My dear teenage daughter asked me last night if I had seen “The Notebook,” and when I said I did, she proceeded to ask if I liked it. I clearly remember watching that movie and found it much too sappy, and so I told her I did not care for it. She gave me a quizzical look that, in no uncertain terms, questioned my very humanity. I felt like a heartless buffoon.

Now I’m not one who loathes love stories; I do have a heart after all, and it’s not made of stone either. But “The Notebook?” It’s just, well, too romantic. It’s like eating too much cheesecake: No matter how much I love cheesecake, eating too much of that creamy goodness will undoubtedly make me sick. And “The Notebook” is a whole lot of cheesecake for one sitting.

While I’m on the topic of movies and love stories, I remember posting an entry in my old blog after seeing a truly great one. This entry was originally posted 3 years and 9 months ago:

With all the fuss surrounding it, I finally watched “Brokeback Mountain” recently. And despite the impending teasing and confused musings that this post might elicit, I just have to say that the movie is profoundly moving. Yes, you heard that right, guys: Whether you are a homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, asexual, or any other type of “sexual” I don’t even (wanna) know about, believe me, your orientation is just irrelevant … the movie is simply, universally worth watching. With so many a motion picture being touted as “a love story,” it just astounds me that it took a tale of 2 men–cowboys no less!–to capture the essence of what that is.

So ignore the intimidation, and put aside any inhibition; surely there involves no humiliation … in watching and appreciating this production. In the end, you might even want to thank me for prodding you to do so. Just don’t thank me by inviting me to go camping this summer. I’m just not outdoorsy like that.