One of the worst things about Creative Writing is that I am FORCED to write. And it can't just be little tidbits here and there, like I usually do, but it has to have "strong plot and characterization" and "show-not-tell" and stuff. What if I just want to explore a cool concept? What if the details detract from the story? Personally, I always find myself skipping the descriptive paragraphs in stories, unless they're important to the understanding of what's going on. Because that's all I care about: what's going on. Not how it looks.

Meh. I especially dislike having to come up with a short story outline off the top of my head, over night.

HOW COINCIDENTAL (no, seriously, it is) that I happen to have written...something...over the summer that I was planning on submitting to the school magazine. And it just fits the page requirement.

All I need to do is tweak it, so as to fit into her "COMMUNIST EVIL TERRIBLE BOX" (Katie is simply amazing) and extend the pages a bit. Even then, she'll probably smack me with it. But I don't care, because I like it a lot, and that's that.

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Things are better. Pretty much.

I'd like to preserve a few great jokes from the trip.

"What's good for the goose, is always, good for the gander." Charlie

"NOBODY LIKES A CHARLIE IN THE BOX!" Clint

"So, how do you guys feel about masturbation?" Not a joke, but definitely a conversation starter/ender by Charlie.

"Did you poooooop?" Amber

"AH! Somebody took a dump in my nose!" Charlie, again.

"I HATE you ALL! No. Really, I love you guys. Just shut up." Charlie

"Riles, you have curves in ALL the right places." Me, talking about scoliosis.

"Have you met Dominique?" Me, talking about...never mind.

I can't remember anything else that transpired. Ah, well.

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i wake up one morning, check my rating, and see that it has dropped nearly 6 points, and gained a good 4 or so votes. my peers and fellow nuTangers say, "Maybe, but u may not be intersting. jk." (not word-for-word, but u know....) i say, "Nay, somebody repeatedly voted low to lower it." (yet again...) so, i check my stat again, and low and behold! it has dropped another 2 points, and gained a hefty 86 votes!!!! (current) would the very rude person that is killing me (Smalls) please step foward, and/or stop killing me!!!! (Smalls)

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My idea of love involves persistence. It's not some sappy, abstract...piece of melodrama that waxes and wanes. Sure, that particular mixture of admiration and other fun stuff is nice, and useful, but it shouldn't be the basis of, say, a marriage. It's not enough. Just look at the ceremony: you're telling this person you're going to stick with them literally until one of you dies. Rain or shine, rich or poor, good or bad. It's not there for show. The very core of love is sacrificing one's self for somebody else. Obviously in a mutual loving relationship you're going to have both people sacrificing for each other, so it seems hidden. But in one person's moment of weakness, their spouse is expected to support them. The more it hurts them, the more love they are showing.

Of course, this only works when both people go into the agreement with this mindset. If you have one true lover and one fickle person, what happens? Is the lover doomed to lavish at their own expense on somebody who doesn't understand or doesn't care? I don't know. At that point, I might not blame them for wanting a divorce, or accepting them when their spouse gets bored or whatever.

Choice. How much of all this love stuff is based on choice? It's hard to say. Certainly, some people are better suited with certain other people, but giving yourself entirely for somebody else should be a choice. When it comes down to it, you just pick a person. Obviously it would help if there was "chemistry". But what's really important is the choice to love each other. I wonder if any two people could get married and stay happy together, no matter how ill suited, as long as they both choose to love each other unconditionally. I want to think they could, but I really can't say either way at this point.

Does the same apply to dating? Even more confusing, because so many different people define "dating" so many different ways and do it for so many different reasons. I'm not even going to get into it. But as far as loving each other goes, I believe that it applies in any situation where love is called for, and in fact, in many where it isn't. Christians are supposed to love their fellow man, to serve first and foremost. It's not just some flowery speech, it's what's literally expected of us. If half the professing Christians in America acted like that and not...well, not sitting on their hands, then I bet A) there'd be MORE Christians because we're actually doing our jobs, and B) it would just be a generally happier place.

Wow tangent.

Anyway, I'm in a confusing position at the moment and these are my thoughts on loving relationships and specifically on why we get into relationships and stick with them as opposed to moving on to "someone better."

Good night.

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