- If you want to take a field trip to the Hermes factory and risk expiring from handbag happiness right then and there, turn to page 84;
- If you want to sit in your hotel and brood longingly at the Eiffel Tower in manner of that most American of tourists, Carrie Bradshaw, while your boyfriend ignores you, turn to page 52.*
*Yes, it's possible that I've watched too much HBO since my "Choose Your Own Adventure Days".
Yesterday, layoffs struck at the Anonymous Husband's office. Again. He is still employed & absolutely fine - employed & fine, I promise! - but it's beginning to feel here at Pretty HQ like a Choose Your Adventure novel of a distinctly more grown-up, less entertaining variety:
- If you want to start panicking about the future and spending every last second checking the internet for more bad news, turn to page 36;
- If you want to keep perspective and recall that you both still have great jobs and there are many who need good thoughts and help, and those people aren't you, calmly turn to page 52.
I don't post this in hopes of stirring up more panic in These Difficult Times - this blog is about being prettier, not more paranoid, than nature intended - but just to say, I'm trying to keep hopes up & finding it difficult today to keep my characteristic perky, ebullient spirits**. I'm struggling to calmly turn to that theoretical page 52, count my blessings, AND ratchet up the savings. Because, unlike my favorite pulp fiction of youth, sometimes we have to take more than one ending into consideration before we turn the page.
**Anyone buying the perky, ebullient bit? Anyone?
25 comments:
OMG...my husband and I were JUST talking about those books last night!! Well, keep your head up, and as my husband says, don't stress about things you can't control.
OMG,this past weekend my parents were cleaning out their attic and wanted me to come over to go through some stuff I had up there. I found tons of books from when I was kid. A bunch of them were the "Choose Your Own Adventure". I loved those books. If I didn't like the ending, I'd just choose a different one. Ha!
Hello! I just tagged you in my newest post. I love your blog!
The only choose your own adventure I remember is from the movie BIG.... but that was comics, no? xoxo
As one who routinely shelves those books, I will say thank goodness there was no alien or odd beast involved in your husband's day! Glad he's remained unscathed!
Ugh, I hate These Difficult Times. Can they be done already? Thank you for your kind comments yesterday, I really appreciated it :)
Pretty good imitation of perky and ebullient if you ask me:).
I'm feeling you on this one in a big way. Sigh...
Oh, honey! Turn off the television and quit reading the paper. You'll feel so much better--uh, and a bit uninformed--but oh, so much better!
-GSG
I remember those books - I loved them! Stinks when they come in the grown-up version like you mentioned. I'm very glad that AH still has a job.
I hate These Times...it's hard to stay pretty and positive.
I loved those books! They were such fun.
When you work in journalism like I do for a living, every day is Panic Time and Gloom and Doom by 10 a.m.
My boyfriend, who graduated from law school in 08, was laid off by his firm in October. He bounced back to another BigLaw job a month later, but that firm is now apparently facing layoffs. I'm scared to death; living through it once was bad enough, the fear of doing it all over again is overwhelming. We are downsizing to a smaller apartment (although still downtown Austin, we aren't THAT desperate) and trying to think positive. There are a lot of us in the same boat, and I got a lot of "Don't worry about what you can't control!" which goes against my entire nature. My assvice? Everytime I had a wave of panic, I ran through my "worst case" scenario. How long we could live off our savings, how we could break our lease, etc. It sounds like it is dwelling, but it made me feel like I had a plan in case disaster struck and could go back to thinking about happy things. Granted, those happy things are law school finals at the moment, but soon! Soon there shall be more happy things! Good luck to you both.
I really love these books! :) They were so funny! Glad the hubs is okay.
I so hear you. I don't remember that series but with layoffs all around my DH's place it's hard not to stay in full panic mode all the time. So I choose to fake it most of the time (yeah you've read my blog) and live in never never land there. let the heart pound late at night. Hang in there.
I LOVE those books.
You are allowed to panic for 24 hours. That is how I figure it.
I panicked for 24 hours after I lost my job. 24 hours after Mr. Newlywed lost his.
That's all you get. Other than that you just have to be grateful.
My goal this year is to get my husband home from working overseas. As glamorous as his job sounds, the only reason he's there is because there is nothing here.After having him gone for two years now, with a twice a year vistitaion, we are ready to have him home. He sends resumes out like crazy as I have committed to moving anywhere that he can get a job!
Loved that book series too!
We are loving suggestions for coping with THT (These Difficult Times). In our state it is the WORST of all TDTs, but we like looking for The Pretty amid all the bleak and dreary circumstances.
BTW Miss Pretty, on the "...perky, ebullient..."? No, we're not buying. Heh-heh.
I loved those books. I generally panic with a glass of wine, but since you're in TX, perhaps a margarita would be more fitting? Sending you and the husband happy employment vibes!
I loved all those books too!
i did love those books. i refresh above the law all the time to see if my boyfriend still has a job. it is depressing. i need to just start refreshing gossip news to keep myself sane and in a good mood.
I used to read those books too (I thought they were so fun). If I chose a "path" I didn't like I would cheat and go back and choose another one...what fun!
I remember those books! They were so good.
I hope that everything goes well for you!
things are scary right now, but you always seems to have the best possible outlook on life in general. i'm glad to see that things with this are no different!
i think the adventure i'd choose would be to get all of my favorite pretty bloggers together for a day of shopping and shenanigans.
This blog make me LAUGH! I'm going to stop watching the news, dig out my library card, and check out a huge stack of childhood faves. It's the only sensible thing to do.
We've got to be realistic, but you can't let it completely change yoru outlook either. We can only tailor our lives accordingly - so I'm buying the peppy/ebullient about 50%.
The thing is, I KNOW the legal market will bounch back and in a big way - I've seen this all before, and hopefully I'll be back to working 20 hours a day and wishing I was working from home...but it still feels stifling. I konw what you mean.
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