Things I don't understand: episode one

Ultra-realistic labia!

Thanks for your attention.

I saw a wonderful film a few nights ago called 'Lars and the Real Girl' and I was going to write a bit of a movie review but thought, nah. All that I can really think to say about it is, "do yourself a favour and see this film; it's very sweet." And it is; it's a very sensitive film about a man who works through some personal problems with the help of a RealDoll named Bianca and his understanding friends and family. It's a yummy film.


I first became aware of RealDolls, a few years ago when I was doing a postgrad degree in gender studies. They were used as a talking point for ideas about and concepts of sexuality, corporal femininity, object/subject relations, techie-sex, etc. Very many interesting discussions were had indeed.

In one such discussion, I learned of a man who had purchased a RealDoll and a comment that he made has stuck in my head for years. He explained that when he ordered his RealDoll he asked that she have breast implants as he felt that that would make her more realistic to him. Ha! What kind of postmodern craziness is that?! It's so surreal and so fascinating to me that blurry grey bit between fantasy and reality and how differently, different people conceptualize these notions as well as notions of sexuality, human-ness, humanoid-ness, gender, subject/object, etc. I could go on and on...

Also about that time, I watched a documentary about RealDolls on British telly called, 'Guys and Dolls.' Although not as sweet and sensitive as 'Lars and the Real Girl,' it still attempted to portray the men interviewed in an understanding and compassionate light as opposed to allowing it to sway into freakshow territory (those 'documentaries' exist in abundance).

I just googled and found it! I (heart) the internet! Here it is in all its silicone glory. (The vagina repairman scenes are a bit freaky, in that gyno exam gone so entirely wrong kinda way, haha! Viewer discretion advised, I guess). It's an interesting documentary though as it shows that 'Lars' is not necessarily unique or fictional.

'Guys and Dolls':



Hey L, if you need any of this deciphered, let me know. I'm happy to translate (as much as I can, that is!) but here is a good synopsis that explains the show pretty well: http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/reviews/2006/guysanddolls.htm

Gutted.

One of those words that has a bicultural meaning for me. My inner-Canadian thinks, 'caught fish, sliced down the middle, roe and other weird stuff fall out, etc.' My inner-almost-Briton thinks, 'very upset.'

Yesterday, I received back a gift that I gave to someone. A gift that represented affection and good memories. To open a package and see that gift returned, I can say that I felt gutted. I felt like 'caught fish, sliced down the middle, roe and other weird stuff fall out, etc.' Completely eviscerated.

How very Canadian I am.

Who hasn't had a day when you feel like this?

Blimey! =:-O

I love it though! The calmness of the others around to let her just spinout is interesting (to me). I bet she felt great after that!

Does anyone (N?) know what she is saying?

Happy SAD!

I'm talking Singles Awareness Day, a day for people who are single to celebrate or not celebrate being single... while many couples deal with the social, spousal and consumer pressures to celebrate Valentine's Day.

I'm not fanatically anti-Valentine's Day. I actually think it's a sweet idea but how it can playout is just so depressing to me.

Yesterday was a Friday. Normally on Fridays I buy fresh flowers because I like having flowers around. So yesterday, also being the day before today, Valentine's Day, when I was in the grocery store, I saw a lot of Valentine's Day flower arrangements being purchased. Though I buy my flowers from a grocery store, I am not buying them to express affection to myself. I'm not trying to make an impression.

Watching people slap their Valentine's Day gifts on the check-out conveyor belt thingy along side their toilet bowl cleaner and Ritz Crackers was so entirely unromantic to me. It's a lesson in how not to be romantic and frankly, how not to get laid!

It made me think about the Valentine's Day gifts that I have received; my first boyfriend's made-from-scratch heart-shaped pizza with 'I love you' written in black olives, his weird and wonderful wire art things and his wood carvings. He always made his Valentine's Day, and other, gifts. Another boyfriend always wrote silly and often very sappy limericks and one year brought home a baby snake that he rescued (really, this was very sweet).

I still have all of these gifts except the pizza and the snake! or perhaps I should say, I remember and treasure these gifts and I feel fortunate that I received them. I know that I likely received grocery store flowers as well and although that is not necessarily a horrible thing, I just do not remember those gifts. Not at all. They made no lasting impression, none whatsoever. And isn't that the point? How unromantic is that?

Anyway, back to Happy SAD... this Valentine's Day, I am single and a friend of mine, who is also single, suggested that we might go to this 'singles party' tonight. When she mentioned it we both bursted out laughing...

I thought this was rather funny as well:


Happy SAD to my solo buddies!