February 15, 2017 BE MY LITTLE BABY

Had a great run on Valentine's Day. It was cold and windy but the sun was out so it was bearable. Went alone though so I got to thinking about Valentine's Day.  It's a tricky day-- depending on your age. The little ones have it made--every kid gets a card--no one feels left out--everyone is happy. By the time we become teens-- things change. We fantasize about the most ridiculous things--I blame it on television. I can still remember praying I would get a special valentine from my latest CRUSH in high school--which made NO sense at all--considering the crush probably didn't even know I existed. I'm pretty sure I was a silent stalker TOO--but that's just an aside.  I also remember BEING disappointed too--  I can laugh about it now but at the time I was really sad. SO CRAZY--there is no logic involved here--so just go with it. Teens are not very realistic though. Why does everyone get  the perfect gift-- look perfect too-- and seem so DAMN happy on television? Isn't that how it works in real life?   What a joke! The problem is that  society in general is really influenced by this nonsense.   I feel sorry for people today because Valentine's Day is really competitive. With all those happy people on social media displaying their  perfect flowers, jewelry and sweethearts --it's a jungle out there. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about all that hoopla anymore. I'm very low maintenance--just give me one hour to go for a run and I'm happy--oh did I mention--a quick trip to Italy would be nice too?? Just Kidding?? Anyways,  I just finished reading a great classic written by Mary Shelley whose main character killed several people because his creator wouldn't make him a Valentine.

 Yes, I'm talking about Frankenstein.  First of all, just to avoid confusion, Victor Frankenstein is actually the doctor who created the creature who really has NO name and the book is actually quite different from any version of Frankenstein that you might have seen on television. The creature isn't really green and he doesn't have bolts sticking out of his neck. He is ginormous and has super human strength but that's as far as the similarities go. Victor Frankenstein, having seen a lightening bolt spark a tree, grows up to become a scientist who collects body parts from graves to bring his inanimate human to life. Unfortunately for the creature, he is so hideous looking that he is not accepted by Victor and is shunned by society. The creature is actually quite kind, but loneliness and isolation cause him to eventually turn to murder as revenge for his pathetic life. All the creature wants is for Victor to create a mate for him so that he can feel loved, but  Victor refuses and the creature turns his rage on everyone that Victor loves.  The interesting thing is that Victor and the creature end up the same---lonely, isolated, enraged, desperate. Mary Shelley was quite a writer at a time when women were seen and not heard too. She wrote the first version of Frankenstein in 1818 when she was all of twenty and rewrote the version most people know in 1831. It is a beautifully crafted book with writing that really captures the imagination. If you get a chance, pick up a copy of Frankenstein--the 1831 version--it's only about 120 pages or a 5 mile run--that will stick with you forever. Enjoy!