Couch 161: The Hexagonal Pyramidal Couch

My neighbour had a bbq at the weekend that everyone bailed on in less that an hour due to a slight sprinkle of rain. Last night he cooked the meat and brought it over to me and the animals. I have never eaten anything he has given me but the smell of freshly cooked meat i couldnt resist and last night i was not well at all. I am still feeling under the weather this morning. The animals seem fine. Maybe it just coincidence.

Ok i have a cultural question. On another thread people were thanking a veteran for their service. Is this just an American thing or do other countries thank their veterans. In my country people dont tell you they are veterans unless it comes up in conversation and even then in circles i have been in they havent been thanked. Sorry some Vietnam vets will make fuss but get that they were largely ignored by our govt when they returned.

I certainly don't think it's as much of a thing in the UK.

I think it is cultural and I think it is an insane thing to do. I am not certain this is the area to discuss it in. Hope that helps

Stiff upper lip, tommy?

Hahahah, yes that's more like it

Definitely an American thing. Tons of my friends are retired veterans, so I am thankful that they served so that I didn't have to. Not that I agree with us constantly meddling in the affairs of other counties but...

I am thankful for our poor ragged forces too i live in a garrison town with army and air force.

My gyn appt could not have gone better. There was some snow on the zipcar, but not too much. There was some snow on the road, but not too much. The place was easy to find. I wasnt late. And the dr was very nice and gentle. Thats one down, i think 5 more appts to go.

Americans are funny about the military... we mostly just joke about how badly trained our soldiers are. (I also highly doubt we actually have any veterans, so no idea what we would do with those...)

where are you from? You can pm me if you dont want to say on here.

Still feeling poorly and have to clean the litter trays.

If you have not tried reading/listening to Paula Poundstone - she is funny (I think ) and she is always throwing in how much she has to scoop out the litter boxes - she has like 16 cats or something close to that.

My social psychology discussion assignment this week a) has at best a very tenuous connection with psychology, b) has everything to do with a pet political peeve of the professor’s, and c) ends the first sentence in four exclamation points and a later sentence with three question marks.

ETA: and I just spotted some ellipsis abuse too.

I would boycott it on the basis of emotional punctuation abuse.

Ack.

I showed t a post I wrote on here earlier today. She was good about it and I think it was a good session (I wrote a bit more about it in the "In Session Today" thread) but I still feel a little... I dunno, ashamed or freaked out or something.

Gah.

The kittens have gone mad. Because i am feeling poorly i am laying on my bed and i have let them in. They have thoughly explored and knocked over my laundry basket, knocked over my litttle shelf stereo. Knocked over 2 dining chairs and now they are taunting the dog who just wants his morning cuddle.

I think writing and showing it to those guys can be useful. I don't think it matters what vehicle it takes.

Wow. That thread devolved quickly.

Yes, it's very American; at least, where I live it is. I don't do it because I grew up in a military family and my only association with that system is violence, misogyny, alcohol and abuse, so it's more of a trigger for me when someone says they're military. I have a lot of friends who pick up my slack and thank them.

I've read various things where some military people don't like being thanked for their service. Maybe they just want to buy their bread and milk without being hassled. It is a job they signed up for after all. (Now at least, not necessarily in the past.)

I tanked my observation. I was anxious and the anxiety totally blocked my ability to comprehend even the easiest of things. And I had gone over the material. So, I get to do this again tomorrow. This feels like torture. I am successful in my job, just not when somebody is watching. I'm so worried about all of this.

Did your administrator actually say you tanked it? I've had some bad observations that my admin didn't perceive as badly as I thought. If you ever need to vent to someone who gets it, I'm a PM away.

My theory...and it is strictly a theory is that many Americans realize that we kind of treated our Vietnam Vets like crap when they came back. And regardless of your view on the right or wrongness of that war, the people fighting it were basically kids...and many of those kids were drafted. It wasn't their fault.

So maybe it's a cultural guilt and attempt at correction. Honor the service men and women, even if you disagree with the wars they get sent into. But feel free to disrespect the politicians who sent them.

That vulnerable feeling is a rough one, but it can be a really good (though uncomfortable) thing to experiment with. I think you were brave to share how you really felt. It was a well-written post, and I'm glad it was so well-received by your T. The experience will likely make it easier to be vulnerable again in the future, should you want to try it again.