> Thank you, Howard. You made a lot of sense. I'll just have to hang around and wait to see what's going to happen... not that I have an alternative or anything.
>
> Oh yeah, I also missed the 7500th post by one. -sigh-

Darien, even though my initial reaction to your angst was to try and be a little funny, I have been wondering how things were going for you. And even though you clearly haven't asked for advice, I'm giving you my take, which includes a little. And even though your turned-out-not-to-be-a-problem is more or less solved, you're still left with the aftermath. That must be incredibly frustrating. First, to have your father not even acknowledge that his mistake was a big, hurtful thing to you, then to have him call off the dogs and still not acknowledge, much less apologize for tossing your feelings (and what surely must have seemed to be your life) around so nonchalantly, must leave you feeling pretty angry and a little insignificant to him. Not to mention you have the ensuing argument with your friend to get through. I would want to scream if I were you.

You can probably take care of your argument with your friend by doing what your father didn't for you: put yourself in her shoes for a minute, figure out your part in how she must be feeling, and apologize for it. Even if you think you didn't do anything wrong, making the first move only seems like the lowliest thing you can do until after you've done it -- then it feels pretty darn good. And telling someone you understand why they feel the way they do, even if you don't think it's justified or agree with it, can go a long way toward putting things back on the right track. As for your father, I'm sure eventually you'll take Howard's advice and try to appreciate him for the things he can and does do. In the meantime, it's okay to be mad at him for making you feel so helpless and a victim of his whim. But do try and understand there's got to be a reason he acted like he did. Maybe he just didn't know any other way. (My closest friend has this way of dropping bad news like it's the weather, then acting surprised when I react like it's bad news -- it's her way of dealing with the fact that she hates to give bad news.) Maybe he thinks he's teaching you something. Maybe he was just being a jerk. I think you're probably reaching that point in your life when you start seeing your parents as people, not just your parents. Use this as another lesson in who he is, bad with the good. And keep it in mind for the next time. I guarantee it'll help keep you from feeling, if not this way again, at least This Much this way again.