June 6

I am writing this on June 7th, but because June 6th was such an "important" day in my life, I will blog as if I am still experiencing it.

Yearlong milestone, no, actually, lifelong milestone, completed. I woke up this morning thinking nothing out of the ordinary: thoughts such as "Bed Warm" and "Hungry." After I left and returned from the graduation rehearsal, it occurred to me that maybe someone should take a picture of me, you know, because otherwise we would forget that I graduated high school and stuff. So my sister and I had a photo-shoot on the deck with my "one size fits all" cap. My sizable head is evidently not a part of all heads. 

Due to the constraints of alphabetized seating, I was seated next to a boy who was an inverse elitist. I'm not sure if this is a real term or not, but if it isn't, then I made it up to describe my neanderthal-like neighbor's presumption that, and I quote, "Smart people think they're better than everyone else n shit." I decided to be amused by his strange and slightly offensive remarks throughout the ceremony, and it proved to be a relatively easy task. The only time I started to feel any real emotional tug during the two hours was when I was standing approximately two feet from the stairs that led onstage. Suddenly I wondered if I could manage the handshake properly or if I could refrain from limping in response to my ever-increasingly painful blister. My name was called, I walked up the stairs, looked at my hands and hesitated briefly before taking my diploma, graduating from high school, and walking proudly away from my childhood.

Steve and I are making a documentary about our last summer before college, and we filmed parts of graduation. My favorite moment was probably when Steve filmed me approaching a boy I had never seen before and telling him I would never see him again. We hugged. This is going to be a Hallmark moment in our documentary. The rest of my day consisted of uncooked seafood and napping on a futon before I went to two parties. My favorite part of Kathryn's sleepover was stealing outside right before the sun came up to run around, release energy and anxiety, find an abandoned scooter and take turns riding it, and squeezing six people into Alana's tiny car and talking until the windows fogged up. 

Song of the day is "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed. All in all, I'd say June 6th 2009 will make it into my memories. 

And if you want me

You better speak up 

I

won't

wait