Posted by Morphia [65.101.206.148 - host-65-101-206-148.cust.qwest.net] on 21 April 2004 at 08.33.29 ZuluTime:

Another pointless rant... though, this one is shamelessly self-serving.

     There is no other name for it. That period of two or so years between "adult-hood" and "adult-hood: part deux" (not to be out done of course by "adult-hood:revenge of the sequel" another four years or so down the road).

That weird time between being able to vote, but unable to drink (though, if election-history teaches us anything, its not the drunk, but the senile we have to worry about in voting booths), where depending on what store in the mall we're in, depends on what our status is in terms of "maturity".

I can sign up for my sixteenth credit card with little to no hassle, but I want a bottle of vodka and suddenly, the government decides I'm just not quite ready for that degree of responsibility. Mind crushing, vomit inducing lifetime of debt, no problem. A two hour buzz, forget about it.

Maybe it's the fact they are afraid I'm going to drink and drive? Well, having missed a previous "milestone", that's hardly a concern. I'd be happy to show them my state issue I.D to assauge their worries that I may become a statistic. All I want is a little bit of liver failure, not my face in the headlines for wrapping my current vehicle (boots) around a telephone pole.

I've often wondered what warped mind created the timeline for these rights of passage:
     16-Kill as many people as possible in a multi-ton vehicle
     18-Vote in another mindless dictator, get yourself into debts rivaling the current national defecit.
     21-Drink one of the oldest beverages known to man
     25-Rent previously aforementioned multi-ton death-mobile.

Oh... and own a gun. I can vote in dictators and own firearms, though, not for much longer if the current trend of sub-genius politicians continues.

At any rate... my time in purgatory is half over now. Though, it hardly seems like anything has really changed, and at this point, I am seriously doubting that even when I hit that "magical age" where kidney dialisis is a legally viable option, anything will have changed yet. Sure, Brittney and Justin will be pushed into some obscure Trivial Pursuit (tm) question, but really: What will be different?