Friday, August 06, 2004

The Fine Art of Flattery

I'll preface this anecdote by saying that I am really untalented at receiving compliments. I'm not too good at delivering them either. I don't like brown-nosing, and I am particularly bad at it. The upside is that if I say I like something, I am telling the truth. The downside is as follows:

The other day, when I dropped my kids off at their daycare/school, another mom came up to me and said, "Your girls are so beautiful. I always see them when they're eating their snacks and they are so ladylike." Instead of saying "thank you" like any normal person, I said, "they must get it from their dad," which prompted the lady to assure me that I was probably very ladylike, and that my husband was probably very manly. She didn't laugh (which was my intention), she felt sorry for me that I had such low self-esteem.

Arrrrrgh!! Why do I do it? I always end up putting myself in these situations. I must be a masochist. Why can't I just enjoy being tied to a bedpost instead of tying myself up in public?

This certainly isn't the worst situation I've ever put myself in. It's just an example of the idiotic things that come out of my mouth on a day to day basis that make it look as if I were filled with self-loathing. I don't have low self-esteem. I don't fish for compliments (except from Jethro). I just have a weird sense of humor.

I'm through torturing myself. I'm going to go jump off a cliff.

7 comments:

jp said...

I voted for you in all 3 categories on j5's site. ;O)

Traci Dolan said...

I said I would rather sleep with you than the other girls... ummm, hope that is okay. Anyway, I do the same thing with the humor and everyone feels sorry for me but I just like saying things that shock people or I think are funny and end up falling on my face. No cliff diving for me though, I'm afraid of heights.

Zelda said...

Thanks JP. I voted that I would like to sleep with myself, since I know how to do it and all. I also, in a moment of self-loathing, voted to throw myself off a cliff pushing my percentage higher than is good for my self-esteem. I'll live though.

Inanna, thanks a mil for the favor. I would return it if I were a man. Oh hell, come visit and I may return it anyway. Just kidding. Or am I?

Turf said...

i hate when people dont get the joke... stupid people... kill them all. if you dont get then you should be shot.

Zelda said...

I don't hate them, I just have a hard time slowing down the wheels of my mind enough to exchange pleasantries.

KA said...

Zelda, sorry to break in on this post with something unrelated - but I like your blog. Ran across it when someone mentioned that you'd mentioned my http://pissedoffhusband.blogspot.com a while ago. Thinking about it today - from my post:

"I'm also glad to know that there's a new generation of married people, in their twenties, who understand this - one of them, Zelda at SleepingUgly (see Sunday, July 11, 2004) cited Pissed Off Husband the other day, as an example of what she tries to avoid in her relationship, and jolly good for her. (Zelda, by the way, has wit and humor and a practical common sense that not so many bloggers have; check it out.)"

Zelda said...

Wow. And here I was saying that I don't know how to take compliments. This must be a test. I am determined to pass.

Thank You. Very much.