Make Love, Not War

We just helped a friend move and it took hours. But we entertained ourselves along the way. On one of the truck rides, all four of us beat out the rhythm to Gamma Ray’s music with drumsticks - some of us are musicians too, so we had plenty of drumsticks laying around in the truck - on the roof, seats, and each other’s legs! It was a blast and it made me think of how important they are.
I think friends are one of the most important things in the world.
They are that important… why? Because life would be boring and dull without them. Because they make me laugh so hard that I cry, sometimes for extended periods of time that make my insides cramp from giggling too hard. Because they make sure You live fully and completely, because a life without people to share it with is like playing Halo in single player mode: it loses its fun really quick. When you’re feeling down, they always have a way of picking you up and putting you back on your feet. Because they introduce you to new things - things that you might not have discovered without them! Like Firefly and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, how unlucky wearing matching socks is, or new types of music and new food like curry.

I think it’s unfortunate how high schools are so divided and classified; there’s a hierarchy that we all fit into while we’re there. You’ve got your outcasts, your geeks, your drama kids, your floaters, the popular kids, and the jocks. In high school, it was rare to traverse all classes. You might step up a category or down a category, but only the floaters had real movement between everyone. Guess what? You’re out of high school now, and those categories are GONE! It’s a lesson you learn quickly when you hit university and the real world.

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious, it is the true source of art, science, and friendship."
- Albert Einstein

I was definitely a geek, but I learned in university how little that mattered. Once you’re out, you’re free, and if you accept that there aren’t limitations, then there won’t be. We make our own boxes and our own barriers. We self-regulate the people we hang out with and the people we think we can get along with. Throw everything you ever thought about who you can be friends with out the window. We are all drawn to certain people - we just get along with them easiest, but there are so many other types of people out there to get to know!

Put yourself out there all the way. It is key that you let them get to know you and that you try and let your defences down. Be easygoing. When weird things happen, learn to laugh in every situation! Sometimes life can deal you a rather weird dish - you end up in strange places, with strange people, faced with the unknown prospect of trying something you’ve never done before. DO IT ANYWAYS! You might be terrible at it? You might humiliate yourself? Perhaps it’s karaoke, or playing Dance Dance Revolution for the first time, or an instrument that you have no idea how to use. DO IT! Remember my motto - Never miss an opportunity to try something new! People love to laugh, and as long as you can laugh with them, they’re going to think that you’re great. Don’t be afraid to be embarrassed, because eventually you’ll become impervious to it and you’ll learn to laugh like there’s no tomorrow.

I find simply introducing myself and saying something really cheesy helps to ease tension and start easy conversations. Don’t be afraid to throw out funny comments or tell small jokes. I like to use, “Does anyone know how much a polar bear weighs? Enough to break the ice!” And then when people giggle uncomfortably, I ask if they’ve ever heard a worse line. It usually starts an interesting thread of discussion.

So make new friends, or at least cherish the ones that you have and let them know that they rock hardcore. Be genuine with them, if the opportunity arises, let them how much they rock and that they’re pretty awesome.

If you need some cheesy jokes to help ease yourself into a new situation, I’ve prepared a list of ridiculously bad jokes:

Did you hear about the boat full of burgundy paint that crashed into a deserted island?
The crew was completely marooned!

If you're too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
Don't worry about what people will think; they don't do it very often.
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
The idea of housework is to sweep the house with a thorough glance.
No evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
If you look like your passport picture, you could probably do with the trip.
Bills travel through the post twice as fast as cheques.
Men are earth, women are from earth. Deal with it.
No man has ever been shot in the process of doing the dishes.
Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
Junk is something you’ve kept for years and throw away three days before you need it.
Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognise a mistake when you make it again.
If you must choose between two evils, pick one you’ve never tried before.
A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory.
A day without sunshine is like night.
A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.
Shin: a device for finding furniture in the dark.
The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.
To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.
What happens if you get scared half to death twice?