Love Memes '07

[azurelunatic]

General: 021407
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'Tis the season. It's my duty as the kind of Lunatic I am to play up the Platonic aspects of the holiday. This isn't just about eros. Philos and agape have their place too. I've noticed on the internet that there's been a bit of a backlash against the heavily marketing-driven consumerist and romantic bent to the holiday, turning it into a heartfelt celebration of the esteem and appreciation that one holds for one's friends. And that makes me happy.

I made growly noises about "couples" associated with the holiday when I was talking with Darkside, because it is a little painful to watch that kind of happiness when your love life is not exactly working the way you think it should -- but letting your friends know that they're cared for like back in elementary school is still fun regardless.

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[http://users.livejournal.com/chas_/]

As a personal note, love lives rarely go the way we want them. It's been my experience that love lives are best experienced as they happen, not plotted out. The latter tend to be the ones that end in the worst sort of tears, no matter how the stories make them seem.

The concept of "winning" a person's heart is nice for fiction, bad for reality. Hearts aren't won, they're given. The idea of a "won" heart takes away the purest aspect of love and replaces it with something cheap and tawdry.

Okay, I'll stop before I start on roll about this issue. . .

[azurelunatic]

I'm having an "I'm tired of being a grown-up" moment, mostly. I know that when I follow my crazy-impulses and get together with someone, versus getting together with someone based on mutual liking and respect after we've gotten to know each other, Bad Things Happen. This has been played out enough times that I know that I can't trust my romantic impulses when they're impulses rather than a certain, steady knowledge.

I'd rather have a best friend than someone who goes through the motions and gives me flowers and all in the absence of a deeper connection. And I've got that. I just get kind of itchy around this time of year.

[twirlandswirl.livejournal.com]

I am placating myself this Valentine's Day by reminding myself that someone, somewhere is getting an STD from Valentine's Day sex, and it isn't me.

[azurelunatic]

Hah. Yes. Though that's a little more mock_the_stupid than my general taste in comfort material.

[sraun]

My darling iraunink refers to it as "National Singles Awareness Day" - that describes the hype on it quite nicely, I think.

[azurelunatic]

Ha. Yeah.

I did enjoy a Trader Joe's advertisement for some of their wares, though. It was pointing out that a lot of the gifts geared for the day are unreasonably romantic for a new or uncertain relationship, and if you didn't want to create false expectations in a relationship, why not make a gift of garlic mushrooms? Tasty, tasteful (perhaps), but in no way hearts or flowers.

It made me laugh.