Charles Dickens is my Homeboy.

**Warning: A large sum of English Geekiness will be dished. Reader discretion (spelling?) is advised.**

Hi

So I wrote a paper about love. I sat down, you know, not even thinking about Elisa and "Bennett" or Rainie and Paul or Emily and Lace. I just sat down and you know analyzed me some Charles Dickens and his book "Great Expectations." Being the English Geek I am I had already been Facebook IM'ed by an English Geek Wannabe asking me what my thesis was.

I'm not going to post my 2330 word monster of an essay but I'll post the end because it came out funny. An amazing kind of funny because I didn't really pay attention to what I was writing. But note: my favorite line of "Perfect Kisses" made it in there.

"Dickens portrayel of love in his novel, Great Expectations, is merely his viewpoint and perspective on the subject. He sees love as a trail-and-error affair where man must learn and move on in search of discovering what true love really is. But in the end, love is irreversible. Once it exists, no matter if the relationship from which it sprouted is terminated or not, love is infinite. And after one hundred and fifty years, this novel simply reinforces that idea."

Love is infinite. And I realized that's why I love writing about first loves in High School. Because you know what, kids in high school who are in love are sure as hell the luckiest bastards in any high school. Not because they have someone to hang out with and wear sweatpants around or kiss in the hallways or hook up with. But because they have a love that they'll carry around with them for the rest of their lives.

Because think about it: who the hell knows if the couple who are seniors this year and are in love forever are going to last. But they'll love each other forever. Who the hell knows if Rainie and Paul will last really. I don't. And I don't want to think about it. Because the point of love is to remember what it was like to live in the moment with someone. You'll carry that one person with you all your life.

That love will never die, no matter what.

*****

Read books people. Because I swear on my life (and the life of Jesse Lacey if you want to make sure I'm serious) you won't understand life without them. And read real books. Because even if "Great Expectations" bores the shit out of you, I doubt any "Twilight" book is going to give you the same amount of happiness and understanding as this book just gave me.

lovealways-jaseyray