“Defining Love”: The Column, Day 3

By Ms. Lee, Sponsored By The Rambling Rule

Hello one and all. It is I, Ms. Lee, (of “Defining Love”: the play) once again using The Rambling Rule’s generously donated cyberspace to help you through the layered and sometimes contrived world of love quotes.
Today we are going to examine a few lines from a very popular love song from the 1991 movie, Robin Hood, starring the delightful Alan Rickman.
What?  Sorry, excuse me… I was just passed a note from my assistant…Kevin Costner was the star? Really?  Ok, well if you say so.  I really only remember the sheriff.
So to continue, I’d like to examine just four short lines from the very popular love song “(Everything I do) I do it for you” By Bryan Adams. This song really brings back some happy memories for me. A few minutes ago, when I sat down at my computer to start writing about today’s quote, I got carried away on a flashback tangent and recalled all the Friday nights I would go to my friend’s place, we’ll call her K, and we would watch this video over and over.  More specifically, we would watch a series of videos that K taped off of Much Music.  We would moon over specific guys (and their long hair…it was the tail and of the 80′s hair metal era after all) and giggle when they would look at “us” from their music set world.
“Oh! I love the look on his face when he does that thing with his hair!”
“Me too! Rewind it so we can watch it again!”
Yes, it was a sweet time.  As I was sitting here, not writing, I remembered that one our favourites videos on the tape was Mr.Big’s “Be with you”; a lovely, heartfelt ballad, with great guitar and harmony.  When I hear that song blasting from my alarm clock after the 6:30 news, I am taken back to those Friday nights. So of course, instead of getting down to the business of writing, I had to look up the video and sing along.  Then I wondered “What has Mr.Big been up to? Are they still around?” And I have good news: they are.  In October 2010, they rocked out in Japan and I can tell you that the lead singer can still belt out “Be with you” with all the intensity I remember from the video. However, there are two things that stand out about “Mr. Big” that I hadn’t noticed until today:
1.) The lead singer kind of looks like Bjork (you know, the famous Icelandic singer of the Swan Dress)
2.) The drummer is pretty hot.
But I digress. Let me get back to my professional self and work on breaking down a few of the lines from that Robin Hood love tune.
The lines I’d like to look at are:
There’s no love, like yo love
And no other, could give mo love
There’s nowhere, unless yo there
All the time, all the way, yeah.

When the mood strikes and my star sign is in the house of Saturn I have been known write a song or two and so I understand the desire to want to get just the right rhyme, but why did Bryan Adams write Yo love, Mo love? It’s a bizarre way to get a point across and not at all romantic!
Sorry, excuse me again…my assistant who is hovering over my shoulder and making sure I get this done before I go for coffee is passing me another note…
Really? The lyrics are not Yo and Mo? They are Your and More?  Well, that makes more sense!  So why didn’t he just say that? OH…he is…I’m hearing it wrong. Thank-you for the correction. I suppose then this means he’s say Your there and not Yo there? Ah ok…it’s just a problem with his annunciation… or my hearing. Oh dear, where is a towel to wipe the egg off my face?
Well, everyone is wrong from time to time, even me. Let us move on now.
The last line of this lyrical section that I’d like to examine is:  All the time, all the way, yeah.
You may be wondering what this line means and I wish that I had a clear way to break this down for you, but for the last 20 years, I have not been able to define the line to myself in a way that makes sense.  I understand the love; he loves her a lot, she returns the love in an appropriate manner that satisfies like no other, there’s no one else in the world like her, life is vague and empty, sort of a nowhere land when she’s not around, but what does the last line mean? Is she always around? All the time, all the way? Perhaps this means she’s in his way, all the time and although he’s got love for her, MO LOVE than he ever thought he could have for another, she’s becoming distracting. Yes, I think that’s exactly right.  I think I’ve finally cracked the code on this lyrical mystery.
Now to wrap up, let me see what spin I can put on this love quote, to make it even clearer to you all.
No one in the world loves me like you do
My life is an empty chasm of cold, inky darkness when you’re not around
And yet, at the same time, you’re always here and I could really use a little space
Yeah.
Thank-you for walking down memory lane with me.  I hope to see you all learning about love and its complexities at the Hospice Fundraiser at the Rodd on February 11 at 7pm.
http://www.miramichionline.com/hospice-miramichi-presents-a-taste-of-chocolate

Best wishes for a happy day,
Ms.Lee

“Defining Love”: The Column, Day 2

By Ms. Lee, Sponsored by The Rambling Rule

Hello all and welcome to day two.  When I rose this this morning from a fairly decent sleep ( Although I should really rethink watching CSI until one am) I checked my email to find that I had a comment regarding my first article from  a Rose-Marie about roses.  If you recall from yesterday’s column I had said that if there was a quote you would like me to break down for you, to simply deposit it in the comment box.  Rose-Marie did just the thing.  Thank-you for the comment Rose-Marie and now let’s see what I can do to shed some light on your love quote which is:
“A life with love must have some thorns, but a life without love can have no roses.”
Ah yes; that old yarn. This quote reminds me of that love ballad by one of those hair bands back in the 80′s. You probably recall the song, no? I believe it is called “Every rose has its thorn.”  The singer, I believe is talking about love much in the same way Rose-Marie’s suggested love quote is; love, although beautiful  is painful.  You must take the good with the bad. However the song also goes on to say that “Just like every night has its dawn.” Which isn’t such a bad thing and to my mind means all things come to an end which isn’t the same thing at all. And furthermore, the singer goes on to drone “Just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song.”  This, to me adds confusion to a metaphorically driven metal tune.  Why is this cowboy singing sad, sad song?  Is he singing because love is beautiful, yet painful? Or is he singing because the dawn is coming and as the sun peaks its head over then rocky horizon he will have to draw pistols against his arch foe who was once his closest ally?
The song is unfortunately unclear.
And the song was made even more unclear to me when I heard Bret Michaels, the singer of the famous ballad, rasp out a reworked version of it to Regis during “Good-bye Regis week”.  (I didn’t even know Regis was retiring and only found out because I had the information forced upon my knowledge base in my Dr.’s waiting room. Sad to see Regis go… I guess…I’ve only watched the show MAYBE five times in the thirty years he was on the show and therefore have no real feelings for his departure.)
So, to get back to my story, Kelly calls out “Please welcome Bret Michaels who is here to sing his hit song ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’.” Mr. Michaels comes out, guitar in hand, says some nice words about Regis and then he says “Here’s the song with new lyrics for Regis”. You could feel the audience’s collective gasp. This is not what they had expected! At his announcement of his reworked song I thought of two things at once:
1. “I’d really like to leave because this will probably be painful” and
2. “He’s going to Weird Al his own song.”
The second thought did not come true. Weird Al would be ashamed. The lyrics were in no way a parody of the original song, it actually sounded like he was making them up as he went along, and the tune not so much like the original but more like he was ripping off his original tune. Or maybe he’d forgotten the original tune, but just soldiered on anyway. Whatever the case, my first thought was correct; it was painful. Even Regis looked like he wished that someone would pull the plug on his show immediately so that he could go throw himself off the back of his couch rather than be forced to listen to a specially “written” version of the 80′s hair metal ballad of roses, the dawn and sad cowboys.
I believe that this is a good place to tie your sent in love quote Rose-Marie.  Much like love you can’t have celebrity status without battling your way through a wall of thorns from time to time, but also like love, you can’t be a celebrity without roses.  Dozens and dozens of roses that are sent to you your dressing room daily by adoring fans and desperate stalkers.
Thank-you for the quote Rose-Marie I hope I helped you understand your chosen love quote a little better and to my other readers, remember to feel free to drop a quote in the comment box. I’ll do my best to shed light on the complexities of love.
The live version of my insights is only 27 sleeps away!
http://www.miramichionline.com/hospice-miramichi-presents-a-taste-of-chocolate
Thank-you for reading,
Ms. Lee

“Defining Love”: The Column, Day One

By Ms. Lee (Sponsored By The Rambling Rule)

Hello all and welcome to my four week guest spot on Miramichi Online. I will be appearing in a play at the Rodd Miramichi River on February 11th as part of a Hospice Miramichi Fundraiser and Cindy Rule (AKA the Rambling Rule) graciously offered me the use her cyberspace as a way of promotion and to allow me to have a place to air my thoughts about love. After all, since my role in “Defining Love: the play” is that of a lecturer who heavily researched the topic of love (for an hour least) and has lived a life full of heartbreak and heartbreaking, it really only makes sense that I may have the knowledge base to wax beyond the production and help shed light on the mysteries of love.
My plan over the next four weeks is to take love quotes and break them down for you.  What is on the surface of a quote such as “I love you” may not be the full story. I feel that as an “expert” in the field of love I can help shed light on the obscure meanings below the simple words and make the quote and its lesson accessible to you all.
So let’s get started.
The first quote that I’d like to look at is “Love means nothing in tennis and everything in life.”
Ok, so right off the top, a falsehood. I’ve played tennis, and took lessons once upon a time and while I may not have been the best player (unless it is a good thing to say I was the best of the worst) I know that while “love in tennis” may literally mean nothing as in “zero”, it means something to the person who has a score of “love”.  It means that they are not “in the zone” or they keep “dropping the ball” or letting the ball rush by them like a tribble on a mission, which results in getting no results point wise and landing a in a score of “love”.
It is sad really, that the word “love”, a word that when spoken by the right person can fill you with a sense of life, would be used in such a derogatory way; what a racket.
Let us move on to the second half of the quote “and everything in life”. While the first half fills me with memories of being a bit of a loser, the second half smacks me in the face with its presumptuous quality. To say that “love” (and we’ll assume that the one who penned this phrase was speaking of romantic love) is “everything in life” is basically saying that all and sundry assume that if you do not have someone special to share your life with, that you don’t have romantic love, well…you might as well just hang your head in shame.  Do you have friends that care about you? Big deal! Do you have self-respect and a feeling of purpose in the world that replaces needing to have a partner?  You must be delusional! Do you have a job you love? So what! Your job doesn’t tuck you in at night and love you even when you wake up with pillow marks all over your rumpled face!
This part of the quote seems to be saying that romantic love is a goal that should be achieved. It heavily implies that this kind of love will fill all the gaps in your life that are empty because of the lack of it. It is basically telling you that without life “love” much like scoring “love” in tennis; it is nothing.
I think that it is an unfair quote and would like to give you, as an ending to my first column, my own reworked version.
“Love is nothing in tennis, which only matters if you are highly competitive or a professional tennis player in which case if you keep getting love in tennis perhaps you should rethink your career path, and everything in life UNLESS you know that life can be fulfilling even without romantic love and can always be replaced with the heavenly confection know as chocolate.”
Yes, that’s much better.
So, I hope you enjoyed my first “Defining Love” column. I will be back soon with another love quote interpretation for you all.
If you have a love quote that you would like dissected or broken down into simple terms for you, please put your idea in the comment box.
And remember for a life version of my insights, I hope you’ll come on down to the fundraiser for Hospice Miramichi “A Taste of Chocolate” on February 11th at 7:00pm.  For information, please this link. http://www.miramichionline.com/hospice-miramichi-presents-a-taste-of-chocolate
Thank-you for your time,
Ms. Lee.

Hospice Miramichi Presents: A Taste of Chocolate

Hello Everyone

Those of you who are fans of my blog or those of you who just find yourselves here from time to time, I also have a column with a local online newspaper. I don't post on my blog as much as I should so for the next while I'm double dip so to speak. Whatever I put on Miramichi Online, will now go on my blog.  I'm not sure if it serves a greater purpose. I just feel like putting my work in more place than one.

Right now is a very busy time for me. I'm directing and acting in a play that I wrote.  My friends Lisa and Jason are in it with me and we're proud that it is going to part of a Hospice Miramichi Fundraiser.  We hope that  lot of people will come out to see it and give their hard earned money to a very worthy and much needed cause.

Here is the first of my month long columns that I'm writing to help promote "A Taste of Chocolate".

If you love chocolate, laughing, music and helping out in your community, then there’s a good chance that you’ll be heading to the Rodd Miramichi River on Saturday, February 11^th, 2012 at 7pm
“A Taste of Chocolate” is returning to the Rodd as a fundraiser for Hospice Miramichi. Below is some information about Hospice Miramichi from their website.
   “Hospice Miramichi is a non-profit volunteer organization and was established in March 2011. The focus of hospice care is on comfort not cure, and on life not death. Hospice Miramichi is seeking to raise awareness of the unique needs of those who are living with life threatening illnesses where cure is not an option and medications are no longer controlling the illness. Hospice Miramichi will work within the community by providing services and support for clients and families within their homes. Our volunteers will be trained to provide practical and emotional support during the end stages of life and through the grieving process.
   Our plan is to bring hospice to Miramichi in three (3) stages. First, the establishment of a Hospice Outreach Program, where in- home support services will be offered to assist palliative patients and their families live the remainder of their lives to the fullest extent possible. The second stage of our plan will be the addition of a Hospice Day Program . The third stage of our plan is to establish a Residential Hospice (RH) in Miramichi within the next 3-4 years.”
Turning this much needed organization into reality requires community help and “A Taste of Chocolate” is just one of the fundraisers that Hospice Miramichi will be presenting this year. They are hoping the turnout at these events will reflect the huge amount of support the Miramichi community and beyond has already shown Hospice Miramichi.
Along with mountains of delicious chocolate desserts (and non-chocolate treats if chocolate isn’t your thing), you will be treated to an original one act play written by yours truly, Cindy Rule, called “Defining Love.”  Lisa Savage, Jason Blanchard and I will entertain you as we take you through the different stages of love; from childhood crushes to finding that special someone, we believe the play is filled with moments everyone can relate to.
The evening will also include music by Connie and Paul as well as an Arm’s Length Auction, Cake Auction and a 50/50 draw.
So, once again, the event details are…

 

Hospice Miramichi Presents

A Taste of Chocolate

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 7pm at the Rodd Miramichi River.

Featuring the Crule Players in the original one act play

“Defining Love.”

And the music of Connie and Paul

Tickets are $25 and are available at Saltwater Sounds, Bill’s Quik Way and The Books Inn.

For more information about this event please call 625-2153.
Or email info@HospiceMiramichi.com
For more information about Hospice Miramichi please go to www.hospicemiramichi.com

Thank-you for your support and we hope to see you there!
Cindy Rule

This One's For My Mum

   Well over two years ago, for a local writing event that used to be held at the shop where I work, I wrote a piece for my Dad. I talked about all the ways he's positively influenced my life even though he spent much of my childhood away at sea. I was happy let him know that he was still a good father, even when he was far away.
 
   Ever since then, I have tried to write a piece for my Mum. At least a dozen times I've sat down at the computer or in front of a blank piece of paper with a pen in my hand and tried to put into words how much she means to me and...the words won't come. Now, I did write her a song, but it was about her relationship with my Dad and not about the person I've become because she is my mother.

   I've tried to figure out why exactly this is and it's certainly not because we aren't close or because I don't have anything nice to say. If anything, I think it's because I have almost too much to say. Also, perhaps I feel that this piece would be a vanity article. My Mum and I are a lot alike so if I started singing her praises would I also be singing mine?

   Even now, I'm having trouble. My heart is beating rapidly, a great feeling of love and respect is swelling in my chest and creating a lump in my throat. I'm a very emotional person and before I can put emotion into words, I have to work through those feelings. I know I am lucky to have a mother that makes me speechless with admiration, but I'm going to put the emotion aside and get on with the words.

   My Mum is a healer. She has been in the field of healthcare since her late teen years. When I was a little girl I dreamed of being a nurse because I wanted to be like her. My Mum looked so professional in her nurse whites and she always looked proud to go to work. She used to come home with funny stories or sometimes very sad tales about her patients. Some of the stories she would tell at the dinner table would make most people blush, but we loved them. Nursing has it's dark side and to get through some of those times, my Mum would use humour. It's a trait I've picked up from her; even in my darkest moments, I've still been able to laugh. Sometimes through tears, sometimes a little manically, but I can still laugh.

   When I was a child, although my Mum laughed and joked and made up silly songs about crocodiles and skipping to school with lunch in a basket, I hardly ever saw her laugh hysterically. The first time I can recall her doing so I was about 11 and the sight of her laughing uncontrollably in the kitchen, head down a cutting board, really frightened me. I thought something was wrong with her and practically begged her to stop. I remember how angry she was with me for thinking that her laughing fit was a bad thing. I felt guilty, but it was at that moment my view of my mother really changed. I realized that this woman standing in front of me wasn't just my mother, someone who was born to take care of me and my brother, cook our meals and keep the house clean. I realized that she was a person, a woman with feelings and dreams not yet revealed to me. She could, if I stopped looking at her through narrow eyes, be my friend.

   I tell my daughter that I am her mother first and her friend second.  Once I stopped thinking of my mother as just my mother, this was the relationship that grew between us. I discovered I could talk to her about anything, silly crushes on boys, the cruelty of the girls at school, my dream of becoming an actress (once I leaned about needles, blood and aiding in many messy tasks, I decided I didn't need to be a nurse to be like my Mum) and she would listen without judgement and with great patience. I loved talking to her about these things and more because when we talked I would feel like a grown up. She would share her own stories, talk about things that some people may have thought I was too young to know about, but that she felt I was ready to learn. She trusted me from an early age to do the right thing and armed me with knowledge that helped me in situations where many of my friends remained a little too innocent.

  However, as I said, she was my mother first. When I took liberties with her kindness, or took her for granted and lipped off or yelled, she would put me in my place with a look, or a well deserved scolding. It didn't always go over well. We are both stubborn people who like to be right and get the last word in. When two people with these traits are arguing you wind up with very loud fights. As a teenager, the arguments between my Mum and I happened often. My Dad would often try to act as mediator, but my Mum would tell him that we would work it out when we were ready. The fight would rage, we would go to our corners and when we were ready we would talk it out once the words had been shed of their raw emotion.

   These were difficult times for us, but they made me stronger. I know that a fight can clear the air and that as long as you have the courage to talk after, to work it out, to forgive the hurt feelings and even boldly admit when you are wrong, the foundations of your relationship will remain strong. I have a very good marriage and I strongly believe that my rocky yet strong relationship with my Mum during my teenage years taught me that the right person will work through all life's problems with you. The right person will still love you and forgive you. The right person will love you for all your flaws and goodness.

   My Mum is independent, friendly, and her compassionate and beautiful soul shines in her eyes. People gravitate to her because she has an energy you want to be a part of.  Her many friends trust her with their deepest secrets and know that she is loyal, honest and will not let them down. I try to be this kind of friend too, and when I feel let down by someone I thought was a friend, my Mum understands exactly how I feel.

   For years I lived far away from my parents, but last year the stars aligned in such a way as to bring a distance of almost 6000km between us down to just 7km. Instead of two hour talks on the phone I can now pop over for coffee, gossip, laughter and long talks about everything. We don't fight anymore, or very rarely, and she still shares stories with me and we help each other through the rough times. She is proud of me and the person I've become. She is one of my best friends which fills me with a joy I cannot put into words. But those feelings fall a distant second to how I feel when I look at her and know that I am truly blessed to be able to say that this amazing woman is my mother.


Happy Birthday Mum. I love you.


Cins

Dressing Up Your Pet For Christmas

Hello Blog Fans...very patient Blog Fans...

It has been quite some time since my last post.  It's not that I haven't been writing...I just haven't been blogging.  Well, that's not true.  I did post to my other blog in April.  Here's the link for those of you who are fans and missed that particular post...

http://thingsthatmakemeawesome.blogspot.com/

Now, brace yourselves.  I have big news. For those of you who have been waiting patiently for the tune that goes with the words for the Christmas Song that I talked about in my last posting, your long, painful, agonizing wait is over.   Back in July, we filmed the singing of our tune in Saltwater Sounds (where I work) and posted it on You Tube. Why? Why you ask...have I waited almost 3 months to tell you?  Because the local magazine that nicely publishes some of my writing is soon to release it's fall/winter issue is coming out soon and included in the magazine (Bread 'n Molasses) are the song lyrics and the link to the video.  The deadline was July for the info so we had to film it in the summer.  I didn't want to tell people too soon about the video as it may have spoiled the experience for people who buy the magazine. BUT...the time has come to release the mind penetrating goodness that is

"Dressing Up Your Pet For Christmas."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzLs2rGPWI0

Behold the wonder, the joy, the silliness and the slightly amusing fact that my daughter looks a bit like she's singing for the camera against her will...

I will be back sooner than later, so until then, Merry Christmas!

Yours as ever,
Cinfully Silly

A Christmas Tale in February

Howdy Hey Blog Fans

Before I start, I would like to say that I should have written this entry long before now as it has to do with the Christmas we just had...but I got distracted with other things...life and what not.  So, if reading anything about Christmas in February offends you at very high levels, book mark this post for later seasonal reading or perhaps put a sticky note on your calendar in December as a friendly reminder to come back to this entry and read about a Christmas event closer to Christmas.

But for those of you bold enough to brave the festive waters of a Christmas past in February, here is a quick tale for you.

One day, about a week or so before Christmas while Sorcha was eating dinner and I was washing dishes, we started talking about Christmas songs I dislike.  The list is many and my reasons lengthy, but what it boils down to mainly is that I am tired of the same songs every...single...year...As Sorcha and I attempted to dissect the reasons for the fury that explodes from my being when I hear "Jingle Bell Rock" we both had a delicious moment of sarcasm.  In this nugget of silly wit the gem of  new song involving pets and Christmas cloths was unearthed.  It was a magical moment and I mean that sincerely. In 90 minutes Sorcha and I together wrote a new Christmas song WITH music and sung it proudly to a few lucky family members and friends over the holidays. (and I unleashed the tune on my own without warning at a friend's party on boxing day...twice...to a crowd bemused party guests) We have a wee recording device that usually lets you download your witty imaginings to the computer, but at the moment, it's giving me attitude and refuses to co-operate.

So for now...I can only give you the words to what I hope will soon be a new Christmas Classic.  I give you...

Dressing Up Your Pet For Christmas

Dressing up your pet for Christmas

It's not an easy thing to do

They don't care what sweater

That you thinks looks better

Why are you even bothering with shoes

Dressing up your pet for Christmas

Dressing up your dog for Christmas

Don't dress him up as Santa Claus

Put him a fluffy beard

All your friends will think you're weird

He'll yelp if you put boots on his paws

Dressing up your dog for Christmas

Dressing up your cat for Christmas

She's not the mother of the Holy One

She's just way too hairy

To be the Virgin Mary

This won't be her idea of fun

Dressing up your cat for Christmas

Dressing up your pet for Christmas

They don't care if they match the tree

Even in something snappy

They'll still look unhappy

It's such a waste of money for me

Dressing up your pet for Christmas

Dressing up your fish for Christmas

He's not into cloths this year

You won't get him to wear a tie

He's too fast don't even try

He hardly even knows you're here

Dressing up your fish for Christmas

Dressing up your pet for Christmas

It's not an easy thing to do

They'll just eat the sweater

That you thinks looks better

And soon they will be chewing on their shoes

Dressing up your pet for Christmas

Dressing up your pet for Christmas

Dressing up your pet....for Christmas

And there you have it...a new Christmas song.  My mother in law, who was one of the fortunate few to hear this song over the holidays actually caught herself singing it at work upon returning in the New Year!   This song could be a hit for the ages...and if I can ever figure out how to transfer the recording to the computer, I will post the song so you too can hum a new Christmas tune that will drive you to the brink of  festive madness.

Thanks for reading Blog Fans!

I remain as ever, 

Cinfully yours.