Monday, February 15, 2010

Original recipe or extra crispy?

So I put this view counter on my page thinking "Cool, now I can see how many people look at it. Or if anyone does." The problem I didn't foresee is that I didn't realize it would count me too. So when I post something, notice a problem and fix it, and then notice another problem and fix that, then pretty soon I've got like 5 more views, just from me editing my words. So there are currently 10 views. And there will probably be at least 13 by the end of this post. And they're all mine. That sure makes me feel less lame.
Anyway, the point of this post is that there is no point to this post. Not really. I mean it's Valentine's day. Or was. I guess it's a bit after midnight now, so it's technically not anymore. All the same, though, I'd like to epistle on Valentine's day a little bit. Thus the red font. This day is sometimes known as single awareness day. *twilight zone theme* This I know all about. I've yet to have an actual valentine's day in the official sense. My mom and dad always give us things, of course, and I've got my VT's who this year brought us over the most delicious chocolate cake I've ever eaten. It was so good. And in little heart shaped serving size foil cup/pan things. But despite the significant lack of actual romantic valentine's plans in my 24 1/2 years, I still think the holiday itself is fine. I think it's retarded that so many people are bitter against it. But maybe that's just because I take all the excuse I can get to buy loads of candy in the day after 1/2 off sales. That's the best part about any holiday. And Christmas, by far, has much better candy than any of the other holidays, including halloween. Easter and Valentine's could probably compete for second.
So the point is, So what if Valentine's is a commercial ploy to get us to spend money? If they give us the good special edition holiday only candy, that's the important part. Oh, and there's that whole Love thing. Meaning that it's really true that no person is an island. There's always someone around that you can appreciate, even if it isn't romantically. For example, I have several friends in my current ward who keep me sane. If I didn't hang out with them, I would actually be a real live hermit. This is a shout out to them. Call me lame, but I don't tend to focus on that part of the holiday, though. Maybe I should more. It really is true. Most of these things become self fulfilling prophecies. If you convince yourself that life sucks, and everyone hates you, it's going to happen. Your life WILL suck. Too bad for you. But if you see things for their possibilities, and enjoy what you do have, even if it's small, like Lindt special edition holiday truffles, then life becomes awesome, even when hard things happen to you.
This is something I've learned over and over again, and today just added to it. Because no, I didn't have a romantic date. And no, I don't even have a boyfriend with which to enjoy said romantic date. And no, I don't even have anyone who likes me enough to potentially become a boyfriend. I'm most assuredly not someone that any guy would look at and say "wow". All of my good qualities lie buried beneath a very awkward exterior. I am socially incompetent, and physically plain. These things are what qualify me to say what I am about to say about Valentine's day, and to all the haters out there. GET OVER YOURSELF!! Jeez. Life is so much more than moping about what you don't have. And half the time, the things you think you want wouldn't actually make you any happier anyway. Life is WAY too short to be a bunch of whiny babies.
Being angry about other people enjoying a specific day of the year in a different way that you do is about the same as being angry that someone likes to play monopoly with the shoe piece when you're convinced the hat is the best. The only thing it manages to do is make you feel like crap. Because it does not feel good to be mad. Who actually wants to be mad? No one, and yet so many people are, all the time, about the stupidest things. Don't believe me, go to youtube and read some of the comments on any random video. You can almost always find someone who has nothing better to do with their time than rant and rave about how dumb the video was, when usually it's just someone's random music video, or a slideshow. And no one else cares. This is what you are when you get angry about Valentine's day. The loser who wastes their life being mad at things that don't even affect your life, future, or eternal destiny in any way, shape, or form.
On that note, yeah, sometimes I find it sort of sad. I always have that secret wish that someone maybe has liked me this whole time, and will finally get brave enough to tell me by sending me a thing of valentine chocolate, or a card or something. But it never happens. That part is sort of a let down. But I'm getting increasingly numbed to it. So I'm not completely without feeling or ambition regarding romantic prospects. Granted I'm not the cheesy, gushy, cries during Pride and Prejudice type either. But it's pretty boring to have fewer unmarried friends every day. But I don't hate Valentine's day for that. That really is just so dumb I can't even put it into proper words.
Ok, this post is becoming incredibly long, and not any more interesting than the last one. If anyone actually ends up reading these, that's gonna be way cool. So I just want to end on one last note, inspired by a brief conversation during our game night. There are some boys out there (note the use of the term boys) who feel like being in the same room as the box of a chick flick is like nuking their manliness into smithereens. I grant that I don't at all expect most males to just go and watch chick flicks for random entertainment. And those who do, more power to you for admitting that. But I have to point out that there is a significant difference between just watching chick flicks for no reason, and watching one with a girl, especially if it's her favorite movie. Watching Pride and Prejudice or North and South, or Ever After, etc etc, does not, in fact, decrease your manliness in such a situation. It actually makes you awesomer. You don't have to like the movie. But liking the girl enough to occasionally watch what she wants is a serious plus.
If you are one of those types who refuses under any circumstances to watch any sort of movie that a girl might even sort of like, you're actually working against yourself. You think that it makes you look much more manly and macho. In fact all it does it make you look like a deusch. This is for two reasons. One, because a natural side effect to this is that the only movies you watch together are the ones that YOU pick out, and she has to just give in and watch whatever YOU want. This is ok for like every other time or something. I'm not saying she gets to pick out every movie either. But it is most definitely not ok for every time. You're just a straight up rude and selfish jerk if you're like that. Girls with any sort of brain cells at all do not like to date jerks.
The second reason it's self destructive to have that attitude is that it subtly implies that you are, in fact, actually uncomfortable with your own manliness level. If a guy is straight up fine with his manhood, he's not gonna be afraid that watching a movie is gonna damage that. If you are afraid that watching something where no one's head explodes is going to make you less of a man, then you're a little late there, because you already ARE less of a man.
Keep in mind that this advice is coming from a girl who would watch LOTR over Pride and Prejudice any day of the week. I'm not really a chick flick type, because half of them don't have much of a plot. I like exciting cool things too, and not for trying to be macho at all. Because there are chick flicks I do like. But the point is not that you have to like them. The point isn't even that you have to watch them all the time. The point is that when you're worried so much about your manhood, you're obviously not so worried about her and what she needs. And that's step number one on the "How to be a really bad boyfriend" list. So you really just have to choose... is it more important to you to be cool for the guys, or to get all the girls.
Ok, now that I've waxed philosophic, didactic, preachy, exhortative, and sermonic, I'm gonna be off. Happy Valentine's to all, and to all a good night.

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