Friday the 14th

Yes, Friday is February 14th... VALENTINE'S DAY! I call Singles Appreciation Day, because why not? Do I care about it? Personally not really, but VDay always means:

Marathon of Valentine/love/rom-com/dramas on every goddam channel. Do they bother me? Nah*. Annoying, yes. They are the same as any other themed marathon, and I'll be honest, the only marathons I truly embrace are TCM's 31 Days of Oscar and baseball related movies.

(*Caveat: there are certain things that bother me, of which I'll explain below.)

Then there's all the "buy her this...." commercials, from jewelry to teddy bears to chocolate to lingerie. A bit ridiculous that only the women should accept gifts or that men are the only ones that fret over VDay gifts. I'm a non romantic doof, I'd have no idea what to get. But, I put up with the commercials- it's a business, man, go make yo' money on a holiday.

But, the holiday always brings out some of the ridiculous, like articles or ads about "how to catch a guy" or "how to make him stick around" or "YOU NEED A MAN." Well, maybe not worded directly like that, but you get the point.

First, no one "needs" a partner; a partner is someone you find that completes you, and you shouldn't settle for anything less.  If you want to find your mate via dating sites, etc. more power to ya, but if you are good just how you are, keep doing you.

Anything beyond "be yourself" shouldn't be on any list on how to snare/keep a mate. By pretending to be someone else or taming your personality can lead to a rude awakening when the real you comes out. I'm not talking about in a fight or whatever, I'm talking about everyday you. I was told to temper my baseball/football passion/knowledge when I first met a guy, but that's part of who I am. Why should I leave out such a big part of my personality? If you can't handle it, bro, I'm not a girl for you.

Then we get to the movies that are promoted where "finding a mate" is the end all, be all, and life isn't worth living or is incomplete without "love" and someone needs to be rescued or save the other. Not everyone needs to be rescued, or be the knight in shining armor; people don't necessarily need a partner to make life complete. Are facets of this real? Sure. Everyone wants a fairy tale- just make sure it's your own, and you are true to yourself. Give me movies like "The Muppets" or "Love Actually" or "Pride and Prejudice" that portray complicated people and relationships, and strong, but flawed, characters (both men and women). Show me people that find the perfect complement, regardless of their issues, without compromise because they realize they don't need a man (or woman).

So, in conclusion, Eliza Bennett 4 lyfe.