Friday, December 08, 2006

Mr. Motional

A friend of mine, we'll call him "Mr. Motional," had a very rough day today. He found out his girl friend may have Chlamydia. This is what he wrote.

Dear Lover,

I'm so upset. I hate how you've been with so many people. So many boys, underserving boys, have seen you... had you. I don't know if I can get over it. Everyday it bothers me that you would settle for a diseased loser just to satisfy a sexual wanting.

You're unmotivated and a lousy student. You're beautiful and reckless. Cute but incompetent. A heart warmer, and a heart breaker. I love you because you give whole-heartedly without reservation. But today, as I worry about losing my virginity to some venereal disease, I wonder how many else? Why?

You're slept with over 6 boys. Probably fondled close to 30 and you've kissed upwards of 80. Don't you have any self control? What can explain this blatant lack of discipline? Blame it on the environment. Blame it on the sorority. Blame it on any excuse, but in the end, this is your life and your decisions.

Its ok if you make lousy decisions. Its ok if you screw up and you're the only person hurt. Its ok if you spend your college years legs-wide, walking no where. But now, you've made a decision that effects more than 1 person, and it hurts. It hurts because it has diminished our partnership. I want to end our relationship, but I know that I can look past this blemish and keep loving you.

Yours,

E

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

R. Rubin Quotes

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Rubin's autobiography.

On Empathy:

"[Clinton] could relate to someone else's point of view in a way that made that person feel not just heard but understood. Listening in that way was more flattering than oridinary flattery; here was the President of the United Statees, and he really cared about what you had to say... Clinton listened so sympathetically that people who were unaccustomed to him often took it as duplicitious when he later came out against their positions.." (pg. 133)

Quoting Gus Levy on Luck:

"I'd rather be lucky than good." (pg. 72)

A question worth asking:

After Gus died, I always regretted that I'd never asked him what he, driving himself all day long every day, thought life was all about. I don't know if he would have had an answer, but one answer I don't think he would have given was money." (pg. 73)

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Great Line

A good friend, Banrock, frequently says: "I try to give better than I get."

In truth, I sadly wasn't raised with this line of thinking. Hopefully I'll at least think about it as I grow up.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Almost Scripted

I'm still laughing about this one:

So I told my parents that I started a new blog. Their reactions:

1. Mom: You should be playing violin. If you have time to play blog, you have time to play violin. (In the same tone as the lady from Curb Your Enthusiasm. Think: "You fat fuck.")

2. Dad: "Please don't tell me that." (In his defense, he said this only because he values my time.)

No doubt my parents love me, but they sure say it in funny ways.

College, Have I Missed Something?

From Tom Wolfe's "I am Charlotte Simmons,"

"Students rarely go on formal dates but instead attend parties in large groups, followed by “hook-ups”—unplanned sexual encounters typically fueled by alcohol. Men and women agreed the double standard persists: men gain status through sexual activity while women lose status. Fraternities control the mainstream social scene to such an extent that women feel like they play by the men’s rules. Social life is further complicated by a number of embedded hierarchies, from the widely understood ranking of Greek organizations to the opposite trajectories women and men take over four years, with women losing status in the campus environment while men gain status."

So this is what I've missed out on for the last four years?