I want to say that my life could not be any more colorless than it is. But I suspect the proper English would be, "could not be any less colorful" (which frankly sounds lame to me.) I'll go with Orwell's advice and violate the rule rather than say the latter (which I consider downright barbarous.)
The most colorful thing I've ever done (the least colorless?) I suppose was get a Ph.D. in philosophy. One of the accidentally smartest things I've ever done is enlist. By pure dumb luck I missed all of the shooting wars, and now have VA healthcare. Without the latter, my life would be in ruinously bad straits. I'd likely have colon cancer by now, and still not be aware of the fact until I was at stage 4 and the symptoms were beyond denying.
I will be forever indebted to those people for helping you maintain your good health. It is OWED TO YOU. You were of service to our country. I think you deserve a lot of good things.
"Treat every man after his desert and who shall 'scape whipping?"
I confess that it was REALLY hard the first few times I went to the VA. Here were people who served in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq. The nearest I ever came to combat was when the Bader-Meinhof blew up the Officers' Club in Frankfurt. I was just an SP4 and hardly knew if I should boo or cheer. I finally said something, and this doctor just looked at me like I was mildly retarded (I know, I'm not supposed to use that word) and said, "Look. You signed a contract. You fulfilled your part of that contract to the letter. Now it's our turn."
So I go to the VA. Thank doG for socialized medicine.
You totally deserved that thousand bucks plus tips. And I wholeheartedly agree with your numbered points at the end.
One of the things that really angers me about this world: many men value women only for sex appeal and sexual services. Men commodified sex..... and then made sex work illegal. Titillation is legal but sex work is illegal. Young desperate women often have nothing to offer a workplace that would permit them to make decent money...... except their youthful beauty. It's a Catch 22 for women.
Stacey, I love your truths. And yes, I have a colorful past, too. Red hair is a known fetish, just like your double Zs.
Keep writing. This piece is absolutely hilarious, black humor hilarious. That poor old drooling geezer with the whip wrapped around his neck!
And here's one of my faintest hopes: I want the 25 cents back I never made on every dollar I earned over my lifetime. Now. I want it NOW.
I so enjoyed our brief time together in college. And that's why you're so right, that college should be available for EVERYONE, and not just to the one percent who are privileged enough to afford the outrageous prices for higher education. My life was changed fundamentally by going to college. I met really wonderful people, many of whom remain among my closest friends. Being with your peers, learning life skills like critical thinking and organization and tolerance, are invaluable in an adult's development.
I am so sorry that when you tell the stories of your life, that something like this is one of them. That you tell your story brilliantly, with insight, compassion, humor, and consumate skill does not excuse the fact that as a woman. your options were so much more different than mine, as a man, were. You and 50% + of the world's population deserve so much better. xoxox
Best story ever!
LOL! The hell we go through as young adults!
I want to say that my life could not be any more colorless than it is. But I suspect the proper English would be, "could not be any less colorful" (which frankly sounds lame to me.) I'll go with Orwell's advice and violate the rule rather than say the latter (which I consider downright barbarous.)
The most colorful thing I've ever done (the least colorless?) I suppose was get a Ph.D. in philosophy. One of the accidentally smartest things I've ever done is enlist. By pure dumb luck I missed all of the shooting wars, and now have VA healthcare. Without the latter, my life would be in ruinously bad straits. I'd likely have colon cancer by now, and still not be aware of the fact until I was at stage 4 and the symptoms were beyond denying.
I will be forever indebted to those people for helping you maintain your good health. It is OWED TO YOU. You were of service to our country. I think you deserve a lot of good things.
"Treat every man after his desert and who shall 'scape whipping?"
I confess that it was REALLY hard the first few times I went to the VA. Here were people who served in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq. The nearest I ever came to combat was when the Bader-Meinhof blew up the Officers' Club in Frankfurt. I was just an SP4 and hardly knew if I should boo or cheer. I finally said something, and this doctor just looked at me like I was mildly retarded (I know, I'm not supposed to use that word) and said, "Look. You signed a contract. You fulfilled your part of that contract to the letter. Now it's our turn."
So I go to the VA. Thank doG for socialized medicine.
You totally deserved that thousand bucks plus tips. And I wholeheartedly agree with your numbered points at the end.
One of the things that really angers me about this world: many men value women only for sex appeal and sexual services. Men commodified sex..... and then made sex work illegal. Titillation is legal but sex work is illegal. Young desperate women often have nothing to offer a workplace that would permit them to make decent money...... except their youthful beauty. It's a Catch 22 for women.
Stacey, I love your truths. And yes, I have a colorful past, too. Red hair is a known fetish, just like your double Zs.
Keep writing. This piece is absolutely hilarious, black humor hilarious. That poor old drooling geezer with the whip wrapped around his neck!
And here's one of my faintest hopes: I want the 25 cents back I never made on every dollar I earned over my lifetime. Now. I want it NOW.
"Men commodified sex ... and then made sex work illegal." Bah-BOOM! You just blew up the house of cards in one sentence.
Some men fear us. Maybe they should.
Men should respect us, and then there would be no need to make them fear us.
(Why yes! I am an idealist!)
And until there is respect, there shall be no quarter.
Yeah, coupla war zones, but I got nothin' like that one. 🤗
I so enjoyed our brief time together in college. And that's why you're so right, that college should be available for EVERYONE, and not just to the one percent who are privileged enough to afford the outrageous prices for higher education. My life was changed fundamentally by going to college. I met really wonderful people, many of whom remain among my closest friends. Being with your peers, learning life skills like critical thinking and organization and tolerance, are invaluable in an adult's development.
I am so sorry that when you tell the stories of your life, that something like this is one of them. That you tell your story brilliantly, with insight, compassion, humor, and consumate skill does not excuse the fact that as a woman. your options were so much more different than mine, as a man, were. You and 50% + of the world's population deserve so much better. xoxox