Real life, interrupted
What a stressful, worrisome week this has been. My dad was hospitalized last night--something my family is actually relieved about, because he has refused to go all week. He started complaining on Easter Sunday of pressing chest pains, and he was so stubbornly bent on resting it away that he didn't want to listen to us telling him to go to the doctor. (He's had a strong aversion to doctors--and anything medicinal, really--since childhood, supposedly.) Then yesterday the pains really worsened, even from our point of view, that my mom had to go with him to the ER. Turns out he has pericarditis, which is swelling around the heart. I have no idea how one gets that, but he has it, and now he's getting drugs for it. Caring for him this past week has given me a new appreciation for anyone who cares for a sick family member 24/7. Since I was at home, I felt like a call center rep fielding calls from all my relatives who heard and wanted to know any updates.
What other news. I got an intimidating call from someone in the State Department today, but while I was relieved it wasn't about me (for what, I dunno), it's actually a possible employer of one of my friends, doing a background check. Eeep, how do I be someone's reference??? I mean, I said yes to her when my friends asked, of course, but I never actually expect to...be called. Ironic but true. Now I'm reading up on articles from HR websites on what to say and not to say. Although in these situations, since I am currently reading Little Dorrit, I can't help but think of what Charles Dickens would say about references:
"As to being a reference," said Pancks [the rent collector], "you know in a general way, what being a reference means. It's all your eye, that is! Look at your tenants down the Yard here. They'd all be references for one another, if you'd let 'em. What would be the good of letting 'em? It's no satisfaction to be done by two men instead of one. One's enough. A person who can't pay, gets another person who can't pay, to guarantee that he can pay. Like a person with two wooden legs, getting another person with two wooden legs, to guarantee that he has got two natural legs. It don't make either of them able to do a walking-match. And four wooden legs are more troublesome to you than two, when you don't want any." Mr Pancks concluded by blowing off that steam of his (278).
Oh Dickens. Buried deep within your mile-long paragraphs there really are nuggets of wisdom.
ETA: Whew, glad that phone interview was over with! It was actually kind of fun being someone else's cheerleader.