When Will The Winter End?

Gorgeous hunting hawk photo from here.
See that fish? Yeah. That will never be me.

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been feeling a little restless lately. The winter is getting to me, and the slow thaw is starting to stir my imagination with the promise of warmer weather to come. The prospect of spring—or rather, the day or two that will pass for spring once all the snow melts, and then suddenly it’ll be 90 degrees and humid as hell and we’ll start wondering why it’s summer already—has me itching to be more active. I’ve been staving off the restlessness by reading more (currently: The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia McKillip) and going out in the evenings with my friends, just to blow off some steam. Dancing in a club, with all of the wistful youths on the prowl for victims partners, seems oddly reminiscent to me of a hunt. I’m glad that, despite what those youths may initially think, I do not end up their prey. In keeping with my two favorite activities in social situations, to which my girlies will attest, I’m all about intimidating and rejecting men. I’m cute. I’m flashy. I like wearing things that sparkle. Thus, I tend to get a lot of attention. And what do I do with it? Send them packing.

Everything is a game, and I’m pretty sure I don’t play by the normal rules. I refuse to be any man’s prey, in a bar/club or otherwise. When I go out with my girls, I go out to be with my girls, not to be hit on or picked up or bothered or molested or…you get the picture. When I want to dance, I just want to dance, and usually by myself. Occasionally if we bring some of our guy friends along with us, I’ll make my token rounds with them, but a stranger? Don’t waste your time. I’ll give you the same line I give almost everyone: Sorry, thanks for the offer, but I dance alone. The words between those lines are more akin to don’t care, get lost, you’re not taking me home tonight. I will not be your victim.

In a somewhat related vein, one of my friends posted this video to her facebook page the other day, and being in a rather huntress-feeling mood already and then seeing the title, naturally I watched it. It’s a fascinating segment, and reminded me of the primeval roots we all share. Beyond that, I’ll let the video speak for itself: