Advice to prior self

[katster]

(I got it from eleri, she got it from jb98. ...unfortunately, we're not entirely sure who it was that gave it to him...)

You, $Reader, have been given the opportunity to go back in time ten (10) years and tell yourself three (3) things.

What are they?




Keeping this down to three is going to be hard. There's a lot of things I'd like to tell the UC Berkeley freshman that was me ten years ago. In no specific order, some of the things that come to mind are:

Take a damned math class. You will screw yourself out of so many possible options by not taking math your first semester.

Also, give yourself a couple semesters at Berkeley before you try to blow your deeply held beliefs out of the water. If you don't believe in evolution, taking that physical anthropology class first term probably isn't the wisest of ideas.

Take time to study. The Internet will still be there when you're done.

luns...oh right, you don't know Luns yet...but anyway, a guy named Luns is going to offer you root. You might try to be a little less surprised about it.

When you meet Marty, keep in mind he's a jerk. You're going to get him fired, but it won't be without some pain. You'll live through it and be stronger for the experience. Also, Mel and your roommates will try to backstab you. Don't let them.

When you go sign onto that IRC channel for that newsgroup you've been following all term, be nice to the first person that messages you. He's going to mean something to you someday.

Also, that weird guy that goes by Mal? You'll have seasons where you hate his guts, and seasons where he's actually a good friend. Just ride through it. He's just eccentric like that and won't pick up on your subtle clues. You might try finishing that history for him sometime earlier than five years later, though.

There'll also be a guy named DL. He doesn't need to be taken as seriously as you think. It's just an Internet group, and he'll turn out to be one of the most petty and vindictive people you know. Best not to care what he thinks.

When you take stats? You're not good enough to get away with not going to discussion session and not doing your homework. Please don't try.

Do whatever you can to stay off Depakote. It'll really mess with you. Zoloft is also a bad choice -- you're manic-depressive, not depressive.

Get over your hangups about long-distance relationships and go to Eileen's wedding. She's only your friggen best friend, and you'll kick yourself for not going later. Also, you'll look like such a frickin hypocrite for doing that.

Alex is the most awesome professor at Berkeley. You were definitely right in taking Astro 10 with him.

Berkeley's got a lot of resources. Find out and use all of them.


...yeah, it's more than three, but I've done a lot. Anybody else?

Comments

[jcatquince.livejournal.com]

JCat,

You are 13 now. Life is going to become very hard very quickly. I'm sorry. Your family sucks, and there isn't much you can do about it, so do your best. You will end up becoming an awsome person because of it, even if you become a little paranoid about broken promises. And yes, an hour is more than long enough to wait for someone to show up. Unless it's your mom. She's worse than you think, but she does care... in her own special way. You two will get along much better after you stop living with her.

Computers are really cool, right? Don't let your mom or brother try telling you what you are or are not interested in. Indulge in being geeky, and start looking at coding, and the different languages you can use. And really get into the math thing right now, while it's easy and fun. You're a hell of a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for. And don't forget to write down your original icq number and password in something you won't toss or put in storage. You'll love icq, and irc. And probably gaming. If you don't let yourself be interested in it now, you will be to intimidated later.

When you get to college, the first guy you date will be a huge jerk-off asshole. Give it a semester and a half, and get rid of him. And don't let him take advantage of your kindness so much. His problems are not your fault, you are not his mother, and when you are done with him, you will have learned exactly what you do and do not want in other people and exactly how much bullshit you are willing to put up with. And those two comp sci guys? Absolute dolls. Although the one you end up with won't be the one you think it will be. Have patience, and don't be so damn polite all the time.

[maruchan.livejournal.com]

I like how many of the things you and the other person wrote about have similar messages of comfort, like "you're going to get through this and be stronger," or, "yeah, you did the right thing in the end, you should feel good about it."

;)