https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?41256-Halls-of-the-Dark-Muse The largest classic literature discussion forum on the Internet. Read Write Teach Share. en Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:11:58 GMT vBulletin 10 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?41256-Halls-of-the-Dark-Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15580-My-Summer-Reading-Plan Tue, 26 Jul 2022 20:20:27 GMT August for me is always when I start what I call my summer reading. It began with the fact that my family would always go on summer vacation in... August for me is always when I start what I call my summer reading. It began with the fact that my family would always go on summer vacation in August and I would always choose specific books to read for the vacation. So regardless of what my August plans on, every August I select my summer reading list. Books that evoke either a sort of vacation-like feel, or books that just seem to embody summer.

This year I had certain categories for the summer adventure I wanted to have. First because I love the water I wanted a book that featured the swimming, or lounging on the beach or around the pool.
Second I decided I was in the mood for something island like or tropical
Third because I noticed I have quite a few books featuring bees, and I associate summer with seeing bees I decided I wanted a bee theme.
And lastly I wanted a book that was a vacation for the mind, something that could be easily read if I was sitting in an airport waiting for my flight, or hanging out at the beach. Something light and fun, that does not have to be taken seriously.

So here is the list I came up with:

1. Beautiful Animals
2. Island Queen
3. The Death of Bees
4. The Jetsetters ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15580-My-Summer-Reading-Plan https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15579-Her-Body-is-Her-Tower Sun, 24 Jul 2022 23:18:18 GMT A modern rendering of the Lady of Shalott Her Body is Her Tower Her life begins to ebb away bound by in chains by the states hour by hour;... A modern rendering of the Lady of Shalott

Her Body is Her Tower

Her life begins to ebb away
bound by in chains by the states
hour by hour; day by day

Trapped inside; forced to stay
to carry this burden became her fate
her life begins to ebb away

The only hope offered is to pray
sorry and bitterness solidify into hate
hour by hour; day by day

All her emotions shades of gray
held down by this heavy weight
her life beings to ebb away

All her nerves start to unfray
is she could end this she would not hesitate
hour by hour; day by day

For their glory and power she must pay
for her dreams it is too late
her life beings to ebb away
hour by hour; day by day ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15579-Her-Body-is-Her-Tower https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15576-Night-Life Fri, 15 Jul 2022 17:57:19 GMT Love lights flash at night serenades begin at sunset subtle strife for life and death Stillness masks chaos unseen wars and romances beauty... Love lights flash at night
serenades begin at sunset
subtle strife for life and death

Stillness masks chaos
unseen wars and romances
beauty hangs on dangers edge. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15576-Night-Life https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15575-Let-Me-Be-Happy-For-You-From-a-Comfortable-Distance Thu, 14 Jul 2022 16:59:17 GMT I am sure I am being cynical and others will think I am a terrible bad person, but I have already embraced that about myself, so I don't really care. I am of the opinion that weddings are entirely selfish and self-indulgent. You met someone whom makes you feel happy and special, and you want to pledge to spend your whole life with them, yay for you. I am happy for you, I think that is great, go, have fun....but leave me out of it. Acknowledge that I am happy for you, but I just don't care enough to want to be completely inconvenienced by it.

Don't expect/demand that everyone in your life should have to invest their time and money into making you feel more special and important at the parting you are throwing for yourself because you demand being the center of attention, just because you have decided to make a life long commitment to another person. I promise you no matter who you are in my life, and no matter how great and awesome you think your relationship is I really rather be sitting home reading a book than sitting through your wedding.

Your choice to tie your life in with another persons, is a personal choice you made for yourself, it does not have to involve everyone else you know. And if you need the approval, and attention of everyone you know in order to validate your relationship, than really your relationship has serious issues that a wedding cannot actually fix. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15575-Let-Me-Be-Happy-For-You-From-a-Comfortable-Distance https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15573-The-Tyrannical-Nine Thu, 07 Jul 2022 14:50:01 GMT It is fair that you wear the color of mourning for we mourn the loss of your integrity, dignity, and honor, and glibly you wear the blood of... It is fair that you wear
the color of mourning
for we mourn the loss
of your integrity, dignity, and honor,
and glibly you wear the blood
of the lives you so
cavalierly destroy.

It is right you wear
the color of mourning
for you have disgraced
your duty, and slaughtered
our rights so smugly.

It is just that you wear
the color of mourning
for within your courts
all justice as died,
and you deprived
the people of there
free will.

But though the color
of mourning suits you,
you should be stripped
of your robes, denied
the black of your office.

You should be marched
through the cities
clad only in your birthright
and whipped as you pass
those you have arrogantly
denied. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15573-The-Tyrannical-Nine https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15572-Unindependence-Day! Mon, 04 Jul 2022 17:09:31 GMT Needless to say I have decided that I will no longer be celebrating the 4th of July aka Independence Day. In our house we started referring to it as... Needless to say I have decided that I will no longer be celebrating the 4th of July aka Independence Day. In our house we started referring to it as National BBQ Day. I had actually come to this idea before it became an actual poplar movement. I think it is kind of cool that as soon as I thought of doing this, everyone started talking about doing the same thing online. But me reasons are slightly different than that of most people.

The majority of people who are talking about boycotting Independence Day are doing so on the grounds that they no longer have Freedom or Independence. Which is totally valid, and I do not disagree but my thought process was that I do not see Americas winning independence from England as something to be celebrated, but rather as something to lament and regret. Looking at the world I really am quite convinced we would have been better off if America stayed under British rule.

America has proven that it is in fact quite incapable of ruling itself without proper adult supervision. Just think, if it was not for Americans sitting there saying, "oh we can do this way better all on our own" We could be like Canada and Australia.

While I am not saying these countries are perfect and do not have their problems, I am pretty confidant they are better than what we got right now. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15572-Unindependence-Day! https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15571-There-and-Gone-and-Back-Again Sat, 02 Jul 2022 20:14:31 GMT Yes it has been a long time, and a lot has happened, but I am still alive, I did not fall into a black hole, and in spite of my many efforts to... Yes it has been a long time, and a lot has happened, but I am still alive, I did not fall into a black hole, and in spite of my many efforts to summon Cthulhu I have not become lost in the vast abyss. It is possible though that I have fallen through a rabbit hole or two and had to attempt to navigate a mad mad world. And maybe for a while I have lingered in the land of the lotus eaters.

So now I am going to attempt to re-enter reality...or was I in reality before and I am now attempting to escape it? ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15571-There-and-Gone-and-Back-Again https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15063-I-Am-Probably-a-Sexist Wed, 27 Jan 2016 18:55:37 GMT There is a fairly common trend I have begun to notice. Oftentimes I will read a book of which I will really enjoy, and out of curiosity I will read... There is a fairly common trend I have begun to notice. Oftentimes I will read a book of which I will really enjoy, and out of curiosity I will read other reviews, comments, critiques of said book to discover that the book is criticized for being sexist and my natural reflex reaction to such claims is to roll my eyes and think the people are being ridiculously oversensitive. It is true that when I am really enraged in a story and think the book is well crafted, and has a great plot, I am oblivious or desensitized to the nuances of how women or portrayed in the story or how many female characters may or may not be within the book. If it is a good book, I honestly don't really cared about that. If it is a book I am not enjoying very much than I might become more analytical of it. And I suppose part of it for me is the fact that I do not think the integrity of the art should be comprised by pressure from society to be more politically correct.

I really enjoy the writing of H.G Wells and I have noticed that a lot of people criticize him or do not enjoy his works because of the almost complete lack of woman within many of his books, and for me in a way I find it kind of refreshing to read a book in which there is not this need to create some romantic story line as a way to make the book more interesting, or appealing to women readers.

It is hard to find modern books which don't have some romantic love interest thrown into the mix somewhere even if that is not really what the main story is actually about and many authors feels the need to do that in order to appeal to women readers.

I am reading the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, and before I started reading him I have heard him trashed several times as being some kind of woman hating masochists because of the scenes of rape within his books. And yes, there is violence against women and rape within his books, but there is also a lot of war, and anyone who knows anything about history knows that with war there was often raping and pillaging, that was just a fact of life. It is not as if the rapist in his books are the heroes of the story, the people doing the raping or the bad guys, and it is portrayed in the books as a terrible thing to do. Terry Goodkind does not glorify rape in some positive way. And one of the main characters of the story is a strong, confident, powerful, intelligent woman.
As a reader of historical fiction and reading a lot of comments and criticism about different works of HF there seems to be this common trend that anytime a male author (regardless of context) writes about rape in a novel he is labeled as being a sexist. Obviously I am not defending rape, but just because a man within a work of fiction acknowledges the fact of life that sometimes women are raped does not mean he hates women.

But that is a tirade for a different day.

Mostly recently I have read this book called The Ritual, which I absolutely loved and thought was fantastic, and I was reading some of the reviews of the book and came across one in which this person went off on how sexist the book was.
First of all I will state the book is a horror novel, and it is about a group of four friends who go out on this hiking trip together. Three of them are married one of them seems to be happy in his marriage and the other two are separated from their wives and there is a lot of trash talk about their wives and the fourth is not in a committed relationship but just sleeps around with various different women. The only female characters to appear in the story are a strange old woman who hardly ever speaks, and a girl who is basically a total psychopath and described frequently as being fat.

So yeah maybe the book does not have very positive portrayals of women but for one thing it wasn't that kind of book, and I did not perceive it as being that the book and/or author was sexist but rather I saw it more of a reflection of the characters within the story. Yes the author could have had one of the hikers in the group be a strong, independent woman but that would have changed the whole dynamic of the story.

Consequently I will say that times the female characters that I tend to find the most offensive and insulting to women are usually in books that were written by women predominately for women, which everyone else raves about. And I am thinking to myself "really? you think this is a positive image of women?"

It could be a combination of my perhaps having some skewed and twisted views and the fact that I do tend to connect better to men than I do to women. I don't have any girlfriends. All of my closest friends are guys. So books that are perhaps more male/masculine driven appeal to me more, and do connect with me better than books that are more female/feminine driven. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15063-I-Am-Probably-a-Sexist https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14990-Summer-Reading-Review Thu, 10 Sep 2015 08:43:03 GMT Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

This is a novelization of Mowat's real life accounts of his time he spent in the Arctic studying a group of wolves. During the period when a lot of anti-wolf hate really started up wolves were being blamed for causing a sudden drop in the caribou population. There where claims that wolves would slaughter entire heards for the pure joy of killing. Mowat was sent to access just how much of a nuisance the wolves were. But when Mowat arrived he soon discovered a truth that was very different from what he had been led to believe. Soon the wolves earned his respect and admiration and he felt himself almost a part of their family while discovering their many very human traits.

Mowat is often criticized for being quite liberal with the facts and truth in his books. It is true the story may not portray a truly accurate account of his experiences, and he does give many embellishments and exaggerations but in doing so he creates a very charming story which I found engaging and entertaining to read. It is full of humor, eccentric characters, including a shaman how is believed to have the ability to speak to the language of the wolves, and a very endearing family of wolves of which Morley does humanize in many ways. It is a book of adventure, survival, and nature.

Pan by Knut Hamsun

Though this is a work of fiction there was an aspect about it, particularly in the beginning that really brought me to mind of Thoreau's Walden. It is the story of a man who lives nearly isolated in a small cabin in the wilderness surviving off of the land, while engaging in occasional sometimes awkward, sometimes bizarre and inexplicable encounters with people. The descriptions of nature I thought were quite poetic and I found the story rather compelling.

Glahn was living a quiet life living off the land with only his dog as his companion when he becomes entangled between two different women, neither of which he can truly have. The young charming, Eva who seems innocent, and genuine, falls in love with Glahn, who at first takes her for the blacksmiths daughter, to discover later, that she is in fact his wife. The enigmatic, and sometimes cruel Edvarda enchants Glahn and continues to toy with him, never willing to either commit herself to him nor cut him free. She sends him a series of mixed messages of rejection, and invitation casting him in a state of emotional turmoil.
His relationship with Eva is physical, primal, and very simple. He is drawn to her youth, beauty, and sexuality, and she remains always waiting for him, giving herself willingly to him while asking for nothing in return.
But Edvarda holds his heart, and torments him. His relationship with her is complex.

Pan is a psychologically charged novel which explores our primal natures and delves into the depths of human emotion, and how we connect, or disconnect with ourselves, nature, and each other, exploring a range of complexity of human interaction.

Jaws by Peter Benchley

Now I admit that Jaws is one of my favorite movie, I think it is an iconic classic. I was quite looking forward to reading the book, and I found the book to be somewhat disappointing. While the movie does stay pretty true to the book, I think this is a story that does translate better into the visual of a move than it reads as a book.

Needless to say the writing was mediocre, and in many ways it did feel very dated. I did not find any of the characters to be particularly likable or sympathetic. Brody at times was I would sympathize with, and there where moments when I liked him, but there where other times when I would be irritated by him. Though I think it was the authors intent of trying to make the characters very human, by showing all of them as having both their good points as well as being very flawed. But I didn't really relate to any of them. Quint was a bit Captain Ahab like, and that stereotypical caricature of the cliched fisherman.

One of the things I did like about the book is I thought Benchley did a good job with his portrayal of the shark. He was able to really make the shark a character, and at moments give the reader a glimpse into the shark's point of view, but he was able to do this without anthroporophizing the shark, and he stayed true to the shark's primal nature.

Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood

This is a short story collection by Atwood. The first few stories I did not really care for and fell a bit flat for me. The first story True Trash I felt was both rather uninteresting and pointless, the following stories Hairball and Isis in Darkness I felt did have certain interesting things about them, but still when I finished them left me wondering "Why did I have to read that?" I found the stories really did not accomplish anything.

But after that I found the stories did begin to get better. Death By Landscape was my favorite story in the collection, and the following stories I found to be interesting, engaging and had a good deal more substance to them than the first few stories did.

The one thing I really liked about the whole collection is that most the stories had something unsettling about them, there was a certain mystery in each of them, and most of them ended with a question mark. They did not truly have conclusions, they where not wrapped up neat and tidy. They left you wanting to know what would happen next. They did not give answers.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I felt that this book got off to a bit of a slow start, and while there where things about it which I found to be somewhat interesting at the beginning, it did take me a while to really start to get into it. But I have to say after the book progressed I came to feel that it was better than the first book, of which while I enjoyed, I also wasn't necessarily that impressed by. Originally I didn't even really plan to continue the series. It was watching the movie which made me want to read the book.

I liked the way in which the book did address the issues of PTSD in Katniss as well as other tributes, after her and their experiences within the arena. And I did like seeing how the rebellious feelings within the people started to steadily grow. Also I have to say one of the things in the Hunger Games that turned me off from wanting to keep reading was the introducing of the love triangle between Katniss, Gale, and Peeta. I don't really like love triangle story lines, and I don't like romance in YA novels (or really in most other novels but in YA it is usually particularly annoying) but I thought that it was handled very well in this book. It did not distract from the main story and it was done in a way that did feel believable and realistic. Though I prefer Gale over Peeta (frankly I find Peeta to be a bit annoying and kind of boring) I can understand with everything they have been through together how feelings between Katniss and Peeta might develop. I did like the scenes of Peeta having to comfort Katniss because he was there with her and went through it with her, so he is the only one that can really understand it. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14990-Summer-Reading-Review https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14983-Out-With-The-New-And-In-With-Old Wed, 26 Aug 2015 03:58:16 GMT I am currently reading Wilderness Tips which is a short story collection by Margaret Atwood, and in one of the stories there was this quote:

"An interest in clothes of the present is frivolity, an interest in clothes of the past is archaeology"

I was struck by how ironically true these words are, and it is funny to think of that way.

I have little to no interest in fashion. I don't follow or care about what is trendy, hip, cool, modern, in season. I don't pay attention to brand names. I just wear whatever appeals to me without thinking about what anyone else might think of it.

And those that do care about following fashion trends and only want to wear designer clothes, and feel it is important to keep up with what is in style I perceive as being shallow, conformists, followers, uninteresting.

But I do romanticize and am enamored with vintage clothing and clothes that are reminiscent of historical fashions. I would be quite content to dress in something of a hodgepodge of fashion from the 1920s, the Victorian Ear, the Renaissance, and the Middle Ages. It is a bit of a joke of mine, that I never by Halloween costumes, I can make them from the clothes that are in my closet.

I do look down upon modern fashion with disinterest and disdain but I venerate the fashions of the past.

I am also reading Catching Fire right now which is the second book from "The Hunger Game" and in those books they really make fun of the frivolity of people who are obsessed with following all the modern fashion trends, and how outlandish, clueless, out of touch, and shallow minded they all are. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14983-Out-With-The-New-And-In-With-Old https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14980-My-ADD-Kitty Wed, 19 Aug 2015 20:00:26 GMT Ajani (my new little kitty) is starting to settle in now and he is not as shy any more, which means I have kitten pictures now. I do think that he is... Ajani (my new little kitty) is starting to settle in now and he is not as shy any more, which means I have kitten pictures now. I do think that he is a bit ADD which is kind of cute. When playing with him, he gets very hyped up and than cannot make up his mind as to what he wants to do, he gets overwhelmed trying to play with five different things at once. I like to use old shoelaces to play with my cats, and so Ajani will chase that for a while and then run off to do something else, and then start pouncing in leaves, and climbing over cardboard boxes before remembering the string again and running back to chase it for a while. He is a bit like a little Springbok at times the way he does bounce and hop all around, and sometimes he will just pop straight up in the air.

Also when I first brought him home from the shelter I had some concerns about the fact that he seemed to be so skinny. I presumed that the shelter was taking care of him and when I got him he was in this room with several other kittens and there where dishes of food in there, but because he is so small and shy he might have been bullied away from the food by the other cats. I would be nervous picking him up and holding him because he seemed so tiny and fragile. But I happy to see that he already is starting to put on some weight and is starting to look more like a normal healthy little kitten.

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DSC05915.jpg ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14980-My-ADD-Kitty https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14979-Just-What-I-Need-More-Books Tue, 18 Aug 2015 20:33:26 GMT I went to a book giveaway today and got a bunch of new books for free. One the great things about free books is that it does inspire me more to get... I went to a book giveaway today and got a bunch of new books for free. One the great things about free books is that it does inspire me more to get books of which sound interesting to me, but are still a bit outside of what I normally read, so I might not commit to buying, but if they are free I figure, what the heck no harm in picking it up.

The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy
Be My Knife by David Grossman
Sustenance by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jenifer Egan
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Frankenstein's Monster by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Vanora Bennett
Under African Skies: Modern African Stories
When My Heart Was Wicked by Tricia Stirling
Ramses: The Son of Light by Christian Jacq
Zorro by Isabel Allende
Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14979-Just-What-I-Need-More-Books https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14977-Mini-Cat-Jaws Tue, 18 Aug 2015 03:50:58 GMT I recently got a new little kitten (I haven't had a chance to get photos yet, he is still a bit shy). On Saturday there was a special Free Adoption Event, and after my two oldest cats passed away I have been wanting to get another cat, and I wanted to be able to provide a home for a kitty in need. So I met this adorable little kitty, a gray tabby cat who is a bit of a runt (I tend to like the runts, they are usually always kind of outcasts and loners but have great personalities). His name is Ajani which is an African name that means "He who wins struggle" I thought this name was quite fitting, because for one he looks kind of like a desert cat like a Serval because he has really big ears, and big eyes and around his face and underside it is a sort of tanish sandy color. As well, considering what he has been through, the lady at the shelter told us that he was a feral cat, and his sister had adopted out pretty quickly and he had been kind of depressed after she was taken, I think the meaning of the name is quite suiting. Though still a bit timid, he seems to have such a positive attitude.

Needless to say Strega my three year old cat was less than enthused by the arrival of the kitten. My cats are primarily outdoor cats who get locked in the garage at night, and in the middle of the garage there is this work table and Strega does like to sleep up there a lot. So in the evening when I bring Strega in for the night (for the moment the kitten is staying locked in the garage until he gets more familiar with his new home, and gets more comfortable with me and associates the garage as a safe place, and a place where there is food) Strega immediately jumps up onto the work table, in which the kitten is still too young and little to be able to get up on. But while Strega is not very thrilled about his new companion Ajani is already enamored with his new big brother. And optimistically and determinedly will not stop his attempt to make friends. Ajani runs in frantic circles around the work table, attempting to figure out a way he can get up there while Strega watches him with a mix of intrigue and apprehension. It reminds me of a scene from jaws with the kitten circling around the cat who is "stranded" while he eyes the unsafe ground below.

Though there is a part of Strega that I think really wants to jump down and play but he isn't yet willing to really own up to the fact. He is still trying to act like mr. tough guy, and think he is too cool and being the spoiled brat he is used to being. But I think by slow reluctant degrees that adorable and enthusiastic antics of Ajani are starting to win him over. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14977-Mini-Cat-Jaws https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14968-My-Vacation-Reading Tue, 21 Jul 2015 18:39:43 GMT I will be heading off on vacation soon leaving the first week in August to go to Lake Tahoe. I belong to several different book groups on Goodreads,... I will be heading off on vacation soon leaving the first week in August to go to Lake Tahoe. I belong to several different book groups on Goodreads, and so usually I am always reading this or that book for one of my groups, which I enjoy because it provides a good opportunity both to get motivated to read some books I have had sitting around on my shelf but always put off reading for another time, or daunting books that I want to read but because of their length I always postpone, as well as a way to be introduced to books I previously never heard of before.

But in August I take a hiatus from Goodreads, and put together a selection of books which I want to take with me to read while I am on vacation. Of course I usually always end up taking way more books than I actually need but better to have too many books than not enough, if there is such a thing as too many books. No one has been able to convince me of that yet.

So my vacation reading this year:

Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat - When I was a kid I saw the movie they made from this book and I loved it. A book about survival in nature seems like an appropriate book to read while I will be up in the mountains.

Jaws by Peter Benchley - I admit that Jaws is one of my all time favorite movies and I figure this book would be a good summer read. And while I won't be at the ocean but at a lake instead, still seems a good book to read while sitting on the beach.

Pan by Knut Hamsun - I have heard good things about Hamsun, and when I first saw this book I was intrigued by the title and it seems like a fitting book to read while I reconnect with nature.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - I am a fan of Palahniuk and I find his books to be easy fast reads for me, because they are so compelling. I love his dark humor.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games I had to read in this course I took on Children's Literature when I was still in school. I enjoyed the book well enough, I do like Dystopia fiction but I didn't feel that compelled to read the other books, but I got into watching the movies, and I thought the movie was really quite good and made me want want to continue to read the books.

Wilderness Tips by Margret Atwood - I don't have much of an explanation for this one, but I am an Atwood fan and the title at least fits in with the nature like theme that I unintentionally ended up with. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14968-My-Vacation-Reading https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14873-The-Things-that-Offend-Me-About-Valentine-s-Day Thu, 12 Feb 2015 00:23:19 GMT I am not one of those people who is bitter about Valentine's Day because I am sad and alone and don't have anyone to share the day with. I am in fact quite happily spoken for, but even so I have never really been a particular fan of V-Day mostly because the cliche of it all and the convention of it I find to be quite annoying. So this is my list of things which I don't like about V-Day.

1. Flowers: Flowers in general I have no problem with. I think they are pretty to see growing outside, and I love to keep plants around the house, gardens are awesome. But fresh cut flowers and bouquets I don't get, and it is not something I would want someone to give me. What is so endearing about something that is just going to die slowly for the vain pleasure of your own enjoyment? If I am given a bouquet of flowers, I think "oh gee how nice, you gave me a dead thing" Yeah that is romantic.

2. Box of Chocolates: I am not going to claim I don't like candy, sweets, and chocolate, I do, but at the same time I am not really that into chocolate candy. I don't get excited about it, and I am very picky about what I like and what I don't like. I don't like just plain chocolate, and chocolates that come with some kind of filling inside I am very particular about. People always laugh at me because whenever we do have some box of assorted chocolates I have to cut the chocolates in half to see what is inside of them.

3. Jewelry: I like jewelery, I have a lot it, I wear it all the time, but I don't like jewelry store jewelry. Never bought or worn a piece of jewelry that came from an actual jewelry store. The kind of jewelry that they advertise on TV this time of year is bland, conventional, unoriginal, flashy, and overly expensive for how uninteresting it is. I never wear gold, almost every piece of jewelry I own is silver. I don't like diamonds, they don't interest me. Most the jewelry I own has come from Arts&Crafts shows and other similar venues, and was handmade by the person selling it, and is unique and off-the-beaten-path, and I can choose pieces that really reflect something in my personality. Also it is relatively inexpensive.

4. Teddy Bears: What am I 12? Ok, I admit I do own a few stuffed animals. But they are not teddy bears, and especially they are not teddy bears holding pink hearts and other such nonsense.

5. Red and Pink: The two colors most commonly associated with Valentine's Day. Pink needless to say is truly a loathsome color. And red, while it does have its good points (it resembles the color of blood and it looks really good when paired with black) in general is just not a color I am really that into. I don't really own or a wear a lot of red.

6. Hearts: I really don't like those continental so called heart shapes of which most commonly represent V-Day. Why? Because they don't resemble what an actual human heart looks like at all. If someone where to give me a Valentine's Day card with an image of a realistic human heart on it, I would be thrilled, now that would be honest and genuine. (Also I would accept an actual human heart from one of mine enemies......just saying). For fans of the Big Bang Theory, you know that the so called heart shape comes from the shape of a woman's ***. So than why call it a heart? Well I guess because it sounds a lot cuter, and more romantic, and is far more easy to market to a wide audience than *** Shape would be. ]]> Dark Muse https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?14873-The-Things-that-Offend-Me-About-Valentine-s-Day