Thursday, November 08, 2007
Life Little Trances

I often wonder.
How come I can be soooo discipline in certain things.
Well. I guess I take after my dad.
Thank God.

This week, Jie, Empress, Emperor had Kuishinbo buffet.
Today yh had Hanabi buffet.
When is my turn?
Ahh. Nvm. I don't think I want quantity. I seek for quality.

*****

From howstuffworks: Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jeane)

Her life, even in childhood, was marred by incomplete relationships and unfulfilled promises -- a mother she never knew, foster parents who made her feel alone and unwanted, husbands who could not understand her, lovers who deserted her.

"I was never used to being happy, so that wasn't something I ever took for granted. You see, I was brought up differently from the average American child because the average child is brought up expecting to be happy." -- MARILYN MONROE, 1954

Marilyn had a morbid fear of genetic insanity throughout her life. Though manic and schizophrenic disorders have a tendency to run in families, this does not necessarily mean that Marilyn inherited an emotional disorder. It is just as likely that her early life of deprivation and insecurity accounted for her later psychiatric problems.

At some point in her childhood, perhaps during this hazy period of foster-home existence, or perhaps even earlier, Norma Jeane was sexually molested. In recounting the story in later interviews, Marilyn variously gave her age at the time of the incident as 6, 8, 9, or at some time in adolescence. According to Marilyn, a family friend or boarder in the foster home in which she lived at the time molested -- or raped -- her in his room.

When she told her foster mother what had happened, the woman refused to believe her. In some versions of the story, the foster mother actually slapped Norma Jeane, shouting, "I don't believe you. Don't you dare say such things about that nice man."

The resultant trauma left the terrified girl with a stutter, though in early interviews Marilyn attributed her childhood stutter to her abandonment at the orphanage. Her lack of specific recall and her overall tendency to embellish stories about her childhood have led some insensitive biographers to assume that Marilyn invented or greatly exaggerated the molestation story to gain sympathy. Those who knew her personally, however, attest to the emotional honesty in her recountings of the past. Though the details of her story may vary, the basic truth seems to be that she was sexually abused as a child, and the memory haunted her for the rest of her life.

Though Norma Jeane seemed happy to see her husband, a number of changes were readily apparent to Jim -- changes that both surprised and disappointed him. He noticed a stack of unpaid bills from local department stores lying on the table, which led to his discovery that Norma Jeane had spent most of his allotment as well as their savings on clothes and accessories. She defended her actions by telling him the clothes were necessary for her career.

Her career became Norma Jeane's primary topic of conversation, as opposed to their future. She also spent a great deal of time on modeling assignments while Jim was home on leave, including an extended excursion to the Pacific Northwest with photographer Andrè de Dienes.

Dougherty's disappointment was fueled by the realization that he was no longer the center of her attention. Now he was only incidental to her life.

Jim Dougherty blames the breakup of his marriage on his Merchant Marine duties. He paints an idyllic portrait of his life with Norma Jeane in the period before he was shipped overseas. Dougherty implies that if he had not left Norma Jeane alone, circumstances would have been different for them.

He talks of Norma Jeane Dougherty and Marilyn Monroe as though they were two different people -- as if in his absence persons and forces beyond his control changed his naive, uncomplicated Norma Jeane into an ambitious, calculating career woman.

When Jim shipped out again, he knew that Norma Jeane was slipping away from him. She sent him no letters once he was back out to sea, whereas before, she had written almost every day. After several weeks, he heard from her Las Vegas attorney. Norma Jeane had established residency in Nevada and filed for divorce. Jim refused to sign the papers until he came home on leave once more, and they could have a long talk. The discussion had little effect on Norma Jeane's decision. She was determined.

Her only lasting relationship was with the public, and her most meaningful affair was with the camera. The camera revealed her unique beauty and vibrant personality.

Marilyn made her mark with the camera, and as time slips away and eyewitness memories fade, these photographic and filmic images will be all that remain of her. Through these images, the public continues its relationship with Marilyn Monroe with a passion and loyalty few stars will ever experience.

*****

If Dr. Seuss Were a Technical Writer.....

If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
Says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
But your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
That's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,
And your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
So your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
Then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
'Cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!