I must admit, one of the things I was most worried about when I made the decision to work from home was staying on a normal work schedule and committing myself to working during normal work hours. So far the transition has proved pretty smooth! I haven’t been tempted to take advantage of my new-found freedom and have been proactive with my time. I’m determined to keep it up!
I’ve also managed to remain on my normal eating schedule and have made it a point to sit down for real meals rather than snack through the day, as I sometimes do when I’m at home on the weekend. There’s something different about a “work day” at home that gives me more motivation to stick to healthy eating and veggie-packed meals.
This afternoon, I enjoyed a salad for lunch.
- Romaine lettuce
- Carrots
- Tomato
- Feta cheese
- Holland-style jarred onions
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
After downing almost an entire batch of wheat germ brown sugar cookies myself over the course of the weekend, this salad did its thang and got some vitamins and nutrients back into my system.
Success!
High School Superlatives
On Saturday I received a neat little package in the mail from my high school. I was recently interviewed by a copywriter from Fremd High School’s student newspaper who contacted me with questions about my blog. The interview was published in The Viking Logue on Friday, May 27 and the advisor of the paper sent me a copy to see for myself.
Coincidentally, the issue of the school newspaper I received included the coveted “Senior Issue.”
In high school I remember loving the senior issue. It showcased the lives of a handful of exceptional students who were graduating that year. The swimmer who placed first at the state meet in several races. The singer whose passion for music landed her a scholarship to her top-choice college. The volunteer whose devotion to helping others resulted in the creation of a new local charity to help those in need. As a freshman I had no idea who these students were, but I loved reading about their passions and successes.
And then, covering the middle spread of pages of the senior issue, the Senior Superlatives were displayed.
Best Dressed, Best Smile… all the usual superlatives. My high school also took it up a notch with some more creative awards: Brownest Nose, Most Likely to Be a Millionaire, Biggest Party Animal, Worst Driver, Most Likely to Marry for Money, Most Intelligent, Prettiest Eyes, Couple Most Likely to Get Married/ Divorced, among many others.
At the time, I really didn’t think much of it. I laughed at the funny awards and smiled at the nice awards. They didn’t really affect me and I took it all in stride.
Now that I’m older and randomly stumbled upon this issue of my high school’s newspaper, I feel a bit conflicted. Are senior superlatives a good idea? Do they encourage comparisons and competition? Are they a fun part of tradition? Can people take the awards with a grain of salt, or are they too personal?
Honestly, I don’t know. I personally was okay with the awards as a teen, but, now that I’m an adult, I wonder if they affected some of my peers in a negative way.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Questions of the Afternoon
What do you think of superlative awards? Are they all in good fun or can they be potentially problematic?
Did you win a superlative award in high school?
I actually won “Couple Most Likely to Be Married” with my high school boyfriend. Oops. 
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I really never gave much thought to the senior superlatives because I was never nominated for one – I may have felt differently if I were in the shoes of the winner though!
I think they’re a fun idea, but can definitely affect some in a negative way. It’s a fine line.. so to air on the side of caution (because it’s better to not risk hurting anyone’s feelings), maybe that tradition should fade away…
Cute napkin btw 🙂
I think the superlatives at my high school were pretty harmless. Almost all of them were Best *whatever*, though there were a couple like Most Time Spent in Principal’s Office and stuff like that. The people who won those, though, must have all seen it coming…haha.
And you betcha I won Senior Superlatives! Not one, not two, but THREE! I won Always Does Their Homework, Always Follows the Rules, AND Biggest Perfectionist. BAM. Look at me go. Hahahaha.
this. is. awesome. i read it aloud to ryan. 🙂 you rock!
i actually really like them (as long as they arent mean) we did have one for my friend heather who received “most likely to fall at graduation” It was all in good fun because she even talked about her lack of walking skillls on a daily bases. She would trip just walking down the hall haha
You definitely brought up a really good point! I was actually voted best dressed, but I remember there were issues with people cheating and the vote counts being biased and such. Looking back, I think it may not have been the best idea because there are a lot of insecurities and such going on in teenagers heads!
I kinda feel the same way about them now. I didn’t win any in hs, but a lot of my friends did and to be honest they were all the “popular” kids that won them. I’d imagine it being hard to stomach if you weren’t a part of that group. They were fun to read at the time though!
I was given the title of “Biggest Flirt”…. needless to say that fueled the breakup of my (at the time) 3 year relationship. Whoops!
I love your commitment to your daily schedule! I will use you as my inspiration to get up AND actually accomplish something early in the morning. I have been getting more and more relaxed every day since I never have commitments this term before 10:30!
Keep up the good work 🙂 !
I think superlatives are all good and fun.
I won most independent. I still think that is true. I’m one of the only one of my friends to live alone, and I often do my own thing.
I won most likely to be president. I remember thinking – WHAT?- What does that even mean cause I will not be president. I can’t believe you guys had mean ones. Ours were all very PC. You know- most likely to be a millionaire, best smile, most athletic (which a football player won even though we had four boys run Div 1 track and field and he never played again)
I think superlatives are totally fine as long as they’re pretty harmless. The more negative they get, the more I think they have potential to have bigger ramifications. Ours are published in our yearbook, so I have all of them to look back on 🙂
I won “most likely to win Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” along with my friend Pete. He’s gone on to med school and I just finished law school, so I think that was our classmates way of saying “you guys know too much random crap” ha!
Our high school did away with superlatives a couple years before we graduated. I thought, and still do think, it’s ridiculous! Kids are coddled way too much anymore and as long as it’s not mean spirited I don’t see a problem. I say this as someone who wouldn’t have won any superlatives anyway. I was liked by most but didn’t have a clique or any super special talents
I know exactly what you’re saying. I was voted “Biggest Mouth” in high school, and although I laughed it off, I guess it could be pretty offensive? I mean, I take pride in my outgoing-ness, but I don’t know if “biggest mouth” is the best way to put it.
Plus, one of my heavier friends was voted “most likely to become a hockey player,” which was obviously an attempt to make fun of her weight. How awful!
I won “Most Likely to Become a Rocket Scientist” haha. I’m now an Accounting and Finance major- not even close! I was really excited that I had won something though!
If it makes you feel any better, I don’t even remember who your high school boyfriend was. 🙂
My husband and I won Most Likely to Be Married too!!! We joke that that award cursed us and even if we hated each other we would have had to get married 🙂
I personally think that most people really like the superlatives, but there are also plenty of people that get offended/hurt by the results. Of course that’s how everything is-nothing pleases everyone-but I agree that I don’t think they’re necessarily the best thing to do…
As I was reading, I was thinking about my high school’s “superlatives” (we called them senior personalities..haha), and I thought to myself, “I wonder if her high school had the “Best Couple” curse!! The top couples would complete NOT to be voted best couple or “most likely to get married,” because those couples ALWAYS ended up breaking up! I’m sure this super crazy curse wasn’t always to blame, but it’s fun to think there’s some kind of supernatural phenomenon behind it! : )
The pressure! It’s too much!!! 😉
That “Best Couple” curse was true for my highschool as well. Our Superlatives were printed in the yearbook and we actually had a tie for “Best Couple.” BOTH of the couples were broken up before the yearbook even came out.
It’s funny because the curse didn’t hold true for my class! Two couples tied for this award and both are now both married with children!
I got best smile! But, my class got jipped that year. They did not publish the superlatives, we did not get to go to grad night, our prom was terrible, and so much more 🙁
First, congrats on the article! 🙂 My high school had mostly good superlatives when I graduated. However, I’ve seen some since then and other high schools and I think “why would they ever do that?” I got Best All around and Most Friendliest. 🙂 I do remember some drama happening when it came to the voting for best dressed. The girl who wanted it since 6th grade didn’t win. So, sometimes it can be a popularity contest. I think superlatives are great as long as they are all positive and people vote for who should win and not who they want to win. If your blog was up for a superlative, it would win cutest and most likely to make you smile! 🙂
We had a whole superlative awards banquet (with dinner included), but I didn’t win anything. There were probably about 15 categories for a class of 460-something. It was all in good fun, but looking back, I do remember feeling left out because some of my friends won. Voting for the awards was voluntary and on our own time, so who knows how many people/which people voted!
Over one million followers monthly!? You really are awesome 😀 I won the “Best Girl/Guy to Bring Home To Mom/Dad” and “Prettiest Eyes” superlatives and it’s safe to say I was happy with both! 🙂
I didn’t win any superlatives, which was totally fine by me. I guess I got some votes for some of the categories, though. 🙂
Getting the Class Couple superlative was always a curse at my high school. Those couples always broke up by the time the yearbook came out. Haha.
I got best smile…I think it was because I had my braces off longer than anyone (6th grade)…it’s all in good fun. I know my high school took off “best looking” when I was a freshman because they thought it was too superficial…is that not the spirit of superaltives???
I thought the superlatives were so fun, especially if not taken too seriously. I won best smile in 8th grade and my senior year. When I was a freshman, I was voted Friendliest.
One guy was voted “Most Dramatic” and was too dramatic about it to even take the picture. Haha!
I think when they are the “fun” ones then I think most people didn’t take them seriously. But my high school just had the “best laugh”, “best smile”, “most popular” type ones and I remember feeling super jealous in high school of all of the popular people who won all of them. It was like a smaller version of celebrity envy! I’m not proud of my jealousy, but it was definitely there.
I was the editor of my senior year highschool yearbook and in order to eliminate as much of the negativity that can occur from the tradition we instated a rule that no one could win more than one superlative! We thought it would be more fun that way because it would include a lot more people from a broader range of “friend groups” (read: cliques).
I won “best hair” my senior year.
I agree, in high school I didn’t think much of superlatives. I actually got honorable mention for “Pedestrian’s Worst Nightmare” (which I campaigned for, which is so incredibly weird) and won “Most Likely to Trip While Receiving Diploma.” Both great accomplishments, obviously.
But, now I hear more and more stories of high schoolers using it as another form of bullying which is terrible. I’m surprised it is still around as it seems pretty bad for kids’ self-confidence.