Knights and Castles and Dungeons...Oh my!

In case some of you weren't aware...I am kind of a nerd. I mean I love reading and Star Wars and other nerdyish things. However, when I was a kid I was even more of a nerd than I am today. When you ask a middle schooler what they want to be when they grow up they answer with some generalized answer like, "Oh, I want to be a doctor" or "I want to be a teacher". But even when I was young I knew exactly what I wanted to be. I was going to be a historian and study medieval warfare and history. I do not think that it is possible to get any nerdier than that :)

I have since left those dreams behind and moved onto my dreams of becoming a theatre major, but there is still that part of me that will always be fascinated by the middle ages. With the ladies and knights and other fantastical things it just holds a special place in my heart.

One of the things that I find the most fascinating about middle ages are the "Rules of Courtly Love". Most people have heard about the code of chivalry which dictated a knight's behavior, but people are generally less familiar with these laws of Courtly Love. They tell knights how to treat and respect women, and properly conduct their relationships. Now there are many rules, but I am just going to share the ones that I find the most interesting...So, here it goes. You can all prepare to be thrust into my world of nerdiness as we look back on the romance that was the middle ages...

Rule #1: No one should be deprived of love without

the very best of reasons.

Rule #2: Love is always a stranger in the home of avarice.

Rule #3: The easy attainment of love makes it of little value;

difficulty of attainment makes it prized.

Rule#4: Every lover regularly turns pale in the presence of his beloved.

Rule#5: When a loves suddenly catches sight of his beloved his heart

palpitates.

Rule #6: He whom the thought of love vexes eats and sleeps

very little.

Rule #7: Every act of a lover ends in the thought of his beloved.

Rule #8: A true lover considers nothing good except that which he

thinks will please his beloved.

Rule #9: Love can deny nothing to love.

Rule #10: Never give evil council to a lady, whether married or not; he must

treat her with great respect and defend her against all.

Don't you just wish that everything was always like that. I love how there were rules and ideals to live by and love by that emphasized trust, faith, and utter devotion to one another. Sometimes I wish that we had things like this now in our society to create that respect and longing that many couples seem to miss out on. I know that the middle ages were by no means perfect...

I mean, they had chamber pots and disease and the feudal system which could be pretty darn harsh...but there are still moments of my life when I wish that even just for a day I could travel back to the middle ages and get the chance to feel that love and devotion that was such an important part of their culture. But for now, until the invention of a time machine I am stuck in Ogden, Utah in the year 2011 where I am boyfriendless and striving to make it through scholarship applications and important life decisions. Who knows, though, maybe one day I will meet my own knight in shining armor and realize that there really are some people out there who have their own modern day version of the rules of courtly love.

Hopeless Romantic...Me?

So, it is true that if anyone is ever to read this post they may find the whole, Confessions of a Hopeless Romantic title thing a little strange. I mean, this is me we are talking about. I have been on what, one date, in the three years since I have turned sixteen. And yes it is true that date was prom and I just went with a friend, but I am still counting it as the one date that I have ever been on. And it is also true that I once asked a guy out on a date, so I guess that means I have almost been on two dates. And I would have gone on that date, had the guy not been out of town...but still.

For me, despite the fact that I have been on just about no dates. I just "love love" as my roommate Bailee would say. I just love the gentleness and happiness that I see in people's eyes when they are crazy about someone. I love feeling like to that one person the other person is like oxygen. The only thing in the world that keeps them breathing. I know this all seems mushy and ridiculous coming out of my mouth, and I promise you that all of my posts will not be this way. But I felt the need to explain my blog name choice to you all. Whoever you are.

But, speaking on the subject of love, I must now say that I watched the cutest, cheesiest movie ever the other day. "Marigold". I was sick and so I was watching movies on netflix and I slept on and off throughout the day, and I saw the case for the movie and it looked interesting so I decided to watch it. For me, that is how movie picking works. I decide that the case looks cool and so I watch it.

The movie is about an american actress who is a total
self-absorbed freak, that gets stuck in India,
and falls in love with this super great Indian guy.

My favorite thing about the movie was that like in all Bollywood movies, the characters never actually kiss. All of the chemistry and emotion has to come from the looks that they give each other and for me, I feel like sometimes the looks are the perfect way to communicate love, rather than kisses that can be faked. In order for the actors to look at each other that way true chemistry has to be involved. Here is a little sneak peak...

Anyway, I have already rambled on for long enough. But I just loved this movie, and despite the cheesiness I think you should all watch it. So it's not the greatest acting in the world, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it. :)