Things I should have known yesterday

Things I should have known yesterday
By SIMONE BOUFFARD
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Driving a friend's vehicle often requires driving experience. Even a golf cart going 5 mph will find a wall if the driver is untrained.
The sharp end of a knife is not the end to grab it by. Bread knives are more dangerous than they appear.
Do your homework even if the teacher says he will not collect it. You might actually learn something, and the pop quiz the next day will be significantly easier.
Wear shorts under your uniform skirt. The wind cares not if it reveals your knickers to half of the student body.
Check the bills you're using before handing them to the cashier. A strawberry soda is for sure not worth $10.
The person 3,000 miles away is often the one closest to you. It gets frustrating, however, when you have the urge to hug that person.
Cramming the night before the Advanced Placement test usually does more bad than good. If you haven't learned it all in a year, you sure as heck will not learn it overnight.
Do what needs to get done now. Procrastination is easy, but it is most definitely not beneficial.
You are always, always loved by someone. Love right back!
Laugh about the things you did not know sooner. Then, share your new intelligence with someone else.
XSimone Bouffard is is a senior at Carondelet High School in Concord, Calif. She is a contributor to the Contra Costa Times' teen page.
The buzz on TV
SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE
Chad Michael Murray, the star of "One Tree Hill" tells us what he's thinking about.
One true love: "I just went, She's (co-star and fianc & eacute;e Sophia Bush) the one-why would I bother looking any farther?"
Being engaged at 23: "Finding a life with someone who is completely compatible with me is incredibly important -- I've thought about it ever since I was young. I always thought it was one of the more important things in my life that I had to make sure I discovered."
Working with Sophia: "When a new character comes on the set and has to make out with my fianc & eacute;e, yeah, I'm going to say a few things to the guy. But that's just me." (Laughs.)
Father to son: "He (Chad's father) always says that if you can be happy with someone in a cardboard box, you'll be good. I'm trying to explain how he said it -- it doesn't matter where you live or where you are -- it just matters who you're with."
Budding screenwriter: "I want to put out projects that have a lot to do with my childhood, what it was like growing up. Stories that don't necessarily have a happy ending. Artistic pieces that really delve into a character's mind and pull out some of the stuff that you don't normally see -- you know, the kind of stuff that everyone's thinking but nobody ever says? I want to be able to visually show that."
Quote/unquote
"My favorite holiday memory was when I went on a cruise with a bunch of friends including [actor] Frankie Muniz." -- Actress Brittany Snow ("American Dreams"), in M magazine.
"I have a very musical family, so at Christmastime, we love to just stand around the piano and sing carols." -- Jessica Simpson, in M magazine.
"At Christmas, my mom and my brother and I love to drive to Chattanooga, Tenn., to my Nana's house to drop off gifts." -- Usher, in M magazine.
Talkative tees
Isn't it funny how dog people will talk to other people's dogs, but often not each other? DogmaTees has a solution: Let your shirt do the talking.
Pick up one of these expressive T-shirts for yourself or the dog lover(s) in your life. The shirts bark such phrases as the flirty "I know my dog is cute. What about me?" the directive "Curb your dog's enthusiasm" and the truthful "Eat. Sleep. Poop. I wish I were a dog," which just about every busy student can relate to.
You can choose from six phrases at the moment, but more are under development (vote for your favorites at www.dogmatees.com/contactus.html).
The shirts come in both men's (medium through extra-extra large) and women's (small through extra large) sizes -- though the company warns all shirts run a size small -- and multiple colors depending on the phrase picked. Pick your favorite shirt ($19.99) at www.dogmatees.com.