Valentine’s Day

This is what happens when you go to the grocery store on Valentine’s Day.

The line of men stretched all the way across the store. Apparently it didn’t occur to any of these guys to make plans in advance.

Random Thoughts

---It’s been really easy for me to switch from writing 2011 to 2012 in dates. Just goes to show you how glad I am that year is gone.

---You never realize how much you use a letter until it starts sticking in the keyboard. For the record, I have no idea how that piece of salt got stuck under there.

---I really dislike Starbucks’ coffee, but damn they make good hot chocolate.

---It’s a lot easier to open bananas from the bottom then the stem at the top.

---The corona around the sun is a million degrees (in Celsius of course) hotter than the surface of the sun. That’s right. It gets hotter the further you go from the sun.

---PS. The sun isn’t yellow. Any coloring we perceive is from the light shining through Earth’s atmosphere. Out in space, the sun is boring old white.

---Another mystery of the universe: why do they have courthouses, places where large numbers of people need to be on any given day, with no parking spaces?

---There’s nothing more depressing than finding out there’s a book with the same title and plot point as your own. I thought I was so original.

---Back in high school, there was always a “Senior Prank.” You know, stuff like leaving a For Sale sign on the school’s lawn or releasing greased pigs (yes, that happened). Every graduating class had one. Except mine. Because we were that lazy.

---Canceling Valentine’s Day? Mean, Uzbekistan. Just mean.

---I hate it when I have one of those dreams where I’m late for something and no matter what I do, I can’t get there (usually a class in college, dang it). I’m stressed out enough. I don’t need to be anxious in my sleep, too.

---I read one of the most laughably bad “poems” in all creation. It’s in quotation marks because as a writer, I’m offended by its very existence. In order to write poetry, you have to be able to use words.

---Ever heard of trepanning? If no, don’t click on the link. You’re probably better off not knowing.

And to finish it off, another conversation between me and my mom:

Her: I am watching the worst movie ever.

Me: Plan 9 From Outer Space?

Her: No.

Me: Cliffhanger?

Her: No.

Me: Something on Lifetime?

Her: Yeah, that’s the one. [Pause] I like Cliffhanger.

Yes, she actually admitted that. I’m so ashamed.

Happy Love Day!

Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that has as much meaning as you put into it. For me, it’s not on par with, say, my birthday. Of course, I’m also not in a relationship, so a lot of the purpose of the holiday doesn’t affect me. Although I would like to wish all of you a happy Valentine’s Day. Hugs!

But today, I’d like to look at a more serious topic. I know, kind of a bummer. One of the sites I follow is Cracked—seriously—and when I saw their “The 6 Most Cynical Exploitations of Romantic Love in History,” They're going to lampoon romantic movies, I chuckled to myself. I bet Twilight’s number one.

Then I actually read the article. Not what I expected from Cracked. Not at all.

It wasn’t a joke, it wasn’t humorous. It was about actual exploitation of love and it just infuriated me. One of their top six was the Russian spy ring recently broken up in the US. The people in this ring were forced to marry and have children as part of their cover. These kids were then raised here for decades, not knowing the truth. Can you imagine how shattering it must be to find out your parents are a lie? Your birth was merely part of a scheme? It’s horrifying. And it’s all too real.

The other exploitation that really got to me was the whole “lavender marriage” thing. See, a lavender marriage is when a gay person marries someone of the opposite sex to satisfy pressures put on him/her to be “normal.” As an example, Cracked used Rock Hudson, who supposedly married a woman in order to keep making movies (other actors were run out for refusing to marry, even if they didn’t come out as gay). But there are many others in the world who marry for the fabled moniker of normal, have children so no one wonders. Never mind the dissatisfaction of being in a relationship that no matter how caring it is, still remains loveless.

Today is the day we’re supposed to think of the people we love. I think we should also be thankful we can love them and they love us back.