Why must we go to the bother of putting Christmas decorations in the bathroom?
NO. FUCK It. I am not fucking swapping out the shower curtain cuz you’re bored or whatever.
And We’re not decking the Halls in my goddamn room – I got enough crap in there NOW. It’s like sharing the room with invisible people, can’t see it and i’m always tripping over it. I’m not working that hard. I don’t care that much. I don’t want to live ina houseful of Santa vomit.
Much as I try to be all grown up about it and try to consider it ‘not a big deal’ the fact that my wife no longer satisfies me sexually is making unhappy.
Stupid biology overriding my rational brain.
Maybe you’re usually too controlled. There’s a technique I figured out back in the dark ages when, as one of the eldest cousins (and the eldest one was completely irresponsible, sigh), I would often find myself in charge of keeping a dozen or more smaller kids alive, as early as age 5 or so. Later I figured that Dad, who had the same fast-on fast-off explosive temper, also used it.
Instead of tamping down on the irritation, show it more than you’re feeling it, and early; use exaggerated gestures (little kids don’t understand restrained ones as easily), go into Sesame Street You’re In The Army Now Mode (“this is how things will be, period”)… but thing is, it usually gets the message across better than trying to restrain yourself and since you’re actually exaggerating, you’re not letting the irritation turn into anger and the anger into rage, and since you’re actually in full control, you can make sure that all children understand just who is in trouble and why. The kind of communication techniques and body language which tell someone over age 8 or so “I’m starting to get angry but I’m succesfully containing it” are invisible to a toddler.
That’s a really interesting way of looking at it. I hadn’t thought about it before. I imagine it probably is healthy for them to see me mad as long as I don’t let loose like I did yesterday. Does the exaggeration help diffuse your anger, too?
GAH! APHIDS! I took my pepper plant and a bunch of herbs inside for winter, and they’re doing fine (with my sunshine bulb added to natural light), but now the pepper is covered in aphids. I tried the soap yesterday, and they were waving their antenna at me today. I went outside and rousted a ladybug from hibernation (I have about a billion ladybugs in my back yard) and put her in the plant pot - time for the nuclear option. 
This is a bad parent, abusing their child out of anger. You are not a bad parent who abused their child out of anger. You scared your son, but you didn’t pick anybody up by the neck :eek: or beat anybody.
The rule in Casa Neville is, if anyone wants to go above and beyond what we normally do preparing for holidays, that person has to do all the extra work. You don’t get to say we should do something extra and then ask someone else to do the actual work.
I just don’t know how much I want to decorate for this Xmas… and i have a feeling I might have to do all the work, which I do mind, especially since here are 2 other people here.
I don’t mind in the living rooms and we could do something in the kitchen but it’s only the 11th. I don’t want to put it up early. I don’t like when I go in a store in November and the music is carols. One holiday at a motherfucking time.
That’s a good rule, Anne Neville. The curtain we have now is some palm trees/ Hula girls print, which i think is alright, and cheerful since it’s getting cold.
They don’t have hookers in Arkansas?
Why am I suddenly in a handbasket? Why are we descending rapidly? Ooooh, it’s getting warm in here…
Oo. I like this. I always try to stay totally calm and not let Widget set the tone when she gets stroppy and it’s pissing me off, but I know she can tell that something’s up, and it winds her up more. Diffusing the irritation instead might work really well. Thanks, Nava.
Reads thread, wow, a lot of stuff has happened in the past couple days. SpazCat, you made me giggle
Tony was supposed to take me to the doctor today. His septic tank is full and I lent him the money to have it pumped out. His old single wide trailor was put down before codes and inspections so there is no idea where the tank is. They spent most of yesterday digging for it and still haven’t found it. I figured that he wouldn’t be able to take me to the doctor around 10:00 and called a friend in Phx to come and take me to my 2:45 appointment.
Its an hour from Phx to here and 45 minutes to the doctor, plenty of time, right? Well, there would have been plenty of time for us to stop and have a nice lunch, except at 11:30, she calls me to say that the I17 is stopped, there is a fatality and she can’t get around.
OK. There is still time. I call a friend in Prescott to come and get me. His wife has their car, so he’s going to ride to my place and drive me in my car. Half an hour later, he’s on the phone. His front tire is flat. He’s going to call around to find me a ride.
I’m now running out of time. I gave up, bit the bullet, hobbled accross the street and asked the teenagers for a ride. After much discussion about me having insurance and not being able to climb into their truck, off we went. It took an hour and 15 mintues to get there because the kid was so worried about having an accident in my car or getting a ticket that we never so much as made eye contact with the speed limit for the whole trip.
After that saga, I spent half an hour with the doctor, who said that I was doing great, xray’s were wonderful, I need to keep doing what I’m doing and he’ll see me in a week.
I’ve already scheduled one of those Prescott to Phx shuttles to take me back. It will cost $45, but I’d pay twice that then ride with nervious teenager again. I don’t know how parents of teenagers can do it.
B,C,D,E,G,P,T,V,Z Nine motherfucking letters that sound a lot alike on a phone. And if we have a bad connection, they’re all the same motherfucking sound.
If I ask you to repeat them, and I give you a hint like “C as in Cat, then the next letter was D as in Dog?”, don’t just say “no, it was “–”” where I still cannot fucking tell which of those letters you’re saying. Ok, we’ve narrowed it down to seven at this point. Just wake the fuck up and say “z as in zebra” if that’s what it is.
I don’t get these people who just keep repeating them all over and over again when I’m very clearly telling them that we have a bad connection or they’re holding their phone 3 light years from their mouth or putting it inside their mouth and saying “please tell me (letter) as in (word)”.
I’m actually pretty good at getting people to use words for letters. One of my favorite times was getting a very nice lady to give me her VIN over the phone. 194V as in Victor, B as in Ball, 453, K as in Cat, D as in Dog…OMG, no wonder my kids can’t spell!!!
We both shared laughs over that.
Most of the time I have no issue getting people to do this at all. It’s the rare clueless git who just keeps repeating the letters even after the fourth or fifth outright request to give them phonetically. And of course, I had one of those today.
You know, the kind who, after the third request, go 978 charlie kite dgvzbzzzzzzzz…
Yeah, I got the charlie kite bit, what was after that?
vzgtbzzzzz…
Ok, sir, we’re getting nowhere with this. Please give me words.
Yes, on two fronts: on one hand, you start “acting mad” before you really get mad, and on the other, well, acting is fun 
Short rant: I woke up with cramps. I hate my uterus. A week later than expected, too. :mad:
I’ve just invited my (ex)husband and his siblings to my kid’s first birthday party. Seeing as none of them bothered to get her a present for her actual birth or first Christmas, I’m guessing they won’t bother their backsides this year either. But at least I’ve invited them!
(bitter? me? Hell yes, how hard is it to pick up a £3 outfit from Tescos and a generic card? Impossible if you’re my kids aunt/uncle/father apparently.)
This is why my goal this year is to be the good aunt and remember my niece and all four of my nephews’ birthdays. The challenging part is coming up–my niece and her little brother were born Christmas week and I *always *forget to get them a card.
Fucking Mercedes has been running its Christmas commercials featuring Santa Claus for a week already.
No Mercedes, I will not be buying my spouse or other loved one a car as a present. Plus, your voice over “…the Mercedes Winter Event ends soon!” doesn’t cut any ice with me (haw!) when (a) it’s obvious you’ll be running these commercials through the end of the year, given the theme, and (b) we’re barely half-way through Fall, for Pete’s sake.
I want out of my job. I don’t even want FT work there now. I just want to be somewhere else and in another occupation entirely.
I need to sell my house and move into a smaller place. But who the heck will buy this house now?