dear tony,

im a freshman at high school and i just got my schedule. NONE of my friends from junior high are in any of my classes. zero.

you’re old, will life always be this freaky and unfair?

signed, selena gomez

dear selena,

well before you were born, i moved from illinois to california. i didnt know anyone at the city college that went to, but first quarter i started talking to this really interesting girl with ripped stockings and words all over her shoes and red lipstick and a stay away vibe. she soon became my girlfriend.

a couple years later i didnt know any one at uc santa barbara and within hours i met some of the people who have remained my closest friends for the rest of my life.

and im much shyer than you are.

in fact i made so many life long friends at college that almost all of them could be put in one of two categories: my hippy friends (below) and my newspaper friends (above)

now would i have met these people if for some reason a few of my friends from high school joined me in moving to LA? who knows. maybe. but maybe not.

the thing is when you have zero friends, you end up making some.
when you already have some, you might not get a lot of new ones.

i had a really good high school experience. and i think one reason was was because i got to meet a whole lot of new people, and learn from them, and grow.

for the next eight years you are going to be in an enviable position where the primary thing you have to focus on is learning

may i recommend learning everything.

from every body.

also, join the band