danellephant never forgets: i don't get it

Monday, February 16, 2009

i don't get it

i've been inspired to write this blog entry because of some of the comments left on autumn's blog (and some other blogs i've read) about valentine's day. warning: this is going to be a major soapbox moment.

okay, here's my complaint and logic behind it...why is it that sooooooooooooo many people talk about how much they LOVE thanksgiving? as far as i've always been concerned thanksgiving is a holiday in which we celebrate a very stretched-from-the-truth account of people from hundreds of years ago, spend ALL day long making a meal that is consumed within an hour, and go on to make politically correct lists of all the things we've been told to be thankful for, which generally include things we don't think about on a daily basis. and YET, when it comes to valentine's day, a day that is all about LOVING the things which should be near and dear to us in PRESENT day, like husbands, children, families and friends, people think of reasons to COMPLAIN about it. i totally understand that the commercial side of things can be distracting, but NO ONE complained about having to go buy store-bought cards for their childrens' classes. i'm beginning to think that it's partially because some people feel like they always need something to complain about...i know i enjoy it.

another reason why i don't get the great dread of valentine's day is because i often hear my married friends saying they wish they had a chef or housecleaner, and yet the one day they are expected to go out for dinner instead of "slaving" away in a kitchen all day, that's suddenly not good enough. besides, it's a freebie chocolate consumption day. perhaps everyone is just complaining because they didn't get exactly what they had in mind. well, then it's time to celebrate what you do have, or is that too much to ask. yes, i'm bitter. i seriously don't get it...it sometimes actually pisses me off to hear my married friends complaining about this holiday. it seems like they all have what they said they wanted, and now it's too much of a bother to admit that they might love their husbands and children.

i still have a very hopeful heart and i guess i'm a bit of an optimist in thinking that this day should be enjoyed. i think it is such a great holiday, everyday should be like valentine's day, but seeing as how everyday ISN'T like valentine's day, someone had to turn it into a holiday to try to get peoples' thoughts back to a place where our loved ones are our priority. sort of like thanksgiving, only without the boring history lesson and i rarely hear people complaining about that.

okay, i'm done. now go give your families a hug and kiss. oh, how cruel.

7 comments:

Autumn said...: LOL! I second this post! I happen to LOVE Valentine's Day. I even stayed up until 12:30am the night before making Valentine's for my 6th graders to show them how much I love them. :)

Have I mentioned lately how much I love your blog? Well I do!; February 16, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Nat Heaton said...: Nel you always know how to put things in to perspective. I guess the hard thing for some moms on vday is that you work so hard to make the day special for your kids and husband and in the end your husband says "go online and pick out anything you want for vday." Hummmm – disappointment! Not the romantic vday surprise I was wishing for (oh well). My real hang up with vday stems from school way back when...when all the girls would get carnations from boyfriends and secret admirers and I would get nothin’! No seriously, not one year did I receive a flower. Such disappointment can scar a girl for life and make her a little bitter. But you are right, in the end it is about loving those who are near and dear to us so am going to remember that next Feb 14th! Love ya…Happy Late Valentines Day!; February 17, 2009 at 7:27 AM
Arah Debra said...: Wow! Don't hold back Danelle, tell us how you really feel. You're totally right though I could definitely have a better attitude about the day. Thanks for putting it all in perspective. :-)I heart reading your blog BTW.; February 17, 2009 at 10:11 AM
Autumn said...: Danelle the email today was totally blog worthy!! I wouldn't be able to do it justice though....

I will be laughing all day...and tomorrow too!!!!; February 17, 2009 at 5:36 PM
brien said...: My Valentines Day started with me shoveling the drive way and eating toast with a fried egg in a heart shape. The rest of the day consisted of me cooking Tyler Florence's Ultimate Pork Chops and Spicy Applesauce and making double chocolate icecream in heart shaped molds with strawberry and rasberry sauce for my wife and daughter. In between the food preperation I washed 2 loads of clothing, took out the trash, loaded the dishwasher twice and emptied it twice, swept the floor did my share of watching Z and when my wife went to the store I cooked everything made a salad, fed Z, and made a salad so that when Andrea came home dinner was waiting for her. OH, I also changed into a button up shirt to look presentable. As presentable as one can in slippers. What i can say about the whole day is that it payed off in the end.
I miss our college days. They were fun.; February 20, 2009 at 2:23 PM
jalynn said...: I had no idea people were so down in the mouth about Valentines day?! I think it is a great day! Any day associated with candy has got to be good.; February 20, 2009 at 4:05 PM
Kristina P. said...: I'm indifferent about it. But since Adam and I don't have kids, we do Valentine's Day stuff all the time.; February 10, 2010 at 9:07 AM

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some quotes i find amusing

In a world full of Cheerios, be a Froot Loop!

I can't tell you if genius is hereditary, because heaven has granted me no offspring.

i hope your eco-friendly status symbol doesn't smash into a poor, innocent tree.

a good workplace safety rule is to keep employees apart if their weight differs by 11,850 pounds and the heavier one has two prior murders.

women are angels and when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly. . .on broomsticks. we're flexible like that.

advice is a lot like deodorant, the people you most want to give it to are probably not going to use it anyway.

There is great need for a sarcasm font.

How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

"when you use the word 'like' in inappropriate places all the time, it makes you sound like you don't know nothin'!"

"the happiest people aren't necessarily those who have everything, but those who make the most of everything they have."

"you were meant for me. perhaps as a punishment."

"the only consistent feature in all of your dissatisfying relationships is you."

"if you think the problems the government creates are bad, just wait until you see their solutions."

"genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99% perspiration, which is why engineers sometimes smell really bad."

"with focus, dedication and steroids, men can achieve impossible dreams. like breaking a world record. or growing their own breasts."

"the downside of being better than everyone else is that people tend to assume you're pretentious."

"quitters never win, and winners never quit, but those who never win AND never quit are idiots."

"when you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true. unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the earth which will destroy all life. then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. unless it's death by meteor."

"since i can't be a good example to others, the least i can do is serve as a terrible warning."

"i can't wait for annie to get her first facelift. . .she's going to need 2 doctors." joan rivers about two-faced annie duke.

"clint black is a one man band. . .he'd give himself a hickie." -joan rivers about the annoying clint black

"no one feels as helpless as someone with a sick goldfish." -so true

"why doesn't he try to kick our ass at being a good person?" -jesse james to dennis rodman with love

“once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.” -einstein (thanks trina!)

"it may be true that the early bird gets the worm, but have you ever stopped to consider that the early worm gets eaten?"

"there are lots of people who mistake their imagination for their memory."

"rose-colored glasses are never made in bifocals. nobody wants to read the small print in dreams."

"intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings."

"i've always wanted to be somebody, but i see now i should have been more specific."

"the first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left."

"how old would you be if you didn't know how old you was?"

"when i was younger, i could remember anything, whether it had happened or not."

"some folks never exaggerate--they just remember big."

"if you're yearning for the good old days, just turn off the air conditioning."

"i don't want everyone to like me; i should think less of myself if some people did."

"don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful."

"it's no fun doing nothing when you've got nothing to do."

"some people are a lot like slinkies. they don't really do much, but it puts a smile on your face when you see them tumble down a flight of stairs."

"tact is for people who aren’t witty enough to be sarcastic."

"scars are tattoos with better stories."

"i’d give my right arm to be ambidextrous."

"the trouble with life is there’s no background music."

"light travels faster than sound, that’s why some people appear bright until they speak."

"people are seldom too busy to stop and tell you how busy they are."

"the sooner you fall behind, the more time you’ll have to catch up."

"deep down I’m a very shallow person."

"before you insult somebody you should walk a mile in their shoes. that way when you insult them you'll be a mile away and have their shoes!"

"dance, even if you have to warn others to get out of the way first."

"by the time you read this you've already read it."

more to come

danellephant never forgets

Monday, February 16, 2009

i don't get it

7 comments:

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some quotes i find amusing