Interlude

A rant, if you will: gratuitous uses of words and phrases should be ended. I'm guilty of it myself, yes, but that's why I try to carry a thesaurus with me. They're very useful in cases where words may be used to redundancy, however the downside remains: you may find yourself being ridiculed for not being able to think up synonyms. For the record, my vocabulary is advanced enough that synonyms aren't simple enough because I'm already using the fancy equivalent.

I have an acquaintance who uses a particular word to a point comparable to listening to nails on a chalkboard. Bonding is a reaction between chemical agents to fuse two opposites together. Glue bonds. Tar bonds. Bonding is also an activity in which you build a repertoire with a dog, in which this dog comes to understand that you are its master and that it must obey you. This is somewhat akin to the bonding you experience in infancy with your mother. It can be used to describe a moment in which you become spiritually intimate with a friend. You don't plan 'bonding' sessions.

This acquaintance of mine doesn't seem to understand this. Everything is a bonding session, which to me sounds like some sort of therapy appointment. Personally I always figure that 'bonding' would describe some sort of reaction shared by two people in the wake of some tragedy, building a friendship out of a sad happenstance. With this female, however, it's any time she has with anyone. Ever. As intimate as it is, it applies to any situation in which she bears her soul and gets the coddling and cosseting she thrives on. I can't describe exactly why it's unnerving to me, the way she uses this word, but I feel as though every time she says we've 'bonded' over some movie or what not she's establishing her dominance over me. This isn't just a bond of friendship, it's a bond of domination. As though I were her dog. I've been conditioned to come when called, to apologize with no apparent fault at hand, to feel guilty for feeling wronged. What kind of bond is this? I didn't ask for it in the first place. I don't actively seek out the companionship of females.

Good riddance to bad rubbish. Bond with some other sap (harhar), because this sap is hardened against you. I don't trust females.