You can't win.

You can't break even.

You can't quit.

You start playing the moment you're born.

"I know it's crooked, but it's the only game in town."

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow scientists, I present my masterpiece: The Principle of Conservation of Stress in Your Life.

No matter what demons you face, what mountains you climb, what great deeds you achiweve, the amount of Stress you have to deal with stays the same. Or, to be more succinct, "Different Crap, Same Amount".

I've been away. I needed some time off, to see what was stressing me out. Now, thanks to the wonders of Science!, I know. All I can do is shift the Stress I have around to a more comfortable position.

I haven't spoken to either of my parents in about a month. Feeling  better.

My situation with Ann, while far from ideal, is at least stable. Feeling better.

Now Dan (remember him?) is being an asshat. I've known the guy for 8 years, I see more of him than I do my own blood, the man is like family. On Sunday he called me a Nazi. And on Monday he acted like nothing had happened.

You can't have a conversation like that and expect the other person to forget all about it.