Your Thoughts Exactly

Our friend and fellow blogger Nate is off to see the world. Or at least the white parts. (check out his dump-o-funny-thoughts along the way here). I am loving law school, and thinking of dropping out at least once a day this semester. Marmar has a semester left in his graduate program in Australia. Stu began his job, driving almost an hour each morn and eve. Others are working, going back to school, or effectively quitting their job whilst remaining on salary (damn you Pete). But what are we doing?

There was a surprisingly un-cheesy and un-condescending article in the recent Time Magazine about the “twixters” – the generation in the mid twenties, out of school but not into the family life just yet. I expected it to poke at the lazy, bar-hopping, sex-seeking, reality-tv watching crowd, lumping us all into a mix of wanton indolence and near-sighted denial, but it was rather honest, accurate, and downright complementary. It basically said we are not necessarily denying the future in an effort to cling to the keg-stand days of yore, but that we either can’t move on due to the lagging economy and the diluted value of a college degree, or are openly experimenting with ideas and experiences before settling into that eternal slumber of “settling down,” ensuring that when we do take that next step, we are doing it right. While I like the idealism and pragmatism this summary of our people promotes (well, not the “can’t” part), I have to say I disagree – I yearn for the keg-stand days of yore. I’m in denial of the future, I’m happy about it, and somebody please go turn on that x-box.

Ok, so that is not completely true. I am excited about being a lawyer in a couple of years, as far off as that may seem. I am excited to not have to read so damn much about jurisdiction, adverse possession, and the like, and to put my hard earned skills and pricey degree to work for those needing a voice and a hand. And, of course, if that does not pay enough to support my video game habits, Mephistopheles is always waiting around the corner, contract, quill and inkwell in hand (at least that is how I picture it), and I can go work for a corporate firm.

But mostly I disagree with the underlying premise of the article – that the “twixters” (I really do not like that word; I refuse to use it without the “”s) are just being careful and exploring their options before continuing down the inevitable path. I do not think the style of the grown-up life of our parents is inevitable; I do not think we are really planning on giving up the lifestyle we have now. Sure, there will be some minor additions and subtractions, but why must it be just a variant, a delayed replica of what our parents did; why can we not live with friends comprising the family unit for more than a decade? I am not suggesting forgoing a family, but why can the friends not remain the close knit extended family they are today? Do we all need to disperse and find our own piece of suburbia? “Settling down” can still happen while going to a bar or club Friday night, playing poker Saturday, and watching football Sunday, right? There are plenty of years before kids, and plenty of babysitters afterwards.

I am not at all suggesting that we do or should ignore visions of the future, nor the responsibilities lying in our way. I just believe that we can continue have fun, worry naught, laugh, and live freely while tending to those tasks. Basically, it comes down to this simple, wholly encompassing question: am I ever going to stop playing video games? The answer, of course, is no. As long as I have Madden, Counter-Strike (by the way, we should start playing that again), and etc., I will be fine. Add a good vodka-tonic, and the sun will always rise on our pleasure-seeking, care-free yet responsibility-conscious days.

So, what are we doing tomorrow night?


p.s. I promise to write something less heavy, less cheesy(?), and more entertaining soon.