Arts & Humanities - 17 August 2006

“One day I’ll marry a man. He and I will end up finding a way of dreaming of a future together: a house in the country, children, our children’s future, We’ll make love often in the first year, less in the second, and after the third year, people perhaps think about sex only once every two weeks and transform that thought into action only once a month. Even worse, we’ll barely talk. I’ll force myself to accept the situation, and I’ll wonder what’s wrong with me, because he no longer takes any interest in me, ignores me, and does nothing but talk about his friends as if they were his real world.

When the marriage is just about to fall apart, I’ll get pregnant. We’ll have a child, feel closer to each other for a while, and then the situation will go back to what it was before.

I’ll begin to put on weight, and I’ll start to go on diets, systematically defeated each day, each week, by the weight that keeps creeping up regardless of the controls I put on it. At that point I’ll take those magic pills that stop you from feeling depressed; then I’ll have a few more children, conceived during nights of love that pass all too quickly. I’ll tell everyone that the children are my reason for living, when in reality my life is their reason for living.

People will always consider us a happy couple, and no one will know how much solitude, bitterness, and resignation lies beneath the surface happiness.

Until one day, when my husband takes a lover for the first time, and I will perhaps kick up a fuss or think again killing myself. By then, though, I’ll be too old and cowardly, with two or three children who need my help, and I’ll have to bring them up and help them find a place in the world before I can just abandon everything. I won’t commit suicide; I’ll make a scene. I’ll threaten to leave and take the children with me. Like all men, my husband will back down, he’ll tell me he loves me and that it won’t happen again. It won’t even occur to him that, if I really did decide to leave, my only option would be to go back to my parent’s house and stay there fir the rest of my life, forced to listen to my mother going on and on all day about how I lost my one opportunity for being happy, that he was a good husband despite his peccadilloes, that my children will be traumatized by the separation.

Two or three years later, another woman will appear in his life. I’ll find out but this time I’ll pretend I don’t know. I used up all my energy fighting against that other lover; I’ve no energy left; it’s best to accept life as it really is and not as I imagined it to be. My mother was right.

He will continue being a considerate husband; I will continue working at the library, eating my sandwiches in the square opposite the theater, reading books I never quite manage to finish, watching television programs that are the same as they were ten years ago. Except that I’ll eat my sandwiches with a sense of guilt because I’m getting fatter; and I won’t go to bars anymore because I have a husband expecting me to come home and look after children.

After that it’s matter of waiting for children to grow up and of spending all day thinking about suicide, without the courage to do anything about it. One fine day I’ll reach the conclusion that that’s what life is like: there’s no point worrying about it,nothing will change. And I’ll accept it.”

2006-08-17 12:52:54 · 16 answers · asked by Josh 2 in Philosophy

I think so. I'm already planning to disregard every answer that disagrees with me. Of course, you might be correct and I may be incorrect. But if Simon & Garfunkel are right neither one of us will change our minds or convince the other he or she is wrong.

2006-08-17 12:46:26 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Philosophy

2006-08-17 12:42:58 · 31 answers · asked by Anonymous in History

Painting with acrylics & oils. On a canvas paper 16x20. I am not good but I want to make this picture so someone can hang in their house, this is what they've asked me to do as a gift and I don't have any ideas.

2006-08-17 12:40:46 · 9 answers · asked by LilMsDetroit313 1 in Painting

Can these words be who we become. It seems that our idle words make us. Can we speak our health, love life, WEALTH?

2006-08-17 12:39:25 · 10 answers · asked by ? 6 in Philosophy

2006-08-17 12:37:35 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Books & Authors

Does anybody know of any books that have similar things to Gone with the Wind, ie:Characters, relationships, etc.

If you do, please tell me the title! Thanks!

2006-08-17 12:36:00 · 8 answers · asked by Ellem E 2 in Books & Authors

please answer this part how should i start what should i do after

2006-08-17 12:35:06 · 11 answers · asked by Benjamin B 2 in Books & Authors

having problem with the books stores in town. I'll order something from them and they will mess the order up. I can't order online because I don't have a credit card and the books store won't let me use a gift card online. basically I would like to pay for a book in advance and not have to go through the hassle of wondering how much money to bring because the book store ether can't find the books until the last minute or books disappear from the shelve until I show up next week. what do I do.

2006-08-17 12:31:37 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Books & Authors

I've had Meniere's disease for about 11 years now and my hearing is pretty much gone. Although I can hear the sounds loud enough with a hearing aid, everything sounds like S H I T. Just noise. I've been playing the piano and other instruments for 32 years, (I'm 38) but I haven't been able to listen to music (on and off it comes and goes) for about 5 years. Lately it just gets worse and doesn't get any better.
I'd like to hear your stories.

2006-08-17 12:29:58 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Performing Arts

2006-08-17 12:29:04 · 23 answers · asked by Red Hair Sweetie 2 in Philosophy

I'm not suicidal, so don't be all "your life is too precious" or something. I want to know because I've never been.

2006-08-17 12:27:55 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Philosophy

I've a friend who sincerely believes this. I thought they were kidding but this friend has an old fashioned outlook that women are naturally more domestic than men and a family works better if the woman stays in the home in marriage lookin after the kids. Here's the punchline folks-this friend of mine, its a SHE!!!
And whats your opinion on HOUSE HUSBANDS in contrast?

2006-08-17 12:26:13 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Philosophy

i'm trying to gather information so that i dont look like an idiot at auditions and when i apply for college

2006-08-17 12:20:30 · 2 answers · asked by gunsrpretty91 1 in Performing Arts

2006-08-17 12:16:32 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Philosophy

I hate it... so bad...

2006-08-17 12:15:15 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Painting

Why?

2006-08-17 12:14:33 · 26 answers · asked by ? 5 in Philosophy

I was just wondering if it is good to sing with vibrato when it comes to holding out musical notes in a classical or opera piece.

2006-08-17 12:13:10 · 10 answers · asked by Tina 2 in Performing Arts

I know I will make you people "angry" by posting this. Are you showing real contempt for me wanting those stupid, useless people gone or are you saying how shallow and screwed up I am to make yourself look like a good caring person, sticking up for the little people when you're really not or probably don't give a rat's *** at all?

They contaminate society with their ugliness, and frankly I do think they would not mind a bit of they were incinerated. They are probably tired of being called ugly, and never being able to get dates and who knows what else.

2006-08-17 12:12:08 · 16 answers · asked by ding_bat 1 in Philosophy

Experts welcome.
Please view the question in a country oriented question (communal) rather than from an individualist view. ONLY FASCISM ADVANTAGES OVER DEMOCRACY, not viceversa. How is economy managed? Policies?...
It would be great if you examplify Hitler's and Mussolini fascist government. Thank you.

2006-08-17 12:10:55 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in History

I love the Weasley Twins, they are the greatest. The way they left Hogwarts was just perfect :-D

2006-08-17 12:07:39 · 26 answers · asked by Anonymous in Books & Authors

2006-08-17 12:07:20 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Books & Authors

I'm looking for pure gouache (poster) colours - not hues! - of red, yellow & blue, with pure pigments that will give clean mixtures of orange, green & purple. They don't necessarily need to be made by same brand. Can anyone recommend? Where can they be obtained?

2006-08-17 12:03:57 · 2 answers · asked by colour teacher 1 in Painting

grr,no one cares about the REAL facts and only care about the way they on are the dumb TV shows and the stupid people say on the internet.......

2006-08-17 11:59:24 · 6 answers · asked by Espio 1 in History

what type of person does it take to stand up for things they dont believe in? I don't just mean petty things, but why can't people be more vocal and willing to stand up for their rights instead of saying that's life but make complaints when things don't go their way? human nature?What name? Why can't more peoplp have the courage to do this? And then when others speak out, why do these same people get angry because changes may occure that will help them? (And I am aware that there are many vocal peole who speak out against wrong douings, but the majority seems too afraid, and too obvilious to know they are afraid.) Is it selfishness? Reputation? Fear? Self Preservation? What do you think? As radicals, rebels, revolutionaries less common or less covered by the media as they were in the past? are they still around as much as they were in the past? I hope this makes sense, lol. Sometimes The questions arent as clear as I thought them up to be, so work with me here

2006-08-17 11:58:33 · 11 answers · asked by ? 5 in Philosophy

2006-08-17 11:57:35 · 15 answers · asked by heaven137000 1 in Philosophy

im always so quiet and let pll do stuff...help me to be mean!

2006-08-17 11:56:30 · 26 answers · asked by juan 3 in Philosophy

i know that in the brady bunch his name is mike but i need his real name

2006-08-17 11:55:03 · 4 answers · asked by lindsay 2 in Other - Arts & Humanities

They are going to be published in a local magazine. Are there any national magazines or smaller bridal magazines that you know of to submit photographs?

2006-08-17 11:54:39 · 3 answers · asked by Kiki 2 in Photography

What happened to the real life Leatherface?

2006-08-17 11:54:06 · 16 answers · asked by John G 1 in History