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January 22, 2004
Finders weepers
Thanks aplenty to Staz and Katerina, who notified us about the return of Bella the golden retriever to her rightful owners. We imagine the press making the new owner sound like a grade-A harpy had something to do with it. The idea of having to deal with Girl-E and The Dude if something like that happened to one of the cats gives us nightmares.
Speaking of nightmares, Girl-E has been having a slew of them about her students in Turkey. It's become quite clear that her teaching experience there was the one true trauma of her life so far; even worse than when her dad passed away, when her dog was put to sleep, when she didn't get past the first round of Teen Jeopardy! tryouts. For the first time ever, she has genuine baggage. It's like a movie where a princess, posing as a regular gal to defy her overprotective parents, suddenly realizes she has to carry her own trunk to her 4th floor walk-up in the Big City, which she also discovers does not have central air. Er something like that. Anyway, she's plucky, she'll get over it someday, but in the mean time she probably has several more nights ahead of her of waking up in a cold sweat screaming "SIT -- DOWN --- NOOOOWWW!!!!!" and bursting into sobs.
Posted by The Twins at January 22, 2004 10:15 AM
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Comments
Speaking purely from my own experience, I think it's because you're feeling unresolved about it. Maybe kind of guilty because on the one hand, what kind of ogre wouldn't like little Turkish children, but on the other hand, these Turkish children were total shits? I don't know.
I have recurring dreams that my guinea pig is still alive. Bear in mind that she died three years ago and that she was a guinea pig. But I feel guilty because I didn't clean her cage for a week and a half before she died. I'm not sure what kind of cathartic therapy is needed for me to get over this. I don't have dreams about my grandfather, who I miss much much more, because hey, he had a stroke and he was pretty old. I think what makes dreams is a subtle thing that can be way out of proportion to the actual importance of anything in your life.
Anyhow, everyone knows you totally got screwed in the Teen Jeopardy! tryouts, because you behaved with dignity and wouldn't pander to their ideas of how teens should act, so probably you're not carrying baggage from that because you know you were in the right. If that makes sense.
Posted by: Jess at January 22, 2004 11:18 AM
Actually, I should clear a few things up:
1) I couldn't feel less guilty about hating the kids. If there's anything I feel guilty about, it's not getting my ass out of there sooner.
2) I didn't make it past the first round in Teen Jeopardy! tryouts because I missed a question on the preliminary quiz and they only advanced the two kids who got 100%. It was my Card Sharks tryout that was too mature and dignified.
Posted by: EV at January 22, 2004 11:23 AM
i think they should issue tazers to all teachers to combat incidences just like that..
Posted by: snowy at January 22, 2004 12:18 PM
As on so many other subjects, I'm with Snowy. If teachers were armed, there'd be far fewer discipline problems. "Sit down before I bust a cap in yo' ass!" is so much more credible a threat when you have real caps.
Posted by: Lex at January 22, 2004 04:25 PM
After I returned from a semester in Germany, I had re-entry issues for an unexpectedly long time (and this was without any work trauma, mind). Maybe general culture shock is exacerbating the problem?
At any rate, I feel for you. I once had a "cry in the shower every day while getting ready for work" job, and man does it ever suck. We should get that pie soon.
Posted by: Hilatron at January 22, 2004 08:32 PM