A Certain Age

I'm reading A Certain Age by Tama Janowitz. It's depressing. At 32, the protagonist, Florence, is losing it, seeking a wealthy man at all costs. It disturbs me. I'm equally disturbed by my own life's disruptions. I know how disruptive age-related concerns can be.

I had another frustrating call with a service representative this morning. I can imagine it is a tough job, but a polite and positive tone would go a long way to improving communications. Why do people have to make it so hard for other people? Do they get their kicks this way? It is some weird power play.

E has been at a department meeting all day. It is running late, so he won't be home anytime soon. He'll be bringing his daughter to Karate before coming home. His daughter, like his son before her, is somewhat jealous of A. She asked E to prevent A from knocking on her door and asking to come into her room because it "bothers" her. A has done this maybe 2 times since we moved in last week. E's kids are not the kindest souls. They have a hard time considering other people's feelings. I find this problematic, but E seems to think it is perfectly okay. This may well lead to a lot of problems. I'm trying not to get too defensive on A's behalf, but really, a little girl wants to say hi to her older step-sibling, what's the big deal? A spends most of her time drawing in her room while E's kids watch TV or their iPods. I spent the day with her today, going to the library, reading, drawing, and talking. She's a far easier child to entertain than his are. I hope she won't be adversely affected by E's kids bad habits. I'd like to help change those bad habits, but that won't likely go over well with anyone, so I'll just focus on A.