The frightening consequences of electroshock therapy
I'm a middle aged government attorney living in a rural section of the northeast U.S. I'm unmarried and come from a very large family. When not preoccupied with family and my job, I read enormous amounts, toy with evolutionary theory, and scratch various parts on my body.
This journal is filled with an enormous number of half-truths and outright lies, including this sentence.
Control
Two versions of "Because the night". One performed by Bruce Springsteen and one performed by Patti Smith (Natalie Merchant, of 10,000 Maniacs fame, does a slight variant on Patti Smith's version and she sings it best IMHO).
When Bruce sings it, his version goes
"Come on now, try and understand, the way I feel when I'm in your hands."
When Patti (or Natalie) sings it, that version goes:
"Come on now, try and understand, the way I feel under your command."
Bruce's version:
What I got I have earned
What Im not I have learned
Desire and hunger is the fire I breathe
Just stay in my bed till the morning comes
Come on now try and understand
The way I feel when Im in your hands
Take me now as the sun descends
They cant hurt you now
They cant hurt you now
They cant hurt you now
Because the night belongs to lovers...
Patti's version:
Have I doubt when Im alone
Love is a ring, the telephone
Love is an angel disguised as lust
Here in our bed until the morning comes
Come on now try and understand
The way I feel under your command
Take my hand as the sun descends
They cant touch you now,
Cant touch you now,
cant touch you now
Because the night belongs to lovers ...
Natalie's version is the same as Patti's except she uses "hurt" instead of "touch"
What's interesting is that the alterations were made by Patti Smith. Bruce originally wrote it, but it didn't work on his album, so he gave it to her, but he performs his original version sometimes.
I just finished reading "Kushiel's Dart" by Jacqueline Carey. I've had it on my shelf for a while, but the first time through I couldn't get past the first few pages. "Kushiel's Dart" is about an alternate Europe, where an offspring of Christ was created from his blood, the tears of Mary Magdeline, and the Earth. This being, Elua, rebelled against God, and got some angels to join him. Then they wandered through The Middle East, Asia and Europe before settling in France and eventually making amends with God.
In order to gain favors, the angels that accompanied Elua would have sex with the rulers of different countries. The church that arose in France then placed value on prostitution. One of the angels used pain as part of his worship. The main character in "Kushiel's Dart" is a prostitute favored by that angel. She's a masochist. The more she is controlled and hurt, the more pleasure she takes, and in her religion sexual acts are a sign of devotion.
It's a pretty decent book, and the sex is tamer than one might think from the description I just gave. I liked the beginning, where I learned about the character and the world she lived in, but I thought the ending degenerated into too much of a traditional romantic fantasy, with an obvious set up for a sequel where the villain escapes. (I can just see the editors telling the author "We liked it, and not only do we want to buy it, but we want to do some sequels. So can you change the ending a bit?).
But anyway, I just happened to stumble across both versions of "Because the Night" on YouTube at the same time I finished the book, and it got me thinking. I've noticed that certain female authors seem to have a thing about masochism. Robin Hobb (aka Megan Lindholm)'s main characters are male, but there is a certain masochist streak about them. Suffering is something I expect a male hero to go through as part of their development, but with Hobb's characters in her "Assassin's Apprentice" and "Shaman's Crossing" series, the suffering at times seems an end in itself rather than an obstacle to be overcome. Carol Berg was much more obvious in a series I read by her that I can't recall the name of. She isn't as good a writer as Hobb, and the way her main character deliberately puts himself in harm's way (for the purpose of saving other characters) can be a bit too transparent at times.
So Wednesday, I was supposed to meet someone for a lunch date. My car was going to be in the shop, so originally she was going to pick me up. Then she called me and told me she could meet me earlier than she expected, and we decided to go to a diner a couple of blocks from my office. Since it was that close, I walked over instead of getting a ride. I got there and waited around for her for about half an hour before I decided she was blowing me off, and just ate by myself. When I got back to the office, she had been our waiting room for about 30 minutes with no idea where I was. We had mini-argument, the gist of which was that I thought she knew that I was just going to walk over since it was so close, and she thought she was still supposed to pick me up.
Afterwards, my secretary said, "I talked with her for a while. I think she likes you a lot."
I said, "Maybe."
My secretary said, "You know. You were kind of rude to her. You could have still gone to lunch."
I said, "But I have to be in court, and I have to do some prep. I could have done that earlier, but that was when we had lunch scheduled."
She said, "Well, being mean to her may actually help. It makes you seem strong and some girls like that."
When I'm dating, sometimes I sense that women want assertiveness and confidence from me. They want me to decide, be in charge, make the move. It's something that's not always automatic for me.
Women are weird.
When Bruce sings it, his version goes
"Come on now, try and understand, the way I feel when I'm in your hands."
When Patti (or Natalie) sings it, that version goes:
"Come on now, try and understand, the way I feel under your command."
Bruce's version:
What I got I have earned
What Im not I have learned
Desire and hunger is the fire I breathe
Just stay in my bed till the morning comes
Come on now try and understand
The way I feel when Im in your hands
Take me now as the sun descends
They cant hurt you now
They cant hurt you now
They cant hurt you now
Because the night belongs to lovers...
Patti's version:
Have I doubt when Im alone
Love is a ring, the telephone
Love is an angel disguised as lust
Here in our bed until the morning comes
Come on now try and understand
The way I feel under your command
Take my hand as the sun descends
They cant touch you now,
Cant touch you now,
cant touch you now
Because the night belongs to lovers ...
Natalie's version is the same as Patti's except she uses "hurt" instead of "touch"
What's interesting is that the alterations were made by Patti Smith. Bruce originally wrote it, but it didn't work on his album, so he gave it to her, but he performs his original version sometimes.
I just finished reading "Kushiel's Dart" by Jacqueline Carey. I've had it on my shelf for a while, but the first time through I couldn't get past the first few pages. "Kushiel's Dart" is about an alternate Europe, where an offspring of Christ was created from his blood, the tears of Mary Magdeline, and the Earth. This being, Elua, rebelled against God, and got some angels to join him. Then they wandered through The Middle East, Asia and Europe before settling in France and eventually making amends with God.
In order to gain favors, the angels that accompanied Elua would have sex with the rulers of different countries. The church that arose in France then placed value on prostitution. One of the angels used pain as part of his worship. The main character in "Kushiel's Dart" is a prostitute favored by that angel. She's a masochist. The more she is controlled and hurt, the more pleasure she takes, and in her religion sexual acts are a sign of devotion.
It's a pretty decent book, and the sex is tamer than one might think from the description I just gave. I liked the beginning, where I learned about the character and the world she lived in, but I thought the ending degenerated into too much of a traditional romantic fantasy, with an obvious set up for a sequel where the villain escapes. (I can just see the editors telling the author "We liked it, and not only do we want to buy it, but we want to do some sequels. So can you change the ending a bit?).
But anyway, I just happened to stumble across both versions of "Because the Night" on YouTube at the same time I finished the book, and it got me thinking. I've noticed that certain female authors seem to have a thing about masochism. Robin Hobb (aka Megan Lindholm)'s main characters are male, but there is a certain masochist streak about them. Suffering is something I expect a male hero to go through as part of their development, but with Hobb's characters in her "Assassin's Apprentice" and "Shaman's Crossing" series, the suffering at times seems an end in itself rather than an obstacle to be overcome. Carol Berg was much more obvious in a series I read by her that I can't recall the name of. She isn't as good a writer as Hobb, and the way her main character deliberately puts himself in harm's way (for the purpose of saving other characters) can be a bit too transparent at times.
So Wednesday, I was supposed to meet someone for a lunch date. My car was going to be in the shop, so originally she was going to pick me up. Then she called me and told me she could meet me earlier than she expected, and we decided to go to a diner a couple of blocks from my office. Since it was that close, I walked over instead of getting a ride. I got there and waited around for her for about half an hour before I decided she was blowing me off, and just ate by myself. When I got back to the office, she had been our waiting room for about 30 minutes with no idea where I was. We had mini-argument, the gist of which was that I thought she knew that I was just going to walk over since it was so close, and she thought she was still supposed to pick me up.
Afterwards, my secretary said, "I talked with her for a while. I think she likes you a lot."
I said, "Maybe."
My secretary said, "You know. You were kind of rude to her. You could have still gone to lunch."
I said, "But I have to be in court, and I have to do some prep. I could have done that earlier, but that was when we had lunch scheduled."
She said, "Well, being mean to her may actually help. It makes you seem strong and some girls like that."
When I'm dating, sometimes I sense that women want assertiveness and confidence from me. They want me to decide, be in charge, make the move. It's something that's not always automatic for me.
Women are weird.
|
Your Five Variable Love Profile |
 Propensity for Monogamy: Your propensity for monogamy is medium. In general, you prefer to have only one love interest. But it's hard for you to stay devoted for too long! There's too much eye candy to keep you from wandering. Experience Level: Your experience level is high. You've loved, lost, and loved again. You have had a wide range of love experiences. And when the real thing comes along, you know it! Dominance: Your dominance is low. This doesn't mean you're a doormat, just balanced. You know a relationship is not about getting your way. And you love to give your sweetie a lot of freedom. Cynicism: Your cynicism is low. You are an eternal optimist when it comes to love and romance. No matter how many times you've been hurt - you're never bitter. You believe in one true love, your perfect soulmate. And if you haven't found true love yet, you know you will soon. Independence: Your independence is medium. In relationships, you need both "me time" and "we time." You usually find it easy to be part of a couple. But occasionally you start to feel a little smothered. |
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