The slow fade?

[Ultralight]

I just read about your GF and I am truly sorry.

Thanks. I am muddling through.

[CathyA]

That's heartbreaking. I remember seeing a Steven Sondheim interview on 60 Minutes. He had a very difficult relationship with his mother, but when she was dying he went to her deathbed hoping for some kind of peace between them. But instead of any conciliatory words, she told him that she wished she never had him. I remember the pain on his face as he was relating that story, and he was not young at the time of the interview. I think that kind of thing always stays with you. I'm sorry for your father, CathyA, but I'm also sorry that the "sins of the grandmother" fell upon you, too. But it's very apparent that you have done just the opposite with your kids, so you deserve kudos for that.

Thanks catherine!

That's really sad about Steven Sondheim. I can honestly say I NEVER would say anything like that about my children. I would never even think it..........even through the worst of times. Love was always there.
My father never came out and said that, but he said it indirectly, always finding fault with everything I did, and telling me I was a "contemptible little wretch." I didn't even know what that was, but I knew it wasn't good!
Children give their parents soooooo many chances to love them. In many cases their survival depends on it. Hope springs eternal, I guess..........but eventually one does give up (and should.).
I find the human psyche so interesting..........how it can be so cruel or loving. The brain can do so many things to protect the human it belongs to, suppress things, excuse things, rationalize things, endure things, etc.

Sorry to have gotten off-track a bit ULA............I truly hope you can find some peace with your family.....whether that means finally accepting them, or ignoring them, or divorcing them. It's not an easy thing to come to terms with.

[Ultralight]

Thanks catherine!

That's really sad about Steven Sondheim. I can honestly say I NEVER would say anything like that about my children. I would never even think it..........even through the worst of times. Love was always there.
My father never came out and said that, but he said it indirectly, always finding fault with everything I did, and telling me I was a "contemptible little wretch." I didn't even know what that was, but I knew it wasn't good!
Children give their parents soooooo many chances to love them. In many cases their survival depends on it. Hope springs eternal, I guess..........but eventually one does give up (and should.).
I find the human psyche so interesting..........how it can be so cruel or loving. The brain can do so many things to protect the human it belongs to, suppress things, excuse things, rationalize things, endure things, etc.

Sorry to have gotten off-track a bit ULA............I truly hope you can find some peace with your family.....whether that means finally accepting them, or ignoring them, or divorcing them. It's not an easy thing to come to terms with.

You are not off track. I appreciate all you've shared.

[Ultralight]

I have had some more time to cool down and reflect more on this situation with my parents and how they frickin' annoy me! haha

My thought is that they are probably pretty dang annoyed by me too. And as a result of this mutual annoyance we'll mutually ignore each other for a while.

No harm; no foul.

After the annoyance has worn off totally, I will consciously reassess the situation. Perhaps they will do the same.

Maybe we can find some equilibrium where we see each other more rarely, but no one is really signed off.

[Ultralight]

As I mentioned, last weekend I went home. I saw some friends from the old neighborhood and stopped to visit with my parents.

When I was there my dad gave me a small packet in an envelope. He said that inside it was a decal sticker for my car.

Oy vey...

Today I went into the back seat of my car where I left it and forgot about it. I opened this thing up and there was indeed a decal sticker. In fact, there were three!

One was a G. Loomis sticker. This is a fish pole manufacturer.

I'd hope that my dad knows this, but I don't advertise if I can avoid it. My shirts and pants and jackets and so forth are all plain and without visible corporate insignia.

I have no intention of advertising for G. Loomis. I don't even use those products.

But here is the real zinger. He included two NRA stickers for my car. FFS! I am a liberal -- a liberal liberal.

Why the frickin' heck?!

Those are certainly getting trashed.

And then he included a totally bizarre item -- a waterproof paper notebook.

The poor guy just does not seem to get it. I am a minimalist. I don't need this stuff!

Argh! Always with the stuff.

[iris lilies]

Couldnt you use the NRA sticker ironically? Not on your car, but, say, on your refrigerator.

[Ultralight]

Couldnt you use the NRA sticker ironically? Not on your car, but, say, on your refrigerator.

No, but I could stick it to the inside of the toilet.

[freshstart]

by the end, I was being blasted by extreme conservative values by ex-BF, if he'd have given me a NRA sticker, I would've superglued it to his toilet bowel so he'd be urinating on his God-given 2nd amendment rights.

the NRA stickers seem so off, is your dad maybe getting a touch of dementia? He can't possibly be so clueless as to think you would want them

[iris lily]

by the end, I was being blasted by extreme conservative values by ex-BF, if he'd have given me a NRA sticker, I would've superglued it to his toilet bowel so he'd be urinating on his God-given 2nd amendment rights.

the NRA stickers seem so off, is your dad maybe getting a touch of dementia? He can't possibly be so clueless as to think you would want them

I would guess that UL's father thinks UL SHOULD want whatever he gives him. Its not about recognizjg the real UL.

[Alan]

But here is the real zinger. He included two NRA stickers for my car. FFS! I am a liberal -- a liberal liberal.

My guess is your father doesn't understand that particularly liberal mindset that the NRA is evil. He probably knows that the NRA is the pre-eminent firearms safety training source and has been for several generations. I suspect that liberal liberals often don't see the entire picture.