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Compulsions and obsessions
Jul. 23rd, 2006 12:13 am"I'm behind again. I can't keep up," it is Melinda, the woman at the far end of the table. She just doesn't get it, and is completely unwilling to be quiet or cheerful about it.
"You aren't really that far behind," the teacher says. She goes over and helps the woman with the next step.
"OK, now we are going to glue the pages together, insert the cutting mat, and cut out your window," the teacher addresses the other three of us as we finish the previous step.
"What! What was that?" Melinda looks up from also finishing the previous step, "I'm behind! What's the next step?"
"Don't worry; you aren't behind. Just finish what you are doing, and I'll come explain what happens next," our teacher is infinitely patient.
"I'll never get it! I'm so far behind."
I want to yell: "Do you want to be behind? Just shut up and listen!" Instead, I quietly rip and glue.
"I don't understand! I'm behind!" Melinda starts again, "What do I do next?"
---
"Can you just close the blade on that knife?" our teacher requests of one of the crafters, "I can't stand to see those exposed blades just hanging around. Someone could cut themselves."
"I always use a hairdryer for this step and not a heat gun. Heat guns are faster, but they are just so easy to burn yourself on," she comments later.
"If you're disposing of knife blades, make sure you wrap them in cardboard and packing tape. Otherwise, if they get through the garbage bag, they could cut someone."
"I never use hot glue guns. Too easy to burn yourself. White glue is slower, but it's safer."
"Make sure you always use a ruler with a cork back. If it doesn't have one, it'll slip and you could cut yourself."
---
"You are a beast, Jesus! Fuck you, Jesus, you are a beast!" the man behind me on the bus tries to muffle his exclamations behind his hands.
The woman in front of me looks alarmed. She turns in her seat and tries to whisper something to me, but she is interrupted: "Shit! Fuck! Shut up Jesus, you are a beast!" She spins back forward, looking scared.
The man gets off the bus a couple of stops later. Once on the sidewalk, he removes his hands from his mouth and screams: "Fuck you! Shut up! Fuck you, Jesus, shut up!" He is still yelling at the top of his lungs as the bus pulls away.
---
I get home and walk into a kitchen much cleaner then the one I left. The previous day's dishes are done and put away. Jamey’s rinsing a cutting board from the dinner Russ is making.
"Did you do the dishes?" I ask Russ.
"Ah, Jamey, um, beat me to them."
"I just couldn't help myself," she says cheerily.
Finally, a compulsion in my favour!
"You aren't really that far behind," the teacher says. She goes over and helps the woman with the next step.
"OK, now we are going to glue the pages together, insert the cutting mat, and cut out your window," the teacher addresses the other three of us as we finish the previous step.
"What! What was that?" Melinda looks up from also finishing the previous step, "I'm behind! What's the next step?"
"Don't worry; you aren't behind. Just finish what you are doing, and I'll come explain what happens next," our teacher is infinitely patient.
"I'll never get it! I'm so far behind."
I want to yell: "Do you want to be behind? Just shut up and listen!" Instead, I quietly rip and glue.
"I don't understand! I'm behind!" Melinda starts again, "What do I do next?"
---
"Can you just close the blade on that knife?" our teacher requests of one of the crafters, "I can't stand to see those exposed blades just hanging around. Someone could cut themselves."
"I always use a hairdryer for this step and not a heat gun. Heat guns are faster, but they are just so easy to burn yourself on," she comments later.
"If you're disposing of knife blades, make sure you wrap them in cardboard and packing tape. Otherwise, if they get through the garbage bag, they could cut someone."
"I never use hot glue guns. Too easy to burn yourself. White glue is slower, but it's safer."
"Make sure you always use a ruler with a cork back. If it doesn't have one, it'll slip and you could cut yourself."
---
"You are a beast, Jesus! Fuck you, Jesus, you are a beast!" the man behind me on the bus tries to muffle his exclamations behind his hands.
The woman in front of me looks alarmed. She turns in her seat and tries to whisper something to me, but she is interrupted: "Shit! Fuck! Shut up Jesus, you are a beast!" She spins back forward, looking scared.
The man gets off the bus a couple of stops later. Once on the sidewalk, he removes his hands from his mouth and screams: "Fuck you! Shut up! Fuck you, Jesus, shut up!" He is still yelling at the top of his lungs as the bus pulls away.
---
I get home and walk into a kitchen much cleaner then the one I left. The previous day's dishes are done and put away. Jamey’s rinsing a cutting board from the dinner Russ is making.
"Did you do the dishes?" I ask Russ.
"Ah, Jamey, um, beat me to them."
"I just couldn't help myself," she says cheerily.
Finally, a compulsion in my favour!
