Everything you need to know about Men may be learned from classic literature. As it happens, there's not much to know...
I married him because I thought he was a gentleman," she said finally. "I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn’t fit to lick my shoe. (Chapter 2) The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Men become old, but they never become good. Lady Windermere's Fan, Oscar Wilde
I don't like compliments, and I don't see why a man should think he is pleasing a woman enormously when he says to her a whole heap of things that he doesn't mean. Lady Windermere's Fan, Oscar Wilde
A man who does not think for himself does not think at all. Oscar Wilde
A woman impudent and mannish grown is not more loathed than an effeminate man in time of action.
Troilus and Cressida (Act III, scene 3)
William Shakespeare
Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art:
Thy tears are womanish; thy wild acts denote
The unreasonable fury of a beast:
Unseemly woman in a seeming man!
Or ill-beseeming beast in seeming both!
Romeo and Juliet (Act III, scene 3)
William Shakespeare
Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever,-
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.
Much Ado About Nothing (Act II, scene 3)
William Shakespeare
Well, I will find you twenty lascivious turtles ere one chaste man. The Merry Wives of Windsor, William Shakespeare
The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, since she is the most dangerous plaything. Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche
When a man is in love he endures more than at other times; he submits to everything. The Anarchist, Friedrich Nietzsche
Women speak because they wish to speak, whereas a man speaks only when driven to speech by something outside himself - like, for instance, he can't find any clean socks
The Snake Has All the Lines, Jean Kerr
It takes a woman twenty years to make a man of her son, and another woman twenty minutes to make a fool of him.
A Guide to Men, Helen Rowland
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus
John Grey
How can a man marry wisely in his twenties? The girl he's going to wind up wanting hasn't even been born. The Neurotic's Notebook, Mignon McLaughlin
I find it fascinating to view the products of other peoples creative genius. It's very Being John Malkovich, the way it gains you entry into their mind to take a look at the world the way they see it. I have mentioned previously that when we see or hear something that resonates within us, I believe it is because it points out, whether consciously or subconsciously, a connection between us and that person stemming from some shared experience or thought. Often times, when I see a photo, hear a song, or read a passage, the artist has been able to capture and express a thought I have not yet found an adequate means of expressing.
I am quite fond of quotations. When I was in high school there was a trend among the girls to have a quote book or some other quote compilation page. These pages were full of quotes that were thought provoking, painful, inspirational, romantic, and some were just simply hilarious. We had quotes for many occasions and we referenced them frequently. There are, of course, quotations that are overused, cliched, and even cheesy. I admittedly had several on my list which, as I read them now, are so very overdone I can't help but shake my head at my past self, but they meant the world to me when I was in high school. My perspective has changed as I have grown up and so with the emotional response I have to them. When I was 16, though, immature, and trying desperately to understand myself, people, and life in general, these words of others were as comforting as my childhood blanket.
I do not believe people say things intending them to be words passed down through the ages. We say things to express the thoughts and emotions in our heart. Occasionally, when someone puts her thoughts into words, it resonates with us so we write it down and we share it. We don't take the words of others to plagiarize or to pass them as our own. We take the words of another because when looking to express the thoughts and emotions in our hearts, sometimes, someone else already said it best.
Here is a collection of things that today, Tuesday, October 11, 2011, resonate with me. No explanations. No rationalization. It is all the work of others but I could never say it, write it, sing it, paint it better
Mercy Matt Nathanson
I want a real love
to let me in
I want to zero out
and be born again
no more false starts and no dead ends
'cause I'm in no shape
to do whats right
I see up that's down and black that's white
it makes me dizzy I come apart
all this love love love in the dark
mercy mercy both hands
I need less drowning and more land
mercy mercy, understand
less drowning, more land, less drowning
you're fire in the crowd
just to watch you move
tie your hands and demand a salute
all these gardens full of snakes and fruit
you're the click click click
of the camera flash
its in the definite kick up in the fame ball blast
but they don't call and they don't last
and you're gone
outshine
mercy mercy both hands
I need less drowning and more land
mercy mercy, understand
less drowning, more land, less drowning
come on kill the light
leave it all behind
I'm right by your, I'm right by your side
lean on the tick of time
put your hand in in mine
watch your ...
mercy mercy, both hands
I need less drowning and more land
mercy mercy, understand
less drowning, more land
mercy mercy, I'm in your hands
I look into your eyes and see that I can
mercy mercy, understand
less drowning, more land
less drowning, more land
Anders Zorn The Waltz
What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. Catcher in the Rye,J.D. Salinger
The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—'tis the difference between the lightning bug and the
lightning.
Mark Twain
Crater Lake, OR
Taken by: Zachary Altenau
After a while, you just want to be with the one that makes you laugh.
Sex and the City, Mr. Big
SaviorRise Against
It kills me not to know this but I've all but just forgotten
what the color of her eyes were and her scars or how she got them
as the telling signs of age rain down a single tear is dropping
through the valleys of an aging face that this world has forgotten
there is no reconciliation that will put me in my place
and there is no time like the present to drink these draining seconds
but seldom do these words ring true when I'm constantly failing you
like walls that we just can't break through until we disappear
so tell me now
if this ain't love then how do we get out?
because I don't know
that's when she said I don't hate you boy
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
that's when I told her I love you girl
but I'm not the answer to the questions that you still have
but the day pressed on like crushing weights
for no man does it ever wait
like memories of dying days
that deafen us like hurricanes
bathed in flames we held the brand
uncurled the fingers in your hand
pressed into the flesh like sand
now do you understand?
so tell me now
if this ain't love then how do we get out?
because I don't know
that' s when she said I don't hate you boy
I just want to save you while there's still something left to save
that's when I told her I love you girl
but I'm not the answer to the questions that you still have
one thousand miles away
there's nothing left to say but so much left that I don't know we never had a choice this world is too much noise it takes me under it takes me under once again
The caffeine withdrawal hit Friday afternoon (Day 3) bringing with it a fierce headache which felt like a continuously tightening belt around my skull. Tylenol is no match for my lacking diet coke intake. Luckily, I had already begun to feel better, lighter, more full of energy by that point in the process so I had adequate incentive to trudge through the pain and persist with the non-processed food plan.
I have come to two realizations at this current juncture.
I am very lazy about my food choices:
It takes a great deal of effort to be deliberate about what I choose to eat. I was completely unaware until now how much of my day is spent with some sort of food or drink in hand. I am hoping that over time the decision to select or reject food based on its content will become more natural and require less though but it is definitely keeping the wheels of my brain turning as I plan what and when I can eat.
My boozin is on the rise:
I have been taking the beer/wine/spirits rule to heart as I omit most other unacceptable beverages. I am selective about the adult beverages I drink, but my overall alcohol intake has increase exponentially in the last week (don't worry mom, it's an increase in frequency, not a increase in quantity per sitting).
Friday-Saturday-Sunday were full of challenges. My friend David (Spinning Quarter travel partner) came into town for the weekend and we went out on the town for some fine dining Friday night followed by camping on Saturday and Sunday. Friday we met up with Brittany, one of my girlfriends from college, for drinks at Bodega which was exciting for 2 reasons. The first being that Brittany is awesome and since she moved away for medical school I haven't seen her but once. The second being that October 2, 2011 marked the arrival of Yuengling to Ohio and this was our first opportunity to drink it "legally" in Ohio, on tap none the less. Drinks were followed by dinner at M at Miranova. One of the benefits of fine dining is everything is made with the finest of ingredients, so while I was still more selective than usual about what I ate, I allowed myself to believe, at least for the most part, the content of the dishes were non-processed. All the food was superb so any guilt quickly vanished as the various courses arrived.
After dinner, David and I met up with his sister and brother-in law for drinks at Milestone 229 which is along the Scioto Mile downtown. I have a childlike affinity for fountains and the one constructed behind the site of this establishment is truly inspired. It is amazing to me how little I have seen and done in this city where I have lived for 7 years. How could I, a fountain enthusiast, possibly have missed this spectacular set up?
Saturday camping was the trickiest yet. We packed a cooler with appropriate dietary selections, but arriving to camp where there was a spread including hot bacon, biscuits and gravy was torture. Somehow, organic yogurt and eggs paled in comparison. Sunday morning after David and I left the camp site we went to the local organic restaurant I frequent, The Northstar Cafe. As David had never been there for brunch, I insisted he get the Cloud 9 pancakes (they are the things dreams are made of). He was skeptical at first because, per him, "who dreams about pancakes," but then, gentleman that he is, he ate every last bite, completely forgetting to save a small piece for me. The waitress overheard be giving David a hard time for his selfishness in failing to offer me a bite of my favorite dish, and she brought out another whole pancake just for me. The woman should get a raise!
Today I return back to a "normal" schedule and dining out for every meal will go away (at least for a few days). I need to talk to Kristen to get a pulse check on how she and Tim are doing at this point and maybe get some new recipes for the week. For right now, I am headed out to do my weekly grocery stopping.
What is the proper etiquette for when a person gives your a gift of food that you are unable to eat whether for reason of dietary necessity or preference? Today in a computer training class, one of the physicians went to the coffee shop and when she returned, she gave me a white paper bag which contained what was certainly going to be a delicious raspberry and white chocolate scone. Now, I did have several bites, the whole time mentally trying to convince myself that it was a home made, whole grain scone with freshly picked raspberries and home made white chocolate in the ingredient list. I simply couldn't bring myself to say, no thank you to this gift she purchased specifically for my enjoyment. Somewhere out there must be some Miss Manners or Emily Post article regarding this very issue, but I have yet to find it.
As for dinner last night, the wine and spirits were certainly not lacking for the evening. After dinner, while sitting at the bar I had a Black Orchid which was in a martini glass and poured over an ice ball with an orchid frozen inside making the drink not only delicious, but pretty to look at and quite the conversation piece. I managed to almost entirely avoid the pre dinner bread. I indulged in two bites of pretzel bread but then was distracted by my wedge salad and the scallops we ordered as an appetizer. It is kind of a beautiful thing, dining at a nice restaurant. I was easily able to convince myself that all the ingredients in the creme brulee we had for dessert was unprocessed and since it was warm and perfect when it was served, I knew it had been freshly made. I certainly didn't make it through the evening proccessed free, but I certainly faired much better than I would have otherwise.
Last night, by the grace of efficient teaching on the part of one of my coworkers, I recovered an hour of time between a meeting and a short shift on the floor. I used those precious minutes to meet one of my girlfriends at our favorite Wednesday night spot. We are frequenters of a local pub where, on Wednesday nights, patrons are served their burger of choice for $3.50. It is a weekly indulgence which is generally accompanied by beer...lots of beer. While driving the 3/4 mile to the pub from the hospital where I was previously, I realized, loaded burgers, fried kettle chips, and fried pickles are not part of my unprocessed diet. Not even 24 hours in and I am forced to choose between sticking with my new diet modification and my favorite burger. It was a definite angle/devil battle. Luckily, I still had a will power reserve which allowed me to resist temptation. I sat and enjoyed an unsweet iced tea and Samiha's company while watching her eat her cracked peppercorn burger. Though the event left a large enough emotional scar that I must publicly air my pain.
This morning I woke up 3 minutes after I was due to arrive at the hospital. I managed to get to work just under 30 minutes later, but I had no time to prepare a breakfast or lunch. Kudos to me for preparing fresh yogurt and fruit bowl 2 nights ago because I was able to grab breakfast and run. When I arrived I got a hot tea from the coffee shop in the medical library and sweetened it with raw sugar. For lunch I got an unwrapped hummus wrap with fresh spinach, cucumber, tomato, and dried cranberries (i suppose the cranberries are outside of the rules but I'll pretend there was no added sugar...). Hummus makes a great dressing substitute so I was able to avoid packaged ranch or Italian. Tonight I have dinner plans at a nice and very delicious restaurant so this will be another test of will. At least the most important element dining at a nice restaurant is in the clear...wine. When in doubt...drink the wine.
Everything You need to know about Women, Love and Sex, may be learned from classic literature
Sex is something I really don't understand too hot. You never know where the hell you are. I keep making up these sex rules for myself, and then I break them right away. Last year I made a rule that I was going to quit horsing around with girls that deep down, gave me a pain in the ass. I broke it, though, the same week I made it - the same night, as a matter of fact.(Chapter 9)
That's the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you neer know where the hell you are. Girls. Jesus Christ. They can drive you crazy. They really can. (Chapter 10)
I wouldn't mind being pretty good at that stuff. Half the time, if you really want to know the truth, when I'm horsing around with a girl, I have a helluva lot of trouble just finding what I'm looking for, for God's sake, if you know what I mean. Take this girl that I just missed having sexual intercourse with, what I told you about. It took me about an hour to just get her goddam brassiere off. By the time I did get it off, she was about ready to spit in my eye.(Chapter 13)
If a girl looks swell when she meets youm who gives a damn if she's late? Nobody.(Chapter 17)
Girls. You never know what they're going to think. (Chapter 18)
He knew women early, and since they spoiled him he became contemptuous of them, of young virgins because they were ignorant, of the others because they were hysterical about things which in his overwhelming self-absorption he took for granted. (Chapter 6)
Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood.
The Sphinx Without a Secret, Oscar Wilde
One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that, would tell one anything
I don't think there is a woman in the world who would not be a little flattered if one made love to her. It is that which makes women so irresistibly adorable. My dear young lady, there was a great deal of truth, I dare say, in what you said, and you looked very pretty while you said it, which is much more important.
A Woman of No Importance, Oscar Wilde
The strength of women ocmes from the fact that psychology cannot explain us. Men can be analyzed, women...merely adored The Ideal Husband, Oscar Wilde
How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being. Oscar Wilde
Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle and low, an excellent thing in woman.
King Lear: King Lear, (Act V, Scene 3)
Wilt thou be daunted at a woman's sight?
Ay, beauty's princely majesty is such, Confounds the tongue and makes the senses rough.
She's beautiful and therefore to be woo'd: She is a woman, therefore to be won.
Suffolk: King Henry VI, Part 1 (Act V, Scene 3)
True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push Montague's men from the wall, and thrust his maids to the wall.
Samson: Romeo and Juliet (Act I, Scene 1)
Mr. Bennet treated the matter differently. "So, Lizzy," said he one day, "your sister is crossed in love, I find. I congratulate her. Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed a little in love now and then. It is something to think of, and it gives her a sort of distinction among her companions. When is your turn to come? You will hardly bear to be long outdone by Jane. (Chapter 24)
A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment. (Chapter 6)
For I cannot think that God Almighty ever made them so delicate, so glorious creatures; and furnished them with such charms, so agreeable and so delightful to mankind; with souls capable of the same accomplishments with men: and all, to be only stewards of our houses, cooks and slaves. The Education of Women, Daniel Defoe
Let men tremble to win the hand of woman, unless they win along with the utmost passion of her heart. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne In revenge and in love, woman is more barbaric than man. Beyond Good and Evil, Friedrich Nietzche I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
O woman, perfect woman! What distraction was meant to mankind when thou wast made a devil Monsieur Thomas, John Fletcher
I will never again check up on what Kristen is up to in the world of Facebook because my innocent investigation yesterday has resulted in a month long "no processed food" adventure beginning today. When I read that Kristen and her husband Tim were looking for friends to join their unprocessed revolution, I was sitting at my computer feeling gross and overall unhealthy. Since the last month (::cough:: or two ::cough::) my diet has consisted of coffee, pop, fast food, beer, and, as of the last week, fudgecicles, I figured it couldn't hurt to try to detox a bit. So here goes nothin...
Now for the Eating Rules (at least the most important ones):
We are not going to be perfect, but we need to make a reasonable effort - If at a restaurant, at least choose something that is more likely to be non to minimally processed.
If you can make it yourself from scratch (I can make a grilled cheese myself but that doesn't make Velveeta ok...) it's ok to eat.
Only whole grains
No pop :(
Beer, Wine, and Spirits are ok and the more hand crafted the better (looks like I need to make my own distiller)
There are many other rules and guidelines for what constitutes unprocessed on the Eating Rules link but these 4 are the most important for me. Luckily I will have moral support from Kristen and Tim during this endeavour because give me one cranky day and I'm liable to hit an entire box of fudgecicles.
I had kielbasa, pirogi, and sauerkraut in my refrigerator calling my name last night so I took advantage of my last night of processed freedom and made a feast. I added sliced apples to the sauerkraut and separated that out so I could continue to eat that today. The kielbasa and pirogi were devoured or shared with a friend so they would be out of the house.
Today is day 1 and I'm off to a good start. Though I'm relatively certain as the days go on, I will be like this...
I did a little extra food prep last night so I would have things to eat today. The big issue as the days go by will be making time to fix meals for myself, especially on days when I am gone from sun up to sun down. This morning I had a small coffee with honey, a cup of fresh grape/plum juice (I love my juicer), and vanilla yogurt with fresh strawberries. I came home from the hospital for lunch and Jackson and I went for a 30 minute run at the park. Afterwards, for lunch I had 2 turkey and cheese roll ups with the turkey and cheese I got at the deli.
Whenever I begin a nutrient modification program (I hate the word diet, I prefer life style changes, they are more permanent) the worst part is the first 3 days as my stomach shrinks back to normal size. Right now it is so stretched out, half of why I feel hungry is because my stomach feels empty even when it is full because it has gotten so stretched out over my month long binge of junk food. Nutrient wise, I think I'm doing ok.
My goal is not to rid my diet completely or forever of processed goods (a life without french bread is not a life), but I would like to return to a place where I feel like a healthy person instead of a blob. We'll see how this all goes...
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Well, I will find you twenty lascivious turtles ere one chaste man.
