You know what I haven't posted for a long, long time on my blog? A quote for the "Weekend Thought". So I'm going to remedy that right now with this quote sent to me by one of my buddies...
'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. . So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.'
Okay, so today's "Thought for the Weekend" isn't really one of those inspirational-type quotes that I usually post but it is one of my all-time favourite quotes from a member of the female gender. (Carolyn Parrish was a member of the Canadian federal Liberal government and I'm providing a brief bit of back-story to put the quote in context)
On May 19, 2005, Paul Martin's Liberal government faced two votes of confidence on its 2005-06 budget legislation. In the days leading up to the vote, Parrish said that she would support the government despite her difficulties with Martin's administration. Her support was critical to the government's survival, given the even division in the house. On the morning of the vote, Parrish informed a media representative that she was suffering from severe pain due to a medical ailment (there was speculation at the time that this was appenditicitis or an ovarian cyst, though informed sources now indicate that it likely was kidney stones). Some media sources speculated that she could be forced to miss the vote, but Parrish denied this, claiming,
Come hell or high water, there's no frigging way I'm going to let one ovary bring the government down.
She attended the vote, which the government won by one vote.
I love this song. It always puts me in a great mood when I listen to it. I've often thought that if Between Friends ever translated into some kind of television show, it would make great background music for the opening. Parts of the lyrics just seem to fit with my strip and women characters... their dealing with the stuff life throws at them in their busy, multi-tasking, wishing-for-more, coping-with lives...
It's not having what you want It's wanting what you've got
It's pretty easy to get caught up in the negative things that life throws at you. I love the message that you've got to remember to look on the bright side. I know my characters lament about aging issues and office politics and on and on. I think that's a pretty accurate reflection of the women Maeve, Susan and Kim represent. But...they also laugh at themselves too. And they enjoy their friendships and their cappuccinos and various other little pleasures in life. ( Of couse, Maeve enjoys things like dating Viggo Mortensen and travelling to exotic islands for weekend getaways. If that didn't make a person " lighten up ", I don't know what would... )
I'm gonna soak up the sun I'm gonna tell everyone To lighten up (I'm gonna tell 'em that) I've got no one to blame For every time I feel lame I'm looking up I'm gonna soak up the sun I'm gonna soak up the sun
"I guess, Madam Speaker, you could consider this a prop considering the fact that it should be put in the garbage. This is the government's bill and if the members do not want me to use it, maybe that is what they think of it."
- Ms. Judy Wasylyica-Leis, NDP Canadian Member of Parliament
(Comment in response to Mr. Leon Benoit's request that it was improper for Ms. Wasylyica-Leis to use the document of the proposed Bill C - 10 in her debate because it was a "prop". Madam Speaker ruled that since the document was actual legislation, it was in order )
It removes any chance women in the federal civil service have of fighting for pay equity by denying them the right to complain to the Human Rights Commission, or to go to court, when they believe there is discrimination. Instead, pay equity issues are to be solved as part of the regular bargaining process but - get this! - if anyone agitates on the basis of pay equity, they face a $50,000 fine. So the Conservative regime is forbidding a woman from fighting for herself and, simultaneously, penalizing her union from fighting for her.
Once this legislation is passed, a woman working in the federal public service will have fewer rights than women working elsewhere in Canada.
The second thing I have in common with Shania Twain is the sentiment expressed in the above comic. Kinda. Sorta.
I was about to post a quote from Shania ( I feel confident in referring to her on a first name basis seeing as we're compatriots and all. ) and I suddenly remembered this strip. "Wow", I thought, "Her quote and my comic have practically the exact, same, identical message . . . kinda, sorta."
"It's important to give it all you've got while you have the chance."
-Shania Twain
You see the similarites? What's that you say? Not really?
Well, okay . . . maybe the sentiment is not exactly the same. But what's interesting here (at least to me) is that this is an example of where a strip idea comes from in reverse.
I realize that probably doesn't make very much sense but I've just deleted my explanation 6 times and I don't think I'm going to be able to make this much clearer.
What I'm trying to say is that, if I had read this quote before I had written this strip, I can see where I would have gotten the inspiration to write this strip. So this is an example of where strip ideas come from . . . kinda, sorta.
