Lessons From Buffy

Ok... so I think this is really interesting (well, maybe not interesting, it might be kind of dumb). I've been watching the TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and next thing you know I find myself on facebook playing the Vampires game and am now up to level 8! Where was Buffy when I needed her? But enough of that...

It occured to me today that if I wanted to be Buffy instead of Aragorn, it might be a lot easier. After all, I have a Cordelia - I see her at work every day, Zander - well... I'm pretty sure I know who that is, and then there's that Librarian, "The Watcher," and if he's not Daniel - my name isn't Shirley...

What I like about Buffy is how she looks so fluffy and cute, a pert little teenager, totally unexpected as a "slayer" and yet she just jumps in and does what needs to be done. So, I've been spending some time emulating her, and it feels pretty good.

Then I found this list and I thought it would be fun to post for our project. It's a list of things learned from watching the series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm thinking some of them are pretty right on.

•  You can't trust guys.
• Sometimes you can't trust girls either.
• On an English make-up exam, you don't get credit for speaking it.
• Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead.
• Live in the now.
• It's funny how the Earth never opens up and swallows you when you want it to.
• 'Hunk' can mean a lot of things. Bad things.
• No speaking up. That way leads to madness and sweaty palms.
• Punishing yourself is pointless.
• If you lurk, you can learn things.
• It's a statistical impossibility for a sixteen-year-old girl to unplug her phone.
• If dropping hints doesn't work, drop anvils.
• The mystery that is men goes something like this: they grow body hair, they lose all ability to tell you what they really want.
• Tact is just not saying stuff that's true.
• There's no use arguing with someone wearing her Resolve Face.
• Playing with pointy sticks is all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.
• Being wanted for murder is such a drag.
• Generally speaking, when scary things get scared: not good.
• You wanna talk fun? Public bus. You meet the funnest people.
• Competition is a beautiful thing. It makes us strive. It makes us accomplish.

And then I found this other list "What I've learned from watching Angel" (a character in the show - Buffy's love interest who just happens to be, of all things, a vampire).

• Men-folk are not always around to protect women-folk.
• The handsome man doesn't always rescue the damsel in distress, but she doesn't always need him to.
• We all have a dark side.
• Even good-looking people have problems.
• Beware of beautiful women in dark alleys.
• Beware of handsome men who insist that they don't bite.
• When you feel happy, go ahead and do the dance of joy.
• Some humans are monsters.
• A cry for help is when you say "help" in a loud voice.
• You have got to learn how to play with others.
• We should all smile more.
• Sometimes the journey is taken simply because it must be taken.
• Every family's got its problems.
• Next time you're looking for something, try hitting the last place first.
• Some people just don't know how to have fun anymore.
• Angel is pretty much a girlie name.
• A bomb can ruin a perfectly fine office.
• If someone tries to shoot your own personal back, it's personal.
• Sex has consequences.
• You can overcome your past, but it's a rocky path.
• Brooding is such a waste of time.
• If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.
• If you're a warrior slated for the coming apocalypse, you're gonna want a hair gel with hold.
• It's not that vampires don't photograph; it's that they don't photograph well.
• Outward appearance is no way to tell about a person's inner self.
• No matter how good you are, sometimes you still need help.
• You can't blame all of your actions on your evil hand.
• Three good things to avoid: dancing, dating, and singing in public.
• If you find yourself in an alternate dimension, it's probably not a good idea to yell loudly for help.
• Don't confuse who you are with what happens to you.
• If you lie to your friends, be sure it will come back to haunt you.
• It's possible to be creeped out and comforted at the same time.
• When the leather pants come out, there's going to be trouble.
• When traveling through an interdimensional portal in a convertible, hold onto any loose objects.
• Vampires can't fly.
• Some people just should not have (a lot of) money.
• Sometimes you only get one second chance.
• Seeing your ex is a bad idea when you're feeling low.
• Beware of lawyers bearing gifts.

Aren't these fun? If it was your deepest wish to be Buffy in real life, I'd have a ready-made set of rules for living. I'm thinking it might be educational and enlightening to create a list of my own... spend some time studying Aragorn and listing the lessons I could learn from him. What about you? Is there a list you could be working on? Lessons you could learn from... I dunno... Sam? Frodo? Gandalf? Bilbo? Someone else?