Does Anybody Know a Way?
May 25, 2005
3:14 p.m., MT
Sunni's Mood: dispirited

Music: 'Tiny Cities Made of Ashes', Modest Mouse

I just got back a bit ago from a trip with the snolfs (nos. 51 & 52 on this list, for the uninitiated -- count up from the bottom, 63 being the last) to a nearby town for some shopping, and some play time for them at a park. It's a very nice day, and the snolfs were quite well-behaved, so it should have been a nice outing, right?

Wrong. At the park, some grandma was there with two grandsons; her incessant praise of everything they did drove me bonkers within three minutes. I half-expected to hear something like, "Oh Colin, what a lovely fart that was! It's too bad Grams didn't have a bottle ready to catch it to save ..."; and when she started on that with my son, it took a good deal of self-restraint to keep from chewing her head off, literally or figuratively.

The shopping was typical shopping; mostly seemingly half-aware people roaming the store, which itself was full of pabulum of patriotic flavor. Half-aware shoppers I've become inured to, and if that's how they want to live their lives, I won't interfere. But slow, stupid, and/or surly employees who are allegedly there to provide service to me are intolerable -- and that's all I encountered today.

Maybe after all the hubbub here over Laissez Faire Books and John Mackey and such (and similar stuff at the Real ID Rebellion site), I've just reached a point where I'm overtaxed on dealing with people. I've never been a really social creature -- or rather, I can take being very social, but only in small doses; then I need time to myself to rest and reflect; and I've had a steady dose of dealing with people that's probably well above an individualist's LD50 with no rest and reflection.

I predict a retreat into pood for me. And just in case anyone's wondering, this entry's subject comes from the Modest Mouse song: Does anybody know a way a body could get away? Does anybody know a way?

Sunni

Replies: 4 people have spoken!

On Wednesday, May 25th, William's Dad said:

"Oh Colin, what a lovely fart that was! It's too bad Grams didn't have a bottle ready to catch it to save ..."

We are forced to mix with the far lefties in town so our son can play with other kids. A recent attempt to enjoy an afternoon of "circus acts" was turned upside down when it turned out to be a militant lesbian performance art piece. Can't believe this passes for children's entertainment around here. But, "Huck Finn" would be considered inappropriate

On Wednesday, May 25th, Monika said:

When I worked in Warsaw in a language school for children, I was instructed to try very hard and not say 'no' to our pupils, but to encourage good behaviour with 'positive reinforcement'. Whenever I would get evaluated by a senior teacher- they'd say I still used "no" too much in my classes. To which I would reply that it wasn't about the particular child's learning but his/hers behaviour towards me or other kids in class. In one instance a sweet 5 year old girl pushed a metal whiteborad on my head- hurt me like hell.
Maybe my comment to the girl should have been: "Wow, you sure are strong little girl! Right on!".

On Thursday, May 26th, Sunni said:

Guess so, Moni ... I wouldn't have lasted long in that school.

W.D., we're quite isolated here, and so trips into town are the only opportunities for the snolfs to interact with others. And they love to -- more than others, children and adults alike -- are prepared for. It's fairly amusing ... especially since the snolfs' vocabularies astonish adults too.

On Thursday, May 26th, John said:

Pop psychology has taken over from the rational. Praise is not earned anymore. We must we must we must increase the pseudo self esteem of the little ones at all costs.

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