TOO COOL FOR THE ROOM

I have spent a lot of time now and then trying to compose my own personal definition of what it means to be "cool". I use the word frequently and yet have no real explanation for what it means to me. And no, I never pronounce it "kee-yule." *shudders*

Maybe by the end of this post, I'll figure it out.

I'm thinking of things/people I consider cool and the qualities that they exhibit/share. Cool things or people must be original. Fascinating to some degree. There may be some elusive quality that I can't put my finger on but know it appeals to me. Intriguing is a good word.

The first personification of cool that I recall was someone I met once at an amusement park named George. A real aloof-looking guy except that he was intent on staring at me with the most amazing yellow-green eyes I'd ever seen. Ten Cool Points right off the bat. He wore ripped up faded straight-leg jeans before it was even cool to wear them and white hi-top Converses which have always been cool in my book. Five more points. I didn't even know at the time what an Izod shirt was but when I later asked him what the alligator was for, thinking maybe it was a logo for some club or something, he simply said, "It's biting my left tit." (5 points). He was 16 and had already graduated from high school (25 points) and was studying to be a chemist (28 points). He had a mop of bleached blonde curls hanging down to his eyelashes (20 points) and mutton chops. No guys I knew even had sideburns and I didn't know what mutton chops were, except maybe a cut of sheep meat? Aboot 10 more points. Well, after a fascinating conversation (50 points) that ended up with a "Where do you live? I wanna to come see you." he was seriously tipping the Richter Scale in the Cool Department. We exchanged addresses and wrote back and forth for a year or so but never managed to get together because a.) I was too young to drive and b.) his "old man" kept getting drunk and wrecking their effing car. Maybe not original for the world at large, but certainly for me. I didn't know any college students let alone one who's father drank and wrecked the family car on a regular basis. Seemed fascinating to me...

So I guess it's safe to say that ever after that I gauged "cool" against George's point total. I'm guessing he probly is a pretty cool chemist by now. Hopefully he didn't follow in his old man's uncool footsteps.

Maybe there is no definitive definition for me. I'll keep pondering it tho'. What does "COOL" mean to you? And who's the coolest person you know?

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119. Biting your cheek on the very same swollen place where you've previously bitten it.