Posted by Temmie on July 2, 2003, at 18:18:03
In reply to Re: Temmie! Down Here!!!!!, posted by habbyshabit on July 1, 2003, at 23:51:40
Hello -- surgery went well, but I wish J would lay down and go to sleep already. I'm tired!
My dad ... has been diagnosed ... but I'm not sure by whom. Problems with depression appear to run in the family, and two of his siblings have been on antidepressents. His sister, in particular, wigged out in some kind of manic phase. My dad is doing the same. I aske him mid-May if he would write a "one-page something" for J's 18th, and he's been working on it nonstop from then until now. It's now evolved into several papers, one an essay on Benjamin Franklin, the other a 56-page essay on the "number 18," and quoting from the Bible, Alexandre Dumas, and God know what else inbetween. He's been keeping the reference librarians busy. One of them called me the other day with the definition of the Japanese colloquialism (sp?) "ah-so."
Everything he does is Brilliant, Astonishing, Amazing! He's also given copies of the above papers to people in the neighborhood -- I think, he's expecting people to fall down before him in wonder of his Amazing, Astonishing Brilliance!
Ten years ago he drove over my son. Last year he almost plowed through a pedestrian. The week before last he backed into my car -- with me pounding on the driver's side window and telling him to "stop, stop, stop!"
He's also re-engineered everything in the kitchen ("I'm an engineer, it's my job to fix things."), from the way the paper bags are folded, to where the pots are hung, how the phone book is put away, how the dish towels and dish rags are hung, what's the proper angle for the tv set ("for optimal communal viewing"), etc. etc. etc. It is difficult to sneak past him without (1) getting chewed out, (2) getting a lecture on the proper disposal of coffee grounds (or whatever), or (3) being subjected to a non-stop lecture on anything from thermodynamics to the "Rule of 72" (don't ask, it has something to do with doubling values and/or factors, I'm not sure which).
He is cruel to my mother. I've cautioned her to stay out of striking range, and -- this is horrible -- but from one of my sisters ... to myself ... to my son ... we've all wished he would drop dead already (even though we know we'll hate ourselves for uttering those words).
Apparently his MD put him on Lithium a few years back and my dad had a toxic reaction. This was following one of his many surgeries (heart, prostate, hip?) which was followed by a manic phase. Anyhow ... that's a bit of a snapshot.
I've just been paged by my son ... who wants to use the phone line to call his dad. Any ideas, tips, suggestions you have would be most appreciated, but my dad Knows Everything and will not listen to anything. Unless he's controlling the conversation ... there is no conversation.
Back soon,
Temmie
poster:Temmie
thread:238384
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030626/msgs/238826.html