The entirety of the uneventful event got me reminiscing about days gone by and coincidentally, my long time friend, Big Ron, sent me a great,

drunken, 3am email. Sometimes people don’t realize when they are being creatively ingenious, but it was one of those moments for Big Ron. In the email he asked, "When did I get morals and a sense of right and wrong!? Why can't I just live fast and die young!? When did life get so complicated?" And he answered his own rhetorical questions with, "I guess it was when I stepped up to the plate and decided to make my own decisions." Brilliant!

I thought about Big Ron’s questions for a while because I used to do some really dumb sh!# when I was a teenager. I’m not suggesting that you follow in my footsteps. I’m just trying to convey the carefree attitude that I formerly displayed. Now it’s all clockwork: Get up, drive to work, work all day, drive home, eat dinner, do sh!# at home, go to sleep, and then wake up the next day and do it all over again. I’ve lost my spontaneity, or did I ever have any? Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy and satisfied, and occasionally I still tear it up in a pit or get down and skate, but it’s just not the same as we get older.

For the kids reading this, I bet you can’t wait until the day comes that you can say, "Hey Mom, I got myself an apartment with two of my friends and I’ll be moving out next week." And then a month later, when you find out that the bills for auto insurance, rent, phone, health insurance (if you even have it), and electric are all due at the same time, it’s going to hit you like a brick wall. I distinctly remember being pissed when I had to spend six dollars on laundry detergent…it was always free prior to moving out on my own. The Korean War Memorial in Philly reads, "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE." How ironic. Author’s note: My parents moved into a one-bedroom apartment immediately after I moved out at 18. There was no turning back.

Believe me, I never thought that I would say this: If I could some way miraculously go back to high school, I would take that opportunity in a heartbeat. High school is a total joke; it’s so easy. I would make the best of every moment at school and would take advantage of all of the scholarships and free education. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Learn a lot of stuff? When it’s all said and done, the only thing that someone can’t take away from you is your intelligence. It’s truly what sets one apart from the rest. Don’t fret; I still wouldn’t attend any of the bullsh!# social functions, though.

Look, kiddies, becoming an adult isn’t what it’s all cracked up to be, I assure you. I suggest, before indebting yourself to Bank of America for a stupid car loan, that you take as much time as possible to see the world, meet new people, and gain as many experiences as you realistically can. Save a couple thousand bucks while you’re in high school and buy yourself a ticket to Europe when you graduate. Go check it out, because once you have a mortgage, wife, and kids, that day will never come again…at least until you’re in your sixties, and then you’re too damn old to go to Amsterdam anyway.

Not only is this one dedicated to the kids out there, but it’s also dedicated to Big Ron and all of the friends I grew up with that are hanging ductwork, mowing lawns, slinging ink, teaching, selling cars, going to school, fixing phone lines, writing computer programs, and working retail, but still living every day like it’s your last and acting like an immature, punk-ass kid when appropriate.