It's such a useful question, but hardly appropriate for most business situations.

This unique phrase, changed slightly from "What's wrong with her/him/teacher name/relative name?", was used constantly in notes during classes in high school and over long drawn-out telephone conversations when my friends and I would bemoan our teenage lives.

Especially when particular guys said no when we asked them to dance. Or mean girls would be really...mean and make us cry. There was obviously something wrong with all of them. Losers.

So now, out in the scary adult world, I find myself holding back this stress-releasing question that puts things into asinine perspective. It works online, in person, over the phone...you could even put "What's wrong with you?" on a card and send it with a bouquet of stinkweed. If it's in season, of course. And no, it wouldn't be categorized as a "get well soon" gesture.

There have been a few times over the past week or so when the words have hovered on the tip of my tongue, daring me to lead into temptation. Like when a client moves up a deadline, changes the scope of a project or just does something that goes against logic. I'd love to share all the gory details, but you'd probably be comatose by the time I finished my rant.

And it's really not as freaky-weird as Lara's tales of her downstairs neighbour. Now there's a situation where a little "What's wrong with you?" is sorely needed. ;)

Great news: I'm working on the novel again! Took a little time after my contest club meeting and a bit of trash TV last night and dove right in to the spot that needs so much work it terrifies me. But it has to get done. And I can't, as Michelle suggested, skip ahead and get back to it, as I know I will never return and just leave it there to fester.

And festering is just so yesterday when it comes to writing chick lit. ;)