"Perfect" things, Rocky Horror, and high school graduation

There are few perfect things in this world. Many beautiful things, but few that are transcendent. Beautiful things have flaws, perfection is transcendent. The only perfect things I know are firmly rooted in the religious realm. Much of the spiritual, or mystic, realm is flawed. Things that move me emotionally are frequently flawed, but they are moving nonetheless.

Whew......that was all cryptic enough. What's my point? Let me tell you some things that move me. A perfectly ripe peach, the Brandenburg concertos and Beethoven's 9th, a solitary soak at DFHS on a stormy day, warm sand underfoot, having my buddy Jay roll two straight 'ones' when attempting to take Bucharest at 2:1 odds. My transcendent moments I share only with those who are very close to me. I did have a moment after I climbed Lone Peak that involved a cold beer and a hot shower that was pretty close to transcendent though.

Towards the end of Rocky Horror, Frank 'n furter sings about the need to do wild stuff when you're young in order that you'll have memories that will last a lifetime. I've done a lot of crazy stuff in my life. Most of it recalled in a non-specific sense and a neutral judgement. Some things I regret. Most of what I regret was things I said, not actions. There are a lot of things I've done that I'm not proud of, but few that I've regretted. In fact, many of these things I still recall with fondness. I've no desire to repeat nor revisit these things, but I've no regrets.

FInally I went to son number two's high school graduation. It is indeed a microcosm of those things in high school that were good and bad. It all started a few weeks ago. There are always a number of kids that are not going to graduate. They, or typically their parents, demand that some last-minute make-up assignment be given so they can graduate. Graduating high-school is a joke. Basically all you need to do is show up and make even a half-assed attempt to do the work. Alas, many cannot even do that yet they feel entitled. We were sent out a number of rules for the graduation ceremony. NO RUNNING, NO JUMPING, NO SKIPPING, and most important of all NO HORSEPLAY! Well not exactly, but people still wear leis, do the fist and arm pumping, have their numbskull posses scream from the peanut gallery, and wear hot pink tennis shoes so they can 'be comfortable' which is just their bullshit excuse for thinking they are cool. I'm going to advise son number three to do a few things when he graduates next year. First wear some ugly ass fluorescent shoes that 'light up' when you step on them. Second I will weigh him down with leis. Third, I will scream, hoot, and holler for 30 seconds in an attempt to drown out the names of as many kids as possible. After all, they aren't important, just MY kid. At least this is the view of the assholes that ruin graduation every year by thinking they are the exception.

Some would say I am picking on 'polys'. I suppose that is a fair critique. Personally, I love the idea of leis. I think the prohibition on leis at graduation is a bad rule. Nonetheless it is a rule, so it should be obeyed. If they wish to challenge it then let me know. I will show up and fight for leis. Let me tell you what breaks my heart about the poly graduates. The girls are virtually ignored, and the boys inevitably self-identify as football players. It is a tragedy that aside from athletics and student government they rarely distinguish themselves. And this type of attitude is by no means relegated to polys, but I find it the hardest to accept. Islanders have a proud history of sacrifice for an ideal. They are a innately peaceful people, but have a strong warrior ethos infuses in them. Consider the long odds their ancestors faced in coming, yet they did it anyway. And what is the result? Ask yourself how many poly professionals or military do you know? These are the people that should be emulated, not the football punk-asses that are already forgotten.

Finally, I noticed a particluar trend in female summer fashions today. It consists of baby doll type dresses that only reach down to the mid-thigh. I suppose if there were just one or two girls wearing this ensemble (and who had toned calves and thighs) they could have really rocked it. When seemingly every other girl is wearing this, it becomes mundane and hence ugly. Being unique is the way to get noticed. Take a lesson for someone's mom who wore a form fitting tan, knee-length, skirt, with a white men's dress shirt, and some understated sandals. Mmmmmm........now if I can just talk my wife into wearing that!