Don’t judge.

This is all true: My go-to Casablanca-watching snack is, in fact, cookie dough, dating back to the first time I ever watched my treasured favorite. I was in high school, looking through all the VHS tapes in our movie closet. As my eyes scanned across the rows of movies, they stopped and shot back to Casablanca. I had never seen it before but had always heard people say great things about it, so I figured I should give it a shot. I had a sweet tooth that day, and who doesn’t love licking cookie dough off a mixing spoon? Well, I saw a package of Nestle Toll House Break and Bake dough and took it to nibble on. And thus a great love affair began. Nowadays, I look back on that and I long for those halcyon days when I could eat like absolute garbage and still not gain an ounce. Damned metabolism.

-The Retail Explorer

Transformers?! Talk about your red flags.

I tried to think of the worst things someone could do/say while showing them my favorite movie, and these were pretty much the worst I could come up with. It’s like being invited to a friend’s house for a dinner cooked by his mom, only to get there and spit in the mashed potatoes.

Whenever I sit a friend down to watch Casablanca, I honestly don’t care if they don’t end up liking it. (Really, the percentage of the time that happens is quite low, as most of my friends and I think on similar wavelengths.) All I ask is that they give it a chance, and if they don’t like it, that’s fine; at least they gave it a shot and had the courtesy not to disrespect it to my face.

Bottom line, though, is this: Whenever you find a romantic interest who loves your favorite movie as much as you do, you don’t let them go.

Unless they turn out to be a Nazi. Or an anti-vaxxer. Or a flat-Earther. Or someone who tries to turn their pets vegan. Or someone who’s a shitty tipper and mean to service industry workers. Or someone who talks in the theater.

Okay, so, maybe there are at least a few hangups that could make you want to let them go, but liking the same favorite movie is a huge plus. Anyway, I’m gonna stop rambling. Adios, comrades.

-The Retail Explorer