Mood Shmood

Originally posted Sept. 16, 2005

Every time I finish a blog entry, myspace asks me to select my "current mood" from a list of...uh...moods. Have you ever looked at this list?

For example, what is an "accomplished" mood? I agree that you can have an accomplished feeling, but it's my belief that a feeling only lasts for a short time, whereas a mood is a state of being that lasts longer...maybe even a whole day. (OK, am I just getting into semantics here?)

There are other weird "moods" in there too. Awake? That's not a mood. Have you ever walked up to someone and said, "So you just saw Bob, huh? What kind of mood was he in?" And if the other person said, "Awake," wouldn't you think they were a good candidate for Phonics?

Here's another one: Blank. What kind of mood is that? "Ehh...I don't know...I'm feeling pretty blank today. Y'know...kinda erased or something." WTF?

Yet another: Exanimate. Does anyone know what that means? It's not even in the dictionary, for cryin' out loud. I'm serious, my Webster's II does not contain "exanimate." OK, I just googled it. Here's the definition: no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life; "the nerve is dead"; "a dead pallor." Yeah, myspace coulda just gone with "suicidal." Or are we trying to put a good face on a bad thing here? Anyway, I'm curious to know what the smiley is that goes with exanimate. Hmm.

"Full" is another mood selection. A full mood? Does anyone else ever think about these weird things, or is it just me?? How is "full" a mood?! I thought it was a physical state! They better have a little pig smiley with it, just to make it worth it.

Groggy, high, hot are not moods. Those are also physical states of being. You can feel that way, but they aren't moods. Just in case we're unclear, the definition of mood is: A temporary state of mind or feeling, as indicated by the trend of one's thoughts. Groggy is not a thought. "What are you thinking about, Suzie?" "Oh...groggy." See, it doesn't work.

Now, I have a different issue with two other moods: Indescribable and Moody. How can you be in an "indescribable" mood? Is that good? Bad? Aren't you somewhat describing it by saying it's indescribable? And moody...is that also a negative connotation? Usually when we say someone's being moody, to me it means they're in a bad mood. So why not just select Bitchy, or Irate, or something similar? And does that make it a Moody Mood? Methinks that's redundant.

And then there's Predatory. Eeek...scary. If you find yourself reading someone's blog entry and their current mood is Predatory...please shut off your computer and run away. Quickly.

Recumbent? I had to look that one up too. It means "lying down." I am completely baffled as to how that is a mood. "I feel pretty recumbent right now." Pfft. Lame.

We're at the end of the list now...Thirsty and Working. No and no. Not moods. Not even close.

Or...maybe I'm just a stickler for words. Anyway, I think I'll go select Exanimate now, just to see what smiley pops up. I'm envisioning X's for eyes. I'll be disappointed if it's anything less. Oh well.