Saturday, July 05, 2008

Where love resides

It's been a lazy day around my house. Riley, who apparently is allergic to pollen, which is the least of his health problems, but that's another post, is currently on steroids - making him listless and lethargic. His lack of energy seems to be contagious as I have divided my day between approximately three activities - watching television, sending messages on Facebook, and attempting the local paper's sudoku puzzle. Damn the sudoku! Curse the sudoku! Fuck you sudoku!

During the television portion of the day, I found myself getting sucked into the requisite Saturday afternoon chick flick. In this case, it was How to Make an American Quilt, which actually goes beyond being a chick flick to being what may be the original vagina monologue. The only thing that saves this movie from being completely vomit inducing is the brief appearances of beautiful men to offset the off-the-charts estrogen levels. But of course, being the sad sap of simp that I am, I found myself welling up at an unexpected turn of phrase in the movie.

The premise of the film - no forget it this will take too long. The quilt being made for Wynona Ryder's character in the film- I don't know her name, if you want to know you can click the link - has a theme: where love resides. Each female character in the film is constructing her own piece of the quilt that represents where love resides to them. One woman creates a garden that reminds her of her recently passed husband, another remembers a man she met in Paris and makes a section with the Eiffel Tower, and still another sews a painter's palette for her artist husband (who has consistently cheated on her since they first married).

And so I started thinking about what my piece would look like if I were part of this quilt.

.
.
.

And I couldn't think of a damn thing. Nothing. Nada. Nyet.

My mind searched and searched and came up empty.

I felt hollow inside, like the wind had been sucked from me. Am I completely loveless? Have I ever really known love? What's wrong with me that I can't think of a place or time in life that represents love?

I've known happiness. My travels across the world were the best time of my life. I even fell in love a few times, or so I thought at the time. Even now, my life is in a truly wonderful place - I have the home I have always dreamed of, a great job, friends, family, and the puppy I have been wanting for so many years. But is there love? Will there ever be?

Maybe - someday - this house will be where my love resides.

Stupid chick flicks.

14 comments:

Sizzle said...

I kinda love that movie. I am such a chick! ;-) The part I like the best (besides the parts with Maya Angelou) is the one where Maryanne is reading from that slip of paper her French "love" gave her that says something like, "Young lovers seek perfection but old lovers see beauty in a multiplicity of patches"- totally not doing it justice but it stuck with me (part of it, heh).

ghartstein said...

You could always put what Marge Simpson sewed into her family quilt, "Keep On Truckin'." On second thought...

Sysm said...

Robert McKee needs to be beaten with a stick.

The fact that your life doesn't fit in a Hollywood cliche?

Brav-fucking-o, honey.

Ubermilf said...

Now if they wanted me to come up with one for where ANGER resides, I could make a whole quilt by myself!

G3T Films said...

You are devoid of love? How sad. Ever thought of becoming a serial killer?

Kidsis said...

Awww man...know how you feel, sweetums. Chin up! We could become a serial killer TEAM! And give our victims witty banter before we slay em!

matty said...

Oh, no...

I can remember seeing that movie in an old cinema in New Hampshire and begging my friends to let me leave!

they didn't.

...i'm still hurting.

jiggs said...

oh no. you're on facebook. enjoy the darkside.

Scarlet Hip said...

Sizz - You are such a chick!!! We totally need out hang out more.

Mr G - that works for me, but I wouldn't want to steal Marge's thunder.

Sysm - you always know just what to say.

Ubie - you go girl! Righteous indignation for all!

Scarlet Hip said...

Rich - no, have you?

Kid Sis - ok now you make it sound really cool. Do we get jackets?

Matthew - I'll bet your testosterone levels have never recovered.

Jiggs - and why aren't we facebook friends? HUH HUH HUH????

Maddie said...

Fuck chick flicks!

I had a conversation with a friend recently about losing weight that felt similar to this post. It ended with me telling her at least she has four kids to show for her excess pounds. All I have to show for my excess weight is a string of failed relationships. Weee!

acousticblinding said...

Love...meh. It's overrated. Like is way cool though.

Bill said...

This is one movie I've never seen, so I can venture an opinion on that. And I haven't a clue where love resides, so I guess I can't offer an opinion on that either. However, generally speaking, I tend to find things when I stop looking for them.

On the other hand, finding where love resides might be easier if it had a GPS.

Bill said...

Yes, I know. Typo in the first sentence. Can should be can't.

Speaking of can't, I can't type.