Life Moves Pretty Fast

By Grace Carballo ‘17

USC is once again hosting The LA Times Festival of Books this weekend but before those festivities commence, there is a movie night scheduled for this Wednesday - a screening of one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.   https://www.facebook.com/events/641043612693978/

Normally, I would recommend dropping whatever you are doing immediately to watch this iconic film, especially if you have never seen it, but waiting until Wednesday is preferable in this case because an outdoor screening with friends on McCarthy Quad is much more Ferris-y than watching it alone on your computer.

Of course you might have midterms and finals are just around the block, but that is not what college is about. Ferris understood that and he was only a senior in high school. 

Let’s all take a breather and learn from his example with these profound words of wisdom, which I have taken the time to gather for your convenience so you can focus on living.

Ferris was in the Chicago suburbs (where I hail from) but here in L.A., it’s even harder because every single day is stellar weather. You have to be selective or your dismal attendance could lead to your demise. 

“You can’t respect somebody who kisses your ass. It just doesn’t work.” 

 I resonate with this on a personal level at every career fair or networking event I go to. 

Cameron learned to have a little self respect and that is worth more than any internship. Except a well-paid one, I suppose. 

Diamonds are nice (presumably- I actively avoid expensive things), but knowing how to chill is a lot more valuable in terms of overall quality of life and in terms of people finding you pleasant to be around.

“Ferris, my father loves this car more than life itself.” - Cameron

“A man with priorities so far out of whack doesn’t deserve such a fine automobile.” - Ferris

Ferris also is in the school of thought that things are replaceable but the people you love and experiences you share are worth, pardon my French, a hell of a lot more. 

There’s nothing like using a parade to prove a point to your pessimistic best friend. I haven’t experienced this personally but it’s just something I know to be true. 

This is probably how I am going to start answering when people ask me what I’m going to do after I graduate. “The question is what won’t I do.” I probably won’t make it to the NBA but I’m not willing to rule much else out. 

AND the grand finale- 

Life does move really fast. I’m almost halfway done with college and it feels like I started last week.  I stopped writing this mid-post, convinced my friend Evan to abandon his responsibilities as well, purchased and consumed copious amounts of Reese’s ice cream, skyped my roommate Alana in Istanbul, and just now sat down to finish it. At the end of the day, Ferris had his priorities right - good food, good friends, and good times.