This is the latest installment of quotes and words that move me for the weekend of 3/9/13 (Volume 29). I hope you enjoy them too.
I saw the movie Silver Linings Playbook this week–it was phenomenal! Jennifer Lawrence was very deserving of her Oscar. Of course, the book was still better, but I really really loved the movie. Go see it (but read the book first–it’s a quick read)! Silver Linings Playbook helped inspire this week’s theme… Enjoy, and have a wonderful week!
P.S.- Spot had a happy, healthy and energetic week (and so did I)! She had her second chemo treatment and seems to be managing very well. Thanks everyone for the thoughts, prayers and healing energy. Oh, we also have two new additions to our “zoo”! I can’t wait to introduce you to them later this week!
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There was something so pleasant about that place.
Even your emotions had an echo
In so much space,
Without care,
Yeah, I was out of touch
But it wasn’t because I didn’t know enough
I just knew too much…”
~ Ray Lamontagne, “Crazy”, available HERE, video link HERE. (Ray does a totally revamped cover version of Gnarls Barkley’s original, HERE. I also love this live cover by Cat Power HERE–she really draws the crazy out with trumpets and a chorus change “Maybe I’m crazy, I don’t give a f*ck…”)
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Alternate song: “Crazy, Crazy Nights” performed by KISS from “Crazy Nights“, video link HERE
“Sometimes days are so hard to survive, oh yeah, a million ways to bury you alive, hey
The sun goes down like a bad bad dream
You’re wound up tight, gotta let off steam
They say they can break you again and again, if life is a radio, turn it up to ten
These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights
These are crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy nights…”
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“Life is hard, and children have to be told how hard life can be… So they will be sympathetic to others. So they will understand that some people have it harder than they do and that a trip through this world can be a wildly different experience, depending on what chemicals are raging through one’s mind.” ~ Matthew Quick, The Silver Linings Playbook
“She looks sad. She looks angry. She looks different from everyone else I know—she cannot put on that happy face others wear when they know they are being watched. She doesn’t put on a face for me, which makes me trust her somehow.” ~ Matthew Quick, The Silver Linings Playbook
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“The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four people is suffering from a mental illness. Look at your 3 best friends. If they’re ok, then it’s you.” ~ Rita Mae Brown
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“THE EDGE, there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” ~ Hunter S. Thompson
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“Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence– whether much that is glorious– whether all that is profound– does not spring from disease of thought– from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect.” ~ Edgar Allan Poe, Complete Tales and Poems
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“And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure. And your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, ‘Yes, the stars always make me laugh!’ And they will think you are crazy. It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you…” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
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“Was I ever crazy? Maybe. Or maybe life is… Crazy isn’t being broken or swallowing a dark secret. It’s you or me amplified. If you ever told a lie and enjoyed it. If you ever wished you could be a child forever. They were not perfect, but they were my friends.” ~ Susanna Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted
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“Taking crazy things seriously is a serious waste of time.” ~ Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
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“Here’s what I think, Mr. Wind-Up Bird,” said May Kasahara. “Everybody’s born with some different thing at the core of their existence. And that thing, whatever it is, becomes like a heat source that runs each person from the inside. I have one too, of course. Like everybody else. But sometimes it gets out of hand. It swells or shrinks inside me, and it shakes me up. What I’d really like to do is find a way to communicate that feeling to another person. But I can’t seem to do it. They just don’t get it. Of course, the problem could be that I’m not explaining it very well, but I think it’s because they’re not listening very well. They pretend to be listening, but they’re not, really. So I get worked up sometimes, and I do some crazy things.” ~ Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
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“I’d like to repeat the advice that I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover.
Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience.
You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.
My point is that you do not need me or anyone else around to bring this new kind of light in your life. It is simply waiting out there for you to grasp it, and all you have to do is reach for it. The only person you are fighting is yourself and your stubbornness to engage in new circumstances.” ~ Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild
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“I’ve always been different with one foot over the line
Winding up somewhere one step ahead or behind
It ain’t been so easy but I guess I shouldn’t complain
I’ve always been crazy but it’s kept me from going insane…”
~ Waylon Jennings, “I’ve Always Been Crazy” from album “I’ve Always Been Crazy“, VIDEO
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“Matilda said, “Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it’s unbelievable…” ~ Roald Dahl, Matilda
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“If one day I could get out of here, I would allow myself to be crazy. Everyone is indeed crazy, but the craziest are the ones who don’t know they’re crazy; they just keep repeating what others tell them to.” ~ Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die
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“You’re right. I am crazy. But you know what else? I don’t give a fuck.” ~ Tupac Shakur
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“Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.” ~ Charles Bukowski
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LOST-
they say that hell is crowded, yet,
when you’re in hell,
you always seem to be alone.
& you can’t tell anyone when you’re in hell
or they’ll think you’re crazy
& being crazy is being in hell
& being sane is hellish too.
those who escape hell, however,
never talk about it
& nothing much bothers them after that.
I mean, things like missing a meal,
going to jail, wrecking your car,
or even the idea of death itself.
when you ask them,
“how are things?”
they’ll always answer, “fine, just fine…”
once you’ve been to hell and back,
that’s enough
it’s the greatest satisfaction known to man.
once you’ve been to hell and back,
you don’t look behind you when the floor creaks
and the sun is always up at midnight
and things like the eyes of mice
or an abandoned tire in a vacant lot
can make you smile
once you’ve been to hell and back.
Charles Bukowski, Lost, from Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame
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* BONUS SONG : Actually more like bonus songS. I thought this was such a cool video–a complete montage of songs with “Crazy” in the title. There were even a few songs I’d never heard. A few of my other favorites included are Pink Floyd’s “Shine on Crazy Diamond“, Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and Heart’s “Crazy on You.”
Do you have a favorite “Crazy” song?
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I loved Silver Lining Playbook, too. Really original. And the dance scene was like the cherry on top. So good.
Glad to hear spot is doing okay so far.
All of the characters were so endearing, each with their own idiosyncrasies. I literally laughed out loud several times during the movie, especially during some of the dancing.
Glad to hear Spot had a good week. My prayers are still with you both.
Thank you Dan, it’s great to hear from you. Been thinking about you and your family too!
I love the cover of Crazy by Cat Power. I am thinking of adopting it as my theme song.
Thanks for posting. Want to see the flick. Very glad Spot is OKish.
She is definitely on my list of people to see in concert if given the chance. Plus she just seems like a really cool person.
That would be a great theme song! Especially her version.
I thought the Tupac quote fit nicely with her song.
Yes!! Go see it, you’ll love it!! But if you get the chance to read the book first (or even after), do. They change the movie up enough to make it different from the book, but the changes work for it.
What a great cover, I love Ray Lamontagne. And boy did I love Silver Linings Playbook. It’s so poignant but also so cheesy at the same time. I keep reliving that moment over in my mind when he walks up to her at the bar and grabs her to do the dance… and everyone’s glee when they average a 5.0!!! So great!!! Fantastic to hear from you and to hear that you and Spot had an energetic week. Exercise is the answer to so many woes isn’t it…. lotsalove xxx
Hi Mrs D, glad you enjoyed Ray! Poignant and cheesy… Hey, that could be my epithet!
Yes indeed on the exercise, I really need to get back on my structured routine.
Lotsalove right back atcha! xx
I’m not a Ray Lamontagne fan, but that was a great cover!
I have mixed feelings about crazy.I think it’s way too overused – no, waiting an extra five minutes on the checkout line because it was busy was not the craziest thing ever.
But when it’s accurate, wow!
Loved the Bukoski and Thompson bits, and the Krakauer bit just made me angry. the edge isn’t for everyone,and there’s something to be said for the familiarity of routine.
Great set to think about, but mostly I think I’m really happy Spot is doing well!
Great comment as always, thanks Guap. I’m glad I was able to rouse ya a bit and make you think–means I picked some good ones!
And I agree, familiarity, security, routine–especially after one has “been over the edge”–can all be very calming, stable and good things.
i love the Ray cover! i was never a fan of the original song but this version is great. Thanks for sharing.
As for crazy songs, here’s the spectrum:
http://youtu.be/otdHbA4GlSI
All aboard!!!!!
God that’s a great song! And that Van Morrison is a little piece of sunshine.
I’m guessing I’m one of the cheesy folks that loves the Gnarls Barkley original, huh? Cee-Lo is just a mad genius! It’s a great song to run to.
Thanks for the comment and the tunes Al, you rock!
I’m glad to hear Spot is on the up and up! Does chemo affect dogs the same way as humans–tiredness, etc? I haven’t known a dog that did it yet. Do you have to change Spot’s diet when he’s on chemo? Great ‘words’ for the weekend.
Hi Char,
For the most part, chemo is much easier on dogs than humans because they get such smaller doses in relation. They may experience occasional side effects depending on the drug, but supposedly only 5% of dogs get severe effects.
Spot is getting some drugs that can plummet her white blood cell count, so her immunity is much weaker. We have to be careful to keep her in a healthy environment. I think her tummy issues were due to a GI bug and maybe the prednisone she’s taking, versus the Vincristine drug she got that first week. She’ll get that drug again next week, so we’ll find out…
And yep, we changed her diet to a grain-free, low carb, high fat diet. Cancer feeds off of sugar and carbs, and can really zap the body of energy, so the body needs a new energy source–hence the increased fat (especially Omega 3 fats, like from fish). I’ve also started her on different supplements too, including some to boost her immunity. She’ll stay on this new diet even after chemo, in efforts to keep the cancer in remission. (Hopefully she’ll get to that point.)
Probably more than you wanted to hear, haha, I’ve learned more than I ever wished to about this stuff. Enjoy your weekend Char!
No, it wasn’t too much to learn. I was curious about it. I’m glad it’s not as bad for dogs as humans, but still wish Spot didn’t have to deal with all this (and you and your family).
Thank-you, you’re very sweet. Love to Ginger!
Love Bukowski and Girl Interrupted. And The Little Prince, too. So glad Spot is doing better. Yay!
Thanks Shelly! I’ve laughed at (with) the stars a few times, so “The Little Prince” was perfect for today.
Hope all is well out there. Sad to hear about sailing accident on the news.
It’s sad to hear about things like that. The water can be a dangerous place.
Ha! Love your post, and love love love your videos. I love the one with Crazy in the title. This is such a unique post!!
Hi N, thank you! It’s nice to see you.
Crazy is a universal theme!!
That is sooo true.
Loved SLP too. Such a great movie with so many emotions and twists and turns (literally!) as well as being a bit cheesy as you say.
And so glad Spot is doing well. Look forward to meeting the new zoo twosome!
And just thank you for your kindness and sweetness to me. It has really touched me and makes me a bit tearful even as i write this. C xx
Aww thanks Cleo. You are one of my favorite persons in the world. xx
Yeah…I know crazy. It has been very good to me. As for song choices…1 comes to mind-
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vNuY5_wL8rw
Sanity is overrated. We’re never going to survive, unless we get a little crazy, you know.
(Love that song!)
Surprised you didn’t pick this one:
I was trying not to be predictable….now ain’t that crazy. That is one of my all time favorite Boingo songs, though.
I hope I can see the movie one day! My movie-going abilities have been drastically curtailed. It sounds like just the kind of film I’d like.
I can’t help but think of this quote when the talk goes to crazy:
“…the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” (Kerouac, On the Road)
That’s such a great quote… Maybe a messed up, strange, overrated book, lol, but an awesome quote.
xx
Celeste
Hi Celeste!
That’s one of my favorite quotes. It has weird sentimental value to me–I think it’s cool you thought of it!
I hear you on the movies. I’m lucky that my schedule is such that I get to go to the matinee showings (early shows). Lucky because tickets are half-priced or more, and there’s usually never a crowd. I bet Linings will be out on video real soon–I think it’s only still in theaters because of all the Oscar hoopla. But do read the book if you get time, you’d like it.
Hope all is well and that your skies are blue. xx
That’s ace news re Spot’s good week (and yours)! I really hope your girl kicks this. And i can’t wait to hear about the additions to the menagerie
Imo!!! Hey Buffy-Buddy!
I’m thrilled Spot has had a good week! She’s just the coolest laid back dog. You’d like her. I wish she didn’t have to go through all of this.
Yeah, our menagerie is growing larger every day! I’ll be writing and posting some pix before the weekend (god/dess willing). I’m kind of waiting to see if we have an even newer edition too–any day now. (Not me!)
Hope things are calming down and that you’re getting all the new routines in place. Moving can be a pain in the ass, but it’s oh so exciting. Love!
First, so good to see you back and Spot is doing good.. double good news. Life is full of bits of crazy and we don’t at times lean into that crazy, well Buk said it best , a truly horrible, uneventful life. That sounds boring to me!
keep on having crazy moments and life will be just fine!!
Thank you, Lynne, it’s nice to see you!
I already wanted to see Silver Linings Playbook, but I hadn’t realized it was based on a book. From the quotes in this post, I look forward to reading it.
Glad to hear Spot is doing better
I think you’d really like the book. Unique and quirky, and the characters were very relateable (though I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, lol).