Red Heart Day & Misc.

"I'm only here to do two things - kick some ass and drink some beer! *pause* Looks like we're almost out of beer."

--Dazed and Confused Richard Linklater

To all couples and singlettes, Happy Valentine's Day! Let me get this out of the way as it's quite a depressing topic: Many posts in the thread Real-Life Romance? at All About Romance shocked and saddened me. In honesty, I was quite shocked on how much some harp on about Diana and Camilla's looks. Example:

I wonder aren't any British men attracted to beautiful women? An actor leaves his wife for a woman eighteen years older, a rock star marries an older woman, and a prince is nuts about a woman who could haunt a house, is there something in the water over there?

*laugh* Still, back to the Real Life Romance? thread, fellow Brit Katherine wades in to offer her take, which says it all for me:

I can't view the engagement as romantic - there's been too much acrimony and tragedy to get to this point. To me, it feels more like an old wrong being righted, so that everybody involved can move on. The amount of vitriol poured on Camilla has surprised and saddened me. The public's sentimental attachment to Diana is so strong that they feel the need to hold a grudge against Camilla. So few people seem willing to forgive her and give her a second chance! Should she be punished for the rest of her life? It's a tragic shame that Diana couldn't have the chance to fill a long life with happiness, but that doesn't mean that Charles and Camilla should be condemned to be unhappy because of that. As long as all the family members involved can come to terms with their relationship, nobody can really criticise! Especially when you consider that one of the "family members involved" is the Queen, and whatever else you care to say about her, her sense of duty to the country is her foremost consideration. And I can understand that lots of people "dislike" Camilla - but then the Queen is hardly likeable, and neither is Prince Philip a particularly warm figure who has endeared himself to the public! (And for that matter, neither is their marriage a shining example of what we all wish for). What I'm saying is that we don't need royals to be universally beloved (although it would be nice if they were), nor do we need them to be moral paragons. More than anything else, I think modern royals need to be seen to be real human beings with the same flaws and problems as the rest of us.

Well said. Now back to all things red, shiny and happy: I choked on a drink when I saw this entry at Michele Albert's blog: A Friend Sent Me This ... :) Considering there is a lot of housework to do, I did my best not to think, breathe or watch films, but dammit, Emma Gads's entry: Personal Classics and Alison Kent's column at Romancing the Blog: You Had Me at Hello ruthlessly crushed my plan to be the Perfect Housewife for the Day. It's a good thing that Will's in bed, too sick to care. :D Margery Scott tosses in her part with film fun talk: Can you guess which movies these famous lines came from? In response to my comment about 'Bob's your uncle' in yesterday's post, Jordan Summers recalled that in Pirates of the Cabribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow tosses out a line, "Betty's your aunt", which I didn't remember hearing. A good excuse to watch the film. In name of research, of course. I can confirm that it's "Robert's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt ..." Speaking of research, Emma Gads discusses an interesting topic: Facts in Fiction, which has a different take on research and accuracy. Meanwhile, Teresa Eckford offers suggestions on organisating research. Poor Will is in bed, zonked out on cough mixture and flu pills. He was supposed to take me out for a meal, but his flu got worse. So, I shoved him to bed and told him to sleep it off. That's where he is now. I should feel disappointed that the evening plans won't happen, but I'm not. I'm flexible. My evening plan is I'm going to read a romance in bed with Will sleeping at my side in bed. The best part about this plan is he'd be too poorly to talk. For all wonderful romantic gestures he had pulled for me over years - bless him, he's utterly crap with romantic talk. I mean, for instance, while we dined at a posh restaurant on Valentine's Day years ago, he compared me with a namesake: Him: You remind me of Olivia. Me: Olivia? Him: Yeah. Olivia Newton John. Me: Oh, you were crazy about her when you were a kid, right? Him: *embarrassed laugh* Me: That's so sweet. Him: *smiles* Me: What is it about her that reminds you of me? Was it Grease? Which one am I? Good Sandy or Bad Sandy? Him: *confused* What? Me: Sandy in Grease. Good Sandy, or Bad Sandy? You're the one I want, hoo hoo yoo! Him: No ... no, no, not that ONJ. Me: There's another ONJ? Him: My dog. Olivia Newton John - my dog. I used to ... you remember the photo my dad show you last year? The ugly mutt? Me: Cheers, you tosser. Him: ...what? What did I say? Yeah, my comatose beloved at my side, a romance novel in my mitts, and huddle in a warm, cosy bed? What more can I ask for on Valentine's Day? :) Vanessa Jaye offers something in her entry to make you smile. OK, in my case, I grinned because that's exactly the kind I like. :D ADDITION: I have to include this, Shannon Stacey comes up with an amusing list: Shannon’s Top 5 List of Worst Romantic Movie Endings. :D Also, A Matter of Opinion comes up with her own lists for most romantic books, films and songs. That doesn't stop her from stating her opinion of St. Valentine's Day. Wanda Writer's latest rant strikes a chord in me: Annoying Friend. Doesn't everyone have a friend like that in their lives? Be good, be bad & be safe.