November's/December's theme:"We diverge and I collapse into my bed/And you are shoved awkwardly into my head" A Separate Lid Behind Closed Eyes

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Jason recommends the album, American Weekend by Waxahatchee

Extra doses and double shots - December 13, 2021
Half a life ago - December 12, 2021
Buggy - November 27, 2021
When We Two Parted - November 25, 2021
Catfish - November 22, 2021

October 11, 2001 // 12:02 p.m. // Homecoming 2001: When I See You Smile

Homecoming 2001

Some changes you can't prevent. The way you cannot recognize a single cheerleader. The way Woods Cross, the school that's a bigger laughing stock than yours is winning, how everyone at the game seems younger, or the way seventh grade football players destroy tradition to spell out the letters of your former middle school, Glendale.

But some things remain the same. The cheers, the uniforms, the students standing against the railing despite useless calls for them to move. The way the school decorates the stadium for homecoming. Red and white balloons in a series of arches as you approach the stadium and the theme spelled out on the fence visible to the parking lot.

This year: When I see you smile.

We have a lot to smile about. Thanks to those who tragically lost their lives one month ago, we have safer airports, a safer America. Next year is 2002. An olympic year, and in just four months, the opening ceremonies will be taking place.

Smiling indeed.

The band plays, but to some, it's a moot point. While returning one year after graduation is cool, beyond that the chances of finding a classmate you know from your class is slim.

This year there are no glowsticks. No dates. No dances. No friends to share your food with.

But there's still a reason to smile.

False alarms. Male cheerleaders. New faces. Old friends.

The school is new. The tradition remains. And even while down 6-0, there are no worries.

Leaving means you lose your seat, a perfect metaphor for high school life. Four years of football games, spirit, red and white, shouting the same ol' same ol'! Then graduation. You're sent on your way with your diploma which signifies that you have all of the tools you need to be successful. But you still have much to learn after graduation.

Like...

Life doesn't change. It just shifts. From high school to college. From teens to twenties. From what matters and what doesn't. Nothing is simple. That even when you feel so young, you can feel like a leader. You can stand proud. You mean it when you cheer. The themes are no longer as cheesy. What makes high school "high school" is accepted. East high girls will always be East High girls, and the rest, well...Who knows.

Next generation...

of stars...

of doctors...

of writers...

of royalty...

When you were 17, you didn't worry about school shootings. Bombings. Your worst fear was dating. The opposite sex. Acceptance.

It's tradition.

Homecoming is grandparents joining cheerleaders in a round of pushups after a touchdown.

Tradition.

The girls who you knew would be prom queens.

Tradition.

The governor's daughter and only cheerleader from your graduating class leaping from the crowd and onto the field at a moment's notice on a painful day to put on the uniform one more time without missing a beat in the spirit of dear old East High.

So homecoming is all of these things and without a single one, it wouldn't be complete. It wouldn't be the same, and it wouldn't bring about a gleeful feeling. But when the machine known as homecoming runs wild and is running on all cylinders, you won't forget when they see you smile.

Jason

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