someone after 2 years was not the end of the world and that it was actually a great step to becoming an adult for me, to learn to let go and not mope around

10) I learned to love all the little things in life but to still look at the big picture.

11) And I learned that no matter how down I get, no matter how miserable I can be sometimes, that someday I won't feel that way, someday I will be happy.... What goes up must come down.. so in order to go up, you must go down.... if we were never unhappy, then happiness wouldn't be so enjoyable

I could go on and on.. but those are just a few things

CL, I know people who haven't learned all that in FORTY years.

Me too... haha

All I know is the most important thing I have learned is that you only live once (that we know of)... so don't sweat the small stuff and "don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive"

Wow, Crazie! You're amazing!

That's a really nice list.

Nineteen Forever
Joe Jackson

Sometimes I feel so alive
Sometimes I see so clear
Just like the way we always were
So young and free from fear

I lose my fear of war and dying
and all the clouds just disappear
Only my mirror sees me crying
Each time I lose another year . . .

Wouldn't it be a drag to be like you
Settling down and having kids
and telling them what to do
Well I'm gonna stay . . .19 forever

We can do magic in these times
be what we want to be
We'll all be rock 'n' roll stars
immortal on TV

And if you see me looking tired
I've just been sleeping thought the day
But I got something to keep me wired
So we can dance the night away

Wouldn't it be a drag to be like them
They're gonna sell out everything
But I won't get fooled again
Cause I'm gonna be . . .19 forever

You better believe it - you know my dream's still alive
You can love it or leave it
But I'm never gonna be 35

Joe wrote that on stage while sneaking behind the speakers to snort a large line of coke.