x-no-archive: yes

I'm not sure what it means. I guess I was never able to
impress him with the level of pathology in my life.

When I got back from Kazakhstan, I thought for sure that I
had a story to tell him. Another couple and Kristina and I
with our children had negotiated a fare with a cab driver
for a ride to a restaurant. 400 tenge--100 more than the
going rate, but we decided, what the hell.

So he takes us to the wrong place. We observe this. He
ponders. He realizes where we want to go (or we think he
does), and he announces he'll take us there. But the fare
will now be 500 tenge.

He takes us there. I extend a 500 tenge bill to him. He
says, "One thousand tenge!"

I say, "No!" and slam the bill down on his dash. He says,
"This is a matter for the police!" I register the fact that
this is an interesting locution, coming from a man who has
not otherwise impressed us with his English, but I don't
dwell on that. Instead, I say, "Call the police!" And to
my wife and the couple in the backseat I say, "Get out of
the car."

They comply. I slam the car doors shut as hard as I can. I
look back at the cab driver from the steps to the
restaurant, and he's making the international sign for
"you're nuts"--making a circular motion at his temple with
his index finger.

This, I figure, for sure will impress my therapist with my
anger management problem. My wife, afterall, had told me
later that it had been scary.

No such luck.

"How long did it last," he wants to know.

"I don't know. It was over as soon as we went in." I mean,
it *was* over, already.

He spends the next five minutes explaining to me how my
behavior, if not a rational reaction to circumstances, was
at least an understandable one, considering.

That's always been the way it is with him. I detail some
scene, and he tells me, basically, "Eh...that's life. No
big deal."

I guess what it means is that the level of aggression and
general mayhem in my life is "standard," in some sense.

At the end of the last session, he told me he thought we
could get by on half hour sessions.

I suppose that's true. I went there because I want to be a
better person. I don't want the level of aggression and
anger in my life that's there now to remain there.

But I don't think therapy is set up to make you a better
person. Maybe they have more important things to do.

I dunno.

"I don't know. It was over as soon as we went in." I mean, it *was*
over, already.

At the end of the last session, he told me he thought we could get by on
half hour sessions.

I suppose that's true. I went there because I want to be a better person.
I don't want the level of aggression and anger in my life that's there now
to remain there.

But I don't think therapy is set up to make you a better person. Maybe
they have more important things to do.

I dunno.

x-no-archive: yes

I'm not sure what it means. I guess I was never able to impress him with
the level of pathology in my life.

When I got back from Kazakhstan, I thought for sure that I had a story to
tell him. Another couple and Kristina and I with our children had
negotiated a fare with a cab driver for a ride to a restaurant. 400
tenge--100 more than the going rate, but we decided, what the hell.

So he takes us to the wrong place. We observe this. He ponders. He
realizes where we want to go (or we think he does), and he announces he'll
take us there. But the fare will now be 500 tenge.

He takes us there. I extend a 500 tenge bill to him. He says, "One
thousand tenge!"

I say, "No!" and slam the bill down on his dash. He says, "This is a matter
for the police!" I register the fact that this is an interesting locution,
coming from a man who has not otherwise impressed us with his English, but I
don't dwell on that. Instead, I say, "Call the police!" And to my wife and
the couple in the backseat I say, "Get out of the car."

They comply. I slam the car doors shut as hard as I can. I look back at
the cab driver from the steps to the restaurant, and he's making the
international sign for "you're nuts"--making a circular motion at his temple
with his index finger.

This, I figure, for sure will impress my therapist with my anger management
problem. My wife, afterall, had told me later that it had been scary.

No such luck.

"How long did it last," he wants to know.

"I don't know. It was over as soon as we went in." I mean, it *was* over,
already.

He spends the next five minutes explaining to me how my behavior, if not a
rational reaction to circumstances, was at least an understandable one,
considering.

That's always been the way it is with him. I detail some scene, and he
tells me, basically, "Eh...that's life. No big deal."

I guess what it means is that the level of aggression and general mayhem in
my life is "standard," in some sense.

At the end of the last session, he told me he thought we could get by on
half hour sessions.

I suppose that's true. I went there because I want to be a better person.
I don't want the level of aggression and anger in my life that's there now
to remain there.

But I don't think therapy is set up to make you a better person. Maybe they
have more important things to do.

I dunno.

x-no-archive: yes

I'm not sure what it means. I guess I was never able to impress him with
the level of pathology in my life.

When I got back from Kazakhstan, I thought for sure that I had a story to
tell him. Another couple and Kristina and I with our children had
negotiated a fare with a cab driver for a ride to a restaurant. 400
tenge--100 more than the going rate, but we decided, what the hell.

So he takes us to the wrong place. We observe this. He ponders. He
realizes where we want to go (or we think he does), and he announces he'll
take us there. But the fare will now be 500 tenge.

He takes us there. I extend a 500 tenge bill to him. He says, "One
thousand tenge!"

I say, "No!" and slam the bill down on his dash. He says, "This is a matter
for the police!" I register the fact that this is an interesting locution,
coming from a man who has not otherwise impressed us with his English, but I
don't dwell on that. Instead, I say, "Call the police!" And to my wife and
the couple in the backseat I say, "Get out of the car."

They comply. I slam the car doors shut as hard as I can. I look back at
the cab driver from the steps to the restaurant, and he's making the
international sign for "you're nuts"--making a circular motion at his temple
with his index finger.

This, I figure, for sure will impress my therapist with my anger management
problem. My wife, afterall, had told me later that it had been scary.

No such luck.

"How long did it last," he wants to know.

"I don't know. It was over as soon as we went in." I mean, it *was* over,
already.

He spends the next five minutes explaining to me how my behavior, if not a
rational reaction to circumstances, was at least an understandable one,
considering.

That's always been the way it is with him. I detail some scene, and he
tells me, basically, "Eh...that's life. No big deal."

I guess what it means is that the level of aggression and general mayhem in
my life is "standard," in some sense.

At the end of the last session, he told me he thought we could get by on
half hour sessions.

I suppose that's true. I went there because I want to be a better person.
I don't want the level of aggression and anger in my life that's there now
to remain there.

But I don't think therapy is set up to make you a better person. Maybe they
have more important things to do.

I dunno.