The Saddest Thing

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SFBT

"I am going to say something widely inappropriate now", he interrupted my summary of the last few months.
"I missed the cadence of your speech."

SG

"That rotten feeling when you spot someone you used to connect with in the past
but haven't seen in 9 years
walking by with his arm around the shoulders of someone he connects with now.
And you're torn between wanting to run up to him to say hi
and hoping he hasn't seen you and thought, "Oh wow, she put on a lot of weight."

When SciFi explains...

source: tumblr

Hair obsessions

This morning at the hairdresser's.

A: Well, it's funky ^*) again.

B: Indeed. And you know what's best? I don't have to worry if the boyfriend will like it.

A: Ah, still single?

B: Absolutely and planning to keep it that way. I think I'm actually shooting "Leave me alone" rays. Pew, pew, pew.

^*) Note that she didn't use the word "special". Smart woman, that.

Ours is the only civilization in history which has enshrined mediocrity as its national ideal. *)

The world isn't kind to mavericks Bill, 

you want to lead an unconventional life, 

you gotta learn to hide in plain sight. 

Barton Scully - Masters of Sex **)

This post has been brewing for a few months now.

The word "special" (or its Flemish nominalisation to describe a person - specialleke - note the diminutive) has given me some food for thought of late. 

I heard it to describe me choosing my spectacles, because they're constructed upside down, "Your glasses are different - but of course you chose them as you're a special person."

It's been used to comment on my craft projects, "Always something special, huh? It looks difficult!"

I've been told that my recent life changes also mark me as special.

So, what is it?

A compliment?

An expression of annoyance?

A warning?

A sign of the new Biedermeier / Victorian Age?

Dare I ask the next person's motivation for using that word, or will that be perceived as something only a specialleke would ask?

I have been invisible for too long to content myself with mediocrity.

*) The Moviegoer (1961) by Walker Percy 
**) "I think one of the daring aspects of the show is how Beau Bridges has been portrayed as a fully rounded man who is a closeted gay, who is living a lie in one sense and yet seems to be an all-American success story. This has never been portrayed on TV like that. I think Beau has been amazing. At age 72, with all of his accomplishments, to take on such a complicated role that is breaking so many taboos is extraordinary. He has my everlasting gratitude." Thomas Maier, author of Masters of Sex

Don't misunderstand this one

“Stay single.
I only say this because when you’re young and in love, everyone thinks they’re the exception. Sure maybe mom and dad slept in separate beds and then separate rooms, maybe the older couples you know bicker or fight, maybe they don’t talk at all if they ever did.
At your age, you can’t imagine it will ever be you, but it will be. Which is bad enough but what’s ever worse is how much you’ll feel like a failure because when the person who knows you best loses interest, that really takes something out of you—like surgery almost—and you really start to wonder if you’ll ever be whole again.”
 — Margaret Scully in Masters of Sex