The Doldrums and more Mirror Emotion stuff

Alright. I've just about reached that point. I've done everything I can usefully do. I've gotten my grades back. School doesn't start for a while. I'm bored out of my mind. I've hit...

THE DOLDRUMS!

Yes, it is indeed a terrible time when a man has hit his doldrums. The crazy thing is that I don't exactly hate being bored and listless. It's that I remember how awesome it was NOT to be bored and wish I were back in that state.

I need a plan. I need something to do. I need to reinvigorate myself. Tomorrow, it's time to become mr. fix-it. Also, I need to clean my room. Also, I should do my laundry. While I am at my most happy being a doer of deeds, I can probably keep myself occupied as a performer of tasks. Anyone want to take any bets?

Addendum: Oh, in other news. G'luck, Brad, w/ your neighber.

Kay and Kristi:

Both of you make interesting points; however, I choose to respectfully argue back.

First, Kay, seriously, men start wars, do the asking out of the women, fight every chance they get, make the most ridiculous of preachers, etc. etc. I'm reasonably certain that men and women are AT LEAST equally emotional.

Second, Kristi, two different points. First, the maturity level thing is entirely possible. It even helps my belief that being drunk increases the likelihood of emotion reflecting. Second, I don't think it's a question of knowing in your head that a person "likes" you. I think it's a lot more specific and subtle than that.

I think it's a sort of gut reaction. And it's a gut reaction in the moment. It would not work, for example, if you had two weeks to think about it, and it wouldn't work if you found out while the guy (in these cases) was in another state.

Naturally, this is the hypothetical "you."


If you are making a real, honest-to-god decision, then we aren't talking about the same thing. Instead, think of it like a stop sign while driving. After your first week of driving, you don't think to yourself, "Oh, goodness gracious! A stop sign! Should I stop? Why yes! I believe I shall!"

No. You see a stop sign and you stop. In the same way, my theory goes, a person exhibits an emotion at you, and you exhibit the emotion back. Heck, it doesn't even have to be more than a couple seconds.

The trick after that moment is unrelated, at least in a psychological way. After that first moment, when you inexplicably find yourself making out with him, your brain goes into overdrive, thinking "What the hell am I doing? I must have had some reason for making out w/ this guy! I wouldn't ordinarily do this! I guess I like (?) this guy."

That's called cognitive dissonance, btw. Fun stuff.

Anyway, I'm not concerned with cognitive dissonance. I'm more interested in that 5 to 30 second window that starts the ball rolling. That brief period of time in which my theoretical emotional mirror is in full swing.