Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Good Girl?

Yes, I am overweight.

Yes, I am diabetic.

Yes, I am trying to loose weight by being more diligent about what I'm eating and by sweating my ass off on my elliptical machine 45 minutes a day at least 6 days a week.

I don't hide or ignore the fact that any of these statements are true. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not (Note to all the other fat girls out there: If you have a roll of fat around your middle so pronounced that it actually hangs over the waistband of your pants, PLEASE do not wear a belly shirt. It's NOT attractive. We thank you in advance for your attention to this.). The fact that the above statements are true, though, does not give you the right to patronize me. If you patronize me, you'll only end up pissing me off.

Here's how the scene unfolded this past Friday...

The new department that I'm in (By the way, I got a new job. Never fear, I'm still at the Casa de Insurance, just in a different department, but more on that in another post.) was gearing up for one of the infamous 'Casa de Insurance department reorganizations' (i.e. everyone was moving to a new desk), which was fine with me because I'd been here almost two weeks and was still sitting in a temporary desk. Management knew this was going to be a completely unproductive day, so they decided to show their appreciation for our understanding by buying us lunch. Pizza was to be delivered at noon. It's always either pizza or bagels with these people, which makes it surprising that our asses aren't permanently wedged into our chairs.

A new job in a new department means that I'm no longer directly across the aisle from Right-Wing-Conservative-Girl (henceforth known as RWCG) - YAY!! BUT, a new job in a new department means that RWCG is on the Casa de Insurance-approved instant messenger program to me FIRST THING EVERY MORNING - BOO!!. The conversation last Friday morning went something like this...

RWCG: Good Morning! How was your evening?
Me: It was okay... just the normal stuff.
RWCG: Good! Are you eating lunch with us today in the cafeteria, or staying at your desk since they're delivering pizza down there? (Side note: Lunch is a very big thing around here. It's almost like a social event, which is irritating. Sometimes I just don't feel like eating lunch with the crowd, but you always have to come up with an excuse. I spend gross amounts of money at Wal-Mart, because it's close and 'I need to pick up something at Wal-Mart' is a good excuse for getting out of the building at lunch time.)
Me: No, I'm not eating the pizza. I brought a big salad from home - trying to watch what I'm eating since I'm getting back on track with everything.
RWCG: Good girl!

Okay, back the truck up, Nellie. "Good girl!"? What the hell is that? I wanted to say, "Pardon me, but I'm not 10 years old and I'm not a dog." I wanted to say, "Do you really think that's encouraging? Because if you want to know the truth, it's not. It's irritating and condescending and rude" but I didn't, because I knew at that moment there was nothing I could type that would come out well, that wouldn't tell her exactly where she could go and how quickly she could go there, and because sometimes you have to choose your battles, especially when you see the person daily, and especially when you sit directly behind their boyfriend in the new department that you've moved to. Instead, I said nothing, shut down the instant messenger, and ate lunch at the big cafeteria table with RWCG and all the other ladies that are the lunchtime regulars.

Good girl? Screw you.

7 comments:

Twyla said...

First off, I have to say that it's AWESOME that you do the elliptical that much. I honestly can't go more than 12 minutes and I feel like I'm going to die.
As for RWCG, you should find some way to call her a 'good girl' too, just to see her reaction.

Twyla said...

Btw...I've tagged you. :-)

Anonymous said...

The next time she talks about her horrible child, you should comment on her parenting skills and end with, "Good girl!" and a thumbs-up.

T. Paulina said...

what a total maroon! sorry babe... there's so many idiots in the world!

Crunchy said...

Okay...ellitpical 45 minutes a day, 6 days a week? Damn. Go Ruth! I so could not do it. I tried 5 minutes on an eliptical and I think I made it all of 3 swings each way before I fell over and died, gasping for breath.
Sweetie, you've always been beautiful. JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.
RWCG...what an idiot. She's making ME nuts and I'm 1200 miles away.

Ruth said...

The first time I got on the elliptical I think I did 5 minutes and was sure I was going to die. The next time, I think I doubled it to 10 and practically threw up when I got off. I was sure we'd made a HUGE mistake buying it, and was looking for the paperwork to return it. But I kept at it, and now here I am 7 months later. You'd be amazed at how quickly you get used to it. It is definitely a work-out, though!

Twyla said...

I bought my elliptical back in Feb. and about a month ago, I broke the freakin' thing. I was about 5 minutes in and the bolt holding the pedal thing on, snapped in half. Holy crap...it scared me. Then I was pissed because I'd just bought the thing. And of course I don't have the receipt. It's in my storage room right now, collecting dust. I'm looking for a bolt to replace that one. Word to the wise...never buy cheap exercise equipment.