Subject: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 29 Sep 05 - 06:21 AM Next week I have to spend 2 1/2 days with my elder sister, of which, 8+ hours are going to be in a car driving 260mile round trip and 2 nights under the same roof..... Talking to her gives me the feeling of settling slowly to the bottom of the sea. She has two tones of voice, whining and shouting. The only thing we have in common is parentage (and I'm not entirely convinced that she isn't a changeling), not even my best friends like her and I'm going to be trapped in a car with her on a motorway for hours! HELP!!! LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: GUEST,catsphiddle@work Date: 29 Sep 05 - 06:45 AM Strap her to the roof...the you won't hav to see her either!! Or you could drug her so she sleeps the whole journey!! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 29 Sep 05 - 06:45 AM Top Ten Ways for Liz to Avoid Trip With Sister 10) Accidental chocolate overdose 9) Schedule conflict with elective brain surgery 8) Schedule conflict with emergency eyebrow waxing 7) Sudden religious conversion 6) Sudden currency conversion 5) Attack of fantods 4) Attack of the Killer Tomatoes 3) Attack of wondering what the fuck a fantod is 2) Liz locked in bog again 1) Intentional chocolate overdose |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: sapper82 Date: 29 Sep 05 - 06:47 AM I didn't realise we had the same sister Liz! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: John MacKenzie Date: 29 Sep 05 - 06:49 AM Walkman! G. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Paco Rabanne Date: 29 Sep 05 - 06:50 AM My sister also happens to be my Bank Manager so I tend to do as I'm told. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Partridge Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:15 AM Oh Liz, been there but with a double act - older sister and younger one............... Is there a subject that you can talk about that cheers her up? Do you know how to make very chewy toffee? Is there a radio in the car with a programme you musn't miss Can you develop ear trouble and have to put cotton wool in your ears? Could you practice self hypnosis and pretend she is someone you like? Do you do sudoku or cryptic crosswords? Could you fall asleep in the car or pretend to(obviously not if you are driving) Tell her about the time you were abducted by aliens? Tell her what you were in a previous life Thats all I can think of for now love Pat xx |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: JennyO Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:19 AM Say how much you like driving along with your favourite music playing, and then play it - LOUD! That'll take care of the car part anyway - that is if you think that loud music is the lesser of two evils... |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Bassic Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:27 AM Play a tape (or several!) of your favourite BBC Radio vintage comedy programmes, (Goons, Hancock, I`m sorry I Havnt a Clue etc etc etc) . Apart fom the fact that they cant fail to put a smile on YOUR face, if she talks over them in the car it doesnt matter, because you will know the scripts backwards anyway! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Leadfingers Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:40 AM That'll teach NOT to go to the Getaway !! I am away on Wednesday for a fortnight !!! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: JennyO Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:51 AM Not only that, Liz, you can drown her out laughing at them ;-) |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: GUEST Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:53 AM Or you could just try to get on with her. I just hope the poor thing doesn't read this forum - talk about a public dissing! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Bat Goddess Date: 29 Sep 05 - 08:00 AM Curmudgeon suggested and I concur: decide who does the drinking and who does the driving. Best of luck! (It's sounds like it's like being in the same car as my mother, sigh.) Linn |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Big Al Whittle Date: 29 Sep 05 - 08:20 AM yeh print out this thread pin it to the windscreen chewy toffees on the dashboard comedy cds in the rack bars of chocolate in the cooler bag point them out Popeye used to say, "that's all I can stand...... and I cain't stand n'more!" practice the intonation - repeat it like a mantra - everytime she speaks try to stop twitching it should be okay |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Little Hawk Date: 29 Sep 05 - 10:43 AM Your older sister sounds exactly like my mother's friend, Helen. Maybe Helen IS your older sister! (but I think not) You are in for a very, very tough experience, Liz, but just THINK what a great opportunity your soul is being given to learn compassion and tolerance! (Heh! Heh!) Yeah, print this thread out and give it to her. She'll probably never speak to you again. ;-) |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 29 Sep 05 - 10:45 AM Try this. When she's talking loudly, answer very softly. This sometimes makes the other person be quieter, without the unpleasantness of a reproof. Sorry I don't have a tip for the whining, except to try to change the topic to a cheerful one as soon as practicable. Another idea - get a book on CD or tape and listen to it with headphones. If she's miffed, tell her it's a refresher course you have to listen to for your job. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Richard Bridge Date: 29 Sep 05 - 10:49 AM Kill a relative and go to the funeral in stead. Or pretend to. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Sorcha Date: 29 Sep 05 - 10:55 AM Liz, can't you figure out some alt. transport? Put somebody on a train, hire car, summat??? |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Manitas_at_home Date: 29 Sep 05 - 10:55 AM Trouble is Richard, that it is a relative's funeral they are going to . |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Little Hawk Date: 29 Sep 05 - 11:02 AM Agree with everything she says, no matter what. Just agree. Don't elaborate, just say, "That's right." "Yes indeed." "You are so right." It drives 'em crazy... (grin) |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Charmion Date: 29 Sep 05 - 11:19 AM Oooh, you're a mean one, LH. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: jimmyt Date: 29 Sep 05 - 11:48 AM Liz, 1 figure out how she pushes your buttons, you already must know. Pretend you are on one of those reality contests where you have to lay in a vat of worms or snakes and to win a million pounds sterling all you have to do is lay there and plan on how you are going to spend your money. Substitute your sister to this reality game and just put up with her, no matter what. 2 Hire an assassin 3 Perhaps she would be a good candidate for me to bring the JIMMYT TRAVELING MOTORWAY PORTABLE THONG FITTING SERVICE. my Motto is, "I will bring the thong right to the crack, even at 140 KPH on the A25" |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: lady penelope Date: 29 Sep 05 - 11:55 AM Yeah, my brother does that and it does drive you nuts......! And that's the one I get on with! Well, I've got 5 albums of "I'm sorry I haven't a clue" I could tape for you, if you think it will help. But I think you're in for a tough time. Little Hawk and others have the right of it, it's teeth gritting and/or subtle mindf**k time. My personal ploy is to laugh at happy thoughts that have nothing to do with whatever subject my ear is being bent with. It seems to disturb people........ As for Guest, don't you ask your friends for advice on how to deal with people and situations you find difficult? It would be nice if both Liz and her sister could come away from the experience having gained something, but let's not hold our breath here......... |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Rapparee Date: 29 Sep 05 - 01:21 PM Before leaving give her a drink. Put chloral hyrate in the drink. When she collapses, tie her up, close her mouth with duct tape, and stick her in the trunk (boot). Drive away and turn her loose when you get there or whenever it's convenient. If the cops stop you, act surprised and wonder how she got in there. I like LH's idea, only mimic her tone. "Yeeeeeeeeessssssssssssss, you're riiiiiiiiiiightttttttttttttt." |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Grab Date: 29 Sep 05 - 01:26 PM Lay in supplies of WD40. Stops most things whining. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Megan L Date: 29 Sep 05 - 01:45 PM Can't give much advice after all we convinced mine "the Lord" was calling her to work in Thailand he he he. 1 deep breaths 2 count to 10,20, 100 before answering back if all else fails remember "This to will pass" :-) |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Little Hawk Date: 29 Sep 05 - 02:01 PM Ha! Ha! Ha! I love this thread. Thank you, Liz! You have made my morning. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: katlaughing Date: 29 Sep 05 - 02:37 PM Don't go with her. It's not worth it. There comes a time when we all know someone to whom we have to say "No." IF you absolutely HAVE to, take a Walkman and put it on with the volume up! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Metchosin Date: 29 Sep 05 - 02:43 PM Sing Liz, sing. When travelling long distances with someone with whom I have little in common, I put on my own compiled tapes or Cds and sing. I explain at the outset that this is something I must do to keep my wits about me and to counteract the fatigue of long distance driving. Who knows, there might be one or two songs, that will peak your sister's interest, that could compel her to join in. It is amazing how many miles you can go and not say a damned word to another person. As for the rest of the time, I'm afraid you're on your own. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: EBarnacle Date: 29 Sep 05 - 03:14 PM Once, I was in a car with my younger sister, whose life is constant talk about people I don't know and have no desire to know. She was doing her usual and I fell asleep. Woke up an hour later. She didn't even notice. Apparently, I have evolved to the point where I grunt or say yes at appropriate moments without even having to be awake. PS, she was driving. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Micca Date: 29 Sep 05 - 03:27 PM You could adapt the strategy used by husbands since time Immemeorial, the interjection of "yes, Dear" and "No, Dear" maay not do much for the art of conversation but they brilliantly produce the illusion of paying attention while off "woolgathering", thinking about Much more interesting, or simply being busy with your own thoughts. It might be worth a try, otherwise pack the Duct Tape!!! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Helen Date: 29 Sep 05 - 03:58 PM My strategy for dealing with whiners, or as we Aussies call it, "whingers" (g = j sound, not hard g, and not "ing" sound) is to listen to what they are complaining about and then ask, "Yes, but what are you going to do about it?" After each bit of whingeing when they pause for breath, just repeat the question. Whingers tend to want something to whinge about so fixing a problem would often give them nothing to whinge about, OR they tend to perceive situations in the way that people watch scripted tv shows, like daytime soaps. They sit back and watch situations they are in as if they can not make a difference to the people or outcomes around them and ask questions like "Why are they doing that?" or "Why don't they do this?" which shows their own sense of lack of control or influence. By asking what the whinger is going to do about a situation I put the onus back on them to take some control of the situation or to take some productive action. It usually shuts them up after a while or pushes them into a more proactive way of looking at the situation. Good luck! Helen |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Richard Bridge Date: 29 Sep 05 - 04:42 PM Er - oops. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Don Firth Date: 29 Sep 05 - 04:57 PM If there is some sort of beverage or soft drink that she's particularly fond of, bring a good supply of it along. But dose it heavily ahead of time with vodka or gin. Then, hopefully, she'll spend most of her time on the trip either sleeping or sitting there with a silly grin and trying to focus her eyes. Or if that doesn't work, you could perhaps use it to anesthetize yourself. Uh . . . by the way, who's going to be driving? Don Firth |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: lady penelope Date: 29 Sep 05 - 05:07 PM Helen, my other brother is an A1 whinger. However, asking him what he's going to do to resolve his problems only leads to a detailed and in depth analysis of precisely why he can't do anything about his problems and a further whinge as to why won't some one else sort it out for him. Logic does not work........ I'm liking the sound of the duct tape. You could just keep it on the dashboard and wait for her to ask what it's for........ :) TTFN Lady P. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Dead Horse Date: 29 Sep 05 - 06:21 PM Listen here you whining bitch, at least you got a sister. I have to do with everybody elses. Huh. Just play Mr Barker on your tape, and bugger da moosic. :-) (luvs ya really) |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:13 PM This isn't the A1 though, it's the M4/M3/M27 with possibly a bit of M25 for good measure. I like the idea of loud music, I usually play something anyway when I'm driving... singing along with the windows all open, amusing people in traffic jams. I'm hoping that jetlag will get her and I'll be able to drive in peace (or at least drown out the snoring and drooling) most of the way. Guest - I lived with this woman for 18 years. For 9 of those I shared a bed with her. I KNOW I do not get on with her. She has not improved with age, and I have not become a saint. Kat - regrettably, she is flying in from NZ to attend this funeral and I'm stuck with her... she's already whined via Email about having to take the train if I don't drive her. It also means that as it's our car, she isn't insured to drive it.... and with her record (written off 3 vehicles) I wouldn't even let her put the heater on! It will pass... it will pass.... it will pass..... LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:33 PM Keep a stick in your car , tell sister"shut up or i;ll hit you with stick" if she doesnt shut up-hit her on head with stick. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Peace Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:38 PM Rubbish. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull Date: 29 Sep 05 - 07:42 PM Well it was only an idea. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 30 Sep 05 - 10:16 AM And don't think I haven't tried it over the years.....! LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 30 Sep 05 - 12:10 PM If she's anything like me, she will be so jet-lagged she will sleep throughout the ride. Keep the car nice and warm and hope for the best. As for music, I find soft, brubecky jazz and New Age to be most sleep-inducing. What does everyone else think? Of course, you must avert the danger of falling asleep yourself. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Charmion Date: 30 Sep 05 - 01:04 PM You could try telling her in a firm, officious way that you need her not to talk because you find driving on the motorway very difficult and you would be heartbroken if anything happened to the car. With any luck, she'll be so offended she won't talk to you for days, and by that time Air New Zealand will be whisking her back home and out of your life until the next major funeral/wedding. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Folkiedave Date: 30 Sep 05 - 01:25 PM Teach her to play Mornington Crescent - long version. Dave |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: gnu Date: 30 Sep 05 - 02:19 PM Wow... that's a long drive. I should think that the more she pisses you off, the more your epinephrine will flow and tend to keep you awake and alert. You are lucky to have such a safety device. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: GUEST,Don the Man Date: 30 Sep 05 - 02:27 PM I have the flippin' solution! I will send you a buncha photos of my baby brother Shane (the looser)(who is still in the slammer)(and still AliVe too!) anyway,...I hacve a whole buncha photos of him in the flippin' nude and totally dead dog wasted after a big flippin' all weekend party. he don't klnow i took them, eh? i been waitin' for a chance to use thenm to enbarass him and this is a good one. You jsut send me 5 bucks a photo and i send you the copies. you show them to your sister. She will eether: Jump outta the flippin' car and puke. or Get turned on and forget to talk to you for a long time., or something like that,eh holu flip, I HATE trhios flippin' goddamn keyboard on Lori's compiter. I \t dont' wokr right! FLIP! Forget it. just forget it. Don the Man |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 30 Sep 05 - 06:32 PM Don - will consider your suggestion... although she used to be in the army so it takes a lot to get her worked up..... LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Bill D Date: 30 Sep 05 - 07:53 PM just keep repeating to yourself...in a few days, she goes back to **NEW ZEALAND**.....a VERY long way away. (How did you get so lucky?) |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: jacqui.c Date: 01 Oct 05 - 08:53 AM Liz - you've coped admirably with your's and Manitus's medical problems over the past few years. Just keep in mind that this is a few days and it will end! I'd go along with the idea of telling her not to talk as you need to concentrate on your driving. Then put on your music (loud) and offer her a pair of earplugs if she doesn't like it telling her that the only way you can get through such a long trip safely is by having the music playing. Maybe she'll decide to go back on the train! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 01 Oct 05 - 11:33 AM That won't work. The earplugs will mask the rumble of the car and force her to hear the music better than ever. Not to be alarmist, but justifiable homicide, with Squeak as the victim, could be the result. This depends, of course, on how the sister reacts to Liz's kind of music. ---------------- Once my husband and I were riding in his sister's car. She said, "Have you ever listened to Bruce Springsteen?" "Not really," we said, meaning, hell no. She then turned on the most godawful, rackety irritating stuff, but we didn't say a word, listening and trying to give the guy a chance. Pretty soon, however, she saw the white knuckles and clenched jaws, and she turned it off. If she hadn't, who knows what would have happened. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: SINSULL Date: 01 Oct 05 - 11:48 AM Why not just let Limpit tag along? She can give your sister something valid to whine about. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Cllr Date: 01 Oct 05 - 06:50 PM Show her this thread... |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Hrothgar Date: 02 Oct 05 - 07:48 AM It will be character building. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 02 Oct 05 - 03:32 PM Limpit has to go to school (lucky cow) and I've got more than enough character thanks! I'll get through it, but remembering this thread will help a great deal - with any luck she'll wonder what I'm smiling at! LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Richard Bridge Date: 02 Oct 05 - 03:46 PM How about sabotaging the car (so you ahv a valid excuse) and going by train in stead? |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 02 Oct 05 - 04:43 PM Won't work... we have two cars. The odds of both of them being out of action is just too astronomical to be plausible. It will pass.... it will pass...... it will pass....... LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Oct 05 - 06:46 PM Arrange for a 2-car collision that involves BOTH your cars and puts them temporarily out of commission. The elegant solution! This only really requires one driver, so it's child's play. It's damned easy to hit a car that is not moving, after all. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Richard Bridge Date: 03 Oct 05 - 12:07 PM Insure one for "any driver". Make sure your no claims bonus is insured too (from what you have told us so far). After sister arrives, invent emergency that takes you out. Leave her a mobile phone. Phone while out saying that you are absolutely stuck (even a traffic jam would do), she must go on in the other car and you will catch up in the second. Catch the train and ring her to say the car you had went wrong (even had a puncture and you could not get the wheel off) and get her to meet you at the nearest station at the far end - thus you minimise the time with her. You still have to get back though. Ah! you get a discount fare on which a return is cheaper than a single, that way you have to come back by train too. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 03 Oct 05 - 03:50 PM LH - a suggestion that has some merit, but regretably, it was such a collision that resulted in the family funeral in the first place. It's no use, I can't get out of it.... and it's too late now to arrange extra cover on the insurance (like I'd travel in the same vehicle as her ever again.....), she's already in the air. It will pass.... it will pass..... it will pass..... I'm going to calm myself by taking the camera and photographing the changing colours of the New Forest as we go through.. I know a lot of Laybys along there. LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Little Hawk Date: 03 Oct 05 - 05:22 PM Do give us a full report when it's all over, Liz... |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: jacqui.c Date: 03 Oct 05 - 06:24 PM Good luck Liz - we'll be thinking of you. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: LadyJean Date: 04 Oct 05 - 12:28 AM There's a band called Wolgemutt that can drown out anything. You might pick up a couple of their CDs. Now if you could slip her a couple of Dramamine for motion sickness, those will put you right out. Or you could hand her a thermous of something spiked with vodka. I remember one epic journey I took with my sister. We were on our way to Kentucky. I had just learned to drive, and she insisted I drive the whole way, while she bitched about how I did it. She took over the driving after some dimwitted clerk at a truckstop commented on the way I was handling the car, and like a 16 year old, which she wasn't, she was embarassed. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Skivee Date: 04 Oct 05 - 01:50 AM Try this. Get her to change her flight so that she arrives at an airport close to the funeral. The you'll only have to drive her from the tarmac to the church, right? Tell her it's because of new regulations regarding some arcane something-or-other. You'll get better milage if you aren't driving with her in the car. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 04 Oct 05 - 03:26 AM Oh I wish..... but the nearest international airport capable of taking jumbo jets is Heathrow.... Bournemouth only takes the little jets and is still 40 miles from the funeral. We really did live in the back of beyond, or at least, in the same postal district! It will pass.... it will pass..... it will pass..... LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 05 Oct 05 - 05:40 PM Only 14 hours to go before she leaves..... it will pass... it will pass..... it will pass......! LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 06 Oct 05 - 03:35 PM IT PASSED!! 450 miles I drove that woman around the country... did she say thank you? Did she offer to pay for any petrol? I leave it to your imaginations. But it's worth it to be rid of her for another few years! LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Helen Date: 06 Oct 05 - 04:05 PM Well done, LTS! So, tell us the survival strategies you chose. Did they work well? Was it loud music or feeding her vodka, or a combination of all the suggestions above, or just sheer teeth-gritting endurance? Helen |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: curmudgeon Date: 06 Oct 05 - 04:06 PM Good Show, Liz. Now you can get back to the serious business of herding Santas. Tom |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Don Firth Date: 06 Oct 05 - 04:14 PM Were I nearby, Liz, I would buy you a drink. Well survived! Don Firth |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Liz the Squeak Date: 06 Oct 05 - 04:58 PM Loud music, gritted teeth and jet lag all played a part.... she should be about a quarter of the way there now..... LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Little Hawk Date: 06 Oct 05 - 05:40 PM You shall receive the Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaves, Diamond Clusters, and Rampant Squirrels. Well done! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Joybell Date: 06 Oct 05 - 06:10 PM Well done, Liz. Clever girl. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: jacqui.c Date: 07 Oct 05 - 07:56 AM I knew you could do it Liz. Isn't it nice when it's all over! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 07 Oct 05 - 09:46 AM 'A family is a circle of people who love you' was the title of a book I saw years ago - the theory (illustrated with cartoony people) was that you can chose to add people to your family, to replace unsatisfactory ones with caring folks or something like that. bugger, me mind's gone blank, but it was a long time ago - really all I can remember is the title & the pics - people kept joining the circle. sandra |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Charmion Date: 07 Oct 05 - 10:59 AM The thing about family is that, unless you're prepared to make a major international fuss, you're stuck with the folks who share your genetic material; however, there's no law against recruiting enough like-minded individuals to outnumber the less-tolerable blood relations. That's not only the point of the rhetoric about circles of people who love you, it's also a darned good reason for marriage. My elder brother could natter for Canada, his favourite (indeed only) subject being himself. When the front door closes behind him, I turn to my best beloved, roll my eyes, and recover with a small scotch and a bracing dose of sensibly sparse conversation followed by blessed silence. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: jacqui.c Date: 07 Oct 05 - 01:31 PM My mother got to a point where her attitude and behaviour was having a deleterious effect on my mental and physical health. When it came to the point that I felt that my own family was suffering as a result I made the decision to part company from her. Believe me, it is not something done lightly but I have never regretted that decision. We were a dysfunctional family anyway, the only reason my brother kept in contact was for my professional advice on insurance matters and I'm still waiting for his return phone call to mine in August 1999. My family now consists of my husband and our families and my dear friends. I'm happy that the people around me care for me, not what benefits they can derive from me. Life's too short, as far as I'm concerned, to hang around with negative people, even if they are relations. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 08 Oct 05 - 08:11 AM My brother took me to the Supreme Court over our mum's estate... mmmmmmmmmmm.. What brother? |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: jacqui.c Date: 08 Oct 05 - 08:27 AM Too right Robin! |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: JennyO Date: 08 Oct 05 - 11:48 AM Jacqui C, I totally sympathise with you over your mother. My brother left the country to get away from our mother, and I suffered many years of misery trying to keep her placated and keep my own family going. When she died about 10 years ago, she cut me and my brother out of her will, and left everything to my stepbrother (from my dad's first marriage). They used my cousin, who was a solicitor, to legally try and prevent me from getting anything. However, I clearly had a case, and at least managed to get enough to allow me to visit my brother in France and have a few nice little things - not enough to get any property though, and to this day, I am still renting. Needless to say, I never saw any of them again. So it's me, my immediate family, my brother who has always been supportive, and my circle of friends. That's enough for me. As you said, life's too short... Jenny |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Charmion Date: 08 Oct 05 - 01:54 PM My mother died about three weeks after my 26th birthday. My biggest problem was hiding the grin. |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: Richard Bridge Date: 08 Oct 05 - 08:54 PM Foulestrope, who won? |
Subject: RE: BS: Desperate plea - save me from my sister! From: GUEST,Bobert Date: 08 Oct 05 - 09:31 PM Well, Lizzy, I like to think of unpleaant situations as experiences that both make us strongetr but also ones where when we are in need it's okay to say, "Okay, God, you *owe* me!!!" Makes it alot easier goin' thur bad stuff knowin' that down the road it will even out... But good on you. You have yer pride... Yer dignity... And yer "Okay-God-You-Owe-Me" card, so life is good.... Bobert |