Drooping

Most of the day so far was spent doing doctorish stuff (boring tests, nothing scary) and getting back to our house in the boondocks from the big city, Syracuse.

I came across mention of the Institution for the Sick and Drooping Poor in a series of essays written by Sir Walter Scott. This was established by Dr. Thomas Beddoes, one of those horribly energetic fellows of the late 1700s who prove to us that we are all lazy slugs. He did a little of everything, including opening the aforementioned Institution, researching cures for consumption and scrofula, and experimenting with laughing gas. What a guy. His formative childhood experience was watching his grandfather die when the old fellow broke his ribs. The ribs punctured his lungs and led, in quick order, to his death. It made young Thomas think about lungs a lot.

Anyway. I wish his Institution was still open. I feel droopy today.

And I must revise my book.

dramatic eeyore sigh

5 Replies to “Drooping”

  1. I’m still fixating on something you said at your talk on Monday night: that boys kept asking you (re: SPEAK), “Why was she so upset? What’s the big deal? It only took a few minutes, and it was with a popular senior guy.”

    I’m just stunned, still.

    And like you said, “We have a lot to learn about boys.”

  2. I’ve heard people say that sort of thing more than a few times and I know I could do a pretty good job of explaning why it’s a big deal, except that every single time someone says it, I am too shocked and sickened to say anything at all.

  3. I also feel more droopy than usual today. Was the weather dreary up there too? Well, ok, admittedly it was partly that I didn’t really get around to eating all day, as well as the drizzle. But still, it was a very droopy day.

  4. Maybe when these boys ask “Why was she so upset? What’s the big deal? You should ask them to take a moment and think about how they would feel if this girl was their sister? Would they tell their sister “don’t worry about it he’s a popular guy”. It is shocking. What’s even more shocking is that some of these boys are going to grow up to be men and their opinion of these matters will not change one iota.

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