I might as well just reference ‘The Martian Chronicles,’ another book I read in junior high that I didn’t understand because I didn’t know it was a book of short stories and therefore couldn’t figure out why the same characters weren’t in every chapter.

Last week I revealed my hopeless case of hopeful romanticism, flanked by the hope that a Spaniard who knows nothing about me would show up at my door in some spontaneous gesture of romance. I now see clearly that there are two slight problems with my pathetic idealism:

Number One:  My hope-filled hopeless fantasies always involve people who don’t know much about each other. The moment they ask questions, the romance surely dies.
Number Two: I’m so consumed in fantasy that I don’t realize what’s right in front of me.

There’s beautiful romance right here already!  There was a Taboo Tales show last month. Before it started, someone placed a metal robot on the stage. I didn’t notice the little guy because I was hosting the show, trying to be funny, and praying that nothing would go awry. It wasn’t until afterward that I saw he was the robot logo of this here blog, meticulously carved out of metal!

WHAT!?
The card read, “I honor your contribution to humanity.”
WHAT!?
I had no idea what that meant because I haven’t volunteered in a while, and I always mean to text my donations into the Red Cross because it’s easy and only ten bucks, but I never really get around to it.
The robot maker explained that he liked what I wrote here on Humans are Funny, thought that making people laugh was a fine method of helping humanity, carved this little guy out of metal, AND THEN drove an hour to see the Taboo Tales show and present him to me in person.
WHAT!?
How romantic! How meaningful! And what a relief– I do not need to feel guilty about that volunteer trip to Haiti I never took.

This little robot man could be the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received (besides a Richard Marx CD in sixth grade and the recordings of my cheerleading competitions my mom just had transferred onto DVD. To future husband: sorry). My heart is jumping with glee. Not because I’m getting presents but because something I wrote affected someone else. That means more than anything.

Today a friend asked me why I blog, which is to say, “Why do you continue to spend hours per week cranking out essays about your intimate life details for an audience that’s honestly not that large?”
I didn’t go into the fact that my goal in life is to really make people feel something. “I just want to make people feel.” Sounds creepy. I’m keeping that one to myself.
Instead, I told her about all the people I’ve met through blogging. When people come here to read what you’re writing, it’s because they get you. A blog creates a whole community of people who share a similar take on life. It makes for some truly beautiful presents friendships!

Remember Wuthering Heights? I don’t remember much of that book except that it was snowy and everyone seemed bored and lonely. I just wish they could have each had blogs back then. (Wuthering Heights? Really? What a horrible reference. My insistence on staying in and writing is hindering my pop-culture references. I’ve seen one movie this year. Help!)

Thank you guys for reading and for commenting and for being funny and for coming back and for understanding me when I sometimes don’t. I can’t imagine my life without my blog. It sounds so ridiculous: “OMG, I would, like, die without my blog because it, like, totally helps me feel.”
But it’s true. All true.
LOVE YOU.

Note #1: Why didn’t my teacher mention The Martian Chronicles were short stories?

Note #2: Rahul from Your Beard is Good sent me a box of paper towels once, which was very meaningful. I swear. And we met RIGHT HERE! If you start a blog, you too can get paper towels in the mail.

Note #3: How cool is that robot?