The Contradictory Feelings Thread

[Travis B.]

I am also an OCD sufferer and I can confirm what the others are saying.

I haven't been diagnosed with OCD, but I do have similar, er, traits. A good one is getting halfway down the street and having to go back to check that I haven't forgotten to lock the door, or that I haven't accidentally left open flames lying around for the cat to knock over.

Cats and candles are not a good mix.

[lëtzeshark]

As for Glasgow in the winter, from what I hear though it is supposed to be damp cold as opposed to the dry cold of here in Wisconsin. Apparently dry cold is easier to tolerate than damp cold...

At the same time, the damp cold I've dealt with has at least been less unpleasant than the dry cold in Wisconsin. (North Carolina's winters are somewhat damp cold and it can freeze; Dutch winters as well, and those were mainly fine.) Though maybe this is also due to the memory of going from North Carolina winters to Wisconsin winters and not really being prepared... on the other hand, at least Wisconsin winters were often sunny, and the winters here are usually not. (Combined with earlier sunsets!)

I haven't been diagnosed with OCD, but I do have similar, er, traits. A good one is getting halfway down the street and having to go back to check that I haven't forgotten to lock the door, or that I haven't accidentally left open flames lying around for the cat to knock over.

Cats and candles are not a good mix.

Cat-dependent, but this is a good general rule. My family's Persian, who was a part of our family for over 17 years, was very aloof and calm and not known to do crazy things, especially in later years (so candles were fine, but always extinguished before leaving the house). Our current cats, however, are very much not aloof and should not be trusted. (They're also the reason we haven't put up a Christmas tree in many years.)

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Contradictory-ish: I feel fairly ready for one half of the language test (listening), based on the practice tests I've done and the general feeling I have for listening, but I'm still uncertain/uneasy about the speaking half... in any event, it's in two days, so I'll have to be ready. (My main uneasiness comes from the fact that I did it all as self-study; I'm very uneasy about speaking German, which is related; and I'm afraid of mixing up Dutch and German during the test, which I hear will make the examiners "very happy".) Everyone around me is reassuring me and saying I'll be fine, but that uneasiness is still there...

It's also a difficult thing to practice speaking the language: the only place I can go where I can speak/hear Luxembourgish consistently is the post office and on the train. And, even there, only for brief announcements/periods.

[Travis B.]

As for Glasgow in the winter, from what I hear though it is supposed to be damp cold as opposed to the dry cold of here in Wisconsin. Apparently dry cold is easier to tolerate than damp cold...

At the same time, the damp cold I've dealt with has at least been less unpleasant than the dry cold in Wisconsin. (North Carolina's winters are somewhat damp cold and it can freeze; Dutch winters as well, and those were mainly fine.) Though maybe this is also due to the memory of going from North Carolina winters to Wisconsin winters and not really being prepared... on the other hand, at least Wisconsin winters were often sunny, and the winters here are usually not. (Combined with earlier sunsets!)

To me the main downside of dry cold is that my hands do not appreciate it (the period from about late October through early May for me is characterized by almost-constantly cracked hands)...

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Contradictory-ish: I feel fairly ready for one half of the language test (listening), based on the practice tests I've done and the general feeling I have for listening, but I'm still uncertain/uneasy about the speaking half... in any event, it's in two days, so I'll have to be ready. (My main uneasiness comes from the fact that I did it all as self-study; I'm very uneasy about speaking German, which is related; and I'm afraid of mixing up Dutch and German during the test, which I hear will make the examiners "very happy".) Everyone around me is reassuring me and saying I'll be fine, but that uneasiness is still there...

Good luck!

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It's also a difficult thing to practice speaking the language: the only place I can go where I can speak/hear Luxembourgish consistently is the post office and on the train. And, even there, only for brief announcements/periods.

No wonder people want to make sure Luxembourgish is not swamped by French-speakers who don't know it by having the language test!

Stuff like this is part of why I wish I could speak in unadulterated Milwaukee dialect at work, but alas I'll confuse the non-native English-speakers I work with, so I have to speak in a distinctly high register at work if I really intend on being consistently understood (even though apparently I speak with a strong accent even in high registers).

[zompist]

My family's Persian, who was a part of our family for over 17 years, was very aloof and calm and not known to do crazy things, especially in later years (so candles were fine, but always extinguished before leaving the house).

Amusing note: this actually garden-pathed me— there was a moment where I thought "shark is Persian?"

[WeepingElf]

My family's Persian, who was a part of our family for over 17 years, was very aloof and calm and not known to do crazy things, especially in later years (so candles were fine, but always extinguished before leaving the house).

Amusing note: this actually garden-pathed me— there was a moment where I thought "shark is Persian?"

Me too

[Travis B.]

My family's Persian, who was a part of our family for over 17 years, was very aloof and calm and not known to do crazy things, especially in later years (so candles were fine, but always extinguished before leaving the house).

Amusing note: this actually garden-pathed me— there was a moment where I thought "shark is Persian?"

And I was confused by your post, because in "shark is Persian" I didn't get that you were referring to doctor shark, and I was wondering where doctor shark said his family owned a shark, and why in the world would a shark be of Persian ethnicity, being a fish?

[lëtzeshark]

My family's Persian, who was a part of our family for over 17 years, was very aloof and calm and not known to do crazy things, especially in later years (so candles were fine, but always extinguished before leaving the house).

Amusing note: this actually garden-pathed me— there was a moment where I thought "shark is Persian?"

I enjoy Persian food and have had lots of Iranian coworkers (and friends!), but, alas, my background is entirely western European. Though there's very little I'd refer to as being Persian, incidentally... just the cats and maybe carpets.

No wonder people want to make sure Luxembourgish is not swamped by French-speakers who don't know it by having the language test!

Stuff like this is part of why I wish I could speak in unadulterated Milwaukee dialect at work, but alas I'll confuse the non-native English-speakers I work with, so I have to speak in a distinctly high register at work if I really intend on being consistently understood (even though apparently I speak with a strong accent even in high registers).

The language situation here is actually quite special. As a quick rundown for the uninitiated, French is official as well as the legal/administrative language, while German and Luxembourgish are both official (and the latter is officially the national language). Naturally, this suits a lot of the frontaliers that live in France and enjoy lower rents and work in Luxembourg and enjoy much higher salaries. On the other hand, that means French is most useful, so there are very few chances to see/hear/speak Luxembourgish in daily life: it's a bit reminiscent of the situation of Welsh in Wales, though you could see Welsh at least a bit more. (Signs in stores there had/have to be bilingual Welsh/English, for example; here, they can be in whatever, and most often it's just French or French plus German.)
But, that said, Luxembourgish (the language) has a lot of nativized French vocabulary, either as the main word or as a synonym: for example, researcher is Chercheur (from French) or Fuerscher (from German), so very often a French word can be correct-ish.

Other contradictory: I'm really not sure yet if I want to go back to the US for Christmas. On one hand, I want to visit my mother and the kittens (well, cats)... on the other hand, I don't want to deal with the current situation(s) in the US, at least before I can get my citizenship application handed in/finalized, and my father and wife #3 are making noise about wanting me to visit (which is expensive and painful, not least of all because Tex-ass is quite a trek from North Carolina).

[Travis B.]

No wonder people want to make sure Luxembourgish is not swamped by French-speakers who don't know it by having the language test!

Stuff like this is part of why I wish I could speak in unadulterated Milwaukee dialect at work, but alas I'll confuse the non-native English-speakers I work with, so I have to speak in a distinctly high register at work if I really intend on being consistently understood (even though apparently I speak with a strong accent even in high registers).

The language situation here is actually quite special. As a quick rundown for the uninitiated, French is official as well as the legal/administrative language, while German and Luxembourgish are both official (and the latter is officially the national language). Naturally, this suits a lot of the frontaliers that live in France and enjoy lower rents and work in Luxembourg and enjoy much higher salaries. On the other hand, that means French is most useful, so there are very few chances to see/hear/speak Luxembourgish in daily life: it's a bit reminiscent of the situation of Welsh in Wales, though you could see Welsh at least a bit more. (Signs in stores there had/have to be bilingual Welsh/English, for example; here, they can be in whatever, and most often it's just French or French plus German.)
But, that said, Luxembourgish (the language) has a lot of nativized French vocabulary, either as the main word or as a synonym: for example, researcher is Chercheur (from French) or Fuerscher (from German), so very often a French word can be correct-ish.

Of course, this doesn't help out Luxembourgish one bit; I've read that the situation with Luxembourgish today is not too different in practice from that with Alsatian some decades back, and we know how things turned out for Alsatian.

Other contradictory: I'm really not sure yet if I want to go back to the US for Christmas. On one hand, I want to visit my mother and the kittens (well, cats)... on the other hand, I don't want to deal with the current situation(s) in the US, at least before I can get my citizenship application handed in/finalized, and my father and wife #3 are making noise about wanting me to visit (which is expensive and painful, not least of all because Tex-ass is quite a trek from North Carolina).

Family combined with the political situation here, that's got to be a pain...

[Raphael]

Thank you for your feedback, everyone! Yeah, I guess it's probably OCD, then.

I enjoy Persian food and have had lots of Iranian coworkers (and friends!), but, alas, my background is entirely western European. Though there's very little I'd refer to as being Persian, incidentally... just the cats and maybe carpets.

My impression was that among people who emigrated or whose families emigrated from that part of the world, there are some who identify as Iranian and get offended if they're called Persian, and others who identify as Persian and get offended if they're called Iranian.

[Travis B.]

I enjoy Persian food and have had lots of Iranian coworkers (and friends!), but, alas, my background is entirely western European. Though there's very little I'd refer to as being Persian, incidentally... just the cats and maybe carpets.

My impression was that among people who emigrated or whose families emigrated from that part of the world, there are some who identify as Iranian and get offended if they're called Persian, and others who identify as Persian and get offended if they're called Iranian.

Properly 'Persian' and 'Iranian' are not synonyms; Persians are an Iranian ethnic group, but not all Iranians (whether by ethnicity or nationality) are Persians. Kurds, for instance, are not Persians even though Kurds are an Iranian ethnic group.

[alice]

My family's Persian, who was a part of our family for over 17 years, was very aloof and calm and not known to do crazy things, especially in later years (so candles were fine, but always extinguished before leaving the house).

Amusing note: this actually garden-pathed me— there was a moment where I thought "shark is Persian?"

Me too, although I was expecting to see a reference to "jumping" in there somewhere.

[lëtzeshark]

My family's Persian, who was a part of our family for over 17 years, was very aloof and calm and not known to do crazy things, especially in later years (so candles were fine, but always extinguished before leaving the house).

Amusing note: this actually garden-pathed me— there was a moment where I thought "shark is Persian?"

Me too, although I was expecting to see a reference to "jumping" in there somewhere.

No shark jumping here. :P


Follow-up: test was today. I feel okay about the listening portion (probably managed 70-80%), but I don't know about the speaking and how strict they are with errors (I know I made several). I felt like I stumbled a lot in the speaking, but I still made it through, so it might be a pass... either way, now to wait for the results to come (and to apply for my Dutch Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag).

[Lērisama]

Follow-up: test was today. I feel okay about the listening portion (probably managed 70-80%), but I don't know about the speaking and how strict they are with errors (I know I made several). I felt like I stumbled a lot in the speaking, but I still made it through, so it might be a pass... either way, now to wait for the results to come (and to apply for my Dutch Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag).

Vill Gléck!¹

¹ This is Luxembourgish via German, so apologies if I got it wrong

[hwhatting]

I haven't been diagnosed with OCD, but I do have similar, er, traits. A good one is getting halfway down the street and having to go back to check that I haven't forgotten to lock the door, or that I haven't accidentally left open flames lying around for the cat to knock over.

Cats and candles are not a good mix.

Cat-dependent, but this is a good general rule. My family's Persian, who was a part of our family for over 17 years, was very aloof and calm and not known to do crazy things, especially in later years (so candles were fine, but always extinguished before leaving the house). Our current cats, however, are very much not aloin. And, even there, only for brief announcements/periods.[/more]

Cats and christmas trees are also not a good mix... our and our daughter's cats have managed over the years:
- Pushing and pawing ornaments from the tree and breaking them in the process
- Climbing the tree and making it fall over
- Pooping under it (the specific cat is house-trained and otherwise exclusively uses the litterbox or goes outside, but he must have decided that under a live tree counts as "outside").

[alice]

Reminds me of a time many decades ago when some relatives, one of whom was Dutch, decorated their Christmas tree with Dutch chocolate letters as gifts for the children. Their dog, a beagle, pushed the tree over, ate the chocolate, and was very sick.

[lëtzeshark]

Follow-up: test was today. I feel okay about the listening portion (probably managed 70-80%), but I don't know about the speaking and how strict they are with errors (I know I made several). I felt like I stumbled a lot in the speaking, but I still made it through, so it might be a pass... either way, now to wait for the results to come (and to apply for my Dutch Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag).

Vill Gléck!

Villmools merci! (And you were correct. :P)

Cats and christmas trees are also not a good mix... our and our daughter's cats have managed over the years:
- Pushing and pawing ornaments from the tree and breaking them in the process
- Climbing the tree and making it fall over
- Pooping under it (the specific cat is house-trained and otherwise exclusively uses the litterbox or goes outside, but he must have decided that under a live tree counts as "outside").

Indeed. Again, past cats of ours have been very calm and not a risk to a tree, but the current three are most certainly not. (Though it's always a strange thing to me to see how cats here are often left to roam, especially back in the Nether Regions. In the US, at least in my experience, housecats are typically indoors and they aren't left to roam outside: definitely not in the city, and also not in the countryside-ish area where my mother lives.)

[Raphael]

Good luck from me, doctor shark.

[Travis B.]

Good luck from me, doctor shark.

Thirded!

[hwhatting]

Fourthed

[MacAnDàil]

I had originally planned to post this in the Venting thread once the latest round of trying to handle malloc's problems had calmed down a bit, but that thread is temporarily locked now, and it's really closer to a contradictory feelings thing anyway, in the sense that it's not exactly world-shaking, so here it goes:

Fairly often, when I'm doing something, I get this really strong feeling that I forgot to do something small but important, or that I got something small but important wrong.

For instance, when I'm out in public, I usually have my backpack with me. And every now and then, I get this really strong urge to double-check whether I really closed all the zippers on my backpack. Because I keep getting the impression that I must have left some of them open.

Another example: This happens less often now than it used to, but I used to get really convinced, shortly after I left an apartment where I lived, that I must certainly have forgotten to lock the door. So I had to go back and check, and usually discovered that I had locked it just fine. Of course, that happened especially often during that time back in my twenties when I lived on a somewhat high floor in a building without an elevator for a while.

Even when I vote in an election, sometimes, when I'm on my way home from the polling station, I start to seriously ask myself, "Did I accidentally vote for someone else than the one for whom I wanted to vote?"

Is there some kind of psychological technical term for that kind of thing?

I think I sometimes have the opposite. I actually do too often forget a small and important detail and then regret it. I would rather the reverse.