selfish and irresponsible devil children

The biggest challenge for teenagers is learning how to be unselfish. We are all caught up in our own schedules. We zone out when our parents tell us to run the smallest errand for them. The sad part of this is we remember when it is too late. Our parents are already disappointed (or worse don't care). We as teenagers may hear our parents yelling at us because:

• we forgot to mail some really important package that had to be across the country today
• we have fallen asleep in the shower (yes, blame me for GA's drought)
• we left the milk out all night long
• we didn't put the clothes in the dryer
• we forgot to call our grandparents back
• we didn't do the dishes
• we have missed too many days of school already
• we haven't given much thought to college or our future in general

but we never really listen to them. After our memory has failed us or or selective hearing has succeeded, we franticly search for an excuse that will satisfy the fire breathing dragon. Ocassionally we pull some weak excuse out our ass, but it never hits. The only excuse that will justify our behavior, our parents won't accept. We are teenagers and we are selfish by nature.

retirement is bliss

My immediate family is small, just me and my mom. Pretty boring.

My mom's parents are some of the most interesting people in my family. My grandma moved from New Jersey to Florida about 5 years ago. She moved into a gated community and has been enjoying retirement. She is not, however, like her old lady neighbors who she plays dominos with. My grandma's free spirit and sailor's mouth often surprise people. She is in her late 50's early 60's (no one really knows because she won't tell us). She still enjoys being active, riding her bike daily, down the road 1/2 mile to the beach. Recently though, she has taken to complaining that it's too hot in Florida. She has mentioned wanting to move back north. My grandma does whatever she wants, but at the same time manages her money well. She owns rental property in New Jersey. I suppose this is how she can afford to spoil her grandchildren. I remember the days when i was spoiled by her. I got to go to Toys R' Us and pick out whatever I wanted. Then i got older and less cute and the cash flow started decreasing. My two toddler cousins better live it up now because pretty soon they will be in the same boat.

My grandpa like my grandma owns rental property in New Jersey. He lives in Randolph, NJ with his wife. He is a semi-retired man at the age of 61. He still does handy work around his house. Whatever you do do not get roped in to helping him out. He is the Most Stubborn Man Alive. It is his way or the highway. You have no opinion when you are working with him. You just shut up and do what he tells you. He is proud of his work ethic and his old fashioned mentality(he made me drink straight vinegar as a cure for my sore throat).

I respect both of my grandparents' lifestyles, but when I retire I would much rather live the relaxed life that my grandma has.

what you know

I know/understand...Oedipus and Harold Crick were noble in accepting their fate.

I doubt... there is a real answer to fate or free will. It is all about human perception. Believing in free will is your fate, and believing in fate is your free will.

I wonder... what the ratio of purples to silvers was in the bag of fate. I know Ms. Williams believes we want to know because we are curious, but what if it is our fate to know?

Free Willy

I believe that your free will determines your fate. Everyday we make choices. Sometimes we think of the consequences and other times we feel spontaneous. We often think of decisions as deciding whether to do our homework or not; however, a decison can be as simple as: I am going to scratch my leg. Our lives are filled with little decisions that shape our future. And in our future lies more decisions. Destiny is unclear; within the blink of an eye our future can be changed. Your future could be changing as you read this:

• You could eat a slice of Mellow Mushroom pizza and choke on all that cheese. With no one around to save you because you are skipping cross country practice, you will die.
• You could decide that you need to use the restroom, your toilet could back up and you could be knee deep in something you don't want to be knee deep in.
• You could just remember you left your english homework in your car. Your mom calls and tells you to water the flowers. You go out into the garage and realize you have parked on the hose. You turn the car on and back up a foot. Your key gets stuck in the ignition and you cannot turn the car off. Your ghetto car won't let you unlock the doors until the car is off. The garage door is closed and fumes begin to engulf you. You fight to turn the key, but the oxygen has run out.

All of these situations could very well happen to you. People claim to know what choices they would make when presented with a problem, but without experiencing it, how would you really know? Would you really wait for the cops to show up? Would you actually risk your life for your friend?