One Up

I know someone who CONSTANTLY tries to ‘one up’ anyone she’s having a conversation with. She’s had a WORSE illness, or experience, or has MORE knowledge of subjects, or her FAMILY has experienced things worse, or has more knowledge…..and every conversation ends up turned around and being about her.

This person can NEVER allow another to have a moment in the spotlight……because HER experiences are so vastly greater than the other…..that she must publicly express how much MORE she knows about it. She demands people take her advice, and seems quite peeved when we don’t.

This person ALSO takes issue with another individual……person #1 complains INCESSANTLY that person #2 is always ‘one upping’ everyone? HUH? Slackjawed looks all around? Hello, doesn’t she SEE what she’s saying?

I have begun thinking about this phenomenon…..this ‘one upping’. I do it…..I’ll be talking to someone, and they’ll say something generic, like “I haven’t been sleeping well”. I’ll pipe up and say “me either!! I’ve been taking benedryl all week to try to sleep….maybe THAT would help you” But is that really ‘one upping’? Is it taking the other persons’ experience and making it all about YOU?

I do it on blogs………I recount my experiences that mimic the bloggers point….I’ll add my two cents in where maybe it doesn’t belong. Maybe I’M one upping and people are looking at me all slackjawed wondering how I don’t SEE how annoying I am.

Is there a fine line between casual conversation….and learning about others and sharing about yourself and ONE UPPING? I personally think so……

My personality traits run parallel to this one upper I know….and I try my best to be cognizant of this fact…..so I don’t annoy others, but I’m sure that I do things just like her that really piss people off…..I don’t WANT to be like that. I tend to INSIST that others take my advice….when I realize I’m being pushy, I try very hard to back down……but by then the damage may be done…..

So, does it bother you guys when I comment on your blogs about MY similar experiences? Does it make you all want to strangle me when I recount MY story in YOUR comments? Or does it endear me to you because you KNOW more about me???

I’m just thinking out loud, I guess. We tend to dislike in others some of the things we do ourselves…….

I tried, really TRIED to finish Ghost Hunters yesterday. I failed. I took BENEDRYL for my terribly runny nose---can’t tell if it’s cold or allergy….and I was GONE……SOUND ASLEEP by 9pm…and we’ DVR’d Ghost Hunters, and didn’t start watching it until 8:30 or so…..so DON’T TELL me if they saw ghosts…….I’ll finish it this afternoon. I also need to find out what sorts of deadly ailments I may have by watching my DVR’d episode of Dr. OZ on Oprah. Jeez, he scares me. He makes me think I have EVERYTHING he talks about….then I google it, then I’m a mess.

Hurricane Gustav has brought his tropical rains to Missouri. It’s been raining for 2 days now. Which is good….I mean we need rain, but *sigh* it is SUCH a drag.

I am not watching the RNC……I know I should….to further educate myself…but I just can’t. I will politicize my feelings about ONE topic, though…….I do think the media needs to lay off Sarah Palin’s daughter. Those of us with kids KNOW that our kids will do things we DO NOT WANT THEM TO…no matter how we parent them. This is not a Democrat or Republican or Independent issue…it’s a problem with ALL people and their teenagers. We cannot be with our kids 24/7, and despite our best efforts, our kids WILL engage in behavior we don’t want them to. The Palins are dealing with this as any other family would need to, and the nation needs to BUTT OUT.

I guess that’s about all…..I had several things I wanted to bring up that I thought of in the shower, but of course, that was earlier today, and I’ve forgotten!!

Happy Thursday, all!