Chivalry may be dead, but Romance is eternal.

Hi again, I know I've been lacking in the updates department. I even broke that promise I made to try and post something new each week. Well that lasted a fair amount of time didn't it haha?

So the question of the day is , "Is romance dead?"
I was thinking as I was glancing (reading indepth-ly...haha.. not.. maybe) through my facebook news feed and watching A Walk to Remember and it occurred to me that highschool, teenage, and even adult-relationships many times are romance-less. What ever happened the romance in relationships?

My parents are not the perfect example of this, they're as platonic as can get ...but they love each other in their own quirky ways I guess.
Point is, what ever happened to romance? Media shows so many different versions, types, and scenarios of love but where's the flowers and poetry (no I'm not talking about those hip hop, rap, r&b lyrics we all quote, myself included). I mean the real deep stuff, you know what I'm talking about.. Shakespeare, Keats, Yeats, Shelley, and Byron?!

Personally, I'd probably melt into a puddle of unimaginable happiness if the boyfriend recited poetry to me over being wine-and-dined .. hint hint ? Kidding, sort of.

Really though, if you're not the flowers, chocolate and poetry kind-of-girl then hey, I'm not judging but the romance isn't just that stuff either. It's the real sentimental moments. The things he'll do for you "just because".
Romance isn't just for courting (or for those 16 and under - the "flirting" period before you date), but it's also a sign of love and affection for that significant other. Even after you're "official", your girlfriend/wife is still going to enjoy getting the surprise flower now and then. It's a nice reminder that you do care, that you do love them, and you do notice the little things.
If she's not the flower-type, you could also try something small that may be an inside-thing/joke between you two (I.e. Leave her little notes, like a post-it in a notebook she often uses so that next time she opens it, it'll add some sunshine to her day).

Ladies, guys' aren't going to react the same way towards signs of affection like this. However, if you want to do something similar, do it in a way he'll appreciate. Don't leave flowers in his car or his room .. that's a no-no. Don't rearrange his things for him, but you could try the post-it notes ideas, and leave it in obscure places.

Lesson of the day guys: Bring the romance back. Saying "I love you" or "I miss you" isn't always enough. The same goes for simply spending time together. Seeing is believing right? We believe you, but it's always nice to feel appreciated and wanted. Routine dates may be safe, but they can get boring right? That little extra-something adds the spark back into the routine of your dates together.

And girls, don't push it. A guy isn't always going to remember to do these things, but when he does, milk it for what it's worth. Appreciate it and don't ask for too much. Men have their limits to how much "woo-ing" they can do at a time.

2010 . Hi .

Seems like 2010 started off on a "good note" this year..
But then again, what does a "good note" really mean? Did something especially good happen to me at the start of 2010 ? Not really. No miracles occurred . I had a lovely time with the boyfriend on a trip out of town but I think what I'm trying to get at here is that the year started .. that's really it.
There was no "good" or "bad" way to start it off, except the fact that it happened. It's now become another page in your life story.

I have stumbled across another revelation today.

Ladies, have you ever wondered why we think women are such great listeners? Well, truthfully, we are great listeners .. so why do we constantly try to tell men our problems, expecting them to understand what kind of response we want from them? HA.

Ladies , we listen to each other because we are sympathizers. We are sympathetic towards other females and their problems because often enough, we encounter the same issues, we feel the same emotions and all understand that when we're pouring out our problems on the table, we're not looking for solutions - we're not looking to merely talk for the sake of talking (or else we'd simply talk to our stuffed animals instead of people).
We tell each other our problems because we know that our friends will care. Maybe they don't fully understand, but they do care. Because that's what friends do. They care about each other and the problems they encounter because we empathize and share those feelings. There's so many ways to express our empathy: coos, sighs, hugs, friendly pats, sympathetic looks, agreement, cussing, etc.

Obviously men don't understand this. They're not women after all. They don't understand and often forget that women tell them things because they want that sympathy. They don't always want excuses, solutions or alternatives to their problems. And if the problem is of none of their concern, or does not directly affect them, they claim that it is none of their business or they simply do not care.

If you had a stressful issue on your mind and your significant other, friend, or family member told you that they simply DO NOT CARE, how would that make you feel?
What kind of friend tells you they don't care about what you're going through?
Rhetorical question.

Use your noodle Guys. If you don't care about what your friend or girlfriend is telling you, then don't tell her after she tells you her problems. Maybe cutting off others at the knees is how men do it, but you don't ever tell a girl that you don't care. Even if what she's telling you is completely useless.
However, if she's an airhead . . . well then, you're clearly not a good judge of character.

Oh and ladies, if you realize that a lot of things you try to tell your friends, or boyfriends isn't getting through to them because they simply don't care . . . then now you know who NOT to tell.