50 Shades of Grey

"I think I'm in love," she said. "You're sophisticated, ever-changing, & don't complicate my life. You're everything I ever wanted."

With a hint of a smile, the pile of clothing before her whispered softly back: "We know."

Love & Communism

The hot topic leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi has undoubtedly been the increase in harsh laws against “unnatural” – read LGBTQ – forms of love. As if people in Russia don’t have it hard enough? What with the rampant government corruption, adverse business practises, and overall poor standard of living I can’t imagine having something as simple as your right to love who you want censored.

Sure, things aren’t perfect here in the Western world – there’s still a large amount of homophobia and persecution around – but things seem to be getting better. I recognise that I am really lucky in that issues concerning alternative lifestyles were never a topic of discussion – they were all accepted to the point not ever having to even be brought up for discussion, and subsequently I can’t even imagine judging someone based on who they love. Does who they sleep with affect my life? No, actually it doesn’t. Unless of course I’m crushing on an adorable gay guy (why are they always so adorable?)…

So, besides the fact that I have zero interest in sports – sure, I get the attraction, but it’s not for me – I now have a more legitimate reason to ignore the entire Olympics performance. Because that’s what it is in large part, a performance, each country trying to put on a show for the rest of the world while with Mother Russia as the key player this time around. I fully respect and support the athletes who are competing for the medals, but I will not be distracted by the pretty light show and ignore what’s happening in the wings.

I am not the only person who has made the connection between the Olympics being a massive distraction after the host country has put into place extremely censorious legislation. If this is anything like what happened with Berlin in 1936, then we have a whole lot more pain coming our way. I’m hoping that we don’t have a historical repeat, but I would not be surprised at all if this is only step one in an unofficially sanctioned plan.  

Romance Intolerance

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m not a big fan of all that lovey-dovey crap that other people call romance. I’m the girl who hates getting flowers, would be more concerned about the poor guy’s ruined pants when he gets down on one knee, will think of WWI/II when people say V-Day, and (honest to Chanel) told her boyfriend that she didn’t want to see him on Valentine’s Day. Oh, and did I mention that little love letter I set on fire last year? Yeah. It happenned.

My attitude towards romance hasn’t really changed over the years, but lately I’ve been questioning why exactly I feel this way.  Most people assume that I can’t stand romance because I’m bitter, I’ve never had someone love me that way, I choose the wrong men, etc. Sure that could be a reason, but I don’t think it’s that easy. Even though my romantic endeavors have all gone down in flames, I still have examples of unconditionally loving relationships in my life. My parents’ relationship is the big example, and I feel like their attitude towards love is what I base mine off of. They love eachother, but there’s no drama – whether good or bad.

Their realistic relationship prides routine (like customized anniversary dragons) over extravagance (like weekly romantic dinners out). They do get annoyed with eachother (like the time my mother made homebaked croutons, and my father announced that he didn’t like croutons), but they bypass all the drama with stability. Even their wedding was no nonsense: they signed the papers at the house we still live in, with only their closest friends in attendance and a potluck dinner to celebrate. And our first dog was the bridesmaid. Yet, they're the ones who have stayed together forever while others get divorced. 

So, when it comes down to it, is it a bad thing that I don’t believe in all the extraneous baggage and drama that comes with a relationship? Afterall, when you’re done playing the dating game…

image from Tumblr.