h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What you have to realize is that only a woman can do the laundry, cook dinner, schedule dental appointments, take care of the kids, and clean the house all at the same time (probably more things too, but I don't have time to be typing this one post all day long- I'm a woman and have work I need to do ) - granted, no matter how much time you devote to each thing on that list, the work is never done - even when you think it is, it's time to start all over again.

I've been known to do the first three things
at the same time. The last two are relevant
here because (a.) there are no kids here to
take care of, and (b.) cleaning house is not an
option; when my house gets dirty enough, I'll
just move and let the cleaning be somebody
else's problem (and therefore invisible).

Sorry, I meant that the last two
things are *not* relevant. Unless
you consider my goldfish to be children....

See? I told you women can do more things at one time - it's because we have no choice!

It's also probably genetic.
The women who couldn't do those things
all at once lost babies, undercooked
the pork chops, and/or left the raw
meat in the hot sun too long (Ick!
Germs! ).

I might add one little thing, though:
Many of the women I work with are
doing all those things, plus holding
down jobs. I don't know how they avoid
total collapse....

Granted, some women do have more stamina than others...

I know it didn't go well when I worked outside the home, but then I generally worked retail stores, which meant standing on not just my feet but high heels, because this was a ritzy store and you had to dress up for work. I didn't have kids in those years, but all that standing/walking really wiped me out, and my feet complained a lot in those days.

Mum tried to work as well as look after home and got ME. Then some fatigue syndrome thing. Then arthritis...so she retired.

But yeah, mums do a lot I guess

hmmm I don't ever remember my mom not working outside the home.....and as my family is like this...I don't forsee her stopping until well she can't anymore

Donald

My mother worked part-time in the town library,
which happened to be two blocks from our home.
She worked most evenings, but my father was always
home by then, so my siblings were not unsupervised.
At one point, our grandmother also lived with us.

Moreover, the town library was halfway between my
school and our house. If I walked home from school,
I could stop at the library on the way. We all knew
where everybody was.

Sounds like you had a good situation then.

My Mom didn't work outside of home until we were all in school, then she started voluteering *at* school ... in the cafeteria and library. Back then, she'd ride her bike there ... a good 5 miles! When we were even older (and she had her own car), she started voluteering at a preschool for mentally and emotionally disabled kids. She loved it, and went on to be a paid assistant teacher. She hated to leave that job when my Dad retired, but they couldn't afford to live on Long Island after that, and moved upstate.

I lived in a rabbit hole with my two sisters.
Mother always warned us not to go into Farmer
McGregor's garden, because he grew bio-engineered
vegetables. I disobeyed her, and gorged on Farmer
McGregor's carrots, until I started sprouting
extra legs and turning green, and then purple.
I ran all the way home, and mother gave
me chamomile tea and put me to bed without any
supper. But I could hear mom and my sisters laughing
their butts off because I looked so .
It all wore off in a week, though.

Moral: Stay away from Farmer McGregor's garden,
even if your mom works there.

Well that sparked some comment.
It was something I discussed on the phone with my son as I peeled the veg, sorted the washing, made a shopping list, washed a plate, fed the dog, hoovered the carpet and straightened a picture. Our conclusiobn was there may be some truth in the notion that only women can multi-task.

Now if you'd added in the necessity of scrubbing the kitchen floor, cleaning the refrigerator, steaming the carpet, and anticipating what everyone in the house would like for dinner and lunch the next day (as we all know they can't agree on the same thing), plus chauffering the kids to assorted practices, helping with homework and coordinating the cable repairman's service call with the plumber's service call, while nursing the colicky baby, all while remaining serene and endeavoring to stay as beautiful as the day you got married - there you'll have some idea what a woman's life is like.

All in a day's work.

well how about this I can take over the world and post on h2g2 while still taking care of any outages and telephone calls coming in

()

You are all conspiring to make me feel inadequate.
True, I may be inadequate, but I'm usually able
to forget that I am.

Besides, I sense that Lady Scott is not multi-tasking
while she's online posting her messages. I, on the
other hand, am able to eat popcorn and/or chocolates,
listen for the microwave timer to ding, and post on
H2G2 at the same time. That's all any sane person
(not that I am sane) needs to be able to do...

Of course I'm multi-tasking when I'm online...

I'm breathing, my heart is beating, sometimes I'm eating, cooking, doing laundry (like right now), answering phone calls, planning dinner, answering the doorbell, waiting for the mail, reading and answering email, posting on h2g2, chatting on IM (often with more than one person), and sometimes watching TV.

Not much, just the usual stuff.

Which explains why I'm so insane!

.... And apparently can't spell either....


Just back from errands, put the groceries away, started another load of laundry, had a lucious lunch of freshly nuked Sweet Dumpling Squash with cinnamon and almonds (while I was posting of course), and now I'm off to do more errands.




*stops*

Ok, I'll go ahead and say it so you won't have to - I'm *always* off.

s again

What is sweet dumpling squash?
If you serve it with corn, is it a good meal for
squashbuckling buckanears?

All punning aside, I'd never seen these little squashes before, and when the directions on them said they were sweet enough that you didn't need to sweeten them and gave microwave directions, I said to myself "Self, that looks like lunch." And so it was.