Critics....

I had a friend once, who had an international music career as a world class
musician, until a serious injury put an end to it.   She continued by doing
instrument repairs and sales in her own business.   She actually ended up
having a better career, more stable than it would have ever been had she
continued, and was quite well known.

Anyway, the reason I mention this, is that you absolutely could NOT go to a
concert, play a radio, or play a CD in her presence, because she was always
judging it.   Unless it was the absolute best of the best, her criticism was
scathing.

I realized that her high standards that put her at the top of her field had
also made her an incorrigible critic, who could no longer enjoy average
music just for fun.  It was always and ever a contest.   The first thing she
would do when she came over was to turn the stereo waaaaaay down, no matter
what was on it.

Once there was a "new" operatic soprano that was shown on TV as a little bit
while she was here, and she sliced that woman to ribbons for her incorrect
phrasing, and when I dared to say that I thought she had a nice quality to
her voice, I got yelled at in a surprisingly nasty way and told I was an
idiot who knew nothing.

Ultimately our friendship came to an end when she ordered me to lose a
certain amount of weight and not to call her unless and until I had done so.
I don't take orders like that too well, so I have not called her since, nor
has she called me.

I decided that I definitely got the better of that deal, since having a
friend like that was too much of a liability.    Maybe one day she will
learn that you just can't control everything, and that the packaging isn't
the main value of some things.

When I first found this group about a year ago I was thrilled to find the
information on the web site.  It was the common-sense, "yes, I've been
there, too" approach that rang true.  Revisiting it yesterday I found it to
be just as helpful.

"Thank you" to the originator of the site.  Ruth