December 5th, 2005
Had a good time in Orange County staying with my now-infamous Aunt Martha last weekend. It’s been quite a while since we did a whole weekend thing… We had some great moments, but something always goes wrong, and it’s inevitably my fault. Of course, this visit was no exception.
For those who have read about the pressure she foists upon me to be Hollywood thin, you may be curious to find out how she responded to my recent weight loss. The answer is: She didn’t notice! I suppose fifteen pounds, amounting to a 12% reduction in my total mass, doesn’t show. Later on she did admit that I looked a little better somehow.
Where she got me real good was during some idle chatter (which with Martha is nearly always about herself) she made the casual assertion that she’s still thinner than I am. Now, as a scientist (shh, let’s pretend) that offended my sense of truth. She’s easily wearing twenty pounds more fat than I am, and I’m not a bitch to notice. It’s a simple fact.
The smart thing would have been to let it slide. And for a while I did so, but the next day during yet another conversation about her, she was lamenting her current state of fitness (or maybe unfitness) and I let out the following remark with a great big welcoming smile: “Aren’t you glad you have a chubby niece to make you feel thinner?”
She popped me for it later, and it would be to her credit if she did so in a way that made some kind of sense. Not the case. Instead, I had the joy of being accused, for the umteenth time, of competing with her… Talk about projection! I had to hold my ground on that one and tell her she’s way off, but as always, her opinion rules… Gotta love family!
Entry Filed under: The Black Hole
12 Comments
1.
Jenny | December 5th, 2005 at 11:31 pm
*drools* Can I lose that much weight too?
2.
'Chele | December 6th, 2005 at 2:03 am
Oy… family…
3.
Chaz | December 6th, 2005 at 3:42 am
Ahh, my ex-girlfriend’s mother was like that, and I remember it always bothered the heck out of me. Her mother was a rather large lady herself but for some reason felt the need to scrutinize my ex’s weight whenever she’d come home on breaks. It was one of those situations where I’d have loved to say something, but it just wouldn’t have been my place. Oh well, it’s time for me to get back to reducing my body fat percentage because that’s all I really care about.
4.
Char | December 6th, 2005 at 9:00 am
I tell you family and their damn follies… Usually I’m at fault as well for something during a family gathering.
Congrats on the 15 lb loss !
5.
Lisa | December 6th, 2005 at 10:32 am
It’s a shame that women feel the need to compete with one another, but even worse when it’s with family.
6.
~Easy | December 6th, 2005 at 10:41 am
That makes item #341 on the big list of
Things About Women I Don’t Understand
7.
April | December 6th, 2005 at 1:56 pm
Heheheh… You tell her, girl… I have an aunt that thinks she’s better than me too…
8.
Diana Crabtree | December 6th, 2005 at 5:06 pm
Martha! I am glad you can see the reality of the situation, instead of letting it get inside your head. I am also glad I don’t have to be her! How sad to feel the need to be competitive like that.
9.
JH | December 6th, 2005 at 9:45 pm
Why be surprised when @$$holes act like @$$holes? Be frank. Tell her (in private) that those kinds of comments do neither her nor you any good, and you request that she not bring that subject up… and if she won’t, you’ll solve the problem by staying out of her orbit.
10.
The Bombshell | December 6th, 2005 at 10:18 pm
Well JH, that’s pretty much how it’s played out… Things like this are why it’s been so long since our last weekend together. I tell her that it hurts me that my behavior is so often upsetting to her, and that until I no longer have that effect, it would be best for us to limit our contact a bit. Sad, actually.
11.
Salena | December 7th, 2005 at 3:48 pm
I have an uncle who used to do a similar thing to me… Always had a comment about my weight. I think he did it just because he thought he could get away with it. One day when he said something rude, I simply said, “You know, that wasn’t very nice of you at all.” That was the last time he ever mentioned my weight.
Relatives… gotta love em!
12.
Boudica, baby | December 8th, 2005 at 10:25 am
living hell!
Family!
They’re the same thing!
aarrdgfjghgih!!!”%£*(K
xxB