She's not exactly a liar, but she sure can lead people astray. She can sound all sweet and innocent. Especially with her impeccable timing. I'm sitting at home just writing, and Paula goes off. Apparently, it sounded like a very loud hiccup.

Random fact, since beginning my vocal tics at age 17, I haven't had "normal" hiccups. Just Paula.

Anyways, Paula corrected herself by giving off a few of her animal noises. Yeah, she's still around. I just can't quite seem to shake her. Which is fine by me. I may not be able to shake her, but she sure shakes up my life!

Stahhhhp!

Every once in a while, I tend to think I know all of Paula's antics. Especially considering her tendency to recycle old tics. They come and go and every once in a while, she tosses in a new sound. I know the drill, I've got this. Right?

Nope. She still manages to keep me on my toes after all. Here is a new spin, I had another change happen today. It's like I'm going through puberty again. And far too often. This one actually gave me a bit of a scare. The tic was the same, it was just a simple scream... but it kept going and going. I didn't know when it was going to stop. Slightly disconcerting. 

Good news: it finally stopped.

Bad news: she's now literally taking my breath away. And lots of it. 

Take a breath, Paula.

Nephews

I have the greatest nephews. I just love them to pieces. One is five years old, the other is two. It amazes me how different they can be though. When Brantley, the five-year-old, was little, I went off during dinner. It was a loud one, and he was only about a year old. He jumped and looked at me for a second before beginning to wail, terrified by the noise. Rowdy, who is currently a little over two, had the exact opposite reaction. He turned to look at me, got a big grin on his face and gave a squealing laugh. Almost like he was imitating it. Maybe it's because he lives with an older brother, but he sure handles loud noises a lot better.

Scapegoat

I don't know if this is common for other people with TS or not, but I'm incredibly forgetful. I had so many great stories this week with Paula and her antics. That's actually why I started this blog in the first place. I wanted to have a place to write all her crazy stories. But guess what, I forgot them already.

I blame Paula. I could remember more if I wasn't sharing my brain with her, right? Oh, that's not how it works? I'm still using the excuse anyways. If Paula is going to get me into trouble sometimes, she will be the scapegoat whenever I choose.

Crossing the Line

I am glad others enjoy Paula so much. She can really be a bit of a pill sometimes. Sure, she's funny, but sometimes there's a line. And sometimes she dances on it. Like when she goes off ALL. DAY. LONG. I'm sorry, after a while it's just not funny. She still thinks she hilarious. So do several others.

Granted, she had a few good moments today. Here's a new trick, she combined a few different noises that she usually makes and put them in context. She made her loud creaky door sound, which that alone caused a few giggles. It hasn't come out in a few years so no one at the office had really heard it before. For the record, that one is rough on the vocal chords and not my favorite.

When Renae commented on her noise, Paula had to be her bratty self. In the same voice, she croaked, "Yep!" Which caused another round of giggles. Now she is combining her noises with her words. Heaven, help me with Paula, pushing boundaries the way she does.

Thanks for the Help

So not only has Paula been incredibly active lately, but things at work have gotten crazy. Full moons make people weird. Paula was in an oddly chipper mood today. Especially for a Monday. Even more especially considering it was the Monday after a full moon. Work was overwhelmingly busy, and we were all drained pretty quickly.

Except for Paula, of course. She just kept going at it. She wasn't helping me much. It actually got to a point where Pat turned around and mockingly retorted, "Oh stop being so happy." To which Paula gave the most appropriately sympathetic sad sound she could.

As draining as the day was, it didn't get the round of giggles she usually gets, but it did send a few smiles around.

Thanks for the help today, Paula.

My Turn

I think sometimes Paula lets her popularity get to her head. She knows she is quite loved and enjoys being the center of attention. But for heaven's sake, it's not always about you, Paula!

Today I was walking down the aisle to my desk at work. I had a few friends say hello. Not just hello, they even mentioned me by name, "Hey, Jess." Yet Paula was the one to respond. Several times. I had kept walking, and by the time I had finally reached the end of the row, Paula gave me a break so that I could finally say, "Hi!"

That got a good round of giggles. Way to steal the thunder, Paula.

Game Shows

Paula was on fire the other day, I tell you what! She was quite active, but I simply had to share the highlight of the day. Most of the day passed quite cheerily when Paula went off. However, at one point I got a little frustrated with a contractor. He was trying to get more money than was fair for a task. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame him, paychecks are kinda helpful. However, that's not how my company operates.

I was explaining the conversation to a few co-workers, when Paula came out, and obviously not happy. After a few giggles, the conversation went from him trying to make a deal, to playing in a game show. "What does he think this is, Deal or No Deal?" Paula in her fury proclaimed, "No Deal!"

At that point, people couldn't even pick up a conversation after the laughter. Apparently, she belongs on a game show. Maybe she could win me enough money to pay for editors for my next few books...