doodledee

Sometimes when you do stuff it becomes part of your so-called 'permanent record'. It'll follow you around, becoming part of who you are. That can be good, but it can also be a bitch.

I think the threat was greatest in high school, where [in theory] things on your record could prevent you from getting into the college of your choice. I suppose it's still a big deal when you enter the workforce, but for some reason, I don't think about it in that context very often.

In the Violent Femmes teen anthem 'Kiss Off', Gordon Gano wrote:

I hope you know this will go down on your permanent record. Oh yeah? Well don't get so distressed. Did I happen to mention that I'm impressed?

Man, rebelling against authority was sweet, wasn't it?

Until recently, I'd never actually seen any part of my permanent record. I always imagined a big FBI style folder stuffed with documents and maybe some sneaky spy camera pictures of me on my paper route or something. I bet in reality it's not nearly that cool.

I've realized now that all kinds of crap becomes part of your permanent record whether you want it to or not. Writings, pictures, stories and, perhaps most bizarrely, videos find their way into that big fat virtual file. The rest of you probably figured that out a long time ago, but it only became obvious to me recently.

Heavy.