Dear So and So

[Owlie]

Dear boyfriend:
I get that you've been riding longer than I have. However, just because you have never experienced these problems does not mean that I'm "doing it wrong" or that "it's supposed to be like that and [I'm] not used to it yet." You lack a few of the parts involved, for one thing. I know my body better than you do, thanks very much.
I think your "helpful adjustments" have created more problems than they've solved. I'll take the arm soreness over mashed girly bits, and the hip pain is not from pedaling too hard. I know what that feels like. This is due to overstretching thanks to your overzealous seatpost adjustment. (Okay, that was partly my fault.) I now need to go put my saddle back where it was.

[jelee1311]

I feel your pain -literally still can't find the right saddle some days I have doubts about the man too. Hang in there I have faith that if they can put a man on the moon ,that someday they will make a saddle to fit me.

[Trek420]

Dear neighbors,

I think it's grand that you walk with your kids to school. I applaud you for herding a half dozen or so kids to the elementary, then the middle school in a group.

It's just when you all walk right smack down the center of the street dontcha think that's not a good habit to teach the children? Do you see me smacking my head, stopping the car and waiting of course, then smiling and pointing to the side walk?

And I see you with no reaction to that whatsoever.

I know, I know, I need to bike to work so we can really have this discussion out from behind the window.

[Owlie]

The big problem is that the reach on my bike is a hair too long, so until I can get a proper fitting and a new stem (or change the angle on my adjustable stem, but I'm not exactly amenable to that), I tweaked the saddle position earlier this summer. While it does put more weight on my arms because it stretches me out a bit more, the parts are happy. He's trying to compensate for the reach. This results in pain.

[indysteel]

Dear Dr. Orthodontist:

I'm tired of dealing with your office. I want my braces off like yesterday. We're going on three years now. The fact that your office hours are now so limited--meaning that I have to take off work to stick with the treatment plan--is really p*ssing me off.

Just a little back story. My ortho has two offices, one on the north and one on the southside of town. When I first started with my braces, they didn't need to see me all that often, so scheduling wasn't a huge headache. A year into my treatment, a new doctor joined the southside office with the idea that he would buy the practice from him in time. Once he joined, they offered expanded hours, including early mornings. The timing was really fortunate, because we had reached a point in my treatment where I needed to be seen much more often. Over the next year, things were great, as I had a standing 7:30 a.m. appointment every two weeks.

Then, out of nowhere, the new doctor and all of his staff disappeared. I don't know why or what happened, but when I showed up for an August appointment, all the old people were there and all the new were gone. Without explanation. It sort of freaked me out, especially since I liked the new doctor and staff better.

But that also means that the old doctor is back to limited hours at the soutside location. I really try to avoid having to go in the middle of the day. For one thing, I have a job. For another, the office is in between my house and my office. He's only at the southside office a day or two a week, so if I can't make it that day, it totally screws me up.

So, when it became apparent today that they had few appointments, I sort of lost it. I'm tired of the braces as it is, but not they've become an even bigger pain in the butt. I'm done paying for them, so the thought of taking my file and finding a new doctor isn't appealing either. It's like I'm a hostage.

Ugh.

[redrhodie]

Dear Indysteel,

Once you get them off, your teeth will want to slide back to their old position, so maybe a little extra time in the braces might be better for your alignment in the long run. I got my braces off when I was 25 after wearing them for 3 years, and I still wear my retainer every night (I'm 43). My teeth still moved, even with all my diligence.

But boy, was that first baguette after the braces came off good!

[indysteel]

I'm actually generally pretty Zen about the length of treatment assuming it means a more stable result. I'm just frustrated by the office situation. Having so few office hours just makes it more difficult for me across the board, and they're busier when I AM there, so I get less attention.

[Owlie]

Dearest boyfriend:
Where do I start? I realize you have work to do, and I have nothing to do but study for the GRE, cook, and clean. BUT. You've said it yourself: You live here, and it's not fair on me to have to do everything. I see precious little evidence of you acting on this. I can't even persuade you to take the trash out yourself or move your stuff so I can clean under it. I'm a little sick of asking you to do X, having you answer "Okay! Give me a minute"...and it never gets done. You're out $30 because you didn't return the splitter that's been sitting in the living room for a month. And I'm tired of using your computer or going to Starbucks to use the internet. You've been saying for a month that you'll be ordering the router.
One more thing: If you're going to sleep in my bed, I'd appreciate it if you didn't scoot to the middle and then do impressions of starfish. I'm in your room, minus my comforter. It's freezing in here.

[Catrin]

Dear Hamstring,

What is up with your recent behavior? As soon as you started complaining and asking for attention I started taking it easy on the bike and in spinning class. Even dropped the exercises at the gym that focuses on you. I have been babying you, and how do you choose to act? You wake me up in the middle of the night complaining further. Please cease and desist this activity now, I really would like to have a nice hilly ride this weekend in a beautiful state forest rather than a gentle spin in wind-swept cornfields

PS - I know my quads and core muscles are very tight and am working with that, so be please be patient...

[Owlie]

Dear wireless internet:
I love you. That is all.

[jessmarimba]

Dear Kitchen:
Please clean yourself, or you will be outsourced to taco bell. Thanks.

[Catrin]

Dear Apartment,

I am moving out in 3.5 weeks, and just learned that my work schedule will also be insane for the next 5 weeks. Please help me out by helping me pack - and anything else you can think of that will help me depart from you. I am sure that your next inhabitant will be home more than I...

[indysteel]

Dear Apartment,

I am moving out in 3.5 weeks, and just learned that my work schedule will also be insane for the next 5 weeks. Please help me out by helping me pack - and anything else you can think of that will help me depart from you. I am sure that your next inhabitant will be home more than I...

Ugh; I hate packing and moving. Do you have a lot of stuff?

[Catrin]

Ugh; I hate packing and moving. Do you have a lot of stuff?

I probably don't have as much furniture as most people do, and I have actively been thinning out other things as much as I can so I don't have so much to move. It is just that my job is intense enough right now, that the move is just going to increase my stress that much more - but it is only for a short time. The new apartment really is nicer, and I will be able to ride from home after I move - a great improvement

[emily_in_nc]

Dear Kitchen:
Please clean yourself, or you will be outsourced to taco bell. Thanks.

Thanks for the laugh! Good one!