Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

dune

My boyfriend got laid off from his job and I'm about to get laid off from mine. I can't stop having panic attacks and all he wants to do is tell me the entire plot of the novel Dune over and over again.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

part II

My story is pretty simple. It also checks the partner, ex, dramatic, and gossip boxes well... I’m “the shitty boyfriend” who was having a grand old time reading all of these story’s after the internet’s informed me of this wonderful project...until I got to my VERY OWN. That was a bit of a surprise but hey it worked out well for us. We’re now broken up, there’s less weird “relationship tension” where were not stuck in a relationship that one of us doesn’t want at this point. So the other day I got us a break up cake and we consumed half of it... the worlds going to be okay!

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

4/20

My husband and I, neither of whom smoke/ingest pot, decided it’d be a good idea to stock up on edibles before the quarantine (we’re right by a recreation state). It was my suggestion, even though I’ve had edibles & smoked before and didn’t like how it made me feel. I figured it’d be worth another try considering the circumstances. I fucking love pot now. Turns out when I had it before I was just taking way too much. With a reasonable (read: adulting) amount, I feel amazing. Highly recommend. Pot will definitely a part of my life moving forward. I’m 34.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

day three

Day three. My boyfriend got so angry at me for drinking a sip of his water that we got into a huge fight and I made him sleep outside in his car.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

the kids are all right (2010)

16 year old here. i have been quarantining with my parents. i cannot leave. we can't go to the grocery store so the food is getting really weird - tonight we just had beans for dinner. BEANS. with my PARENTS. last night i was ***this*** close to sneaking out this dude i had only met in person once to get ihop. luckily common sense and the desire to stay alive prevailed.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

ciao bella

Italian Style My husband and I are having a Lina Wertmuller film festival in our den. Today he made me black bean pasta with garlic, olive oil and sun-dried tomatoes after "Swept Away". Although earlier in the week I did break the stove and while I was on a video conference with clients he burst into my home office to chastise me ON CAMERA because I neglected to call an AUTHORIZED Kitchenaid repairman. He was furious. I was hysterical with laughter. #stillcrazyafteralltheseyears

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

the secret life of a pet

Relationships that are being tested during this time of social distancing are not just of the romantic kind. I just turned 13 and need my privacy, but having my mama in the house all day long is really cramping my style. Sure, it's nice to know there is no reason my meals will be late these days, but she wants to eat breakfast with me in the mornings and have me sit with her while she works all day. Then, it's "eat dinner with me" and "cuddle with me" at night. It's too much! I recently went blind and have been relearning how to find my way around the house. Now I have extra motivation to figure it out faster. If she's upstairs, I go down. If she's in the dining room, I go to the couch in the living room. If she's outside on the patio, I may curl up behind the toilet. If I wasn't diabetic I'd at least be able to eat my feelings throughout this.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

no new friends

I have this fear that all my friends have dropped me and it has shown me who my true friends are being quarantined

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

dear joseph exotica,

I need advice. My roommate and I have been sharing food and watching true crime documentaries and Dexter for the last 4 days. It’s only a matter of time before one of us gets the balls to actually murder the other. Is this the time to assert dominance or play the unknowing suspect?

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

on again

I dated this guy for years. It’s was a very toxic relationship. We broke up and moved on with life. Fast forward to a month before corona and we started taking again. It’s been great. He’s like a TOTALY new person and we have dating like it’s our first time. We are spending quarantine together. It’s been great so far and I see this really working out. I’m actually sad for when normal life returns.... will we still be the same as we are now? Wish us luck! Maybe Rona will have something good things that come out of it after all!

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

ex-factor

Hi, I am stuck living/quarantining with my on and off again ex. Right before the quarantine, we were actually supposed to go out separate ways (well, really just me because it’s his apartment) but alas, here we are. I used to have my own place but he knew I wasn’t happy living there because my previous roommate was messy. He asked me to come live with him so I did and then shit started to hit the fan. We weren’t getting along because he had his own way of doing things (if he ever got around to doing them) and continuously micromanaged everything I did. I started to get annoyed and eventually decided to voice my opinion about our domestic partnership. And things got even more sour because he just cannot take accountability for his own way of being. We’re constantly at each other’s throats because we recently come to figure we have different mindsets and pretty much lack certain things in common. He’s highly sensitive but in an aggressive way so I can’t even communicate with him because it always ends in a chaotic argument. Which in turn, just makes me want to stop talking to him altogether. There have been times where he just holds the fact that he’s supporting me with a roof over my head and I start listing my own contributions. I don’t think it’s mature and I get lost in that mess sometimes but I’m my own person. I fuse out when I’ve had enough of it and blame myself for acting particularly angry over something that has no substantial effect over my life. Just temporary bullshit, really. But anyway, there have been a couple of occasions where he’s put his hands on me just to prove his power over me and I have no say because apartments are expensive and I literally live paycheck to paycheck. I don’t even have anywhere else to go (regardless of quarantine) He doesn’t let me save my money because he constantly pulls me in just to push me back out by telling me he won’t threaten to kick me out but does anyway. So I’ve planned vacations, pay for shit that doesn’t even regard me, etc. I do so much for the apartment and him, of course, and it doesn’t get acknowledged as he has said himself before. I have so much self love but I have to pretend just to have a place and it sucks. No one knows him like I do, but he’s a charismatic narcissist who empathizes for everyone but me. And wears me down, it almost feels like he’s jealous of my accomplishments meanwhile I help push him towards his goals. Anyway, this is my quarantine story.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

co-quarantined across generations

Since I am quarantined at home, not working, I’ve been cleaning and cooking a lot, obsessing over making sure the house looks good, sweeping every last crumb, and realizing why my housewife mother (who passed away from breast cancer 10 years ago) obsessed so much and presented us with an immaculate house and meals. It was all she had. I miss you, mama!

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

it was all a dream…

My boyfriend was a dream when I met him 6 months ago. He was kind, and loving; however he has the worst hygiene of all the guys I've dated. Since cleanliness is as important as a roll of toilet paper. I thought he would take it more seriously. Boy was I wrong. He doesn't bother to wash his hands before eating out or in general. He could care less, and I'm isolating myself to prevent infection. He doesn't get how coronavirus is spread and he wears the same pair of clothes 24/7 inside and outside the house. He will even sleep in it. I am immune compromised and if this doesn't change his actions now I don't know what the heck will change it in the future. Someone needs to write a book about dating during this lockdown.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

who knows

My home life was always pretty shitty before I went to college, but that at least gave me some relief and freedom from the incessant, perpetual arguments about completely trivial things. Now, the virus made me come home early and stay here until the next semester starts(a full 5ish months of hell). I really don't know if I'll be able to last the whole time. Additionally, the irony was that I was already massively depressed, unmotivated, and unable to identify who I really was when I was at school anyways. Life's one crazy fucking piece of shit, but maybe one day it'll be worth it.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

cleanliness is next to me

I’m stuck in an OVERLY small studio flat in London with my girlfriend .. we moved here last August and aside from when we’re in university we pretty much spend every moment of our day together .... but let me fucking tell you!
Being basically LOCKED in this tiny studio together - which is essentially four walls and an oversized tv with a lost remote - is hell !
I am starting to notice things she does that are winding me up , how she tidies up so erratically that she doesn’t remember where she puts things .. Trying to work from home is a nightmare as she TIDIES AROUND ME....i went to the toilet earlier which is only a step away from my desk and by the time I was out she had put all of my stuff AWAY!
It’s just strange behaviour.. I want to go home to our families for a few days as our families live in the same town but we both have symptoms. I love her don’t get me wrong- we’ve been together for years- but this social distancing is killing my brain cells.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

fuck

Context: My boyfriend and I have been together for nearly 10 years now. I was on a hormonal contraceptive for 15 years which had completely interrupted my menstrual cycle, until I decided to get off of it almost a year ago. When my menstrual cycle returned, it came with this savage sexual appetite that no longer matches my boyfriends'... I have tried to liven up our sex life, but he just doesn't have the stamina, or the same amount of desire. I have been dealing with this so far during my time alone on certain days of the week where he works and I don't...I sneakily bought some toys which I hide under the bed and I've been spending a large chunk of those days watching...uhm...videos online and...taking care of myself for a minimum of 2 hours. -- He absolutely does not know this.

I was hoping that after a while my hormones would balance out and the burning desire would abate...but it hasn't. AT ALL. In fact, my head is "in the clouds" so often that I have difficulty controling my facial expressions even during a spin class or at work. I litterally have the raging libido of a 15 year old...which is roughly the age I had started taking that contraceptive, actually... Just last night, he told me to "Stop treating [him] like a peice of meat" and I felt awfull... So I try to stay away, but it feels like I've been living in my own head for the past months and I'm often not mentally present, even when he's speaking to me now. I feel horrible about it...

Anyway, I am now working from home and thankfully, he is still working...but today he came home saying that his workplace is making arrangements for employees to start working from home...and it dawned on me that if this happens, I might lose my mind without the time alone to...release some tension... HELP!

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

God is testing me.

My boyfriend of three years broke up with me about a month ago because he was moving to Washington (from Chicago) to pursue his athletic career, and it just wasn’t working out between us. He has since gone out there to be sent right back home because of COVID-19 concerns and well, lack of athletics.

It’s one thing to be physically unable to see him. But it hurts more that he is back home and is choosing to quarantine himself from me, willingly.

On top of that, I had to file for unemployment since my company has shut down with no real end in sight.

Oh, and I gave up alcohol for lent. I KNOW God is testing me.

So, God, if you’re listening...I can do this. I am doing this. And if I can make it through this, I can literally do anything.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

My douche bag ex turned hero.

I spent the last 5 years going to court over petty child support issues and parenting order requests with a guy who makes me do all the hard parenting but wants the reward of anything good. Like me taking care of all the big bills. Doing all the hard work when his childhood asthma symptoms are or if control. Having to go to every school meeting for his special needs or appointments with various experts, doctors and therapists to support his learning and health. All while he routinely drags me through the court system to apply again for another reduction in his monthly child support. While he pays nothing in section 7 expenses to help pay for all his extra needs. Being a total arrogant prick through the whole process and every time he picks him up for visits treats me like I don’t exist. And those are the good days worth mentioning.
Speed ahead to COVID-19. My son comes home from his last day at school and days later is showing serious symptoms of soar throat, runny nose, restricted breathing, and many others related to the virus. My ex shows up for his visit because even though I told him it had to be cancelled and we had to self isolate he has to see it for himself to believe it. He immediately drops everything. Goes to the stores in full mask, gloves, and safety glasses to buy $1000 worth of groceries to fill the fridge. He stops by every day asking if I need anything to help him. He apologizes for all his bad behaviour and tells me ‘he’d rather be the one to go out and get supplies because as his mom I’m more important then he is’. (Heart burster). Proceeds to start taking out the trash for me. Finds my short list of home projects that never get done and starts to go around my house doing them without ask. Tells me I’ll do whatever it is you need me to do just ask. Proceeds to take direction and be helpful like he’s always fought hard against in the past. Just to ease my anxiety about our sons symptoms. It’s amazing. In only took the world ending for him to become the man he always should have been. I never thought I’d ever be happy to have him here. COVID-19 self isolating actually saved a family.

Note: our son is finally starting to show small improvements in his condition. So we are praying it will pass without long term effects.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

what may nearly-april showers bring?

Appreciate you caring about our gossip! Story here is that I’m a white, American female and my ex is a Chinese ex-pat — as opposite as it gets. Our relationship was able to weather the storms of drastic ideological differences, a holiday season filled with travel and meeting loved ones for the first time, a first shelter in place while in China, a second when we returned, but alas it could not weather the final strike of lightning for the third shelter in place, which served the final blow less than 24 hours in. Looking forward to a sunny and less stormy spring.

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Meg Zukin Meg Zukin

untitled #3

I am four months pregnant which, at the moment, is terrifying in and of itself. This week, my husband took it upon himself to tell me he is not in love with me and is unsure if he ever has been and isn't sure if we should be together. Meanwhile, we had almost put an offer in on a house last week, and only paused because of the markets crashing and our incomes being impacted by coronavirus. I kicked him out and have been on my own self quarantining with my two dogs ever since. Trying to stay grateful for what I do have--a healthy pregnancy so far, two annoying but amazing dogs, and I am able to keep working remotely for the most part. The next few weeks should be pretty interesting. PS: He has apologized and shown some insight, though I almost didn't include that because I don't want to give him any credit

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