Prunes and Prism

RULES FOR YOUNG LADIES: Some arch advice on snagging a husband. Exercising the mouth into a pretty shape through repetition of certain words seems to have been an indoor sport for young nineteenth-century girls; in Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens' overly bred girl repeats, "papa, potatoes, poultry, prunes and prism." (Merrycoz.org)

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Sisyphus, not Sissy-Fuss

Say one is burdened with an onerous task (say, painting Willem Dafoe on the side of a blimp), pelted with the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism, and then told not to take any of it "personally." How else is there to take things but personally if one is, in fact, a person?

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am constantly burdened by the onerous task of having to tell people how wrong and stupid and useless they are (sigh). But that is a task I place upon myself, inasmuch as my charitable nature will not allow to do less than better all of mankind.

Trick is to let your ego inflate and do what you have to do. Be defensive, snap back, and here's why: it's easy for people to bitch. To allow them that luxury when you're working hard is not fair to yourself whatsoever.

I'd just say to those people, "I'm an adult, I have responsibilities, and as for your bitching, shut up, grow up, get a life."

Does that

9:44 PM  

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