Hands in my pocket, eyes to the sky
All I wanted was a compact, stress-free book to read during enrollment (Next on my reading list was Bushworld, a stinging 600-page critique on the Bush administration by Maureen Dowd. 'Nuff said). I got more than that: I got a motivation to start the semester right.
Last Chance Texaco by Brent Hartinger (whom I surprisingly found out was gay in the book's acknowledgements; but that's irrelevant haha) was the story of orphan Lucy Pitt's struggle to belong in her new group home and learn to trust in others and herself. As an additional subplot to this, Lucy falls in love and tries to save her group home from being closed down.
(Sidebar: Of late I have this fascination with juvenile delinquency. My choice of recently-purchased fiction books reflect this. I was surprised though that this book's protagonist was...female. Took me a few paragraphs into the story to find that out).
Admittedly, it was the book's title that caught my eye. Last Chance Texaco. What could it mean? Lucy defined it quite well for me:
"To us, Kindle Home was known as the Last Chance Texaco. The name came from those gas stations on long stretches of empty highway, the ones that have signs that say they're the "last chance" to get gas or have repair work for a whole bunch of miles, like right before a big, barren desert."
Then I realized...the book was speaking to me. Not that I'll be seeing a group home anytime soon or be dousing myself in fire, but in more ways than one I'm already entering the Last Chance Texaco of my life. Of my college life. I got myself thinking last night as I finished the book under the covers around 3:30 a.m. and said, "Crap, it's almost over."
I've resolved to myself that I will make this last semester of mine worth every minute. I will let loose all my inhibitions and really live like I mean it. I will grab every opportunity, take every chance, in order to, cliche as it may sound, be the person I've always wanted to be.
I will stop adjusting to the status quo and for once, push back and defy the norms. I will not allow anyone, or anything to come in the way of my goals. This will be the semester to remember; I will do everything in my power to achieve just that.
Coz after Last Chance Texaco, there's just no turning back. Game face on.
Last Chance Texaco by Brent Hartinger (whom I surprisingly found out was gay in the book's acknowledgements; but that's irrelevant haha) was the story of orphan Lucy Pitt's struggle to belong in her new group home and learn to trust in others and herself. As an additional subplot to this, Lucy falls in love and tries to save her group home from being closed down.
(Sidebar: Of late I have this fascination with juvenile delinquency. My choice of recently-purchased fiction books reflect this. I was surprised though that this book's protagonist was...female. Took me a few paragraphs into the story to find that out).
Admittedly, it was the book's title that caught my eye. Last Chance Texaco. What could it mean? Lucy defined it quite well for me:
"To us, Kindle Home was known as the Last Chance Texaco. The name came from those gas stations on long stretches of empty highway, the ones that have signs that say they're the "last chance" to get gas or have repair work for a whole bunch of miles, like right before a big, barren desert."
Then I realized...the book was speaking to me. Not that I'll be seeing a group home anytime soon or be dousing myself in fire, but in more ways than one I'm already entering the Last Chance Texaco of my life. Of my college life. I got myself thinking last night as I finished the book under the covers around 3:30 a.m. and said, "Crap, it's almost over."
I've resolved to myself that I will make this last semester of mine worth every minute. I will let loose all my inhibitions and really live like I mean it. I will grab every opportunity, take every chance, in order to, cliche as it may sound, be the person I've always wanted to be.
I will stop adjusting to the status quo and for once, push back and defy the norms. I will not allow anyone, or anything to come in the way of my goals. This will be the semester to remember; I will do everything in my power to achieve just that.
Coz after Last Chance Texaco, there's just no turning back. Game face on.