Couch 153: Couch slouch

Our systems developers at work all need to be fired. Whatever they did over the weekend has us so hosed every little action in our main system takes forever and our service levels are so bad we have mandatory overtime again!! Grr! Back to getting up at 4am. Glad I spent so much time studying this weekend. I'm ahead of schedule now, but after another week of OT I'll probably be behind again. Meh.

I started the day chairing the committee that hears grade disputes here. Today's student and professor ended up talking over and yelling at each other while ignoring hearing procedure or questions from the committee. I had to get all Khrushchev-y and bang on the table to get them to shut up and get the meeting back on track. I keep wondering whether there were better ways to handle if.

And then tenure reviewers sat in on my afternoon class. At least that seemed to go well.

Navajo rabbit, etc.

I think the little whiner's should not be able to appeal grades.
And the tenure process is institutional hazing.

I agree with no grade appeals. If you want a better grade, do better work.

Art, tell them they're all fired.

When we had our TA orientation in grad school, we were told to be prepared for the possibility that lawsuits will be filed by students over grades (apparently, it had happened in the past -- I'm entirely unsure how it got to that point though).

I woke at 1 am in a seroquel haze and children running round the house and banging about and saying things like "it's huge" and "it's biggest I've seen" then I asked what was going on and my youngest running to door while my other D kept saying " don't tell mum" it was, of course, a spider. The last thing I remember is screaming before I fell asleep, kind of like a waking nightmare or that sleep paralysis thing I get

Today my T said I seemed distant, and I said he seemed distant, and he said his arthritis was bad and maybe that was causing him to be distracted.

I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that... it is bothering me

What an idiot. Seriously. On a plane now to beat some sense into him.

Noooo, don't hurt him Daisy, he's already in pain

Can I yell at him then?

After daisy gets done with him, he'll know real pain. Arthritis?

I, um, I appreciate the threats of violence?

Maybe just don't damage his beautiful face then...?

ETA: Or his beautiful toes.

You've got to show those people who's boss. First rule of therapist training.

Rub their nose in it, then take them outside?

I'm sorry to the resident dog people if this is not proper training. It's all my mom did with her dogs and well, you see how good she was with human training.

Well, I didn't exactly say "f*** your arthritis", but I did make it clear that I didn't think it was a very useful thing to share.

When I tried that, it didn't go so well and became

I need lessons in How To Train Your Therapist. I'm sure it's offered as a Remedial Course in the Church of Unaluna?

Yes you do.
Even if you were boring or annoying (of which i would argue against), I don't find either one of those traits to be hate-worthy. Hate is a very strong word, and it usually takes a lot for one person to hate another.
Maybe he told you that because he was acknowleding that since he was in pain, he may be a bit more distant than normal?

Yes, ostensibly that was his reason for saying it. In terms of its effect on me though, it's just not that simple...

I suspect he was just trying to make it clear that it was him, not you...but I could definitely see where that would not be helpful...

So, for example:

a) I immediately felt that I should shut up about my petty little life dramas because the poor man was in pain. Then I felt annoyed that I was feeling like that, given that I'd just handed him a bunch of money to sit there and hear about my petty little life.

b) When I got home I immediately googled conditions that might cause someone to have arthritis in their 30s, to try and work out what's wrong with him. He has also complained that his back has hurt on more than one occasion, and I have long suspected that something is up with his health. I spend enough time googling my own maladies, I probably don't need to start worrying about his too.

c) I have been thinking a lot about his hands recently, about how they are beautiful hands and I would really like to touch them. For some reason the thought that his hands might be hurting made this worse. Maybe I could kiss them better. Or... something.

Some people can have arthritis from when they were kids--I remember a kid in my elementary school class had it. So it could just be straight-up arthritis, nothing more. (Says the person who was worried her MC had cancer because he had to leave right on time a couple sessions without seeming to have a patient waiting and because he was drinking pink grapefruit juice, when he normally has coffee or soda...)

LT is right, there was a kid in my middle school with arthritis. All this talk of ill therapists reminds me of when my old t broke three ribs but took her sling off because she thought it would bother me.

I have arthritis of my spine (along with other issues...herniated discs and annular tears at L3/4 and L4/5). This began in my late 30s.

And I have a serious thing for a man's hands when they are attractive. (No idea what is up with that).

He said he's had it for six years. I don't know why he said that.

He would have been about my age six years ago.

So of course, then I'm thinking, maybe he was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition in his early 30s... Like me. And he sort of wants me to know that.

Bah.

So I did a thing, couch.
I sent an inquiry email to a new therapist.
It feels weird. Like I'm therapy cheating on RoboT.