I loved it the first time I heard the song about the "Wear Sunscreen" speech and all the legend and talk behind it. Finally found out the truth about Mary Schmich's editorial (is that the truth?? LOL), but I still love it, and even the quirky rap song, to this day.

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97.

Wear Sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself. Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody elses.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths. Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Still makes me feel good. No matter where it came from.

Faeries.

unicorns

<hijack>

I wrote this song after hearing Baz Lurman do a version of this speech.

</hijack>

Oh, yeah. I remember when I wished that those spaceships in Battlestar Galactica were real. I dreamed about flying them around school and rescuing some girl I liked...

Hobbits and Middle Earth

i still pop in the CD that has this song on it from time to time.

i always come away feeling really good.

you all are invited to my 75th wedding anniversary.

i'm dancing the funky chicken.

I wish The West Wing was real.

(the TV show, not the offices at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave)

I wish Hogwarts was real, I think I could have done REALLY well if school had been like that

I wish wishing on stars worked

This part almost made me tear up....

"Your choices are half chance. So are everybody elses."



When asked if I believe in fate or free will I always answered: Both.

I wish my amazing guitar skills were real. I just pretend.

I wish I could retire tomorrow and then play at photography.

Cher

I've read and listened to that for 8 years now ... I still pull things from it, and I still get chills.

Peace.

time travel

Invisibility and the ability to know when milk has gone bad before drinking it.

it doesn't?

i wish that elves were real...they're so beautiful...although they'd probably give me even more of a complex...

Who doesn't want to do that?

Have you tried the sniff test? That and looking to see if the cream has started to separate out.

I've had a couple of dreams that Bono and I were old friends. It sure would be nice...

Ooo I have had dreams where I become friends with Tori Amos, and am always sad when it's not actually real.

--and about the milk, sometimes in the early morning milk that appears to be just fine turns out to be cereal ruining milk and really should have a warning on it that my barely open eyes can read--- the end.

oooh...look what i found!

okay...so it could be a projector....but still!!!

jackalopes.

You got a thing for Orlando again, huh?

Oooma Loompas. The old kind, not the Burton edition.

Phone sex.

Phone sex is overrated. I tried it once ... never again. It hurt. The receiver was too big.

LMAO!!!!!

happy ever after.

peace,
zayne (also lmao at joyce)

(Also LMAO @ Joyce.)

um... ok.

i....

LOL!

Jackalope?

Bugs bunny and daffy duck.

Life according to Coupling.

President Jed Bartlet.

A flying DeLorean.

Lloyd Dobler.

For REAL.

Diane Court(who saw the real Lloyd)

back at ya

joyceken-

hey! thanks for posting the Wear Sunscreen tune! I've been hoping to run across that for probably 5 years now. alas... I had begun to think it was merely a vapor that whisped through a few radio stations and vanished.

Great!

-brandon

The Blue pill and the Red pill.......

Lets see how deep this rabbit hole goes

The Great Pumpkin!

You guys and gals are RIGHT ON!!! "Say Anything" is such a good movie...

I love Lloyd Dobler and Say Anything.

Amelie

Princess Jasmine

In response to LAS's icon, Edge's "live" backing vocals in "Beautiful Day." That cracks me up every time I see them.