The Preface | The Menories Journal

Men-o-ries: Noun: The recollection of encounters with men

I have always had weird encounters with people in my life, which for a period I didn't think was odd. I collected all these little moments which would dance around in my memories, some bringing happiness, while others, others - put simply, hurt or made me question what the hell had just happened. I didn't think these were odd encounters until I would casually mention an experience, usually in jest, attempting to make someone laugh, trying to sympathize with another odd experience. People began to share that some of these weren't normal; not all bad, not all weird, and certainly some good, but all in all, situations that others didn't likely find themselves in often.

            Maybe these odd situations are situations that all people will find themselves in every now and then. In more recent years, more stories have come to light about what (mainly) women go through daily. From being cat-called on the street to dealing with harassment at work, these are the daily realities for many; however, many of these journals go beyond if not, include and explore those exact examples. This is not a collection of journals to shed light on every single negative encounter I've had with men, but every encounter of notoriety. Here is the story of the boys working a Jamba Juice mall counter making me smile and gifting me free smoothies on my worst days; here is the story of the man I met in a Lyft when I was 19, two days before Christmas who offered to drive me 3 hours to my hometown in exchange for a drink with him; here is the story of the man who I hooked up with who wrote food porn; here is the story of the first time I felt overwhelming love and heartbreak within seconds of each other. I am not here to document and highlight all the negative encounters I've had with men (though there will be some) but to share and highlight how f*****g weird men are.  *Everyone is weird. This is not an attack on gender, but perhaps, more of an exploration.

            In being true to these stories I am going to change as little as possible except for each man's name; some out of respect, some out of not wanting to deal with it, and some because I never learned or have since forgotten. These are my experiences and how I recall them which leads me to say that memory can be a fickle thing. If a reader happens to identify themselves and they feel differently about what happened; that’s cool, you could say that is your menory (aka memory) of the event. To everyone that explores these journals, I hope you find solace in the audacity of some of these journals, you find comfort knowing you are not alone if you have experienced something similar, and you find humor in the funny or awkward parts of life.

Author's Note

Currently re-releasing previously written pieces with more edits, details, etc. Any and all feedback is more than welcome and accepted.

Reviews

[Kathy Van Kurin]

The preface'
Haley,
We all have a cornucopia of life time experiences. I see that this is focused on one area. Just living gives a wealth of subject matter. It is a vulnerable thing I think to share personal input and insight of life. I know your coming writings will be really neat!
Blessings,
Kathy

[John the Baptist]

Being an elderly male, I agree those of my gender can be weird, but there are different degrees of weirdness. Take Jack the Ripper, for example. A real cutup, that boy. Then there is Donald Trump, who never met a mirror he didn't want to kiss. Lastly, there was King Solomon, who had 700 wives, which means 700 different honeydo lists. Was he really wise, or was he a masochist?

[barleygirl]

I will never forget reading your menories. I did not know what this word meant until just now, reading this. I'm old & forgetful, so I will enjoy your menories even if I've already read some of these before. Reading this, I was thinking --> this is what I like to write about, too, except my experiences are countrified & yours are citified. That's the beauty of it all! Equally weird in a completely different realm! (((HUGS)))

[Haley]

Thank you so much! Most of these experiences can be experienced anywhere and I assume are shared by many, but it is nice to read and compare notes of lived experiences, whether in the country or they city! Thank you again for reading.

[JE Falcon]

Interesting, and nicely explained. Now to find time to keep up, and I shall try.

[Haley]

Thank you so much!

[shadrach hah]

Hi Haley, I am looking forward to reading your memories. I slightly blew things already, by reading the second memory first. I shall get onto Pork Chop now. Sorry about that. Well, I already want more and I have just started. Have a wonderful Wednesday....Mike.

[Haley]

Hi Mike! Thank you so much! And one of the reasons why I like writing these in a journal format is so that you can pick up whenever and don't have to read in order!:)

[shadrach hah]

You are welcome, Haley, I think that is a great idea. If you miss some, you can always find them and not be lost in a storyline. Great idea. Have a wonderful evening. Hugs always....Mike.

[Richard🖌]

HM?

Uh, Haley Dear?
I distinctly and vividly recall reading and reviewing both this and "Pork Chop".
What has happened to my reviews (and, I don't give pats-on-the-head token reviews, either).
Let me muddle it over and consider reviewing these two excellently-rendered short stories again.

Thinking about...ummm ⁓ Richard 🍃

[Haley]

Hi Richard,
Thank you for remembering these stories! I am re-posting and re-working many of the stories that I had previously told in order to correct grammar, add in more relevant details, and all together clean up the pieces. There will be some new stories coming as well but felt as if the previous ones needed polishing! No pressure to re-read, though I would be quite fortunate if you did. :)

[Richard🖌]

Dear Haley,
Out of consideration for your fans, followers, smitten reviewers, you could always copy your story, edit it offline, and paste it back in the edit frame once completed, or edit it here and save it … all without losing your valued and treasured reviews.
I enjoy your skills enough to gift your work a second review, but I'm still pondering … I think it's leaning your way. ; )
Looking forward to your new ones, as-well.

Big HUG! ⁓ RJ 🍃

[Haley]

I absolutely should have done that, but a few months back I thought I wanted to take the page into a different direction so wanted a clean slate. I regret doing so now, but trying to mix in new stories with the old so it doesn't get stale! :)

[Samuel Dickens]

In this, you do a very good job of getting the reader to want more. As I've never understood humans in general, reading of your experiences might well be educational. Very nice writing.

[Haley]

Thank you so much for reading! I'm glad some of these future stories could be considered somewhat educational - my only goal is to shed light on how situations are perceived or telling stories that everyone could relate to such as heart breaks or first loves, family problems, etc. Thank you again for reading!

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Oh I'm so looking forward to reading some of the things you have had to endure with men. Omg I could only imagine, or not, the stupidity you may have encountered. I being a male myself have often caution some of my friends to not be "that guy" but despite my warnings they do dumb things anyway. Men are simple creatures living with just the basics of human emotion. It's why we constantly put our hand on something hot despite being warned repeatedly about it. It takes a long time for something to sink into our minds. Women don't have that issue at all. They are intuitive by nature and aware of the world around them more then their counterparts. It's probably not a good idea for me to generalize these things though because there are exceptions to the rule. I enjoyed your introduction and am looking forward towards your experiences.

[Haley]

Thank you so much for your kind words! While I agree with you to some extent, women can also be quite cringe-y as well. I have certainly done my fair share of things that are embarrassing or even come off differently than intended! ( Some of these instances will also be later documented :) ) One of my points in writing these journals is in part to share what some of these experiences are like from a first-hand perspective. While they may not all be universal, I am sure that everyone could find some similarities at some point in their life. Thank you again!!