Friday, September 15, 2006

d-day

... was yesterday.

I am now a free woman.

It was a near thing, though. My thrice-accursed lawyer forgot my file. He claimed there were two files on his desk, with similar names, and he grabbed the wrong one. I gritted my teeth and restrained myself from ripping his liver out, and he asked the judge for a recess while he went back and fetched my documents.

The judge signed. I have a certified copy of the decree. We all breathed a sigh of relief, although I confess that I felt a bit sick and wrung-out afterwards, from the release of tension and the adrenaline-drain. I bought a deep-dish pizza, a piece of key-lime pie, and a bottle of sparkling grape juice, went home to my parents' house, and binged. Then I took a hot bath, read a book on 19th-century American life, went to bed early and slept like the dead for nine hours.

Today I feel a bit lighter (well, the pizza is kind of weighing me down, but it was worth it). Still a bit disoriented and frustrated, as I am yet without permanent lodgings, but we shall take care of that very shortly. I am wearing my new silk skirt and intend to go shoe-shopping over lunch. Things are looking to improve rapidly.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

putting one's problems in perspective

The struggles of a Turkish-immigrant lawyer in Germany.

A more optimistic follow-up on the same subject.

So how does individuality suddenly awaken out of a collective? God only knows. They say it takes three years for those poor outcast polygamist Mormon kids to get a grip on the outside world, to realize that they're not in hell and the "sinners" they encounter are not going to eat them alive.

I'd say that's about right. I'm still trying to shake off the programming, and the environment I came from was not nearly as repressive as some. For instance, they haven't attempted any interventions or exorcisms, and they are still speaking to me, albeit through some strain.

Y'all may be relieved to know that I am relocated to a friend's house for a short time. Will be moving again soon. On top of everything else, work is crazy-stressful right now. Not much time for creative things, but it'll pay off in the long run.