time capsule.
Back in 1999, my first grade class made time capsules. These consisted of a short questionnaire rolled up in a cardboard paper towel tube. On the outside of the tube, there was a label that warned, “Do Not Open Until 2010!” Fascinating, right? Well, as a kid, it was the coolest idea ever - it was like writing a letter to your future self.
Over the next eleven years, this time capsule stayed hidden in my dresser drawer. This happened to be the drawer that I kept all my belts in, so naturally, every time I took out a belt, I’d see the capsule and be tempted to open it. Always, though, I’d remind myself that if I opened it now, I wouldn’t be able to open it again, when I really wanted to. When it would mean something. It would be like spoiling the ending of a movie. Once you know it, you can’t go back and unknow it.
That temptation grew especially strong during this past year, my final year of high school. I found myself coming up with clever excuses to justify opening it early. Would it really matter if I opened it before graduating? I mean, it technically didn’t say to wait until after graduation. “2010” could just mean the start of the new year. Why wait longer than I had to? It wouldn’t really make a difference in the long run, right?
But it did. I’m glad I had the strength to wait until after graduating. And I know, it sounds silly, it’s just a handful of questions about myself I answered eleven years ago. I shouldn’t be feeling so sentimental about it. But just as I felt like I was writing to my future self, I now feel like I’m meeting that seven-year-old girl I used to be - who apparently had an obsession with Pokemon.
No, really. See for yourself.
Some things
clearly never change.
But a lot of other things
do change, and that’s what I find most fascinating. Even if they’re just small things, like what my favorite color or book is. It shows how much I’ve grown up throughout the years, but I’m still the same person when it comes down to it.
(Sort of a side-note: this also shows how much our world has changed, too. Look at the last question. Nintendo’s hardly the largest video game competitor now, and computer games have taken a backseat to the actual consoles. When was the last time you sat down and fired up
Oregon Trail 4?)
Anyway, I wanted to fill this out again for this point in my life. Maybe I’ll find this blog in a decade and be able to write another deep, pretentious reflection piece on it. (Also, that last category has been adapted for the time period!)
TIME CAPSULE: 2010Do Not Open Until 2020!
- Favorite Book: ”The Talisman” by Stephen King and Peter Straub (with the Harry Potter series as a close second).
- Favorite T.V. Show: LOST
- Last Movie You Saw: The last movie I sat down and watched was New Moon, to see if Michael could survive it. The last movie I saw in theaters was Iron Man 2, because I love me some RDJ.
- Favorite Music: Pretty much movie and video game soundtracks, coupled with some hip hop, dance, and alternative. I have a mad passion for Lady Gaga, Owl City, The Feeling, and anything graced by the hands of James Newton Howard.
- Car You Drive: Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 in gunmetal grey. His name is Hoss, as in “old horse” - which is a pretty apt description, given that he has over 160,000 miles on him.
- School You Attend: I just graduated from Novi High School, and I’ll be attending Columbia College Chicago in the fall.
- Teacher and Grade: I’m in that strange limbo between the end of high school and the start of college. No teachers, no grade. (Though, hey. For the record, Mr. Ziegler is my favorite teacher ever.)
- Favorite Color: I can truthfully say that I don’t have one. I love every color for a different reason. But if I had to choose, say, an article of clothing, I’d probably pick something yellow, orange, purple, or blue.
- Favorite Food: Chicken parmesan. No competition.
- Favorite Shoes: Espadrilles. They just scream summer! But I also love high heels in general. Oh, and boots. Lots of boots.
- Favorite Thing to Do: Pursue my passions! Whether it’s sewing, writing, reading, spending time with friends, playing video games… The list keeps going. If I love it, I’ll have fun doing it.
- Favorite Video Game: Right now, it’s Final Fantasy XIII. I love everything about that game! I’m also a huge fan of Metal Gear Solid. Yum, Snake.
So, like I said. Some things never change. We’ll see if this is true ten years from now, when I’m done with school, working my way up the career ladder, and possibly getting married and starting a family.
…Well, that’s certainly scary to think about.
For now, though, I’ll concentrate on the present, in which my biggest concern is just how much time I can waste by writing pretentious blog entries while in a semi-conscious state, post-Senior All-Night Party.
Stay classy, Class of 2010.
