What are you talking about, 19. No no, you’ve got it all wrong, I’m 18 in 11 days not 19 *false Basil Fawlty amused laugh*. So Rebecca, Quincy and I were walking down the street, after being kicked out ofthe Kill Bill 2 Screening at “The Belmont” (a pretentious as any “art-house” cinema in Aberedeen) when Quincy starts to go over the plan, the routine, he’llpull to obtain a ticket – and entry to the (very strict about letting 17 year olds into an 18) cinema; the
Lighthouse.The plan is – Quincy will remove his school tie (Belmont guy didn’t get this kitschy fashion statement) and he will obtain the manner of a 20 year old “aw, I’m so hungover and so poor – I’m a student of a university y’know”. Anyway, Rebecca says something about his “school” bag giving it all away, and I agree – throwing in my 10c I tell Quincy I’ll take his schoolbag, it’ll be just fine.Rebecca barked at me “Why? Do you think you’re so obviously over 18 Callum!?”. I liked Saunder’s barkings, not in a weird way – like a clever young mother on the edge of her troublesome two’s kicking off into a “awww, I wanna see some Tarrantino arse kicking”, she’d disarm a pretentious conversation, de-rhetoric your words. Her retorts we’re always on time and always of value (this is starting to sound vaguely obituary-like isn’t it). No matter how much I enjoyed replaying her words through the Dictaphone (joke, that’s a joke) that is / was my 6th year mind. So – anyway, I explain to Rebecca I have ID. Whats-more I am 18. Now, Rebecca gave me a wink-less nod, “so you have fake ID?”.I am 18 I explained. In 11 days, officially (yuck) I’m 19. This is a sad birthday, it may be the first I’m not
looking forward to. What got me though my 16th was Julia’s (completely unexpected) break-time party for 6 we had at the ‘old-school Insch table”. 17th- I had new friends and a new love for Jack Daniel’s and air weapons – which both played there part to a small degree in the humour of that night. 18th, I think I maintained silence enough to be missed by most my friends, but a recycled 18th button and a home-made card made it all
okay. Sara Daniel, Louisa and I share the same Birthday weekend, we are (in) the oldest aged kids on the block back in old-school times. That was fun, and the recycled buttons (for two or three years) came from Louisa, last year we had champagne at Rebecca’s (photos online somewhere) and free-periods in the afternoon. Life was indeed, simple.19. We have agreed to boycott the age 19, personally I’m setting up for a car, word-travel and a wife
by age 25, I’d rather skip the years 19-24 if that’s okay with you. I guess we’re (clitch??d in our ways) bored with growing older, being reminded of
responsibilities, deadlines, money and tax. It’s all dreadfully dull, but you can’t, and I won’t, get stuck in nostalgia. With a passion for living, even just in this 2D word of photography, it’s amazing how easy it is to fall into a belief that things don’t have to change, this is a common Scottish pasttime, it
is the death of civilisation, when concrete sets. When we deny death it’s place, put a sword on a podium, close the gates. It makes me sad. I’m not afraid of the future but getting there’s going to be a bugger.