{"id":2906,"date":"2015-12-29T20:53:31","date_gmt":"2015-12-29T20:53:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/whatwedo\/?p=2906"},"modified":"2015-12-29T21:00:26","modified_gmt":"2015-12-29T21:00:26","slug":"remember-to-smile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/whatwedo\/2015\/12\/29\/remember-to-smile\/","title":{"rendered":"Remember to Smile"},"content":{"rendered":"

In which it is, in fact, worth it.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"PK_Mike\"<\/a>To my dear reader,<\/p>\n

I am not a fan of vlogs. I don\u2019t think that they\u2019re intrinsically bad, but most vloggers fail to entertain me with their mundane lives. The only real exception I\u2019ve ever found is the channel of Team Pike \u2013 a gay couple of PK Creedon and Mike \u2013 and I realized this\u00a0because of a very cheesy music video they made to Carly Rae Jepsen\u2019s \u201cI Really Like You.\u201d<\/p>\n

In part, I like the aesthetic value of the focus in each of their videos. Few to none of the channels\u2019 videos show the couple rambling about their everyday lives. Instead, each one focuses on a specific aspect of their lives, such as a family vacation, a video challenge, or a component of their relationship. This provides a purpose which captures my (otherwise very scattered) attention.<\/p>\n

I also won\u2019t deny that both are very cute. What can I say? I like \u2018em white and suburban.<\/p>\n

Not really joking about that one.<\/p>\n

What really captured my attention, however, was the fact that both Mike and PK are a little older than most gay male vloggers, and much more mature. Their silliness and humor are constantly balanced with meaningful messages, and they consistently demonstrate a very real, healthy and three-dimensional relationship. Both are extremely different, but in spite of this find common ground.<\/p>\n

I have never had any sort of gay male role model, and I\u2019ll admit that I very much wish I had. But seeing these two \u2013 especially in this ridiculous music video \u2013 made me feel like they were filling that space in a way, and gave me hope that I might one day have a relationship that good.<\/p>\n

But if I\u2019ve learned nothing else from them, it is to (as they say at the end of each video) remember to smile… because it’s worth it.<\/p>\n