NamBlamThnkUMam

There have been many phrases over the years that basically mean 'stop whining and endure the unpleasant situation in which you find yourself'. Suck it up, Grow a pair, Cope, Deal, Call the waaambulance, etc. But lately there is a new one that I am rapidly growing fond of. Man up. I don't know why this appeals so much to me. Maybe because it's mostly women I have heard using it. Or maybe it's because my formative years were the 80's, and a more wussified decade hasn't occurred since 18th century France. In the 80's we were so in touch with our feminine sides that Boy George and that dude from Dead or Alive were major pop stars. Any sort of manly behavior was branded neanderthal and backward. I even knew guys who admitted to peeing sitting down. Then the 90's demonstrated that American staple...the classic overcorrection. The Man Show, Love Lines, and the inexplicable fame of Adam Carrera pushed us back in the direction of testosteridiculousness. Now things are settling down, and we seem to be experiencing something of a renaissance of gender identity. Men are free to be men. Women are free to be women. And small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri are free to be small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri. Women can be strong, and feminine. Men can be assertive and caring. And we finally aren't expected to cry at the drop of a hat. So for the duration of NoBlowPoLe I'm going to man up and post like it's 1999.(ok, that doesn't make much sense, but it's 5:35am and I'm struggling to keep back the tears) :-)

Peace,
Marius