Follow your dreams, when you are done with your goddamn obligations.

Today I was looking through the letters to the editor of a tabloid that is almost a week old, though one I enjoy it has no allusions to being wonderful like some of the broadsheets, and I was faced with a number of frustrating letters. Some of you may have been following the progress of Jessica Watson, the 15 year old girl who is attempting to be the youngest person to go around the world solo. She has been off for about a week now, after the thrilling incident where she crashed into a cargo ship. Now some people say this isn't her fault. Hmm let's see. Cargo ships are big. Cargo ships are hard to steer quickly so generally they stay on the same course. Yachts are small and fast and generally easy to steer out of the way of large cargo ships... Yeah.. Not her fault at all.

Fortunately (for her but not for those of us who believe the news should be for news), she survived this encounter and only postponed her trip. So now that she's set out here I am flicking through my tabloid, I am faced with an article describing how on only her second day away she called up her mother to vent about how frustrated she was about her slow progress on calm seas. Hmm.. so Jessica, you've just realised how slow sailing itself is? Girl when you are sailing through stormy tropical waters you are going to love those calm moments where you crawl across the horizon. Furthermore by her venting (QED: bitching), doesn't anyone else see how much this girl sounds like a little brat so accustomed to getting her own way? Especially from her parents who are allowing their oh so wonderful 15 year old daughter to sail around the world when she should be at school.

Apparently not everyone else sees this just by the amount of letters and texts to the editor that was before me this morning supporting her and chastising the sensible nay-sayers.

One letter tells of teenagers who experiment with drugs and drink alcohol and engage in DANGEROUS sex activities and that at least Jessica Watson is achieving something.
Okay fair enough but I will point out that at least most of the teenagers who are rooting, drinking and drugging up are GOING TO SCHOOL.

Next we have the even more annoying letters all professing their happiness and best wishes to Jessica and all saying about how they wished they'd had the courage to go out and follow their dreams like her. My favourite one of these was the one that openly said that because she is following her dream she should be able to get out of school.

Well everyone, I'm leaving school to follow my dream. I'm going to do what I've always wanted to do, I'm going to become a llama herder and trailblazer for the great llama drives through eastern Mars. I'M FOLLOWING MY DREAM AND BY THAT DEFINITION YOU CAN'T STOP ME TO MAKE ME GO TO SCHOOL! Even though in Jessica's case she is 15, the age where one can choose to leave school in Australia is 16. But because she is following her dream she is exempt.

Yeah, right. I, like many others, may not always enjoy school, but I do realise that it is an obligation we have to deal with before we can follow our dreams to sail around the world, to climb mount Everest (though don't get me started on that mountain of bullshit), or to become a llama herder on Mars. School sets us all up to be able to achieve these dreams in whatever way we can.

Finally I leave the darkest letter for last. Well my darkening of a light-hearted cheery letter. This letter was regarding the positivity of seeing a young person do something wonderful and amazing we can all follow with hope in a dark world of terrorism and destruction and death. Do they realise the scope and danger involved in what she is doing? As much as I dislike this girl, when we read about her disappearance and possibly later the discovery of her empty yacht and maybe even the discovery of her drowned corpse washed overboard in tropical storms I'm not even going to say "I told you so." Ironic that such a positive feel good story could possibly end so horribly. Anyone else remember that kayaker who disappeared while going across Bass Strait?

The other side of this for those watching events unfold is the another teen sailor 16 year old Abby Sunderland from America is going to try and beat Jessica. Far from stirring up any patriotism in me to support Jessica this has just made the entire situation even more ridiculous and hilarious. Jessica started out only a good week ago, but Abby plans to leave in late November. To see our lovely little Jessica beaten by someone looking to do the very same as her and who left later would just be so good it would have to make me diabetic. Of course Abby, only 5 months older than Jessica, has yet to find a boat.. and then deck it out so she can make a trip around the world. Sadly for those such as myself, she is not going to trash talk Jessica, that would have been the icing on the cake. Instead she is supportive of Jessica. What the hell Abby? You are her rival now! You are supposed to be like Gary Oak in your obnoxiousness! You are supposed to be attempting to sabotage her entire trip like the 'bad' team in a feel good sport movie!

I guess the world can throw me annoying people allowing a 15 year old girl to ditch school to sail around the world alone (you know there is a piracy problem off the coast of Somalia, might wanna watch out there Jessica) but when something happens to make it interesting, two young ladies in competition for the same title, it isn't even that good. Maybe we'll be treated to a good catfight when one is indignant about her loss.

Jessica, go back to school and goddamn do it when you are older. I don't care that you are going to be the youngest girl in the world to do this. You have obligations to fulfil regardless if you have a dream.

You know who else had a dream but couldn't fulfil until certain obligations were met?
Nelson Mandela.

Well I'm done. Go home now. If you are already at home, stay there. Or not.

Good luck to Jessica and Abby, watch out for cargo ships.

Well.. Here I am...

I never thought I'd do this. I'm on a goddamn blogging site... Shee-it.

I'm not one for blogging. I don't read them, I don't like most of them. I couldn't really care. Frankly I don't care if you don't care about this.

But I do enjoy writing.. And I don't do it enough.. Maybe this will help me out. I also enjoy commentating and I also enjoy Ender's Game. Through blogging Ender's sister and brother rose to become powerful members of the world, his brother soon becoming emperor of a united Earth.
Somehow I don't think this is going to happen but maybe one day, we can dream right?

Hopefully I can make some of you think or laugh. I aim for either. If I offend you then you can just shut the hell up and close this window, because I offend a lot of people, I only appreciate the ones who just accept that that's how I am and don't make a huge deal out of it. I usually don't mean it mostly.. or I'm just looking for a reaction.

Whelp.. that's it for now I guess.

Now go do something useful with your life instead of reading shitty blogs on the interwebz.