A celebration of stereotypes and non-activism!!

I know you're all dying to hear how coffee went last night, so I'm going to post an update before I start getting e-mails that say "UPDATE!!" lol

I know this one will never go further than friends. This is one of the things I like about getting to know people... you learn more about yourself in the process. She's young... and you can tell. She's exactly where I was five years ago, so I guess she's right on schedule. But it's not where I am today, and that's why I know it would never work as a relationship.

She's a self-proclaimed activist. Don't get me wrong, I have friends that are activists... but activists in general kinda drive me nuts. I think I've said it before how I'm not one to stand up on a soap box and shout my thoughts out to the world. I prefer to sit back and enjoy the ride for the most part. Activists are out there trying to make a difference. Me... not so much. Let them do their thing, but it's not really my thing. I get the impression that she enjoys slipping her new-found sexual identity label into conversations. For example, "So I had a date with a girl last night" Yeah? I can say the same thing to my co-workers: "I went for coffee with a friend last night" To me, I don't think it's any of their damn business what I do in my personal life. If they ask, I'll be honest, but I don't feel the need to point it out to them that I went on a date with a girl. Maybe it comes with having a career vs. a job. She's working at a job where she knows she's not going to be long-term. I've got a career... a job where, at this point in time, I can see myself staying there for a very long time. And I don't want my personal life to hinder my chances of promotion. I know I could go screaming to human rights if that was the case... but why open that can of worms in the first place?

I've learned from past experiences that one of the keys to a successful relationship is an understanding for how the other person was raised. A person's childhood has a huge impact on what kind of an adult they turn out to be. The things they value, how they handle situations, and so many other things. My ex and I came from completely different backgrounds, and it led to a lot of fights and differences in how a lot of things should be done or handled. I'm not saying two people have to come from the exact same background, but at least something that the other can relate to. So for example, I found out that this girl's mom was going vegetarian right around the time that my mom was butchering chickens in the shed out back. Obviously these are not huge life-altering circumstances... but they definitely lead to some assumed stereotypes about each of us lol.

Stereotypes!! Ahh the word of the evening! Aside from the lack of the infamous "click", I think this is the #1 reason I can't see myself dating her. Somehow she ended up telling me this story about how she got upset when a co-worker used the phrase "this is so gay!" She told them that she didn't appreciate how they were using the word "gay" in that context. Really?! I'M gay... and I say "that's so gay!" all the time. It drives me nuts when people micro-analyze the things that other people say, and they really read more into your choice of words than they should. So I retorted with this example: my brother is handicapped. I prefer the word handicapped, but by dictionary definition, he is 'retarded'--slow, delayed, or limited in intellectual or emotional development. But I use "that's retarded" ALL the time. The only way I would take offence to the word is if someone used it as an attack on him personally--"Your retarded brother should be locked away" or some sort of slam like that. I used to get upset in school when kids would pick on him personally. But the word in general? "All these detours and construction in the city is retarded!" How is that insulting him, or other people like him? I don't get it. To me, it seems like some people are always looking for a cause, specifically looking for something to protest or change... and that's the root of them over-analyzing the use of words. It's retarded. That's right, RETARDED!!!

I wanted to sleep in this morning but the cats woke me up around 8:00 to get fed. I went back to bed but all I did was lie there thinking about that conversation and it just made me more and more angry until falling back to sleep was out of the question. Now that I've blogged about it I feel so much better! :)

Oh yeah... there's also the love triangle she's in. This girl that she used to like is in a polyamorous relationship with a guy. The girl wants her, the guy says it's over if the two girls hook up, but coffee girl is no longer interested in the polyamorous girl. Yeah. I'm not touching that one with a ten-foot pole.

In a rebellious celebration of all stereotypes, I am going to go put on a plaid button-up shirt, eat some bacon, find something to fix with my power tools, then go for a drive in my diesel truck. Okay not really... I don't own a diesel truck... but for all you know the rest could be true :P