“I have grown to love secrecy…”

“I have grown to love secrecy. It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvelous to us. The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it. When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going. If I did, I would lose all my pleasure. It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.”

Oscar Wilde

Feeling a bit like a rotten apple.

“Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean they don’t love you with everything they have.”

I have friends inside my face called teeth

I’ve been in Wilmington, Deleware this past week. Exciting stuff, I know. People keep asking me “What’s in Deleware”, to which I respond “My friends and it’s near Philly and NYC.” So really, for people who don’t care about my friends (although you should totally care about my friends because they are quite simply some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met) DE’s draw is less what’s in DE, and more the potential Deleware holds within it to spit you out in someplace more interesting than Deleware. There’s also shopping, I think. But I don’t shop, so alas, no plus for me there.

While here, the topic of smiling at strangers who solicit you on the street has come up. Whether it is a response to a simple  “Hey” made by a passing stranger, or a cat-call by the smelly homeless guy, or even a request to “smell something beautiful” by the cool guy who sells oils outside the coffee shop. To all of these I have responded with a smile, and for all of them I’ve been thanked for smiling. Actually thanked. “Thank you for smiling.” No joke.

Is it a good world or bad world where people thank you for flashing your pearly whites? Good in the sense that people here appear to be thankful for a basic human kindness, I guess, and bad in the sense that I get the feeling that the thanks is due to a general lack of basic human kindness, not an overwhelming appreciation for such things.

Everyone should smile at strangers more. Just because you smile at them doesn’t mean you have to take them home. Or even talk to them, even. Flash him and keep on walkin’ by. No harm done. A smile is not a contract for coitus, it’s simply a sign of civility and friendliness.

Also, I think you’re cute and funny. Whoever you are. High five now, please?

Word to The Wise?

The last few weeks have provided me with a few delicious nuggets of wisdom. Here’s a few:

• “Don’t buy cookies from Girl Scouts. My mom says they’re fascist.” Roommate.
• “You shouldn’t make someone with a cane angry.” My senile 85 year-old grandmother.
• “Nietzsche says Debt is the root of sin… Coincidentally, it’s also the root of our economy.” Conversation between Me and Mr. Tavis.
• “The Bible is allegorical. Just like the movie Happy Feet.” … I don’t remember.
• “Don’t gurgle super hot tea. Thats just dumb.” Personal experience.
• “If the first Thanksgiving has taught us nothing else, it’s that you should show your appreciation for people that help you make it in life with blankets full of small pox.” My other roommate.

On that note, for all those who participated in some sort of celebration that involved massive amounts of food, I hope yours was deliciously enjoyable and that the waist band of every pair of pants you own is cursing your name. Also, I hope you ate something involving pumpkins. They’re fucking delicious. Cheers.