My Current Obsession

Eventually I will put together a list of my favourite lesbian couples in current media/TV depiction, but right now I have a mini-celebrity crush on Linda Marlen Runge. I don’t know as much about her as other North-American actresses/musicians because most or all of the articles about her are in German, and the English translation doesn’t always make sense. But from her facebook and Instagram postings and what I can dig up, I can see that she’s someone who’s quirky, fun, and living the most out of her life. She is definitely someone who would stand out from the crowd because of her unique characteristics – you can see that she has a strong character and attitude just by what she shares with her fans.

Have you ever met someone who has this amazing energy about them that attracts everyone in the room? I think if Linda was in a room full of people, she’d be like a magnet – all the girls would want to be her friend and all the guys would want to date her (so to speak; I know the genders don’t really apply here).

She is currently most recognized (in my opinion, anyway) in the German TV show Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten (Good Times, Bad Times), in which she plays Anni Brehme, a lesbian studying Sound Engineering who is in love with her roommate Jasmin Flemming. Anni and Jasmin has a huge following of admirers and “shippers”, including me. In two weeks’ time there will be a fan meeting in Berlin where lucky fans who reside in or are close enough to Berlin get to meet the much-praised couple.

I, on the other hand, am more interested in seeing Linda perform live. Aside from her mesmerizing looks and incredible sense of style, she plays the bass in a couple of bands that she has started. One of them is Lejana, formed with a Mexican guitarist Eder Perales. Then there’s Blood & Honey, a duo based out of Berlin and with Irish guitarist and comedian Chris Morrin. She also lent her voice to two songs that her character, Anni, sung on GZSZ. I cannot stop listening to Far Away and Is Love Enough!!! They’re on repeat over and over again…

I hope I get to meet her one day!

is love enough?

Seems like it’s the question of the year. Is love enough? If you asked me six months ago, my answer would be, “yes, definitely.” But if you ask me again now, I’d probably tell you, “Depends.” I am a firm believer in love, in overcoming obstacles and making dreams come true together with the person you have chosen to spend the rest of your life. But you could say I’m a real hopeless romantic whose idea of love has been doused with a dose of cruel reality. While I wish that love will persevere in all situations all the time, it is not always the case – especially when the person you wanted to be “forever” with becomes increasingly unstable and unpredictable. Then, I ask myself, was the love I had and felt not enough for me to overcome my own inhibitions and doubts about my own relationship? Should love be easily swayed if there’s enough of it? What is “enough”?

The song, Is Love Enough? from the popular German soap GZSZ (Good Times, Bad Times), sung by the incredible Linda Marlen Runge, who plays Anni on the show, to her on-screen girlfriend Jasmin, aptly phrases this mind-boggling question all struggling couples are asking themselves.

So tell me, how can I be with you if you can’t live on your own?

And how do we love if there’s something unknown?

Take care of your life and I’ll be alright, I’ll be alright.

Is love enough for us if I doubt it inside, if I doubt it inside?

If I doubt it inside…

See, some of us want shelter and some of us want wings

And some of us want hugs while the others want to breathe

Well, someone for misses and someone for kisses

And you build a fence but I want to dance…

My high school music teacher has always said, “good enough is never good enough” (as a motivational quote for us to become better musicians). Of all things in the world, I think it applies to love the most.