Graduation Pains

I'm officially eighteen now, old enough to vote and officially be kicked out of the house. I don't think my parents would do that to me though, no matter how much my inner donkey tempts them to. However, the number eighteen is also associated with graduation from high school, which is really what this post is about. Let me tell you, at the beginning of the year, I wasn't exactly sure if I was ready to graduate. Now though, I am certainly ready! I can't wait to get out of New Mexico. -Sigh- The past few weeks have been hectic though. I have had to go to four award ceremonies (not that I'm complaining about getting awards) and it has been exhausting.On top of that, I have had to come up with a valedictorian speech worthy enought to be presented in front of the governer. I'm pretty satisfied with my speech topic, "The Difference Between Finding and Creating Meaning." I think I brownosed my school's superintendent enough in my speech too. There's also little, trifling things that are making an impact on my life. My friends constantly complain about the saludictorian and how she doesn't deserve the title. I disagree with them immensely, this girl deserves the title, but yet I still get in trouble for supposedly "destroying her reputation" simply because I am with my friends when they complain about her. We also have to select ten pictures to use at graduation and let me tell you, it's hard picking pictures! I have a sense of humor and a personality so I don't want my pictures to be the boring ones where I'm just smiling and looking pretty for the camera. I have to be careful with my selections though because the governer will be there and showing a picture of little Paige jumping off her roof into the pool probably is not the best idea. By the way, enjoy the totally awesome picture below:

All of these problems make me curse society and how it forces us to attend these dang ceremonies. I guess without all of this fuss though, no one would feel important. I wouldn't feel important. I'm one of those people that like power and recognition for some reason. I don't seem to be that way because I'm so quiet, but it's true and it always will be. I'm not exactly proud of that trait, but eh, I try not to let it get to me a lot. The part of me that likes power will help me push on through all of this graduation crap though. Something has to.