I am such a member of the keep-my-shit-together-while-everybody-else-dithers club. My mom, late baby and youngest of four, was a hyoooge practicioner of personal drama, while tightening the screws on every possible expression of anger allowed me as a young girl-child. I've been switched for stamping my feet, slamming a door, pouting. The best was learning the lesson I was not allowed to exhibit honest anger or resentment, but had to cover it with cheerful behavior. And I got harshly critiqued on how convincing or not my performance was.
I only learned to be able to confront someone honestly in defense of my kids. I still hate it. It still makes me nauseous for hours afterward, no matter what the outcome.
I'm still trying to be the best parent possible to my inner moppet, and that includes booting my own rear when I don't stand up to unpleasantness.
However. Theatrical training did come in handy parenting teenaged boys. I could throw a smackdown, carefully staged for greater effect in front of peers, that would haul a miscreant back in line, at least for a little while. Performance. Even while they were both aware that the more honestly angry I was? The quieter I got. Sometimes, as a parent, I had to push some buttons I'd rather have left alone and avoided the drama.
But you know what? No matter what the unpleasant task, eventually somebody's got to do it. And honestly, I'd rather get it done and get it over with and move on than wait for somebody else to get to the point where they couldn't avoid it any longer.
I still won't change my oil or a tire, though. Lines must be drawn.
They took my morphine and now give me tylenol with codeine and I hurt. Am also full of
gas
and it hurts. Owie.
Oh GC, I'm so sorry. Your painkillers are the reverse of mine, because morphine makes me deathly ill, while Tyco is sweet, sweet pain relief to me.
May you get something that really works well on your pain. (and something for the gas.
Poor GC, hope you feel better soon.
Ahhh, yes, the gas. They do that in surgeries down there. EM had it when she had her tubes tied. Fart for your life! It's your only hope! Fart and fart again!
Poor GC.
Crap. I'm panicking. Way too much stuff going on, and way too many people who are supposed to be helping me who won't respond to my emails. Speaking next week. National conference. Attended by 5500 mathematicians. Of whom I'd be surprised if more than about 25 were at my talk, but that's still more people than I'm used to for talks, and first time I'll be giving a talk in this kind of formal environment.
I do have new clothes. I still need to shorten the pants, though.
Hil, I'm sorry you're panicking. I am too. Taking a three hour nap when I already have too much stuff to do is no good.
Oh, GC, the memories.I had my fibroids removed a few years ago and have not so fond memories of shuffling around the floor with my IV, pausing every few steps to grunt and attempt to pass gas so I could go the hell home.
Huh. Am realizing I have no clear idea of what fibroids even are.
They're basically a benign mass in the uterus. They attach to the side and hang on. No one knows what causes them. Some women have them and never know it. Some women have them and it causes their stomach to bloat. Some women have them and they cause heavy bleeding and blood clots (me!)
