2007-10-03 7:49 p.m.
Free Hugs Day
For those who are unfamiliar with this practice, IE everyone, Free Hugs Day is literally what it sounds like. On any random day, which is declared to be Free Hugs Day by the people giving out the free hugs, the people giving the hugs will wander around some very public, highly traversed area holding signs that say Free hugs! or some such, to clearly indicate their point. It's supposed to be a way of connecting with people, I guess.
What's really interesting is the types of people who will approach those who are freely hugging anyone who happens to ask for a hug. Most people will just walk past, perhaps look at them strangely, and proceed to either ignore them or pretend that they're not there.
But there are a handful who will approach them and receive one of their free hugs.
I always go up to people participating in Free Hugs Days. No matter how bad my day is, hugs always make me feel better, and today I needed one after I finished my classes.
At the same time though, I think it's kind of sad that people need such excuses to be hug people. Don't get me wrong - it's not that I'm all for hugging random strangers in the streets, but I think it's sad that most people don't even hug their friends or families, or other people they know well and therefore need an excuse to hug anybody.
Whatever.
I'm off to work on my NaNoWriMo planning. The madness officially begins in November, but I always name my characters according to their vague ultimate destiny or function. And since I'm writing a sprawling fantasy epic whose ending is already mostly sketched out in my head, I can start naming characters now and giving them rough biographical sketches.
So far I have two of the three main families mapped out. The Olversons and the Alrics have been all named and are ready to be unleashed in fantasy hell. Now all I need is the third family, the Sullivans, to be fleshed out - or at least named. And then I get to the fun part of creating a pantheon of incarnate and discarnate gods, demons, spirits, faeries, and elves. Woot.
Yes, sprawling. And I think I have a (mostly) unique bent to the tale. I shall tell you more as I figure it out, but for now, I still have to name the third family going into this. Oh, and create some friends and acquaintances for everybody.
So, -hugs- to all for Free Hugs Day. Now go out and organize your own free hug campaign - it makes people smile, always a good thing - and take care.
