Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Grandma, you’re a little late there…

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Dear Sheba
Queen of Sheba
Drama-Mama
Dame Pris de Panique
Grandma,

I am trying to come to a (grudging) kind of acceptance for your (possibly) well-intentioned, panic-stricken melodramas; because, I’m sure you’re doing this because you care on some level. (Or maybe you just enjoy hypertension and adrenaline.)

Thus, I did actually read your e-mail for the first time in months when you contacted us about a “dire” new computer virus that could “destroy our lives” if we don’t take immediate action.

I read it and laughed. No. I’m sorry, let me amend that: I lol’d. And then deleted it. (Only to regret it when I decided to share my amusement.)

Next time you decide to have a panic attack over a virus and send out urgent e-mails to everyone you know, you might want to check the date on the “proof” you’re using. The dates are all 2006. Oh, and the amended details indicating that the threat has been contained and all Operating Systems involved were patched.

What you’re circulating right now is a virus hoax chain letter with falsified details. While some details are true, it’s neither new or a major threat. It will not “destroy my life” or my computer. Actually, no virus will do that.

Please, take some deep breaths and maybe a Valium.

Sincerely,
~ Sally

I wasn’t prepared…

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Everything fell into place in December, just in time for Christmas. I called it my Christmas Miracle. And it was.

I’ve started my long vacation away from my family by starting a strict “No Contact” policy with them and I haven’t broke that. My cell phone is my own once again and I haven’t allowed my number to be given out without my permission.

I’m slowly realizing how deeply the family atmosphere has become ingrained. I’ve come to expect railing, screaming, scapegoating, and assigned or predetermined blame. I’ve come to expect to be kicked out, removed, and omitted due to my mistakes.

Nothing in my life has prepared me for calm and level-headed thinking when things go wrong. I don’t expect calm, rational “Let’s get this fixed now before it gets worse” responses. The level of calm is almost alarming and definitively disturbing.

A few days after we got here, Echo jumped up onto the mantle above the fireplace and broke Matt’s beer stein from Germany… he just calmly said “I’ll enjoy going back to get another one.” He’s just calm. My heart is hammering in my chest. And he’s just calm. It was an accident and it’s done and over with. He just got a box and took down the rest of his German steins to prevent it from happening again.

Nothing in my life has prepared me for… I guess the way real people respond to problems. I’ve been having nightmares where Matt to kicks us out or we’re homeless or back in Michigan. I wake up each morning feeling like I’ve run a marathon. My back aches, my shoulders stiff.

I just don’t know how to deal with calm people! Sounds crazy, but… I don’t. And despite longing for calm for so many years, I’m really not sure how to handle it. Calm and level-headed responses only occur in the MMOGs that I play, not in my real life!

It is ON!

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

Guess we couldn’t escape without Catty Karla getting one last lick in. While Craig and I were running another load of things to the storage unit, she came over to get some family paintings and stuff. She apparently lit into Mom. Mostly about my thing with Poppa over the phone, but also for us leaving.

It is ON. Karla, Poppa, Grandma, Caroline… I’m going to prove you wrong!

My fear will be a catalyst for my new life! I’ll take this leap of faith… I will succeed.

In the words of Yoda: Do, or do not. There is no try.

Gotta go. Love you all.

XOXO

Disowned

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

I finally broke down and calling my grandfather in an attempt to reconcile.

I spent weeks rehearsing what I was going to say, over and over.

Lets just say that just blew up in my face. I was wrong, I was mistaken, I was lying, I was making stuff up, I need to reevaluate, he doesn’t know where I got that, he doesn’t know what’s going on in my head, he can’t read me, he can’t understand me. It was all me, he did nothing… said nothing. I was the villain yet again.

I tried talking with him about the crap that’s gone on during the past 12 years. Like him literally throwing my things during one of our moves.

Him: “Well, you should have gotten out there and helped.”
Me: “Did it ever occur to you that I was already helping someone else?”

He’s threatened to harm our animals. Nope, he never said that. I point out his comment about his gun helping with our “cat problem” just a month ago. His response: “Gawd.” And then comes an ultimatum: get rid of our animals or say goodbye to him.

I told him I’ll find another option. I’ve been abandoned enough in my life, I won’t inflict that pain on another living creature. I’m more important than those animals, he says. I didn’t even bother to protest that Luna has saved my life numerous times as a hypoglycemia alert dog.

Then he literally had the balls to wax nostalgic over Brownie, our collie who died years ago.

Every point I tried to make, he said I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. My feelings are totally wrong.

He said I used to be his best friend, but I’m not anymore. He even declared I don’t love him. He’s been so gracious to offer to let us live with him, but for the sake of those animals we’re refusing. We need to think it over “real good.” The animals or be disowned.

I finally said “Goodbye, Poppa. I love you.” and hung up.

I made it out to the living room and just collapsed in the middle of the floor.

If I don’t love him, why in the world does it feel like I was punched in the gut?

Paperless Policy?

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Trying to get the car rented is proving to be annoying. The car rental place wants two proofs that we are who we say we are. Apparently mom’s drivers license and card aren’t enough.

There’s just one, teeny problem… After our mail carrier lost our mail for the 3rd time, we moved as many services, bills, and other mailings to paperless as we could. Coincidentally, that leaves just the Charter Cable bill as the last one that’s physically mailed to us.

They finally agreed that our mortgage and the cable bill would work, but they wouldn’t take any of the printed online statements as “proofs.”

I completely understand them needing to verify our identities, but this is really kind of annoying. I would have thought with the sheer number of businesses and organizations that now offer paperless as an option, they’d have policies in place to accommodate that.

After a long conversation, Miro (our Cockatiel) is going to a new home. We hated to have to decide this. He’s 16 years old (they only live 15 – 20) and doesn’t take to changes quite well. Making him stay in his very tiny traveling cage indefinitely just seems very cruel, especially at his advanced age.

Mom started out with an appointment to take him to the local Humane Society… but I decided that wasn’t happening. While I support the work of the Humane Society as a whole, our local office has a reputation that I find disturbing. I found the number to the local Avicultural Society and they put me in touch with the officer in charge of their pet-bird rescue. So they’re coming over in an hour to pick him up.

Lets Be Selfish!

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Poppa (Mom’s dad) is at our house even as we speak. Just dropped by. Tried calling twice, but we were outside. Rather than wait for us to call him back, he’s here right now.

Reason he stopped over? A local church is giving away food! Oh yes, lets defraud a church’s food pantry and say we’re from different households. We can be selfish, what they don’t know won’t hurt anyone! *snort*

Course, he arranges it with mom… not a word to me and Jass isn’t here to say “no.” Going to get an awful shock tomorrow, aren’t they?

Mom’s Birthday Bull****

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

For the first time in years, my mom started out her birthday actually pretty chipper. I was delighted! Normally she’s morosely depressed for her birthday. This time, she actually seemed upbeat. We discussed getting her a lemon filled éclair with chocolate frosting and maybe seeing if we could get her a few instance runs on Adashi before the raids tonight. (Can’t afford real presents… but darnit, donuts and heroics we can do!)

Until Aunt Karla called. Nice conversation to start and then came the catty remarks. Among the zingers, she says she doesn’t know why she came back [to Michigan], the family doesn’t pay enough attention or something to her. Lets see… she puts us on her shit list, acts catty and mean whenever we see her, gives ultimatums that she won’t attend family functions if we’re invited, and then declares that? Wow, Dr. Phil would have a field day with this family!!

Now my mom is tearful, sighing wistfully, and morose. Gee, thanks Catty Karla. You’re a real peach.

And there’s still two more family members left to call to give mom her “birthday greetings” — Sheba and Aunt Kathy. Sheba better behave and mind her tongue. Or I might just have to hurt that hateful old hag!

Does “Don’t take it Personally” include a clause about wanting to choke a bitch? >_< Yeah, I’m not doing so well on the whole “not taking it personally” thing. *giggles*

Nothing Personal; Just Letting Go

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

We’re continuing to take things to Goodwill and consignment stores. There’s something very addictive and cathartic to letting go of all this stuff. I don’t miss anything.

Well… I did have a brief pang about my comic collection a couple days ago, but 2 months after the fact is a little late to recover them. Wasn’t like I was actually reading them.

It’s all just stuff and unnecessary. Besides, it’ll make the move far easier.

Also trying to work myself into a state when I stop taking things personally. It’s a waste of emotion to take anything personally. Frankly, very little of this has anything to do with Mom, Jass, or me. In some cases, the person dishing out the crap wants us to take it personally. It’s a reflection — or maybe a kind of misdirection — of themselves.

For example: I think Poppa finally realizes we’re serious. He won’t actually speak to Jass or me, but he keeps suddenly locating job hints after a year of “sucks to be you” attitude. Again, this has nothing to do with us. I still plan to leave and engage in that nice long vacation from our family. I just think he’s finally realizing he’s about to lose.

I can’t say it’s easy. It’s SO hard. Last 25 man raid in WoW, I wanted to take a snotty comment personally. Cue deep breaths, roll my eyes, and make the omnipresent cat on my desk squeal her indignation as I flip her onto her back to blow raspberries on a furry tummy.

I can’t take it personally anymore; I’m all out of Sunshine, binkies, and Scratching-Post Sisal. Thus, I refuse to accept: “Thank you for the gift, but I think you have more use of it than I do.”

Single; Not Available

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Five days ago, I posted a private entry of the same name on my Livejournal so now I think its time to post this publicly and put this to rest.

I am a single woman; that does not mean I am available.

No, I am not available to be your Fuck Stop.

No, I am not available for your Mid-life Crisis.

No, this is not a challenge for you to get with me.

No, this is not a challenge for you to set me up.

No, I am not playing hard to get.

No, I am not some angry bitch queen.

No, I do not need to be “fixed” or “repaired.”

No, my vagina does not have an “open for business” sign on it.

I shouldn’t have to explain that I’m quite content being single and why I have never married. I was complete the day I was born, I don’t need a penis between my legs to be complete. I will not be measured by the male I am able to attract. I am more than my sex.

So stop. Just stop.

This is a lifestyle choice. My choice. I would rather be happy and single than with a man and miserable.

I really don’t have the right personality for being someone’s little wife. I am so much more fulfilled by the friends I make than any man I have ever been with.

Guys get their little Male-PMS thing going and all I want is to thrash them with a rolled up newspaper. I won’t stay quiet and let them take it out on me. I’m more likely to pelt them with eggs than walk on egg-shells. I’m more likely to walk out and let him stew in an empty house for the night. I’m more likely to divorce him and be done with it.

I’ve heard that verbal and emotional abuse after marriage is so common that some marriage counselors are telling their patients its normal. That is utter bull. But yet… I have heard woman after woman tell me that she got so she could tell by the way her husband drove, walked, or whatever coming up the street to their home what kind of an evening they were going to have. He seethes with an inexplicable and generic rage. And since he’d get his ass kicked if he did it in public… he’s about to take it out on his family. And she’s having to run interference to protect the kids from the wrath of his man-tantrum.

It’s a sad and darkly funny commentary in a way. We women will share stories and information regarding our families and our own health… right now to the color, volume, and consistency of the bodily fluids involved. But do we compare notes and kick his ass like he really needs? No. Most women stay quiet, try to ignore it, and hope it gets better. All the while feeling torn. They love him deeply but resent – just as deeply – the way they are being treated. Only when they feel like they’re going to explode do they come to a close friend to let it out. But should he be confronted he either minimizes it or acts remorseful just long enough…

I’m choosing to say no. I don’t want to deal with it. My heart and my ears are still open to my friends. But I’m not interested in bringing it into my own life.

Whew. Now that I have that off my chest. It’s not easy convincing people of my choice either.

I’ve had people come right out and demand to know if I’m a lesbian because somehow I’m nearly 30 and not married and haven’t squeezed out a few kids. I guess there’s some unwritten rule that women should get married, have 2.5 kids, and perform wifely duties or else there’s something wrong with them. I’ve literally had people damn near spittle-shrieking over my decision.

It’s crazy, but so many people find it inconceivable that I could think this way.

So, here comes the endless parade of people trying to set me up.

Here’s the wolves sniffing my crotch and howling at my door. It gets so old so fast when somehow me being nice, friendly, and approachable equates to “ZOMG HAVE SEX WITH ME!”

It’s like “Me Male, you Female! We’re compatible!” They put far more effort into learning about who is servicing their car than the cunny they’re looking to plunder.

No one has actually ever come out and asked what I want.

In the end, it boils down to me making a lifestyle choice. This is my official announcement that I have made it.

Leaving: The Right Choice

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

I’m making the right decision regarding leaving and ceasing contact with my family.

Today was the day mom had to appear in court to fight our eviction from this trailer park. While I know the panic attacks are associated with that time of the month, I’m in a slight panic. Trying to find jobs, housing, and all other things remotely is scary. We could make a day trips to our previous long distance moves to arrange things, here it has to be done entirely remotely.

Since I’m having so many panic attacks, I asked mom if I could remain at home. I’m not good to anyone if I’m completely panicking over every little thing. I don’t trust myself out in public when I’m like this. (Yes, I know it only enforces the behavior. *sigh*)

So anyway, Poppa calls to ask if mom is ready to be picked up to go to court. He’s completely dismayed when I answer the phone. I do live here, I do kinda of have the right to answer the phone in my own house. I make a remark that “mom is out shredding a few papers” and he’s aghast… outside? Sure, the paper shredder is kept out in a far out remote location and it takes us 7 hours of trekking through deep snow — uphill — in the middle of searing hot sun to shred our credit card offers.

Not long after they leave, I look at the time. The court summons say 1:30pm and it’s 1:30pm and they left only 2 minutes ago. >_< So I pick up the phone and dial his cell phone number. Holy attitude, holy hostility. In face of that kind of gruffness (for a sec I think I may have dialed one of our other friends), I stammer a “Poppa?” Yep, right number. I stammer meekly again pointing out the time and asking if this means we’re in trouble. Attitude. An angry “maybe yes, maybe no.” I sigh, “Sorry for bothering you, won’t happen again” and hang up.

This man, my grandfather — Poppa, used to be my hero. A safe place to fall. He was in the military and into drug enforcement, very scary work and I admired him for it. I told him he was my hero and role model. He was someone I could call if I was scared and needed some reassuring. I’d like to know what happened to him. While I was packing a found a picture of him holding me when I was a baby, us both taking a nap.

At some point, he began to hate me. I can’t identify when or what happened to cause this, but it’s grown until I get hostility when I attempt to contact him. Even without my monthly hormonal-caused panic attacks, just knowing he’ll be dropping by the house causes me to panic. Part of me wants to blame Caroline — my step grandmother; some of the behavior started after he married her almost 15 years ago.

It came to a head when I went away to college and Mom — and later Jasson — followed me north. No matter how it was justified as “he’s just passing a kidney stone” — what was the statistical chance he was passing one each and every time he’s spoken with me for 10 years or so?

I wish there was a way to communicate with them and find out what the exact problem is. But, it’s time for that long vacation away from them. Maybe permanently.