By Maureen Quinlan, News Staff

There are some things in life that I love with all my heart and hate with all my soul. It is one of life’s most confusing dynamics – how could I love something and hate it at the same time? Well, let me give you a few examples.

Sundays: mostly relaxing, but dreadful because they’re a sign that the weekend is truly over.

Ben and Jerry’s: delicious, but makes me feel guilty for all the calories I consume in one sitting. As my roommate says, if it takes you longer than an episode of “Say Yes to the Dress” to finish a pint of ice cream, you’re doing it wrong. (This is really a mostly love item.)

The gym: going makes me feel better about my health, but my body has an aversion to exertion.

But the biggest love-hate relationship in my life, one that has been a struggle for as long as I can remember, is the one I have with the romantic comedy.

Every movie with a boy-meets-girl, boy-gets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl-back story has me in a seat at my nearest movie theater on opening night.

First let me tell you why I love the classic Rom Com. The swell of music, the lovelorn eyes, the tears, the disappointment, the reunion and the happy ending: I’m a sucker for it all.

It starts with the meet-cute. If a character doesn’t meet someone in the style Katherine Heigl meets James Marsden in “27 Dresses,” forget about it. A bride’s flying bouquet knocks her out, then he helps her off the floor. The meet-cute is essential to the Rom Com.

And after the rise and fall of the couple, there always comes a big speech. There’s a reason girls are obsessed with Ryan Gosling. It’s because of the speech in “The Notebook.” What girl wouldn’t want to hear, “So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day.”

You didn’t think I would write a column about romantic comedies without mentioning “The Notebook,” did you?

But we all live for the happy ending. A wedding, a run to the airport, a profession of love or a Red Sox World Series win will almost always do it for me. One of my favorite endings is from “Fever Pitch.” Drew Barrymore drops from the Green Monster onto the field during a playoff game, past Johnny Damon himself, and runs across the grass to reunite with Jimmy Fallon. The combination of physical comedy, pure absurdness and words exchanged between the two lead to the perfect kiss.

It’s the blend of all of these that always makes my heart melt with happiness. But there must come the hate part of the relationship.

Unrealistic expectations plague my mind after every viewing. These movies, as entertaining as they are, mess with my head. They plant unnecessary hopes and anticipation in the view of my love life.

The likelihood of me falling in love with my best friend/co-worker/best friend’s fiancé/bus driver is pretty slim to none, probably (a girl’s got to give herself a little hope).

The likelihood of a guy giving an epic speech is a thing made only for outlandish YouTube proposals.

The likelihood of coming to a compromise in the name of love within an hour and 27 minutes is just plain crazy.

The likelihood of getting swept off my feet by the man of my dreams, either literally or figuratively, is smaller than a lightning strike.

I am, though, taking applications now for anyone who wants to try. I require tall, funny and smart.

That’s what the movies say I should be looking for, right?