I was up all night with Jenny. I’ll spare you the gory details, but she was afraid of falling back to sleep for fear she’d get sick again. I held her pretty much all night long while she drifted in and out of sleep. I looked at her long eyelashes and her perfectly arched eyebrows, her long delicate fingers and the wisps of hair around her forehead. She’s not a baby anymore, but when she’s not feeling well, she seems as fragile and vulnerable as when she lived in my arms. Continue reading →
Opportunistic
19
Feb 10
Narcissists and Rules
Don’t touch a cowboy’s hat or a lady’s hair-do.- Don’t ask anyone how many acres they have, how many head of cattle they own, or how much money they have in the bank.
- Do not ask a lady how much she weighs or how old she is.
- Never ask a big lady when her baby is due.
- Don’t tell anyone your social security number, your pin number or your locker combination.
- If you eat the whole bag of Fritos, keep it a secret.
11
Feb 10
Come And Tell Me Why Yer Leavin’ Me
The first time I set foot in our little house, I got teary. Granted, I wasn’t very emotionally stable at the time. I had decided to leave my husband. I had been living at my mom’s for a couple months. I had to get my kids settled, and the weight of the transition was heavy on me. The realtor unlocked the maroon door, we set foot in the open living room/dining room area, I took one look at the wood stove, glanced at the dark red walls in the kitchen, and I knew it would be our home. Continue reading →
7
Feb 10
The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Narcissist
Eight years ago on Super Bowl Sunday, I was two months pregnant with Jenny, and I had round-the-clock morning sickness. To this day, I tell Jenny that she was worth every trip to the bathroom. One of my favorite pictures is a shot of me, looking awful from the morning all day sickness, holding a gallon-sized container of Atomic Fireballs. There’s something about the hot spicy jawbreakers that kept the sickness at bay. They were an absolute lifesaver. I had an Atomic Fireball in my mouth for 7 months. Poor Will was going on four years old. He got used to me hanging out in the bathroom. In fact, after Jenny was born, I was doing something, let out a cough, and I heard Will say, “Mommy, are you throwing up again?” Anyway, we had been invited to a Super Bowl Party. I was sitting in a chair, trying to summon up the strength to put on my shoes. I did not want to go to the party, but I didn’t want to disappoint Mark and Will. I looked at Mark and said, “I’m so sorry, but I just can’t go. I feel like all I’ve been doing is trying to simply exist.” He looked at me, let out a sigh of frustration and said, “Well, that is all you’ve been doing.” Continue reading →
1
Feb 10
When Narcissists Win Grammys
We watched the Grammys last night. The Grammys might also be called, “The Music World’s Parade of Narcissists”. I don’t know why we watched. We like music. We wanted to see the people we like. Some of them were on there. But as we watched, and became confused by the display of glitz, and the annoying acceptance speeches, we started to wonder why we had tuned in. And then it took on all the fascination of a train wreck. We had to continue watching to see which Narcissist would attempt to out-do the other Narcissists. It was painful, hilarious, disgusting, and not in the least entertaining. Just what do the Grammys have to do with music? Continue reading →
11
Jan 10
Noxious Narcissism
The other day Will and I were riding home from the ski hill with grandpa. The subject of “Blooming where you’re planted” came up. I don’t think I’d find many people to disagree with the premise — be happy where you are planted. I asked grandpa what he thought about the fact that there might be a lot of weeds where we are planted. He responded by saying, “The best way to deal with weeds is to make sure the plant is healthy.” That’s good coming from the guy who goes for the Roundup the minute he sees an offending weed. But he is right. The healthier the plant, the less chance the weeds have to take over. Continue reading →
14
Dec 09
I’ll Take The Fingernails
“Are you kidding? That’s for me? You guys made that for me? Were you thinking about me when you made that? Can I have it? Can I keep it? Can I hang it in my house? Won’t it look so nice in my house? I can’t believe you guys made that for me! You guys were thinking about me! That’s so cool! That’s really for me, right?” Continue reading →
29
Nov 09
When Divorcing The Narcissist Isn’t Enough
Last night Will was so stressed, I actually resorted to giving him a Pepcid. That’s the first time he’s taken anything for an upset stomach. His stomach had been bothering him for two days. Coincidentally, his father had been over both those days. I’m too familiar with this type of upset stomach. I have a stash of Pepcid for just this kind of thing. Continue reading →
4
Oct 09
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
The day the three of us packed our boxes and moved out of Mark’s house was also my Grandma’s 90th birthday. There was a gathering at the nursing home, and the kids and I loaded the boxes in the car, and headed to the birthday party. That sounds bizarre. The fact that we put the boxes in the car, and went on with the plans of our day was a real indication that my mind was made up. I couldn’t put the decision off because of a 90th birthday party, so we packed and went to the party. Continue reading →
