Because I shower more than I used to, we decided to hire a second shower lady. The showering itself is going well, but again, her patronising annoys me. Loud and simple sentences, using words like \u2018sweetheart\u2019 and \u2018missy\u2019. I despise it. I\u2019m about her age, I just happen to be paralysed. Apparently it\u2019s hard not to adopt that tone when you work with the elderly. Should it be, though? Would I warm up to the idea of being called \u2018sweetheart\u2019 in my 80s? <\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t drank any alcohol for almost nine years. I used to like to drink back in the day. Staying sober has been a piece of cake, most people I\u2019m around don\u2019t drink much either. I only get annoyed at other people’s alcohol consumption when I play bridge. Cards and booze don\u2019t mix well, especially for new players. Usually, we won\u2019t start playing until there is a bottle of some kind on the table. It doesn\u2019t improve the game. Alcohol makes things that were already difficult much more challenging, be it the bidding order, colors and, oh yeah, what was the contract again? All the while I\u2019m just sitting there, sober as a judge, practically hearing the gears in their heads grinding to a halt. I feel left out. <\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been to a few social gatherings this month, a birthday, a goodbye party and a friend\u2019s tennis tournament. Granted, they do break the monotony, but I always find myself dreading them a bit. After all, I\u2019m always a spectator, not being able to conversate and all. No fun for anyone. That\u2019s why I usually don\u2019t linger for too long. It takes courage to approach me. I always hope there\u2019s someone who can understand me so Hein can have some fun of his own, but usually he has to step in and translate, which isn\u2019t an easy task considering the usual noise at social events. I prefer it when my conversation partners have a lot to say, but I usually throw the towel in the ring when they start asking me questions. Praise to Alma, Fransje and the other friends who help me get through conversations. <\/p>\n
From time to time I suffer from excess phlegm when I\u2019m eating. It\u2019s usually not much and I don\u2019t find it too difficult to cough it back up. Well, it does take an hour. I\u2019m so envious of normal people\u2019s ability to just clear their throats. I sometimes panic when there\u2019s too much mucus for me to clear and I\u2019ll spend the remainder of the day coughing, feeling hot, slumped in my chair. The other night I was playing bridge with some people who had never seen me in such a state. They were apprehensive and didn\u2019t know what to do. They panicked a bit. I became completely oblivious to my surroundings and they played the game without me. It\u2019s not fun when it happens, not for me nor for the people around me. <\/p>\n
Floor has completely immersed herself in student life. She\u2019s barely ever home. Last Sunday she was initiated into Unitas, a student union, with parents present. Hein went, while I stayed home. Now she has to pick a dispute and get to know her fellow members. She\u2019s spent the past few weeks doing just that. Next weekend she would be going to an introductory event for her study association, but she decided against it. She was worn out. It made me think about my own time at university, how different things were back then. No hazings, no bullying pledges, no chest-thumping and no obligations. We were the flower power youth of the 70s, the time of democratisation and fighting against inequality. It\u2019s unbelievable that our children are happily accepting the things we fought against back then. The other day I heard Floor talking on the phone, talking about a party, saying that Pledge Vos and Pledge What\u2019s-his-face would be present too. Floor\u2019s name is Pledge Kroft now. Bizarre. Fortunately, it\u2019s not all bad. Some of the things they do are pretty hilarious. One time, Floor, alongside a group of other pledges, were shipped off to Texel without money on them, clad in odd costumes. They had fend for themselves for the night and they managed quite well. They found a place to sleep, above a discotheque. One time they were ordered to be in the swimming pool at 7 in the morning as punishment. After swimming for a bit under strict upperclassman supervision, they were told to tread water until the supervisors got back. While the upperclassmen snuck out, Floor and her group spent a long while treading water, waiting for them to get back. What a strange world she\u2019s found herself in. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Second shower lady Because I shower more than I used to, we decided to hire a second shower lady. The showering itself is going well, but again, her patronising annoys me. Loud and simple sentences, using words like \u2018sweetheart\u2019 and \u2018missy\u2019. I despise it. I\u2019m about her age, I just happen to be paralysed. Apparently … <\/p>\n