Night!
And good afternoon to you now.
I know I have to be on my toes when debating you cuz nothing gets by you. You're a bit too sharp! I can't get by with my usual long winded BS that sometimes passes as an actual valid point. I think I learned that in school. Drone on long enough and people think you know something.
Well, many people can indeed be fooled by a long-winded dissertation but in reality a terse, concise statement can really drive the point home. I'm sometimes criticized for being too succinct when it comes to my teaching technique in the residency training program I'm in. But that's an appropriate trait to have in the surgical specialties. One has to be quick and deliberate performing the procedure and there's little time for extended explanation. The lengthy, cerebral technique is appropriate in the medical specialties.
Your quick and pointed remarks in this Forum have always impressed me. When you go off on the "long-winded" posts, I know your BS-ing.
Now, I was thinking about last night's (or this morning's) conversation and I remembered a funny incident which, perhaps, might sum up the points I was trying to make. My sister was being a bit to severe with her youngest son who was nine at the time. It had to do with homework and studying for a test. My nephew is brilliant and gets his work and studying done quickly. I had just quized him and he knew his stuff and I so reported to her. None-the-less, she sternly told him to keep studying. He turned to her, put his hands on his hips and said: "What are you so angry about?" My sister threw her arms up and walked off, defeated. My nephew turned to me and said: "That's her personality!" Pretty sharp for a nine year old, huh? If she had a daughter, things would really be intolerable!
The point here is "family dynamics," as you so eloquently put it. Sure, she loves her children and wants them to succeed. She just lacks tact. It's taken her a while to back off, but she's getting there. The mother-daughter relationship is quite unique. I'm not trained in this but I would say that you honestly agree with your mom about the things she repeatedly goes on about. I'm not referring to social values or politics, but rather the other stuff. The most difficult thing to do is take the side in a debate you don't agree with. I can understand your frustration with all this, Sondra.
As far as self-image, you have very little to concern yourself with. The pictures you've posted at various ages show a pretty girl and one nicely packaged in her teen and adult years. I'm happy you posted those two pictures here of your faux hippie-beginning of your stoner phase. I see I was correct when I said you looked like a kid in reference to the picture you posted of what the sea air did to your hair.
And in the end I think you're looking forward to getting back into the classroom, huh?
