Flacking update

Mormons have a distinctive cache of words-to-use-instead-of-swearing. Not all of them are unusual: Heck. Gosh. Darn. Jeez. Crap. But they also have a much bigger array of F-words: Flip. Fetch. Freck/Frack. Frap. Fard.

These are employed a LOT. Heck, I grew up thinking that everybody in Utah WANTS to swear more than average, because no matter how you say it, conversations that start with: "Crap! Fetching COW, JEEZ!" or "Shit! Fucking COW, Jesus!" are on the high-end of curse-tolerance for normal conversation anywhere.

Basically, I think Utah is packed full of pissed-off, quasi-cowboys, since nothing says cowboy like a triple assault of fake cursing.

I've been trying to clean up my use of swearing. It's a ridiculous legacy from when I was leaving Mormonism but hadn't quite wiped out the mock-sailor habits of the average Utahn... I tend to notice what I say and when curses are forthcoming much more than previously.

October, though...the month of October has forced me to suppress a big load of relentless Flips, Farks, Shizzes, and Bums.

To keep it real, and really brief:

• At the end of September, I started my FOURTH new job of 2010. I left the swoosh in June, and worked through a couple of contracts before I found interesting, challenging, satisfying work. I quit 2 jobs in a row to get here, which was difficult and a little daunting in this economy, but has (thus far) worked out for the best.
• In the middle of October, right after starting job #4, I took my 3-year-old with me to Utah to provide a couple of weeks of in-home care for my 78-year-old mother following hip surgery. I used some of my time to provide round-the-clock nursing, clean, and cook 1-person meals for mom, and a little bit of my time to provide a modicum of relief for my 30-year-old niece who has essentially taken over all the household duties for her family since my sister (her mom) died.

 (I just want to interject a thought here: I think the majority of my family spent the years prior to 2009 facing down SMALL problems, and that 2009-10 has proven that we were accumulating some bank before a tidal wave of CRAZY-BUM problems. It's pretty tough to be incredible and awesome and selfless when life hands you cancer, death, financial woes, and other miscellaneous problems without letting up. So for next year, I'd like to believe that the karmic wheel is on the way off of our crushed bodies for a good, long while.)

• Anyway I spent a sort-of crushing time in Utah trying to be helpful and not getting much sleep. Then I rushed home to start up being awesome at my new job. I got home Tuesday night late and returned to work Wednesday.
• Mid-day on Thursday, I collapsed and passed out at work in tremendous pain. Was rushed away in an ambulance. Diagnosis: full gall duct blockage and bile overflow. Emergency surgery. Ow ow ow ow ow!

 So today I'm waving my white flipping flag. I really think: enough, enough, farking, ENOUGH!!!