April 30, 2013
Winnie Cooper, the object of Kevin Arnold’s affection, was the paragon of innocent boyish yearning. Her brown hair was long and straight, and always managed, when she shook it out, to improbably catch the best light. And her bright smile, made charming by her buckish front teeth, finely complimented her olive complexion. But the looks were really just the manifestation of her disposition, which was sweet and polite, with a hint of fragility behind her big doe eyes. It didn’t suggest she could go to pieces at any moment, like a damsel in distress, but rather that she had absorbed some blows—her parents were at odds—and was, as a result, a tad older and smarter than her actual years. Yet the smartness, thankfully, wasn’t expressed in absurdly pithy quips, which always draw attention to the artifice of adolescent dialogue. Instead, she had what my grandfather would have called “dignity,” as if she were waiting patiently for all those silly boys to grow up. Winnie Cooper was too good for Kevin Arnold, but she gave him attention anyway, and provided hope for the rest of us in the process.
Today's Photo:
Yes, I buy my cleaning products based on the mascot.
I am an adult.
I do not clean my apartment as often as I should.
It's not that I live in filth or anything. In fact, I wouldn't be embarrassed if you (assuming anyone reads the blog) showed up unannounced. There's a mild amount of clutter, but the floors, counters and bathroom are safe for human use.
I struggle with making my living space comfortable for me. There is a poster I've thought about buying since the day I moved in.
But I have not purchased this. Because I really can't see any use for it. Of course it looks nice, but it only looks nice for me. This doesn't benefit anyone other than me. And that feels selfish.
The reason I'm drawn to this poster is probably because it's not my natural state, though I wish it was. I'm exactly the kind of person who needs this kind of reminder, because I probably overthink and overanalyze EVERYTHING. Including this purchase. I mean, don't I probably do that? It's like that Mitch Hedberg joke:
"I like to drink red wine. This girl says "Doesn't red wine give you a headache?" "Yeah, eventually! But the first and the middle part are amazing." I'm not gonna stop doing something 'cause of what's gonna happen at the end. "Mitch, you want an apple?" "No, eventually it'll be a core."
I just looked closely: "STOP OVERANALYZING" IS RIGHT THERE ON THE POSTER! Screw it, I'm ordering this right now.
Wait, but then I'll be the guy that has the "Live Life Out Loud" poster on his wall. I don't want to be that guy. That guy is a hippie or a jerk. But I'm not a hippie or a jerk. But I don't want people to think I'm one of those people. But who are the people I'm worried about, because NO ONE HAS BEEN TO MY APARTMENT. And I do that on purpose, because there's nothing on the walls. If I hang something on the wall, then I have to drive a nail into the wall of my home. A HOLE THAT WILL BE THERE FOREVER!
I'm getting dizzy. Why is the room spinning? I'm clearly making way too big a deal out of this. I need this poster more than anyone.
(In the spirit of this post, I did not go back and edit at all.)
(But it took alot of effort to just hit "post")
(And yes, I finally ordered the poster)
Thoroughly enjoyed this post! It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has this sort of dialogue with myself. Glad you bought the poster. Put that nail in the wall. You will not look like a hippie or a jerk.
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