I, like many seniors, was born in 1987. The year the first Simpsons episode aired, when a postage stamp cost 24 cents, and U2 was still young. I doubt that any member of the senior class was born in 1986, so this makes me, and anyone else born in ’87 among the oldest students on campus.
I am inevitable thinking of the freshman on campus. Not only were some of them born in the ’90s, some of them were born in 1991. Nirvana released “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Dr. Suess died, a postage stamp cost 25 cents. Pee Wee Herman, whom I remember from Pee Wee’s playhouse, will be remembered by this generation for his arrest after masturbating in a Florida movie theater.
These children are young. I celebrated my 22nd birthday at the end of the summer. At a party last week, I noticed it was a freshman’s birthday. A freshman’s eighteenth birthday. That made me think that for two weeks, I was five years older than a freshman. Five years.
With the eighth anniversary of 9/11 approaching, I am reminded of where I was on this tragic day. Eighth grade. Social Studies. Clusters of desks rather than rows, (ah, grade school). My Catholic school wouldn’t allow us impressionable students to watch footage on TV, but teachers went to a lounge to see the news.
But these children, who are now freshmen in college, were in fifth grade this horrific day. The kids I cut in the lunch line, made fun of at recess and threw snowballs at after school are now walking to Academic Writing as I’m off to to Senior Seminar.
Another I thought about this is a bit more grotesque. If you’ve read this far and thought to yourself, “they’re not that young,” listen up. For four years (maybe five, those of you born in ’87 [represent!]) we had pubic hair when they did not. By the time their first pube sprout, we’d had ‘em for years. I bet most of us had already tried shaving them! Graphic, maybe even gross, I know and I apologize. But believe me senior class – these kids are young!
Finally, I’d like to show you something despicable I saw on my way to class the other day. It’s juvenile, it’s quasi-hipster, it’s ’90s. Consider yourself warned. I just don’t know why anyone would do this to themselves, (this coming from a kid who runs the campus in short running shorts).
wtf
jansport, north face, hell, even a messenger bag would be better
