Say "Cheese!"

Today is my last chance to be in the 2008 version of The Bostonian, Boston University's yearbook. I have canceled and rescheduled my appointment approximately 32 times in the past few weeks.

While I have no intention of purchasing senior portraits, nor am I about to shell out $70 for a publication I've never even seen past issues of, my parents seem to think (and I've reluctantly agreed) I'd be foolish to skip out on the photo oppt. I figure if my parents have invested $140,000+ for the sake of my higher education, I owe them at least the notion that somewhere there is tangible, photographic evidence of my BU attendance - as if my future, inevitable domination of the communication industry isn't enough. I kid, I kid.

This got me thinking about the hilarity of yearbook photos of the past. Not only mine but the entire population of them. Yearbook photos are, the majority of the time, overly cheesy and unnaturally contrived. The late 70s boasts a groovy melange of these, and I have my parents' yearbooks to prove it. Personally, when I took my high school senior portrait, I put up quite a strong front against posing with a rose (Merrimack High School has an admirable policy about this) or with my face rested on my hands. In fact, I honestly think we should all follow Patrick Agin's lead for yearbook picture ideas ...

... Boston University's hired yearbook photography company requires "business attire," but I am extremely tempted to break out my chain mail armor and sword.