Do you have an arch-nemesis? Do certain people upset you just by the fact that they are alive? Do you find yourself in a social situation and come to the distinct conclusion that a certain person is ruining your social experience just by the mere fact that he or she is breathing the same air as you? No? Well, maybe it’s just me. I tend to be a little odd in that way. “That way”… hahaha… like that’s the only one! No — I’m odd in a multitude of ways. The topic of this post is, however, going to be my arch-nemesis.
I do not have a single arch-nemesis. No, I have the privilege of having several arch-nemeses. Yes — I had to look up the plural for nemesis, and yes — it is nemeses. Just because I didn’t know this does not make me less of a blogger. The fact that I’m admitting it may in fact mean that my grammar is derelict amongst the uppity-ups in the blogosphere, but that brings the point full circle to the purpose of this post. The uppity-ups are my arch-nemeses.
What do I mean by “uppity-ups”? One may think that an uppity-up is someone who looks down on others through some misconception that said someone has about being better than those he or she looks down on.
No.
My definition is based more on my feelings and how I think that person feels about their relative importance to society. I am most likely completely incorrect in my feelings and thinking, but this is how I judge someone’s arch-nemesis-worthiness.
Confused? Yeah, I may be too. Let me give an example.
Let’s pretend that last night I went to a choir concert. Let’s pretend that I was at said concert with the wife for the purpose of viewing my oldest son sing with the choir. Yes, he’s in the choir and no, he did not crash the concert in an attempt show off his singing ability. He is his mother’s son as much as he is mine. At this pretend concert, the wife and I enjoyed the experience and it was a fulfilling hour of musical entertainment.
Now, the pretend concert is over and my family and I are making our way from the auditorium to the parking lot. This is when I start to spot them: my arch-nemeses. First the shoe-store man and his wife. I know that this man is a zillionaire because, if you are buying shoes in the panhandle of Nebraska, most likely, you are buying them from him. Money is practically oozing out of this guy. He doesn’t have a clue as to who I am, because… why would he? Suddenly, it’s on! And up-up-and-awaaaayyyy goes my paranoid mind:
This guy probably thinks he is better than me. His wife think she is better than my wife. Their kid thinks he is better than my kid. Other people like Shoe-store Man’s family better than they like my family because the guy is a bazillionaire.
Other kids in school treat Shoe-store Man’s kid better than they treat my kid because Shoe-store Man is a quadrabazillionaire. Shoe-store Man’s kid is going to have a better, more successful life than my kid because my kid has me for a father instead of my arch-nemesis.
My kid hates me and secretly wants Shoe-Store Man to adopt him! My wife secretly desires an affair with Shoe-store Man because it is blatantly obvious that Shoe-store Man is a better provider for his family than I am. Shoe-store Man is like seven-foot tall and attractive… and I am at 5’7″, fat and ugly… and I really can’t blame my wife for wanting to leave me for Shoe-store Man. Shoe-store Man is destroying my family and robbing me of my life!
Shoe-store Man must DIE!!!
The wife asks if everything is okay.
“Are you kidding?!?” I seethe. “Do you see that SOB and his wife, acting all like their better than us and crap?”
“What are you talking about?” The concern in the wife’s voice is filtered out by the pure hatred in my soul.
“There,” I point, my entire body shaking as I try to aim my finger in the general direction of the shoe-store guy and his family.
“What about them?” asks the wife.
“They are ruining this for me!” I say through clenched teeth.
“What are they doing?” asks the wife.
“Can’t… can’t… can’t you see it?” I stammer. “They’re… he is… tall… their net worth… and the smug… she looks so…designer clothes… AAUGH (because I may actually turn into Charlie Brown when I’m upset) — THEY ARE RUINING THIS FOR ME!”
“I think you need to go to the car,” says the wife calmly. She has seen me like this before.
“I WILL!” I yell and then stomp off toward the parking lot once again. I glare at shoe-store guy until he is out of my sight.
‘Don’t think I don’t know who you are, Shoe-store Man,’ I whisper to myself. A small girl in pigtails with a lollipop in her mouth hears my whisper of rage and stares at me wide-eyed like I’m crazy. I growl at her and she looks away.
And as I am about to exit the building, I see him. A chiropractor, smiling as he mingles with the throbbing mass of after-concert crowd. A chiropractor whom I suspect to be a multi-quadrabazillionaire. The one who may very well be my arch-nemesis… The Chiropractor!
Hahaha… of course this is all an exaggeration (… or is it?). None of this really happened (… or did it?).
A mind is a terrible thing to waste, so I tend to use mine whenever possible… not always in the most productive ways, but I’m using it. I use it daily. I’m using my mind to sniff out my arch-nemeses…
Wow, I was thinking of taking your advice and going out more, to things like kids chiors. But now that I see how that whole ” find something to do away from the bar scene” is working so well for you, I may think twice about it.
Actaully, I just went to both of my girls Christmas plays a couple days ago, and that actually puts me in a good mood and makes me smile. However, I did find myself judging the other parants, as I always have, and most likely always will. Thing is ( and I think we both need to find a way to better understand this) they are just people like us, maybe more money, or higher social standing, etc, etc, but I bet they suffer through many struggles much like ourselves. When you really think about it, shoe guys wife is probably cheating on him, and he on her, and their kids hate them unless they buy them a bunch of expensive crap. Who knows what is really going on in their lives? And really, who cares, they are rich and will be hated by many for many reasons. Kinda makes me glad to be lower middle, or more like upper lower class. Yea, right! Ill take rich and hated, over poor and tolerated any day.
I THINK YOU NEED TO GO TO THE CAR!! Priceless.
Lee… honestly, I would never suggest that anyone ever take any of my rantings from this blog as advice. The fictional guy I wrote about is kinda sorta based on a real guy, and he is actually a really nice fellow. How funny would it have been if I made him out to be a really nice fellow?
No matter what troubles the wealthy have to go through, or how much they have similar problems to me… I guarantee that the troubles are a little less stressful knowing your family is financially taken care of 🙂
Oh, dont worry, I never have taken you seriously,,lol. I mean, I get what your doing here. Just doing the same.