The part about this week’s topic that made me chuckle is the dog person/cat person thing. I always hear people define themselves by the animals they like or other people define them as such. My mom is always telling me that men who like cats often turn out weird and are therefore “undateable.” It’s unlikely that this information came from genuine research, however it always sticks with me just the same. My dating practices are also ruled by such gems of advice as “never trust a man who doesn’t drink,” “never date someone who is tight as it sets a precedent,” and my favorite “never date a man who wears scruffy shoes.” That last one seems a little one sided as my favorite comfy shoes are knackered old rocket dog boots.
It makes me wonder if ideas such as these are set by trends in popular culture or if they are like myth, developed from a grain of truth. Was the weird cat woman in the village weird because she had cats or was that an unhappy coincidence that forever marred female hoarders of such animals? Did a man who didn’t drink continue to screw over all the drinkers in the pub, having more of his faculties about him than the rest who were rolling out? I wonder if my mom ever dated a man with scruffy shoes and how it turned out. I shall have to ask my Dad how clean he kept his shoes!
So I am building a list of truths that should be ascertained before dating someone for a future poem - obviously you have to work out which of the answers you would prefer to hear. I like the idea but I just don’t have enough to work with. What do you think should be on the list? I’ll start you off...
Dogs or CatsDrink or TeetotalTory or LabourMan Utd or Liverpool (Insert own football rivalry here)Football or RugbyUnion or LeagueBooks or FilmsStar Trek or Star WarsDance or RockClassical or Pop
From the Wednesday Afternoon Creative Writing Class...
Shaken or Stirred Size Matters or Doesn’t MatterElvis or The BeatlesCoke or Diet CokeWhips or ChainsCamping or GlampingWaxed or WildSpit or Swallow (thanks Jess)
