Filed under: Culture, Musings, People, Posted by TA, Women | Tags: Celebration, Diversity, Gender gap, Hallmark, International Women's Day, March 8th
I wanted to give a nice lady a card to celebrate International Women’s Day, so I went to the Hallmark store. They had zillions of different cards. Birthday, graduation, St. Patrick’s, Easter and Passover, friendship, funny, dark, wise, you name it.
I asked an attendant if they had anything for March 8th, International Women’s Day. She replied “Good question. Let me check”. Her manager confirmed what I already knew. No, they didn’t have anything in that category. Thanking the attendant for her kindness to check was easy. Understanding or accepting the fact was not. There are many biased perceptions towards women and minorities, right? Yes, that’s why people have been talking a lot about diversity these days. Gender and ethnicity gaps are huge. Seriously, I would love to know why certain things are picked to be more popular and cherished than others. Can you think of anything more universal than a woman? Birthdays and women are universal.
Where there’s a man, there’s a woman and vice-versa. They exist in every single country, environment, and condition, despite of language, type of government, religion, or social structure. Is Christmas universal? As far as I know, less than 2 billion people actually celebrate it. The world’s population is about 7 billion. Does everybody in the world graduate? What about Saint Patrick’s? I guess even less people know about it than graduates exist. Celebrating women should be easier, whether it’s on their day or any day.
Here’s my paraphrase of a little wall frame I found at the Hallmark store, the only printed substitute message I could find to celebrate women:
Each morning, every woman in the world should hit her feet on the floor and make the devil say: “Oh, crap. She’s up!”
Enjoy this day.
Filed under: Life, Posted by TA, Relationships, Women | Tags: conversation, girl, kiss, opposite sex, Sex, women
Recently I had an opportunity to remember some of my blunt moments with the opposite sex earlier in my life. It’s paramount to admit I used to be a walking disaster when the subject was relationships with women, friends or not. This is not a mea-culpa but an illustration of how men can always improve their touch with women.
“Why would a girl like you fall for a guy like me? I don’t think I deserve you”.
Said to one of the the hottest girls in university, in her car, almost 11 pm at night on a weekday, after class. We were alone, and she had just told me of her crush on me. Could I have screwed a better opportunity?
“No, I’m not”.
Response to “Are you an idiot?”, asked by my mother. I realized to be wrong a while after.
“Ok”.
About my then-girlfriend’s proposition to break up. It was over the phone, on her birthday. I was sick and decided not to attend her birthday party. I have negotiated it better or in a different moment.
“You shouldn’t have done that”.
After a kiss by a friend/date who grabbed before leaving a party. Another one of those low self-esteem moments. What man in sane condition would say something like that? And I didn’t go for seconds that night. What happened after stays in Vegas.
“No, we’re going to a funeral agency”.
After my aunt asked if we were going to eat out in a restaurant. Yes, it was rude, but wasn’t that dumbly obvious?
“Did you screw him?”
To another close friend who had just gone out with an acquainted French guy (who had travelled all the way from France just for the “event”). Curiosity didn’t let me settle until hearing a “yes” from her, but our relationship was never the same after that. It was none of my business.
“Your nickname should be Homer Simpson”
Ignoring the burdening consequences of such act. To make things worse, she had been a very close friend of mine, and I completely ignored the fact.
“Heil, Hitler”
Followed by a nazi salute To a German acquaintance on New Year’s Eve. She was drunk, annoying and irritating everybody. I still managed to tolerate her behaviour for over 3 hours before losing it. I know it didn’t justify the gesture.
Angel and Tiggs 