My Manly Man

I was walking to class this morning in the rain without an umbrella. At this moment in time, I'm a little boy crazy (but not in a teenage way- just in a "I like to drool over guys" way.) so I was thinking about guys. I came to the conclusion that I had a preconceived notion of what I think a "manly man" is. Unfortunately for me, I'm pretty sure that in real life, this manly man doesn't exist. Also, I think I contradict myself with my delusional fantasies of this manly man but that's okay because at least I acknowledge that this isn't real. Right? 

A Manly Man doesn't carry an umbrella. The exception, however, is when this manly man is wearing a suit. Only then it is 'suave' to carry a nice umbrella- like a Mary Poppins umbrella only manly. (Confused yet?)

A Manly Man doesn't do Band-aids. He wipes the blood on his pants and goes about his business. The exception is, of course, if it's a terrible wound. But then he has to be convinced to go to the Emergency room and he'll insist that he can fix it himself.

A Manly Man holds the door open for girls. That one is pretty self explanatory and there are really no exceptions to this- not off the top of my head anyway.

A Manly Man isn't afraid of a little hard work. Whether it's dirty work or something as simple as cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty... or soapy. He also understands that house keeping isn't strictly the woman's job and he'll help me- er, uh he'll help keep the house clean.

My manly man isn't afraid of a little sweat. (But he also showers everyday- and smells good.)

I was planning on making a long list about what I think a manly man is but I've decided that the list is ever changing with what I find attractive. In retrospect, I think this list isn't about my ideals of what I perceive to be manly. I think this list is about me mostly. As I get older and more wiser(?), my taste change and how I view the world changes too. It really don't matter if one guy has these few 'manly man' qualities. It really matters more that I love this (make believe) man to take him as he is.

It's common for women (especially delusional ones like myself) to think that they can change a man into what they want. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Not that I have a ton of experience (or any) under my belt. It's strictly observation on my part.

Pretty much... my manly man probably won't have half of these qualities but hopefully I'll love him (whoever he may be) enough to get over it. These are, after all, the delusional ramblings and day dreams of a single gal trapped in a world where getting hitched is all the rage. (As of now I am closely aquainted with at least half a dozen girls who are getting married this summer.)

*Sigh* I started this post a few days ago with the intention of listing off qualities I find attractive in guys. After contemplation, I've decided to just let it go. In the end, whatever happens, I'll find the one who can put up with me and my weird quirks. Maybe I should be focusing more on what makes ME attractive to the manly men out there. And maybe I should just stop worrying about manly men and focus on regular guys who actually exist.

Some food for thought for me. That could be the lack of sleep talking though. Hmm.

Until Next Time,

The Hopeless Romantic.

Granted it's Granite

I've from the West. Utah, more specifically. Our dialect is weird. We drop the 't's and end things with 'nnn's. We say crick instead of creek (except for me- I hate the word 'crick'.) As an English major, I try not to judge people's speech. I'm more of a writing snob- even though my writing is not all that fantastic. But recently, I've come to realize a certain... saying is... said wrong in my 'neck of the woods'.

It was a professor who pointed out to me that this saying- this word- is said wrong. She mentioned how once she had a student WRITE the saying/word out wrong on an exam or in a paper. That's when I started to pay attention (not on purpose) to how it was said.

I know. I know. You want to know what the saying/word is. *Deep breath* Prepare yourself.... I hate when people use GRANITE in place of GRANTED. For example, I have heard this said before: "Granite, they don't know how to count but still." (Or something to this effect.)

According to Dictionary.com the definitions of the words are as follows.

Granite: (Noun) A coarse-grained igneous rock composed of orthoclase and albite feldspars and of quartz.

Granted: (Verb) To give or accord.

These are two very different words! One is a noun and the other is a verb. Although, they may sound... similar- they do not mean the same thing PEOPLE!! They are different words!

Granite, it's a matter of dialect and where we originate from and not mistaking two different words to mean the same thing. But it still irritates me. Maybe I'm just an English snob. *Shrug* It's just there is a difference and you just can't get away with subbing granite for granted.

Maybe I take it for granite that I notice this stuff. (See how WRONG it is!) And it's definitely more wrong on paper than in speech because speech is more flexible and we may be saying the correct words but they sound incorrect.

*Sigh* Okay, my rant is over. I'm done. Now you all know my little pet peeve. I'll never take for granted the power of the written word over the power of the spoken word again. (So technically, their powers shift depending on the situation and the dynamic of the speech/writing. Did that even make sense?)

Until Next Time,

The Hopeless Romantic

I Hate Calling In Sick

I hate calling in sick. I've only done it three times (the third time was yesterday) with my current job. I've worked at my current job for three and a half years. That means, approximately, I've called in sick once a year. That's not horrible right?

I hate it. Even though last night I was doubled over in pain, I hated calling in sick. I felt like a horrible person. I felt like I was being the worst person ever. And then when I started feeling better (after taking drugs and sleeping for nearly two hours) I felt eve worse because then I started second guessing myself. What if I had gone to work and been totally fine? What if I had not been a wimp and gone to work? Would I really have felt bad?

Overall, calling in sick makes me feel like a HORRIBLE person. I feel like I've let my co-workers and my supervisors down. I feel like I've let down myself too. Like I wasn't strong enough to just suck it up and go to work. I wasn't raised to be lazy (even though I definitely have my moments when I'm lazy- but I'm trying to improve!). I was raised to be a good worker. (At least I think I was. Maybe I got the wrong message?)

Anyway, I just had to put this out there. I hate calling in sick.

Until Next Time,

The Hopeless Romantic

Murder, Mayhem... and Laughter?

I was first introduced to Nathan Fillion when he played Cliff in Blast from the Past. (Great quotable movie with Brenden Frazier and Alicia Silverstone- watch it!) But this was before he was anything big. I saw an episode of Firefly once.... or at least part of it. I think I fell asleep in the middle (I was really tired!).

And one day, I randomly saw an episode online of Castle. I was intrigued but at the time I was crazy busy with school and I didn't have cable and yadda yadda. I didn't keep up with watching it.

I started watching it again online a few weeks ago. I was on twitter and there were people talking about it and once again, I was intrigued. This meant, that I started in the middle of the third season. So I didn't really know what was going on. I sort of got the gist of it but I still felt like I was missing something.

I found the first season for really cheap so I bought it. Watched it in a day. Got the second season on Netflix and loved it. I now consider myself, pretty much, caught up. I found that I really liked the feel of Castle. It had good cases, good murders, and the character of Richard Castle is HILARIOUS! Actually, I like the whole undertone of humor that runs through out the show. I, personally, don't think that it takes away from the seriousness of murder and crime solving. I think it adds to it.

If you know anything about me, you know that I really enjoy the whole tension thing between the main male and main female characters. You know, the whole attraction thing. I thrive on it really. I'm kind of a dork like that. I will say this: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE (love, love, love) Castle and Beckett's relationship. As much as I adore BONES and the whole "Will they or won't they?" drama, I really like how it is so blatant in Castle. The fight it, sure, and they don't necessarily address it but I love it all the same. I've enjoyed the third season (what I've seen of it anyway) because there is some casual flirting and there's the tension there but it's not dramatic and intense (still not badmouthing BONES because I love that show). It's really just a nice change for me, Castle and Beckett's relationship. It's more light-hearted and more fun.

Along with Castle and Beckett, I absolutely love the supporting characters. I LOVE detectives Esposito and Ryan. I'm not really sure what it is about them but I just love watching them. They're funny and they mock Castle. They're good at their jobs. And they're both attractive (which is an added bonus). I can't decide if I like them more than Beckett or not. It's a toss up for sure. But I like them a lot!

I think the actors do a great job with their job and working to combine a serious subject matter with an undertone of humor. It makes for great entertainment. In my opinion anyway. 

So there you have it. Another confession of my love for TV. Yeah, I know. I watch too much TV. But when you have great shows out there... how's a girl supposed to help herself?

Until Next Time,

The Hopeless Romantic

Confession of a Klutz

First let me just say this: I rank April Fool's Day up with Groundhog's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Arbor Day. It's a bogus holiday. Thankfully though, there is no candy or cards or junk like that to sell or to see floating around. No hats or tee shirts or gaudy necklaces. Yeah, I know... I'm a party pooper. So sue me.

Whew. Now that I have that off my chest let me get on to the real reason I'm writing.

So yesterday, I was walking around campus on my way to class or whatever. It must have been the day that the local campus ROTC had their uniform day, I'm not really sure what it is and I'm too lazy to research it. That means that there were guys in uniform walking all over campus... and you know how much I like a man in uniform. (Let me take a moment to cool myself from the excitement of it all.)

Well, I was walking to class and there was this pretty attractive guy in a pair of Army fatigues. (Be still my heart!) And I ogled him as I passed, trying to be all cool and discreet about it. He had broad shoulders and I could tell that he worked out. It's a shame I couldn't ogle his arms. (Mm... arms.) He didn't glance at me, which is probably a good thing, because I may have had drool running down my chin.

So I passed him on the sidewalk and so distracted was I that... I tripped and fell on my face- well not literally. I actually just fell down onto my hands and knees. As you may expect, my face was burning with a bright blush. I cleared my throat and pushed all my weight to my knees and then stood. I bent down to brush the dirt from the knees of my jeans when a strong hand touched my elbow. I glanced over to see the attractive Army guy standing next to me, all hot and masculine in his fatigues.

"Are you okay?" He asks me in a positively manly voice.

I nervously giggle. "Yeah," I glance down at my now scraped palms. "Just bein' a klutz."

"Hey, you're bleeding." He grabs my wrist and studies my palm intently.

"It's nothing," I mutter, feeling my stomach flip flop at his nearness. 

"We should get this cleaned up. We don't want it to get infected." He looks up at me and I notice his clear blue eyes.

"Oh, well I can just go to the bathroom-" I motion to the building we are standing next to.

"No, we're going to get a first aid kit." He still has a hold of my wrist as he pulls me into the building. At the first office we come to, he asks the receptionist if they have a first aid kit. The receptionist seems wary but pulls one out anyway.

Mr. Army guy sits me down in a chair and crouches in front of me. He proceeds to clean up my palms and slather them with neosporin and bandages the worst of it.

"There! All better." He sits back on his heels and grins up at me. He has really good teeth. I would know, I'm notice teeth.

In an attempt to be witty, I dramatically place my hand over my heart and mumble, "How can I ever repay you?"

Mr. Army guy laughs as he stands up. He packs up the first aid kit and hands it back to the receptionist. I stand up too, and sling my backpack over my shoulders.

"No, seriously," I begin. "Thanks for helping me out. Not very many people would ask how I was after tripping."

"All in a day's work." Mr. Army guy smiles, holding the office door open for me. "By the way,"

I turn to look at him in the hallway.

"what's your name?" he asks.

My heart skips a beat. "It's Nicole. What's yours?"

"I'm Ryan."

I hold out a hand for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you Ryan."

He shakes my hand, being gentle with the injuries. "Nice to meet you Nicole."

We stand for a moment, our hands at our sides.

"Well, I better get to class." I motion with my head.

"Yeah, I'm going to be late as it is."

"Thanks again for saving my life." I grin at him.

"It's always a pleasure to help a pretty girl out." He smiles back at me, the corners of his clear blue eyes crinkling,  as he waves and turns in the opposite direction.

I stand there and watch him walk away. Ryan the Army guy with his broad shoulders and his fatigues. Possibly becoming the man of my dreams in that very moment...

......

So did you believe any of that?

Because I made it up in my head. It's my version of an April Fool's joke. Sure, it may not have been funny for you but it sure was fun for me. I broke my own rule regarding April Fool's jokes. But I gave myself permission so I'm okay with it. :)

Happy April Fool's Day!! (And yes, I still consider it a bogus holiday!)

Until Next Time,

The Hopeless Romantic