I feel so very "special"…

That’s something of an inside joke, but it’s not so much so…

Yesterday, I attended the Eagle Scout ceremonies of two of my friends: Michael and Chris. Michael had his first, then there was a shared reception, then Chris’s ceremony. Both were extremely touching, and the whole affair made me so proud to know these two and their families and friends. It was an interesting experience.

I generally avoid most things Boy Scouts, due to their standing on issues such as homosexuality, but sometimes… sometimes it’s not about the organization, it’s about the individuals in it, ya know? Although I do consider that there are those that would have attained the rank of Eagle Scout that were excluded merely for their sexual orientation yet are just as worthy, I have to question if this detracts from the hard work and dedication shown by my friends en route to achieving this award. I have to conclude that it doesn’t. It’s not its affiliation with the Boy Scouts that makes the Eagle Scout important, it’s what it represents to those that put in the effort to attain it. That was a hard distinction for me to make.

But the entire ceremony was fascinating. Michael, Eric, and Chris formed a trio of friends; during Michael’s ceremony, Chris and Eric escorted him and his parents onto and off of stage, and during Chris’s, Michael and Eric did the escorting. There was a sense of “friends forever” that, whether actual or not, and whether clichéd or not, was touching and provided a strange sense of continuity.

The reception was fun, as some folks from Harding showed up, including one of our favorite English teachers. There was plenty of laughter (Nathan and I were both laughing so hard that we couldn’t sing “For he’s a special fellow” (to the tune of “For he’s a jolly good fellow”) for Chris), and between Hannah and Nathan, my stomach was aching from laughing. Apparently, our former English teacher had her baby this past Monday, and the [insert very kind adjective here] person that was told didn’t see fit to inform the class. I guess I should give congratulations, though, even though I dislike children, huh? Congrats, Ms. L.

I also received my acceptance letter from WPI yesterday. It didn’t really hit until today that I got in. Since about 2 o’clock I’ve been jumping around, devouring their website and the Virtual Tour of the premises, and contemplating whether I will receive enough money to attend. It seems like such a great school… I hope I’m not mistaken on that.

Orlando also had a dinner party last night, which we followed up with a movie. Orlando’s mother and aunt cooked up an amazing array of Costa Rican dishes for us to try. Although the food was delicious, I wasn’t in a courageous mood last night, unfortunately, meaning I just sort of picked at my plate. But the food was good, I promise. We even made a plate (actually, it was a tupperware dish) for Hannah. Afterwards, we went to see “Bringing Down the House”, which I had already seen once. It was just as funny the second time around, especially given the fact that Mia was constantly and contagiously giggling beside me.

I was loaned the Linkin Park: Reanimation CD last night and have been listening to it throughout the day. With the exception of a couple of the songs, I find myself singularly uninspired. Maybe it grows on you, but I like the original, unmixed songs better. There just isn’t anything particularly gripping about the music, and of course, I’m already familiar with the lyrics. It’s just a little “bleh”.

This whole weekend seemed so removed from the war, my financial problems, my family problems. It was a weekend of escapism at its finest, and I wish I just had one more day off from school.