The Mundane World

So as Erica and I slowly trend towards financial stability, do you know what I am the most excited about?  It’s not that we can finally buy some things (useful, fun or otherwise) that we’ve been eye balling for some time, though we will do that.  It’s not we’ll actually be able to go to the movies and eat out every once in a while, though we will do that.  And I’d be lying to say that I wasn’t excited about paying our bills and being able to buy food, but it’s not what I’m most excited about.

So what am I most excited about?  I can finally gift shop again!  Gift shopping truly is one of may favorite things to do.  I love the challenge of finding the right gift, not just something they want/would want and don’t know, but something that I want them to have.  Gift giving to me is a direct expression of how well you know the other person and what influence you would like to have on them.  Do you just want to get them something they asked for, which is useful and helpful but not too creative?  Do you get them something you think they would want if they knew about it, risky but worth it if it works (and a little embarrassing if it doesn’t)?  Or do you want to give them something you think they should have, a little more personal and attempting to grow the relationship of the two involved?

So yeah, as you can see I find gift giving to be one of the most interesting things about relationships.  But alas, to engage in it one must have a fair amount of disposable money even to get very modest gifts, and when money is short it’s better to exclude most people from it than coming up one person short.  So yeah, I’m really looking forward to Christmas this year, as well as the list of birthdays I have to keep up with.

If your point is fair and well reasoned, then you don’t need to be socially or emotionally manipulative to get people to agree with you.  If you are manipulative, you are wrong, even if you are right.

Also, you know that an argument has reached it’s end when the person you are debating would rather debate the very existence of truth and knowledge than consider for a second that they are wrong.