Doppelganger

I just popped out to the Pharmaprix to get some stuff for a little sickie that I have here. I ran next door to the kosher grocery – you know how it is. You go out for one thing and realize you need 15. Anyhow, I bumped into a friend and we got to chatting. Out of the corner of my eye I see someone waving in my direction. I ask my friend “do you know that person because I certainly don’t?” She didn’t either. Then this person starts calling out “Marla, yoohoo” and I realized she was talking to me. See, there is a lovely woman, named Marla, who lives in the Montreal Jewish community. She is at least 10 years older than me, but has a great figure and always very classily dressed, her hair just so, make up, the works. She is truly a wonderful person. I have been mistaken for her maybe 20 times in the last 5 years. I look nothing like her. Nothing at all like her. Except we both have dark hair. So it surprises me to be mistaken for her. {I wonder if she gets mistaken for me ever}

I tried to ignore this woman because I just could not be bothered dealing with it. My back hurts, I have a sick kid at home, ein li koach. (I have no strength). I wrapped up my conversation with my friend, finished my shopping and went to pay. The woman was waiting to talk to me at the exit to the store.

Her: Marla, why didn’t you say hello?

Me: Um, because I am not Marla.

Her: You sure?

Me: Umm. Yeah. [like, Duh!!] I get mistaken for her all the time

Her: Wow, you look so much like her

Me: Yeah, so I hear

Her: So who are you anyway?

Sigh. Who am I anyway? Bloody chutzpah….

_______________________________________________________

ETA from Merriam Webster

Main Entry: dop·pel·gäng·er

Variant(s): or dop·pel·gang·er
\ˈdä-pəl-ˌgaŋ-ər, -ˌgeŋ-, ˌdä-pəl-ˈ\

Function: noun

Etymology: German Doppelgänger, from doppel- double + -gänger goer

Date: 1851

1 : a ghostly counterpart of a living person
2 a : double 2a b : alter ego b c : a person who has the same name as another

Chores

What are you two least favourite chores to do in the house? How do you manage to get out of doing them? What chore do you enjoy doing the most? Do the kids have to do chores? What about your spouse? Is there a fair division of labour?

Frustration

I am on Day 5 of an intense bout of back pain. (Day 2 included a six hour drive…..not the best idea when one is in pain). I have some lumbar spine issues that cause me chronic daily pain. Mostly the pain is “quiet” – i.e. something I have learned to live with, it bothers me, but I don’t advertise. I wrote about my struggle with taking painkillers here. There are occasions when I have bad flare ups. Times when the feeling in my left leg is minimized or feels like pins and needles for hours, when pain shoots from my lower back up to my neck and down to my little toe. I have been fortunate that I took some pain management therapy and generally know all the steps to take to ride through the flare ups. I know all the steps. Just taking them seems to be hard to do! Preventing the flare ups would be even better. I am not supposed to lift more than 5 lbs. Ha!

Ideally I would sit in a hot bath for an hour, curl up in bed with a good book and a heating pad / hot water bottle, wash rinse and repeat for at least 48 hours. Take advil or naproxen every 4 hours. Break out the narcotics if there is serious need. But just take it easy. If I could do that, within a couple of days I would be right as rain and able to carry on as normal.

But I have kids. They need feeding. Often. They can bathe themselves, which helps. They need clean laundry – although when they are home they do help with putting it away. Squiggy likes to actually do the laundry, but school gets in the way of that. Dishes need to be washed – again, I know the kids can do it, but I do a better job. The house needs to be cleaned. Etc etc. I set myself high standards, and need to set my sights much lower. I know that. But I cannot go to bed and say “to heck with the world, I need to rest”. It doesn’t work that way.

At least today and tomorrow the kids have half days at school, so when they come home they can help me out. At least I have a laptop so I can type from my bed if so inclined. The kosher stores are not far and they do deliver if I need them to.

Anyone have a back replacement to lend me?

</end of whine>