I could relate to almost everything in this essay. I continually think about how I can avoid self-inflicting more boring problems in my life, and I haven't found the answer yet. I so appreciated being able to laugh at YOUR boring problems. Thank you!
I needed this today. As always, thanks for writing and sharing, Tim. I marvel at your ability to distill so much of what seems amorphous and diaphanous in my mind.
Just dropping in here to say thank you for this. I'm always so delighted when an essay of yours arrives in my in-box. Your work is consistently some of the wisest and most engaging that I see. Thank you. Always a real pleasure to read.
I recently wrote a vehemently horrific letter to my apartment management company, as I’d finally had enough of their egregious bullshit, used my Dr title (not a thing I generally do), pdf’d it, and cc’d my home-owners association. I care zero percent whether this outs me as a crazy middle-aged lady (it does) or whether this is the most boring problem I’ve heard of in years (it is; I still told _everyone_), as I can confirm that hitting send felt better than any drug I’ve ever tried. They have not replied 🙃
Hilarious! I just finished a huge, long and drawn out renovation of a house built in 1895. Everything you wrote resonated--especially the SHOWER CURTAIN ROD-- and the details you shared were so typical of the BORING problems we encountered. I could go on and on about the problems (and boring decisions we had to make) but it would be...too boring. Everything came crashing down, however, when in the midst of our complicated renovation my daughter was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of cancer. Suddenly all of those problems with the renovation--as awful as they were--seemed negligible and of no consequence compared to the REAL challenge we were facing. Your writing made me recollect the horror of the renovation and marvel at how we were actually able to get through it amidst our other challenge. Thanks for making me (and my husband) laugh.
Your comment resonated with me! I was 10 months deep in a post-pipe-rupture home renovation when my 67-year old mother was hit by a truck while in a crosswalk 5 days before Christmas. We are now her primary caregivers. Life took a turn. I am yearning for boring problems. Absolutely loved this piece. Found it when I woke up this morning. Re-reading as I get ready for bed.
As a counterpoint to your contention that addiction is boring, I'm reminded of something said by comedian Mark Maron (a recovering heroin addict): "People who have never been addicted to anything will never know what it’s like to want something really, REALLY badly, and then get it… over and over again." (I'm quoting from memory here, so it might not be totally accurate.)
I’m having work done in my home right now, so your latest salvo quite resonated. Home renovations are something we learn about through trial and error, not to mention by burning through the greenbacks. The biggest lesson I learned from redoing my kitchen a few years ago was to hire an actual design studio when it came time to do the master bath: you pay more but it’s their job to make sure you achieve a good result, and the day-to-day aggravations of deadlines, deliveries, damages, and work schedules are theirs, not yours, to bear. My new bathroom is comparable to the baths at Caracalla and like that ancient site, may outlast this mere mortal who picked the tile and wrote the checks.
You are the best and funniest writer I know. I read everything I see from you. Laughing out loud multiple times during this delightful, hilarious piece. THANK YOU, Tim Kreider!
I could relate to almost everything in this essay. I continually think about how I can avoid self-inflicting more boring problems in my life, and I haven't found the answer yet. I so appreciated being able to laugh at YOUR boring problems. Thank you!
I needed this today. As always, thanks for writing and sharing, Tim. I marvel at your ability to distill so much of what seems amorphous and diaphanous in my mind.
Just dropping in here to say thank you for this. I'm always so delighted when an essay of yours arrives in my in-box. Your work is consistently some of the wisest and most engaging that I see. Thank you. Always a real pleasure to read.
I recently wrote a vehemently horrific letter to my apartment management company, as I’d finally had enough of their egregious bullshit, used my Dr title (not a thing I generally do), pdf’d it, and cc’d my home-owners association. I care zero percent whether this outs me as a crazy middle-aged lady (it does) or whether this is the most boring problem I’ve heard of in years (it is; I still told _everyone_), as I can confirm that hitting send felt better than any drug I’ve ever tried. They have not replied 🙃
An early nomination for all the inevitable “best pieces of 2024” end of year lists. Tremendous.
Hilarious! I just finished a huge, long and drawn out renovation of a house built in 1895. Everything you wrote resonated--especially the SHOWER CURTAIN ROD-- and the details you shared were so typical of the BORING problems we encountered. I could go on and on about the problems (and boring decisions we had to make) but it would be...too boring. Everything came crashing down, however, when in the midst of our complicated renovation my daughter was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of cancer. Suddenly all of those problems with the renovation--as awful as they were--seemed negligible and of no consequence compared to the REAL challenge we were facing. Your writing made me recollect the horror of the renovation and marvel at how we were actually able to get through it amidst our other challenge. Thanks for making me (and my husband) laugh.
Your comment resonated with me! I was 10 months deep in a post-pipe-rupture home renovation when my 67-year old mother was hit by a truck while in a crosswalk 5 days before Christmas. We are now her primary caregivers. Life took a turn. I am yearning for boring problems. Absolutely loved this piece. Found it when I woke up this morning. Re-reading as I get ready for bed.
As a counterpoint to your contention that addiction is boring, I'm reminded of something said by comedian Mark Maron (a recovering heroin addict): "People who have never been addicted to anything will never know what it’s like to want something really, REALLY badly, and then get it… over and over again." (I'm quoting from memory here, so it might not be totally accurate.)
I’m having work done in my home right now, so your latest salvo quite resonated. Home renovations are something we learn about through trial and error, not to mention by burning through the greenbacks. The biggest lesson I learned from redoing my kitchen a few years ago was to hire an actual design studio when it came time to do the master bath: you pay more but it’s their job to make sure you achieve a good result, and the day-to-day aggravations of deadlines, deliveries, damages, and work schedules are theirs, not yours, to bear. My new bathroom is comparable to the baths at Caracalla and like that ancient site, may outlast this mere mortal who picked the tile and wrote the checks.
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/07/archaeologists-uncover-roman-mosaic-depicting-medusa/148089
Dang! That would have looked great in there, on the wall nearest to where I dry my hair.
You are the best and funniest writer I know. I read everything I see from you. Laughing out loud multiple times during this delightful, hilarious piece. THANK YOU, Tim Kreider!
That's kind of you to say, Christiana. Thanks.