Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Marriage Series 2

This is a very personal post from me to my significant other.
Straight from my heart. Unvarnished. I'm gonna tell it to you like I feel it.
Today didn't go according to plan. We both know you were looking forward to that package and red tape, delays bla bla bla meant you could not get it and they are asking you for stuff that isn't necessary because they don't want to refer to their own paper work. I AM SORRY ABOUT THAT.
We are in this together. We have known each other for nearly 2 years now and our daughter is turning 1 on Thursday. I love you and cherish you.
I realise that we all deal with set-backs differently and I would like to be the one who can help you out of yours and make you feel better. I want to be the Delilah for your Samson. I don't mean some seductive temptress ready to betray your strength to the Philistines but the woman whose lap you rest your head. INTIMACY. It aint just a sex thing.
When you called your mother after the set back, after my seeking to comfort you, it struck a raw nerve with me. I felt inadequate. I felt I have no intimacy with you. I felt I cannot bring reassurance,healing and comfort to you.Bottom line is I felt like a stranger, like I hadn't even tried. I am NOT saying 'snap out of it' or 'I am your be-all and end-all'. Hardly.
I am saying I want to touch you, I want to be there for you. I want to make an impact.
I'll admit to you. The lazy, superficial me was kinda relieved when you were spilling your guts to your mummy dearest about the set-back when it's something I had tried to comfort you over- and clearly failed. That lazy part that doesn't like dirtying its levitical robes with the messy human emotions of frustration,anger and disappointment said 'Thank God for his mummy. Mental note to self:He can always take it to her and I can be perfunctory in my soothing efforts next time'. But no. I didn't feel any release from that. It's not that easy.And thank God!
I did learn something though. In this marriage journey: I WILL FALL SHORT.
It's not necessarily a delightful lesson,but are they ever? I figure better now than 3,6 or 15 years from now when I've built a tower of Babel to my glory and success as an empathetic wife who can wipe her husband's tears and soothe his troubles away with a lick and a promise.
I hope the pre-marriage counsellors are telling the smitten brides- and grooms- to- be this. If they don't, you can always take it from me.
There will be more good days after this. THERE BETTER BE!!!!!!!
x

Saturday, March 28, 2009

I knew this was coming. A barrage of e-mails bombed my inbox. I have come here to defend myself and maybe set things into perspective.
"...considering the rising costs of EVERYTHING,your competition rules about using snail mail are unreasonable. This on top of the fees you're charging,is making me think twice about entering." and "I've got tons of cool stuff I know and I could e-mail them to you"
These are just the more polite missives I got.
I'm a writer and one of the reasons why I 'insisted' on the entries being hard copies y'all have to mail in, is it's all part of the ritual of writing. I think society today is so caught up in instant coffee, fast food, microwave dinners,sms bla bla bla that we have forgotten the ordered,meticulous and deliberateness of writing down something, proofing it,hating it,re-writing,proofing it again,addressing an envelope- with your name on the back and writing out a cheque. Longa manu. It's all just hit send, e-money or online money (how many of us prize winners wanna be paid in online money anyway?).
I 'insisted' on all the knowledge coming in on paper to give us time to think about it. So much trash is on the net and in our inboxes just because of the ease of it all (this present blog is NOT included! :)
As a writer,I am a custodian of language. Good language. Not sms or IM language.
And if that means some folks don't want to be conscientious and take out a few hours to jot down some wisdom we can share here (and maybe get some lovely soap-who knows?It could be YOU)
then, oh well...(head to the side,bemoaning a generation that hates the Postal system)
I still want all your feedback.
x

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

It really IS getting interesting!

Sorry about that. Techno-phobes among us...
Well,well what have we here! I got some entries for the competition that I'd like to share with you.The writing is not too shabby at all. Not too shabby at all. And then there've been the e-mails. I really do appreciate the feedback folks and let me reassure you [you know yourselves!] that this contest is not at all about encouraging plaigiarism. No. Not ever. I got a couple of indignant-sounding English teachers citing the 'p' word and I do not condone it at all.
I also thought I should mention that I've been getting very interesting 'urgent' e-mails from folks who want to use my bank account to transfer millions of dollars left frozen in the Swiss Accounts of deposed,deceased [or both] dictators. Your benevolence overwhelms me! Really guys, try something else. Try something new. Try something, er what's that word...LEGAL!
Hey someone sent me a SPELL as an entry! Yes, a 32 ingredient spell for 'Listening In on The Conversations of Others About You'. I kid you not. PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN SPELLS! I have a very active imagination and I really don't need that to get me all nervous and looking over my shoulder and all that. NO SPOOKY STUFF,ok? I have a good mind to send back that entry and cheque- postage due! Besides where in the world am I supposed to get sassafrass in the middle of winter and how do you pound anti-clockwise with a pestle and mortar?!
Next post I'm gonna give you links to stuff that can help us all out in this global recession. No, no jobs. How about starting your own business? Well, in true 'IRI;ISI!' style we'll share the info right here.
I'm in this because of you all out there.
Feedback is to give back!
x

It's getting interesting!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Quiller's Place - Writing Etc: Ask Sally #32 - Competition Entry Fees

'I Read It; I'll Spread It!' Blog Writing Competition is NOW ON at http://tewrites.blogspot.com ! Tell us about something GREAT you read and you could win prizes galore!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

New Travelling Down the Road- Marriage Series

Hi,
I'll be starting a new marriage series soon. This is not something I've read though (do permit me creative license here and there) but something I wanna get on a soap box about. I was musing to myself the other day that marriage is sorta like driving. You get a license but hands up those of us who went for lessons? Mmmm. I see that hand maam;thank you sir ,I see that one too. And a sea of shamefully bowed heads. (I had to raise mine up a bit just to check!)
Ok, marriage is like driving like I was saying. It's amazing that the road signs we see on the streets also apply to dealing with our spouses. Another show of hands please: how many of us have been in a crash (butting heads) when we could have just YIELDED? In my part of the world it's called GIVING WAY. In this neck of the woods we drive on the left and yield or give way to traffic coming from our right. What ,no hands? Or are we nursing concussions from our last encounters at the intersection? :)
Let me put it this way. I have to give way or yield to this wonderful man of mine when he is coming from 'my right'. I can be the one who is the voice of reason; presenting the facts oh -so calmly and not have done a single thing wrong but since I want to travel forth and move forward; I should yield to him.
Not so easily done. Trust me, I know. You remember the righteous and indignant wife whose husband did this and that wrong and how long suffering she had been that she couldn't put up with it anymore la di dah?Dr. Phil put it this way 'Lady, do you want to be right or you want to be happy?'
That put things in perspective for me.
I wanna talk to y'all about this in more detail as we go on. Do come back. Smiling as I go off to do some yielding. Oh but this type I like! ;)
Feedback is always welcome.
x-

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Christening the new 'baby'...

The Inaugural ‘I Read It; I’ll Spread It!’ Blog Writing Competition is NOW ON!
The aim of this blog is to spread knowledge. If you read something that interested you, piqued you, got you thinking about how you’ve been living your life and the future; it got you so rattled you shook your fist at nobody in particular or motivated you or gave you such a belly-ache from laughing [OUT LOUD IS EVEN BETTER]; this is your competition!

To christen this new blog, a writing competition will be running from 15 March 2009 until 30 June 2009.
It’s all about stuff we’ve read and been blown away by.
Share the good news you read with us and our readers. Did you come across a little-known but life changing fact in some book somewhere? How about a quote you live by? Do you feel you must share it with the world or you would just die?
It might be a recipe that could bring world peace or some ancient unheard of wisdom for better posture, finding true love or when to fight or flee. We won’t know till you tell us!

Have you read some strange method of taking ten years off the face [and tried it!]or maybe it’s some acronym on how to behave at a party? How did what you read make you feel? Did it change the way you see things? Why? WHY NOT?
We want you to tell us this in 500-2000 words.
A single entry is $5 and it’s $10 for up to 3 entries. (£3 and £5 respectively).
You may enter as many times as you wish.
We will award 3 prizes of US$200, US$100 and US$50 and gift baskets of lovely 100% natural, hand-made soaps by Sahara Soaps. There will also be a lucky draw for one entrant to receive a Sahara Soap gift basket. The winning entries will also be posted on the blog and we hope to have a discussion forum.

Send your entry to- c/o T. E Vere, ‘I Read It; I’ll Spread It!’ Blog Writing Competition
37 Corston, Brompton Road, Weston-Super-Mare, BS24 9BX, England

Make your cheque/s payable to N.Vere

Please keep your entries as drafts in your e-mail to make posting your winning blogs easier.
Writers please note WE WILL NOT TAKE ANY RIGHTS TO YOUR WORK. YOUR RIGHTS REMAIN YOUR OWN.
Include a separate sheet with your submission giving your full name, address, phone number/s and e-mail address and a 50 word bio. Also, indicate if you wish to be included in the lucky draw for the Sahara Soaps Gift Basket.

Entries must be post marked 30 June 2009 or earlier.
Get writing!
Questions? E-mail - tewrites2009@aol.com cc : tewrites@yahoo.com
Notification of winners will be from 1 August 2009.