Joe, Art Student, 20 years old

Sometimes I hate society. It's tries to hold everyone down. Follow these rules, live this life. People don't dream anymore. They worry about taxes and house payments and resign themselves to a life of political servitude. Ooooh, can't my own decision, I don't have time. Americans are just waiting in line at the Sec. of State to be handed their futures. And heave forbid you be anyone differnet. But that's how things go, the American Dream according to the 1950's. Oh, and you can't be a woman and think out of the box. No. That's heavily frowned upon.

I want to be an artisit. That's my dream. I was asked today, after telling this impertanant woman about my career, "What are you going to do for money?". I heard they say the same thing to writers and muscians. Here's me being not surprised. They are free thinkers. We're obviously not welcome in society. We don't want to be trapped behind a desk, or filing away documents, typing neat rows of figures line after line. We're innovators. Idealists. Those "people your mother always warned you about". Well I say that's fine. I'm not alone, far from it, and if this city doesn't want me, there are places that do. Places where Art is held higher than Buisness. Like New York, L.A., Ann Arbor. Someplace. There. I leave it at that.

Joe

Helena. College Student, 20 Years old.

Communication.
It's really very interesting how much it changes as you age. When I was in elementary school, using the phone was rare to do anything but ask about sleepovers. I saw my friends at school everyday and that was enough. In middle school, it was similar, but I started to call people to chat with them. High school is when AIM and MSN became high priority, as did phone calls. But I still saw people at school every day so it was ok. It wasn't until college that I left that behind for E-mail. It's how I communicate 90% of the time, unless I call home. The 'calling' part should give that away. AIM left MSN in the dust, so that's how I lost contact with some of my HS friends.

I don't see most of my friends everyday, well, that's not true. My closest friends live down the hall but there were people in highschool that you could be good friends with because you saw them a lot. We don't have that luxery anymore. I have friends at other colleges that I only talk to during Christmas. I'm lucky if I talk to my sisters then!

I guess now though, I can see why my sister's have such a hard time keeping in touch with their friends. I always found it so mind boggling. It seems fairly simple. Call them. They call you back and you talk. Now, I've realized phone tag is a national sport, one that American's seem to excel at. Too bad that's not Olympic.

Helena