"my parents ruined them for me," he said.

"drugs, i mean." The sun made you squint your eyes and everyone sported armpit stains. "Anything, you name it, I feel guilty doing it," said John Doe, a clean-cut young man in his late teens.

"I'd come home and they wouldn't say anything, they would just look at me quizzically, or sometimes they would entertain my long, rambling, weed-spawned conversation in a mildly amused tone. Either way, it was uncomfortable, even if I didn't realize it at the moment; I would often wake up on a weekend morning and 'reagan' myself after the sudden realization."

Doe paused for a moment to shield his eyes from the sun and glance furtively at his shoes. The wind blew in a smell of garbage and plastic wrap drifted out of a dumpster behind a Chinese buffet. Why do it if you feel uncomfortable?

"Well... I wasn't going to say no, you know, I mean, that's rude. I'm too nice, really, is the problem," he said. "My politeness will be my downfall someday. I should go, though, they're packing another bowl."

John Doe is a graphic arts student at the Emily Carr University of Art & Design. His jeans are Diesel and he wears size 8.5 NIKEiD "Sweatshop Specials" with double cord lacing and neoprene orthotic insoles. Clothing providing by Shmerican Shmapparel. It is the opinion of this newspaper that most young people are cripplingly insecure and criminally insane and should be chemically euthanized for use as fertilizer.