Parlor Spider...Step In, Little Fly

Insightful thoughts and/or rants from atop the soapbox from one who wishes to share the "right" opinion with everyone.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Of Pins and Needles

I would never want to be a yogi: aren't they those guys who lie on beds of sharpened nails, purporting to use mental power not to experience pain? At any rate, the expression that involves to be waiting "on pins and needles" (or "needles and pins")makes little sense to me. Expecting something to happen at any time and being excited/nervous/anxious about it would seem to be the meaning ascribed to the expression. "On tenterhooks" is said to have the same connotation...but it sounds a LOT more painful. I imagine it to be like some of the Sioux manhood rituals portrayed in movies. Anyway, here's how it all affects me:
We are awaiting the imminent arrival of a granddaughter: the first among our immediate descendents. There have been quizzes over doctor's reports and allusions to "that crazy baby" as well as sleepless nights and the typical cravings...and that's just the grandparents-to be! So, when the phone rang at 7 a.m. this morning, I leaped (well, staggered groggily) to get is, sure that the endgame was in progress. I mean, who the hell calls at 7 in the morning? A call from the police would be in the middle of the night, and an exultant hurrah from my friend Mark to recite his winning lottery numbers could surely wait until at least, say, 8. So, it was with great anticipation that I grabbed the blower (to use a Kinky Friedman expression).
Typical of many births, it was a false alarm. In fact, it had nothing to do with the upcoming (or outcoming) of the child.
Another daughter-in-law was running her first organized 10k in a different time zone, and she wanted to know why she'd gotten only two safety pins for her number when there were clearly four holes to attach said number. A brief discussion followed concerning the efficacy of four pins over two pins, and she went off to find more pins. Of course, in a race that used a timing chip, using paper numbers seemed a bit redundant and wasteful to me. Of course, after a rigorous training schedul over the last three months, she was understandably concerned that everything was just right.
However, the rest of the day passed quietly. I'll get out the pointy things tonight just before I go to bed so I can practice my yogi impression and continue to wait.

1 Comments:

At 6:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

the joys of not-so-patiently waiting for a baby. how exciting.

 

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