Try to control the pull of one magnet to another magnet

The other day I was telling Ian about the moment I realized that adults used swear words. Until I was around twelve, I sincerely thought cursing was strictly an adolescent thing. No adults I talked to or overheard ever thought it was necessary to limit their use of adjectives to expletives like teenagers did, plus my parents always discouraged it, so it seemed likely to me that upon getting a job, putting on a tie, and realizing it was time to grow up, punks my age would toss out swearing as fast as ear gauges. I don't remember which potty-mouthed group of full-grown hoodlums finally burst my pristine little bubble of imagined developmental purity, but I do remember feeling a bit betrayed. I'd never swore, and never felt the compulsion to start when the rest of my friends did, so I was looking forward to reaching Magical Eloquent Big People Land, where everyone else would go back to talking like me. Adulthood got an X added to the "con" list in my mind once I realized that not only now, but for the rest of my life, would I likely be the only one in the room who felt the urge to say "the F word" instead of the real one.

That is, until I'm 90 and, presumably, everyone will suddenly be afraid to use anything but coddling infantile language around me.

Happy Halloween, too, I guess. What used to be OMGbestholidayevr! is considerably lamer when candy severely disrupts my usual eating pattern to the point of tummyache, any decent costume requires me to spend money that could otherwise be put to good use to Support My Caffeine Addiction, and it's my impression that trick-or-treating at this age would be met with either disgust, suspicion, or pity.

Days like this keep me warm

I have issues with the idea of playing devil's advocate. I will admit: it's a spectacular rhetorical strategy; it makes for interesting conversation if you're one of those coffee shop philosopher-types in a conceptual discussion; and it is completely necessary in an advice-giving situation. But more often than not, people who do it in everyday, practical dialogs do it wrong. They'll do so for no particular reason, all the time, and, apparently, just to be big asses. Bringing up the occasional counterpoint in our conversation is obviously productive to our discussion. Constantly pitting yourself against me on issues that actively pertain to my life just makes me begin to mentally consider you my mortal enemy and/or arch nemesis.

That being said, there is a second conversational annoyance I have that will without fail incite me to renounce my view and shove myself into the devil's advocate role out of sheer irritation, even if I agree with the point being made. And that is people who propagandize their own arguments. If it is my opinion that abortion should not be legal and I am in a discussion on the topic during which the person I'm talking to refers to pro-choice people as "baby killers" or "anti-life," I don't want to be on his side anymore. There's no point in talking about something unless you talk about it in fair terms. Even if Mr. Propaganda were trying to actively persuade me of his point of view, he should do so with strategies more mature than name calling.

I read in a TIME article once that scientific studies have shown that younger people are more inclined to take risks because of a lack of brain development on their part. Far be it from me to counter Science, but it seems to me that younger people might also be more inclined to take risks because, really, they're in a time in their lives when things are changing constantly and significant decision making is an everyday occurrence. After signing the form agreeing to dedicate their studies, and therefore future career path, on business instead of their musical passion, I think it's reasonable to consider that youngins might regard "risky behavior" as comparatively tame. It's relieving to make a choice which has immediate consequences when most of the other choices you make have ramifications so far in the future it's entirely possible Astro will be waiting for you when you get there.

"I stopped believing in one events. Sure, the first drag from a pipe, the pulling of a trigger, the whispering of a lie, these at times can be monumental events, but there is always history behind them. They can't be picked apart standing alone. It'd be like trying to split an atom with a machete."