What would Pam Ewing do?

Plunging stock markets.  One of the worst days on Wall Street.   As I glanced at my Yahoo homepage I felt panicky, kind of like the world was ending.

I don't don't have a lot of money invested in the stock market....okay admittedly I don't have any money invested.   But remember my nickname is roller coaster.  If the news tells me it is the worst day in the world I go there.  Then tomorrow or next week when there is a recovery, like none Wall Street has ever seen, I go there too.

Up and down and all around....I go there.  

Basically I am that chick that is constantly trying to control something, anything in life.  Even though I know it is a futile effort.  I literally need to get a grip.


My coping strategies with this crazy world involve very complicated, intricate analyzation of tv.

For example, when I met my husband's family I thought I was marrying into a family like The Waltons.  No one was divorced,  they all seemed so wholesome.  And there were a lot of them.

Well not too long after we were married, I discovered this family was more like the Ewings from Dallas and I needed to get a grip. But as I mature I realize all families are like the Ewings, right?  Doesn't everyone have this cast of characters:

• the ego-maniac uncle/brother/husband---JR
• the hopeful, naive at times, trusting, conflicted uncle/brother/husband---Bobby
• the depressed, addicted, misunderstood uncle/brother/husband--Gary
• the rebellious, fun-loving, spunky niece/daughter/grand-daughter---Lucy
• the strong, stoic, maddending-ly accepting and overlooking, righteous mother/grandmother/matriarch type--Miss Ellie
• the idolized, tough-loving father/grandfather--Jock
• the sweet, virtuous, driven, lovable daughter/sister/wife--Pammy who turned into Pamela
• the troubled, insecure, somewhat bitter, but rooted for daughter/sister/wife--Sue Ellen

Okay, I could go on and on, but think about it.  And maybe everyone doesn't have a JR.  But really the Waltons were boring anyway.

The realization that I married into the Ewings, minus Southfork Ranch (thank god we don't all live together) and the hired help, was interesting, but not life-changing.  That moment came in yet another therapy session, that's right another session.  I believe therapy is like getting your furnace checked....every 10 years you need to get checked out to make sure everything is still working properly.  

Anyway, I was sitting on the couch talking about some stuff and totally talking about myself like I was sweet, virtuous, driven and lovable, like little Pammy Ewing.  As I spoke I thought, holy shit, I sound troubled, insecure and somewhat bitter.  Oh my god!!!! That was the day I discovered I was Sue Ellen Ewing.

It was life changing.  

Doesn't this look like a Dallas pose?  Don't even ask why I was posing so inappropriately...remember I am the Sue Ellen in this situation.

So now on days when the world is up and down, I do panic a bit.  But unlike Sue Ellen I don't reach for the bottle or any other destructive method of coping.  Okay, I might drink a little.  But mostly I think "What would Pam Ewing do?"  I think she might say something like "Bobby, we have to make the best of it and I will get a job at the clothing store in town or ask my brother Cliff to help out."

If you think I am obsessed with Dallas, you haven't even read anything yet.  Wait til I start writing about Thirtysomething, possibly the greatest show on television ever.  

And by god, these shows, albeit old, are so much better than watching the news.