Palliating the Pink Pepster

Last summer we had a superhero party. Pandora went as the Fruity Barbarian, Billy went as Infinite Nasty (I think?), Julie went as the Master of Etiquette (very fitting), and I went as the Pink Pepster. I liked to pep people up with positive notes like, "Hey, did anyone ever tell you that your eyes are beautiful?" and cheerleading during our kickball game. Here's the Pepster in Action:

My pal from Vacamas, KevIN actually commented about my huge "knickers." Just so you know, the first rule in superhero-ing is to cover the tush, Kev.

Kickball, not so great. Cheering, the BOMB. I had the crowd cheering with Jersey accents, which is the way that I learned to cheer, "We're dynamite, we're dynamite, we're tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick tick-tick BOOM! Dy-na-mite! We're BOOM! Dy-na-mite!" I didn't make the squad in second grade, but I bet I'm one of the few who still remembers all of the cheers.

I like to be optimistic. All is usually well I'm getting enough sleep, food, and exercise. When not, I turn into not so cute Katies. Nate used to have a gallery of Nerd candies on his windowsill entitled, Nerds that Look Like Katie. Each had a little post-it note next to it with descriptions like, Morning Katie, Low-Blood Sugar Katie... It was really quite touching and artistic. I think the arts section of the Colby Echo reported that his exhibit was, "Nuanced, yet dynamic."

Most of the time, it works out a-okay for me to be positive. And actually, a lot of the time, I'm not walking around giving people rainbow stickers and daffodils. I mean, get real people! But I strive to remain an optimistic and compassionate person.

At times, however, this Pepster attitude messes me up. It's late as I write this, and I know that the Pepster will have a little less shine under her eyes tomorrow. But tonight was interesting; it has made me think about my behavior and attitude, especially in past relationships.

So with the goal of being brief, protecting my (and other people's) privacy, and not making this a public diary or therapy session, here are the top three reasons why the Pepster should dull herself in relationships sometimes.

1. It's annoying. Sometimes you have to be a little whiny to really bond with coworkers and friends. People know that you are real and not putting off a holier-than-thou front. (Let's face it, Cynical Katie and Bitchy Katie are fun, too.)

2. She becomes a Perpetual Cheerleader: Sometimes people fall into patterns of being grumpy. These people aren't her arch-nemeses like the Abysmal Aficionado or anything, but it takes a toll on the pep. For one, the Pepster risks burning out from constantly being stretched to use her powers. For two, the Pepster never has time to dabble with other Nerd personas. For three, the Pepster becomes an enabler and accepts inappropriate behavior just to avoid conflicts. In conclusion, the Pepster needs to accept if people want to be perpetually pissy.

3. Pepster isn't always clear with her intentions. Sometimes the Pepster flirts. Sometimes she means to. Sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes people think that she is putting off one vibe, while she means another one. Sometimes she knows she is putting out a flirty vibe when she doesn't really mean it, but doesn't know why she puts out that vibe. (Come on, now, Pep. Be honest now, could Elly's old Vacamas song that is sung to the tune of La Cucaracha have anything to do with it? You know the one, "I want attention, I want attention. Lalala lala lala!") Hmm.

I'll add these points to my Super Super Manual.

I appreciate Trish and Nate being my superheroes tonight and reminding me that it's okay to be a little human every now and then. Maybe I'll call Clark Kent to see if he has another pair of glasses.