They were speaking in muffled voices, lest the content of their conversation distress the patient further.
"She keeps shouting out numbers with no meaning. Perhaps it's some sort of math anxiety malady."
The patient sat straight up in bed suddenly and happily shouted "SEVENTY!"
"See? What about 'seventy' dearie?" queried the more obsequious of the two nurses.
"OH MY GOD NO! NOT SIXTY NINE AGAIN!" After shouting this number, the patient started typing madly, cursing at the computer screen.
"She has been doing this all day. Hasn't eaten a thing. Just types and yells out numbers" said the nice nurse who brought the patient ice without also bringing her an attitude.
"SEVENTY! AHA I KNEW IT!" then "NOOOOO, NOT SIXTY NINE AGAIN!!!"
The psychiatrist was called. He asked
"Why do you keep shouting out 'seventy' and 'sixty nine'?"
"My reputation keeps changing! I've waited for seventy for months now, inching my way up there, 1/100th of a reputation point per post. Today I finally made it, but the reputation decider keeps changing its mind and putting me back to 69!!! AAARRRGH!"
This is my entry to @mariannewest's daily freewrite challenge. Today's prompt is muffled voice.
I thought that when my reputation on Hive finally hit 70, I would be able to fashion a post out of it. Well, earlier today I saw a big fat 70 on my posts, and I sat down to write that post about my big achievement. But no sooner had I begun to write than I saw that my reputation had gone back to 69! It keeps fluctuating between the two!
What is up with my reputation?
Oh this is clever!
My dad is spending the week in a nursing home (physical therapy, after a fall down the basement stairs). So we got to see him in this "home" with white-haired people shouting random weird things, and the dialogue you posted here is pitch-perfect (as usual).
Seventy! Took me a while to figure out what you meant. I'm a lowly 68. Should I care? LOL!
Niko. 'Set ethical boundaries.' Maybe he was giving you those words Stacey not because you need to set these boundaries but so that you could share those words with whoever needed to hear them.
You reminded me of a comedy routine I thought about trying if ever I were to attempt standup comedy.
Performance Review
I googled it and found no such thing as families doing PERFORMANCE REVIEWS of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives.
I was seeking the words to end this routine with the mother saying something really pithy, but I still have too many words: "You fired me? What a coincidence. I find your own performance worthy of an Oscar. Drama Queens, be gone, I have no further need of you." Too many words.
November 2021: Sister #2 is interred with Sister #1; Sister #3 gets the cancer diagnosis; six months later, all three sisters are sharing the one grave (#2 and #3 were cremated). Our dad is in stage 4 renal failure and prone to falls and likely to die sooner rather than later. And I get the "You're fired!" performance review from my middle child.
My lifelong conviction of "unconditional love" and forgiveness has been put to the test.
I've been reading Jay Shetty (Hindu podcaster/counselor) and Gesture of Balance: A Guide to Awareness, Self-Healing, & Meditation (Nyingma Psychology Series #2) by Tarthang Tulku - to no avail -
Also I have been paring and cooking apples from our tree (one box left in the garage, not keeping much longer). This fall of 2022 has had me at the sink with the apples, weeping in frustration and anger, keeping my hands busy but my heart as battered and bruised as can be. One more box of apples to go. I cook them for a few minutes with no sugar, no spices, nothing but some water to break the apples down into a palatable mush. Their own flavor is so pure an distinct, I don't even add cinnamon....
Your dad has renal failure? That is not good. I can't believe this rough patch you are in!!! It just keeps coming at you. And at all of you, middle child included. Has she cut out your parents as well? Awful!
What variety of apple is that? I want to plant a couple.
Jonadel, I believe (cross between Jonathon and Red Delicious) is the tree. Great flavor for cooking!
Yes, he's been in renal failure for several years now. Might still be Stage 3. Numbers. Who can remember. You can, but not me. :)
No, she hasn't cut off her grandparents - but for years she had written off the cousins as "toxic" and totally unnecessary to her well being or happiness. Recently she's been speaking to them again (the motherless cousins).
The level of "self absorbed" and judgmental and critical -
I could write a book, but I went outside instead and gathered another big paper bag full of praire flower seeds to give away. Person #4 will arrive today. Coneflower, bergamot, aster, goldenrod... come and get it....
That color change is really interesting! I wonder if the soil pH changed? Sounds good thx.
Keep moving; keep your hands moving; (I think I sent you this already, Stacey, and you, @myjob)
Hahah omg, the cursed numbers.... I have been waiting to hit 80 for ages and ages... How are you dear Owasco? I feel such joy everytime I manage to catch one of your posts... xxx
Just checked and I'm 78.229. The stupid downvotes to counter appreciator probs affect it. Not that it matters, I never actually look!
Possibly rounding errors ... you can go on https://hive-now.com/ to check if you are on the cusp (put on /@owasco at the end of that address if you don't come right up). I am on the cusp right now and some platforms round me up, and some don't...
The other thing: downvoting by people with higher reputations can knock you back a few hundredths of a point.
Thanks. I don't think I have received any downvotes for a long time, so it isn't that. Will go to that site and see what it says.
That says my reputation is 25.
😄😄😄
Try it this way: https://hive-now.com/@owasco
I did
OK ... that just says under latest posts, Reputation GREATER THAN 25... look over on the upper-left-hand side for your name...
Oh! I see it now. Thanks!!
😄😄😄 Hilarious! You deserve every point of your big, fat, round 70.
Thanks!!! I didn't care until it took me FOREVER to creep up from 69 to 70. There must have been at least 80 posts in between. Torture. And now the torture has gone full bore sadistic.
I went to the site @deeanndmathews gave you and it says my reputation is 25, too.
lol. Must not work unless your rep is over 70.
Try https://hive-now.com/@myjob -- sometimes you have to stick your name in at the end.
Lol, this is very clever. I love the twist there
Hahahaha I have a different reputation on each front end. I logged on the other day and my rep was -4 for a whole hour, was a glitch but a darn nasty one! I tried to figure out what I had done, then thankfully realized— nothing. It was all fine 😂
I love how you turned these odd numbers into a tale, very fun 😁