Mike Lee.org - The Media - Weekly Random Rambles, Musings & Writings of Mike Lee

The Wear Sunscreen Speech

July 20th, 2008

By Mike Lee

You know the Wear Sunscreen Speech, right? If not, where have you been? Under a rock buried in the sand behind an outhouse on an island with dark sunglasses at night? Tsk tsk.

The Wear Sunscreen Speech—sometimes simply known as the "Sunscreen Speech", but originally called "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young"—was written by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich way back on June 1, 1997 as a fictional commencement speech that she'd like to give if she were ever asked to.

For some reason, a mischievous student decided to send the speech around as a MIT commencement speech given by Kurt Vonnegut. Weird, huh? If you've seen that email, now you know who really wrote that speech—Mary Schmich and not Kurt Vonnegut (though Vonnegut could have certainly written something just as witty & profound).

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The Memory Loss of Young Professionals in Urban America

September 18th, 2005

By Mike Lee

"Damn, I can't remember what he said, but I remember it was something important."

Laura gave me the Raised Eyebrow. "You can't remember? That was like, only ten minutes ago!"

I sighed. "I know, I know…"

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Peeing With a Star

December 8th, 2002

By Mike Lee

"Who do you think they are?" I asked.

We studied the two guys who spilled out of the limo. They had long hair, hard rock T-shirts (one of them said "Motley Crue"), and the whole hard rock ensemble (black outfits, metal chains, boots, etc).

"I don't know," said Geraldine. "You're the heavy metal guy, you should know."

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WTC 2.0

September 15th, 2002

By Mike Lee

"Today, our nation saw evil,
the very worst of human nature.
And we responded with the best of America—
with the daring of our rescue workers,
with the caring for strangers and neighbors
who came to give blood
and help in any way they could."
- G. W. Bush

"The purpose of architecture is to create
an atmosphere in which man can live, work, and enjoy."
- M. Yamasaki

"Don't Rebuild. Reimagine," says the New York Times Magazine of the site of the World Trade Center. And so a group of leading architects met to discuss what could be done.

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The Slumber Party

July 21st, 2002

By Mike Lee

It's time for the Victoria's Secret Spring Slumber Party again. Oh yea. I love this party. The ladies get together for a whole day and show each other their new clothes. Then they take lots of photos and mail them out to friends.

If you look through these photos, you'll see their story unfold. It's like a picture book, only better.

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Is That Anthrax On Your Shoulder?

October 21st, 2001

By Mike Lee

"It's difficult for me to get a grip on what you mean
When you stick your fingers in your ear and create another scene
You always step into the traps set perfect in your path
Busy going crazy over whose knife's in your back"
- J. Bush

"What if you walked down the street and someone pricked you with an infected needle? You might get anthrax!"

About a dozen friends asked me something like that when I told them I wanted to take a trip back to Manhattan.

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