Spontaneous Musings

1) The problem with posting and/or writing about one's own life or experiences is you run into one of two traps - whinging or boasting. It's why I hate writing specifically about myself or what I'm doing. Also I tend to fall into the snarky whinging category.

Finished the Eloisa James novel, The Ugly Duchess - the third in her fairy tales series. This one was unintentionally funny in places. The characters kept commenting on how they were all worldly and jaded at the ripe old age of 23. Of course they got married at 17, so there is that. And one character was unable to perform when he got married, because at 17, a women who is 20 feels a decade older. Interesting, considering there are women in these novels who marry men who are a decade older.

There's this odd assumption in "genre" fiction that if you haven't had lots of sexual intercourse and are worldly about it by the age of 25 or at the very least 30, you are out to pasture or a dolt. I don't understand this at all. What does age have to do with sexual promiscuity? Or experience for that matter? And seriously why this insistence on defining people solely by their sexuality or sexual activities? Particularly since most of this occurs, hopefully, behind closed doors and in the privacy of one's own home?

Another weird thing about romance novels? If the women isn't married by 25, regardless of the time period, she's over-the-hill, unlucky in love, or doomed to be lonely. There's this assumption that if you are not in a happy "heterosexual" marriage in your 20s than you are a sad-sack who can't be happy. And it is unlikely you'll ever find true love. Silly. I've lost count of the number of unhappy heterosexual marriages I've seen - some rather abusive, and I consider myself to be happy most of the time. Frustrated perhaps, but happy. You can find a great deal of happiness in the tiniest of moments such as eating a really good piece of chocolate.

The other bit...and this is the distinction between well-written or literary fiction and pulpy genre fiction - is the platitudes and cliche moralizing. Or preachiness. Literary fiction has more showing less telling, pulpy genre fiction has more summarizing, telling and preaching. It also tends to be shorter - in some not all cases. Depends on when it was published and who is publishing. Some publishing houses pay by the page count. Some are cheap and want shorter books.

Oh don't get me wrong - I love pulpy genre fiction. It's like cotton candy or york peppermint patties for the brain. You escape for a bit, forget completely what you read, and feel sort of like you just had a luxurous bubble bath for less than $5. Win-win. Particularly if you are someone like me who is having problems focusing on things at the moment.

2)In regards to my foot?

I got the boot today. I don't know what to do with it. But I do have it. Bit worried about wearing it just yet. Particularly since the doctor insisted I wait another week.

Doctor's Receptionist: Hello sweetie (don't you hate it when people call you that?), how you doing?
Me: Eh, okay.
Receptionist: This is Doctor Pace's office...we're calling to tell you that Steve will be by today to fit you for your boot. Will you be available?
Me: What? I thought I wasn't supposed to get it until Sat?
Receptionist: No, he'll be by today. Doctor Pace wants you to bring it with you on Saturday or wear it...
Me: He told me that I shouldn't wear it until then.
Receptionist: Just repeating what I was told. Can you give me your address so I can send the boot guy, he should be there shortly.

Color me confused.

The guy who brought it, Steve the Boot Guy - told me to just bring it with me on Sat, and wear it then. Not to try it today or tomorrow. It took us twenty minutes to decide this. Because I honestly didn't know what to do. And he wasn't quite sure either. So, since I have no plans this weekend and can't go to work anyhow...I figure I'll just wait a bit. The compression bandage gives me more padding for showers and sleep. (I'm admittedly afraid to put on the boot and take off the bandage after last Sat.)

I'm guessing I only got it today because Steve the Boot Guy, who needed to fit it to my foot, wasn't going to be available this weekend. (It being a holiday weekend, stands to reason. Probably wants to stay out on Long Island playing on the beach and barbecuing. He didn't exactly say that - but he did indicate it.). Honestly, I don't know why Steve the Boot Guy couldn't have just dropped it off at the Doctor's office. All he did was strap it on, then take it off. Show me how to put it on. And fill out some forms. Then leave. The Doctor could have done that. Steve was sort of useless. Didn't even help me put my compression bandage back on. I was unimpressed.

The boot is going to be hot. I am not looking forward to wearing the thing. So am procrastinating putting it on as long as possible. Could be worse. I may put it on Friday or Thursday, just to try it out before I see the Doctor on Sat. According to Steve - the progression is hard cast (which I apparently skipped), soft cast, boot, then padded open-toed shoe. The boot is to help you start to become more mobile, while continuing to protect the injured foot.

The problem with putting the boot on before Sat, is I'll have to tear off the soft cast, since I can't wear the boot and the soft cast at the same time. No clue why not. I asked, Steve said "you just can't" or "no, I really wouldn't recommend it", and that was that. I don't know about you, but that's not a good answer. This is my problem with the medical profession - you ask them something that stumps them, instead of being honest and saying, I've no clue or good question. They bluff. It's hardly helpful.

See? I talk about my life...and it becomes "Snarky whinging". Oh well, at least I have a sense of humor about it. This is all rather funny, if you think about it.


3. Today's soap opera had me giggling. Pulpy genre can be quite funny at times.

Franco: You tried to kill me.
Ava: See...this is my problem with you. You get all these crazy ideas in your head. Obsessing over things that aren't real...and you wonder why people call you a psychopath.
Franco: Not psychopath, highly functioning sociopath. And I know you tried to kill me.
Ava: I thought we just established that Carly was the one that tried to kill you.
Franco: No, we established that she hired one hit on my life. There were two shooters. You were the second shooter.
Ava: Carly could have hired both shooters...to cover her bases.
Franco: Carly's too shrewd to have done something like that. Don't get me wrong, it's not that she doesn't want me dead - she desperately wants that. But she wouldn't expose herself in that way.

LOL! Soap Operas can be so much fun.