Frequently Asked Questions

I got a boyfriend recently! Yay me! However, I’m getting the same reactions from people and I’m pretty much sick of it. PISSED OFF, REALLY. So here are the typical reactions and questions I’m getting from people.

You got a BOYFRIEND?!

Yes. I know its hard to believe.

Tell me about him!

He’s 26 and lives in Germany and I think he’s awesome. Obviously.

Have you even met him?

Yes. I took a trip to London this summer and he flew over to meet up with me for a week. Which means a lot to me. How many people will do that for you?

Fair enough. But it’s so weird with you having a boyfriend! LOL!!!!

Yeah I GET IT. Valarie isn’t supposed to have a boyfriend. Valarie is supposed to be the one that everyone thinks is gay. Valarie is supposed to be the one that is always single so that when your boyfriend or girlfriend break up with you she’ll always have time to hang out because she has no other real friends.

So when can you see him?

We talk on Twitter, on Windows Live Messenger, and on Skype. He is coming to Oklahoma in late September and I’ll be going to Germany for New Years. We do what we can.

So now that you have a boyfriend does that mean you’ll talk to me less?

No. Because I never actually get to SEE HIM. If I talk to you less it’s because I want to actually pass all of my classes this semester. Also, because you’re getting on my nerves when you express disbelief at me finding a boyfriend.

Do you love him?

I don’t know. He’s my best friend. He has made some sacrifices for me that mean more to me that I can say. (Flights across the world, quitting smoking, etc) Yeah, I think I love him. And he feels the same.

And that’s all for now. Will you all please stop thinking it’s the funniest thing in the world to think of me having a boyfriend? The novelty has worn off of your reactions and now I’m just angry about it. Thanks for understanding.

Wait one last question- now that you’ve got a boyfriend will you still post almost creepy things about old British guys?

Hell yes I will. The boyfriend is understanding of my love for Anthony Head:

Support

I’ve been dealing with the ups and downs of an 85 year old woman (my grandma) for the past two days, and I have something to say about it. And because I really love making lists, here is a list of my observations and thoughts.

1. The people she raised have abandoned her. The only people who call her more than once a year are her daughters (pain killer addicts) and her granddaughter (my aunt, who is having quite a few problems of her own.) Why hasn’t she heard from the niece she raised? Why hasn’t my own father (her grandson) stopped by on his way home from work? (Rhetorical question- he would never do anything like that.) This family is made of FAIL.
2. People she isn’t even related to see her more. My mom’s family sees her more than any other family member of hers. And my mom’s family is in no way related to my grandma, except through my sister and me. Like I mentioned above, she will get phone calls, but no visits. Ever.
3. I get to deal with all of the frustration and anger from her, while they sit around their own houses not even thinking of her. I get to deal with the 1 a.m. wake ups when she falls out of bed. I deal with the incontinence she sometimes has. I deal with cleaning the house. I take her to the doctor. I take her grocery shopping. I never hear from anyone except my sister (who is a big HUGE help) and my mom’s family, asking if they can help out.

Thanks, Holly family. (minus 2, my aunt & sister) A phone call doesn’t hurt, and a visit wouldn’t be so bad. Not because you need something, but because you WANT TO VISIT.

Dinner For Six!

If you could have dinner with 5 people, alive or dead, real or fictional, who would you choose?

Here’s who I’d pick, with some runners-up.

1. John Lennon- Why not? The man is a legend. Musically gifted, all about promoting peace, and just to speak to him would be an amazing experience.

People for Peace

2. J.K. Rowling- She wrote the books that made reading cool again. Screw Twilight.

JKR

3. Robin Williams- He’s interesting. He makes movies as different as “Good Will Hunting” and “Aladdin”. I’d love to have a chat sometime.

Cool Glasses, Dude!

4. Merlin- Fictional wizard… “Lived” during one of the greatest soap operas of all time. Here’s a picture of the current Merlin:

Colin Morgan plays Merlin on the BBC show of the same name.

5. Rupert “Ripper” Giles- Because I’m on an Anthony Stewart Head binge right now. But Giles= a sexy British librarian. Who has a dark side. How can you resist?

Love that smirk...

So those are my 5… Here are some runners-up though:

Anthony Stewart Head- Did I mention I’m on a high with this guy right now?

Tim Curry- How does such a fantastic actor get such crappy roles?

Mother Teresa- Why not?

King Arthur- Same reason as Merlin, except he was more of an idiot at times than Merlin.

Graham Chapman- Might be the most interesting (in my opinion) of the Monty Python group.

Emma Thompson- She’s lovely!

Stephen Fry- He’s lovely!

Any other guy on my “list”.

My List

Most people who know me know how much I love older British men. I thought I should just start a “list” here and give everyone some pictures… Granted these guys are old, but they’re so talented and *ahem* attractive The order changes each day, so here they are, in no particular order:

**EDIT** I have simply put all of the pictures into a gallery, since it’s easier to organize. This is one of my more popular posts, and I add to it often, so this gallery format is easier. Click on a picture for a larger image!

Yes, I have a thing for British comedians. Is it obvious? I’ll be posting more separate blogs about Peter Sellers, Sense and Sensibility, Being There, and the Goons. I have posted plenty of blogs about Monty Python. Feel free to leave comments!

Dad Fail AGAIN

My dad is still at it.

My sister turned 18 a week ago, and he hasn’t called her. I’d like to remind him that this is her senior year, and he is missing pretty much everything. And that sucks.

It’s pissing me off, it’s pissing my sister off, and it’s pissing other family members off. Why isn’t our parent communicating with us?

Hey dad- Graduation is 28 May. You might want to show up.

Michael Palin

My my… I’ve been away from here for a bit, things have been rather hectic. But, I felt the urge to write and give everyone an update, so here’s a fun story about something I did recently:

I have a trip to London, England scheduled this July. The other day I was thinking about what I would do there. What if I met someone, made new friends and acquaintances? How would I go about meeting anyone at all? I figure that apart from spending time in the museums and doing all of the tourist-y things, I should spend time in places where residents stay. Go shop for food. Go catch a film. But then a brilliant idea struck me: It was high time I wrote a letter to Michael Palin, telling him how great he is. Why not write that letter, and include an offer to meet up while I’m in London? Problem is, he’s a very busy man, and meeting up with a crazy fangirl probably isn’t high on his to-do list. But he does have a reputation for being nice, so maybe things will swing in my favor. It would certainly be a meeting worth remembering!

For those of you who have NO IDEA who Mr. Palin is, don’t worry. I’ll tell you: Michael Palin is one member of the Monty Python comedy group. (He’s the cutest one too! XD) He is not related to Sarah Palin (thankfully, in my opinion), and for the past 20 years has gone around the world a few times, stopping to say hello to people who live in the countries he visits, and learn about their culture. He has the reputation as being the nicest Python. He has written books and movies, starred in movies, and even won a BAFTA for his role as Ken Pile  in the film “A Fish Called Wanda“. Here are some pictures:

Wish me luck!

Overactive Imagination

Yesterday I posted a Facebook status that said “Elton John saved my life.” This isn’t really something to be taken literally (as I think that suicide is a selfish thing to do, and I’m also too much of a coward to attempt it) but it is quite figurative. During some of my lowest points I always end up listening to a lot of Elton John music. Don’t ask me why, because I’m not actually sure… Anyway, last year during my rough patch, I was super low. Songs like “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”, “Sorry Seems to Be The Hardest Word”, and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” always make me feel better. Even if they are slightly depressing songs. However, songs that will really lift your mood are songs like “Bennie and the Jets”, “Philadelphia Freedom”, “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting”, and “Bitch is Back”. He is a true musical artist, and a fantastic performer. (Though I have yet to see him live…)

A friend texted me after that Facebook post, and we got to talking about what it would be like to meet Sir Elton randomly one day. Because I have an overactive imagination, I actually did daydream about meeting him (because I’m a fangirl) and here’s what I came up with. ***This is in no way realistic, because Elton and David (Furnish, his partner) probably never have to walk anywhere, or eat in any sort of random London cafe. Don’t hate- I’m just being imaginative.***

I have plans to go to London this summer. I imagined that while I was there, just walking the streets with my friend, when we decide to pop into a small cafe to get a quick bite to eat before setting out on our next adventure. Before going in I see two people who look familiar, and get an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. We enter the cafe, and with our backs to the two gentlemen, I can’t make out who it is and why I recognize them. We receive our food, and turn around to find a place to sit. Upon sitting down, it hits me: It’s Elton John and David Furnish! Oh my God! Oh my God! AHHH! (I obviously freak out a bit.) I whisper to my friend who it is, and upon realizing it, we both have mini-strokes. How is this man who is so great eating in this small, badly lit cafe? We eat a few bites, but our stomachs are so unsettled.

It looks as though the two gentlemen are finished eating, and as they get up to leave I suddenly have a problem- Do I get up and ask him for a picture and autograph? Do I leave him alone, which is probably what he wants? If I ask him for anything will he be rude and say no, and leave me embarrassed? What a dilemma… Without a lot of thought, I decide that since he has no idea who I am, risking a bit of embarrassment might be worth it. I get up, say excuse me, introduce myself, my friend introduces herself, and we ask for an autograph and picture, if it wouldn’t be too inconvenient. He obliges us, thanks us for listening to his music, and asks if there is anything else he can do for us. In my mind I’m thinking, “Well… I’d like to see you in concert…” But I keep my mouth shut. As though he had read my mind, he asks us where we are from, and says he can arrange to fly us to see him live and hang out with him backstage.

A few months pass by, and I receive a phone call from Sir Elton’s agent. He says Elton is having a concert in St. Louis, and is personally inviting my friend, myself, and a guest each, to come see him perform. Of course we all go, have a good time, and from then on, Elton and I are BFFs.

 

This is an example of how my imagination works. There are always more of these stories around… Do you have any stories like this? Comment below and tell me!

Dad Fail

I’m frustrated. Let me tell you part of what’s making me frustrated:

I haven’t heard from my father since July. Last time I saw him was my high school graduation, and that’s also the last time my sister had any contact with him. We didn’t hear from him this whole holiday week. It seems to me that the role of parent is one to call the kids and see how they are doing, not the other way around. However, last time I spoke to him, I called him.

This mainly bothers me because this is my sister’s senior year, and the guy never went to see her be a Drum Major at one of the football games, he hasn’t called to see how her year is going, see what her college plans are, etc. If he reads this, it may be the first that he hears that she made the NCDA All- Region Honor Band this year. (Yeah, she did, on Bass Clarinet.) Now that I think about it, it was usually me who called him my senior year. Maybe because I wanted that relationship. I’m not sure. But now? He’s not around, therefore there is no relationship. It’s unfortunate, and kind of sucky, but I suppose I shouldn’t have expected any more from him. He has the best intentions that he NEVER follows through with.

Just a Rant

On Friday, a coworker and I were discussing people we knew who would get on their Facebook and say “FML” (Fu** My Life), or just complain about how much their life sucks. All these people have to worry about is going to class everyday. They have parents who pay their bills, and pay for school.

My coworker and I both feel no sympathy for these people. We both work 32 hours a week at the aquarium, pay for our school, pay our insurance. He also has a work study job at TCC and makes car payments.

All of these people need to sit back and realize their life is not that bad or stressful. Especially if you haven’t got anything to worry about except your grades. Stop hating on your parents and learn to appreciate what you’ve got. And if you’re in high school: stop complaining about how much your life sucks.  Stop complaing about how much you hate your parents and your whole family. No one wants to hear it. I’m grateful for any help my parents can give me. So shut up, and take some responsibility for yourself. It sucks, but that’s life. Get over it.

Changes

Last year, while at OSU, I went through a “dark patch”. I wasn’t going to class, and couldn’t get out of bed most days. I was suicidal, hated myself, and hated being alive. During this time I read my Bible and preayed looking for answers and looking for God. I couldn’t find anything. I want to know why I felt that way. Where was God when I was up many nights crying for Him? What kind of benevolent God sits by while His “children” suffer? Why does He let them kill themsleves, and kill each other? During this time, I also started reading C.S. Lewis books. I could understand him, and I credit his writing with saving my life.

During this time, I applied for a job at YMCA Camp Classen. Because I was pretty shaky in my faith, I thought that working at a Christian-based camp would help me. I was wrong. Camp only helped me to see the hypocrisy of the “Christians” that work there. Counselors at that camp smoke marijuana and get drunk on camp grounds, while kids are at camp. The Camp Classen director is a bigot, and is a “holier-than-thou” Christian. What is it with people like that? Do they really think that by waving a Bible in someone’s face and telling them they will go to Hell if they aren’t Christian? Really? Because all I see is an insecure person who hides behind their god, using him as an excuse to bully people and scare the crap out of them.

One time, I related my story about my time at OSU to a fellow camp worker. When I asked my question, “Where was God?” and said I had lost my faith in Him, she simply replied, “Valarie, that’s so childish.”

What is childish about it? To me, blind faith without questioning your god is childish. Yes, Jesus says believers should have the faith of a child. Children ask a lot of questions.

As of now, I have no religion. I don’t want one. I feel like God does not exist, because when I reached out for him and needed him, he never came. There are too many things in science and plain logic that can explain away God. I will not apologize for this post to anyone, nor will I apologize for my beliefs and convictions.

Comments are welcome, replies are not promised.