Making Out in Union Square Park.

No. Not me. Other People.

And here's the thing. I REALLY don't have a problem with public displays of affection to some degree- holding hands is nice (in fact sometimes it seems off NOT to...), hugs hello or goodbye- lovely! Kiss on the cheek- that's a fantastic way to greet or sendoff. Quick kisses here and there: I can even deal with that!

So Claire, where are you going with this? Well HERE is where I'm going: PDA is fine, but don't make me watch you make out. And what do I mean by make out? In this case I mean really sensual kissing- like the kind that makes you feel like you're watching someone undress (like that scene in The Notebook where they stand across from each other and awkwardly un-layer)- you feel like a real creeper. And you may be saying "so just don't look"- but yeah, it doesn't always work! Cause when you are sitting directly below the glow of a park lamp in Union Square, sitting on a bench that squeezes you close to each other because of the homeless person nap-blockers, and this bench is the first in a half-circle curve where I'm headed to sit and chat on the phone... I can't escape the sight of your nauseatingly personal and intimate kiss.

I think it's great that these people are connecting physically- and honestly they were nowhere near as bad as some people I have seen. Actually it was really eye-catching because they were a bit different- rather than the traditional groping I-can't-wait-to-bed-you slobber fest that usually occurs by PDA sickos, this couple was so intent on just the kiss. They were at a seated embrace underneath the light of the park, and they were both so focused... just enraptured by the presence of the other person and blocking out all others. There were no desperate wandering hands or mislead tongues, no need for bodily advance. They were engaged with each other in a way that people are so rarely engaged- so personally and meaningfully- saying this I'm realizing how beautiful it was.

In the end I guess I'm ok with this particular pair- there is something quite romantic about their oblivion, and of course for some reason the park bench appeals to the more traditional and trite romantic in me. But other than this couple, I feel that most public make-outs are often malicious- a kind of "see, I'm making out and you're not" or an "I can do what I want... even have sex standing up with my clothes on in front of you." So folks... if you're a perpetrator of the PDAPMO (Public Display of Affection Public Make-Out) please cease and desist. Peck, shake, hug, hold, but for goodness sakes, don't make me bite my tongue to prevent myself from barking "OFF" at you when I see you.