Happy Hearts Day

As I have mentioned before, I like Valentine's Day ~ in fact, I enjoy it more now post-dating/ romance. I like pink, candy, cupcakes, flowers, jewelry, teddy bears, and all the hoopla. It doesn't bother me one bit that other women have men to give them these things; I buy them for myself, and that way I get exactly what I want. Today, I treated myself to a small heart-shaped box of Dove chocolates (from Target, lol). They were delicious! I am wearing a Pepto Bismol pink sweater, one of my favorite (and dare I say most flattering) colors, and later I'm meeting a friend for a concert at a church in Huntington Beach. A church! I think they will have cookies, hopefully heart-shaped with red crystal sprinkles, or maybe I'm just fantasizing that they will.

I've given up on The Bachelor, and I canceled my Hulu subscription because there is nothing else on that channel I want to watch. I watched the latest bachelor episode on Tuesday, and it was so cringe that I had to turn away and play solitaire on my phone. Everyone seemed so phony and ridiculous. All the emotions appeared contrived and calculated, or they could be viewed that way. It's impossible to tell who is on the show to find true love, and who is on there trying to create an influencer "career," which makes me suspicious of every occurrence of supposedly heartfelt dialog, complete with tears. I can't take it seriously or get invested in the outcome. 

I began watching The Later Daters on Netflix, and that's pretty good. The people seemed real anyway, and their conversations were funny. I don't know if I will continue it though, as I just don't care enough. It's so much more enjoyable to read a book or even rewatch an old favorite movie. The older I get, the more I crave comfort and familiarity, not new things. I don't like new things! Some friends on FB were complaining about random friend requests, and I mentioned how my account is entirely locked down and closed off to new people. Even 154 friends are too many to keep up with, so why would I want more? I have around 2650 followers on Bluesky, most of whom never interact with me in any way and vice versa. I have followed 1700 back, but I created a list of a few dozen favorite accounts and mostly check those not the main feed. Point is, I don't understand why someone would keep their FB account accessible to randos when the settings give you a choice not to. It's like my old WP blog... I have 1000 followers, 2000, 3000! And yet the same dozen or so people interact regularly regardless. Seeing that big number is an ego boost, I guess, though it shouldn't be, since it's meaningless.

I had trouble commenting on WP blogs this week, not that I comment often, but something was glitchy. Whatever. I'm so over social media, except for my book club chats, because everything is politics 24/7. So boring. Speaking of politics, the Huntington Beach City Council has adopted a "MAGA" sign for the Central Library, so after I'm finished with the books I have and return them, I won't be going back there. I picked up a new library card today for the Fountain Valley Library, which is a lot closer to me anyway. The HB "MAGA" is cleverly disguised with different words than you-know-who's MAGA, but it's clearly an homage to him. Barf. This is an example of politics in real life, and my decision on how to react to it, as opposed to reposting useless memes on social media. Some of the memes are hilarious, yes, and I've reposted some over the years (political and otherwise), but how does this add value to my life?

I thought I might want to be part of Bluesky in a big way, but now I'm not so sure. The best thing about it is I that found two old internet friends to reconnect with. That's not a minor thing. I would so much rather nurture ongoing friendships than accumulate gobs of followers who (1) never buy my books, (2) never interact with me, and (3) seem to disappear off the radar once I follow them back.

I am happy and loved this Valentine's Day, and I am thankful for my wonderful family and good friends. My sweet kitty Gatsby is hanging in there and has put back a little weight. It took me a long time to understand that I have a lot of love in my life; it just isn't the romance novel kind of love. And that's OK!