11.02.2006

A Quick Observation


When Dostoevsky said, "Man can get used to anything," I know he meant real suffering. But I find this aphorism to be true in a more domestic sense as well. That hole in my kitchen ceiling, for instance. The little "ding" noise and flashing brake light in my car, which I've endured at random intervals since March. The refrigerator handle that has to be tightened with a screwdriver twice a week. The fact that the plumbing in our house is such that you can take a bath in my room but not a shower, a shower in Jack's but not a bath, and you can't run the washing machine while you're doing either (or some pipe or drain will overflow and flood the kitchen through that hole). We become so accustomed to the perverse routine that it stops seeming inconvenient.


Another related development: About six or eight weeks or so ago, we put the tent in what used to be our spare sort-of office, so Lola and a sleepover friend could spend the night in it. We never intended to leave it up, but no one has bothered to take it down. We've started referring to it (without any irony) as "The tent room." As in:

"Have you seen the water bill?" "
"I think it's on the desk in the tent room."

or

"Take the clothes out of the dryer and put them in the tent room while I find the screwdriver."

6 comments:

minus five said...

that tent wasn't in that room when i was at your house and that was less than 6-8 weeks ago, so your timing's off a little bit.

you can just refer to that room as the palace of minus, since that's where i am locked away when i visit.

Tania Rochelle said...

Hmmm...I must have a mental block regarding those dates.

Mary Campbell said...

My parents used to let us keep a tent up in our house for short periods of time when I was a kid. It was such a treat...I held all of my "horse and bug club" meetings out of the tent. I was president of all the clubs I started, naturally, and could hold meetings wherever I wanted to. I guess not much has changed in my life since then.

Anonymous said...

A lot about this post is off.

Anonymous said...

It was nice to see you the other day at Starbucks. Btw, would you mind if I posted one of your poems in my LJ? I'd like to share your talent.

Thanks,
Dustin
(dustinbrookshire@hotmail.com)

Tania Rochelle said...

Hi Dustin! It was great to see you too.

Use whatever you want. Thanks for asking!

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