In which i’m like an albatross around his neck

The other night Kevin and I were hanging out and chilling and talking and we had the following conversation that I figured you would enjoy.

Me: So, if you had known I would turn out like this would you have still married me?

Kevin: Turn out like what?

Me: You know, kind of useless.

Kevin: Useless?

Me: Yeah, useless.

Kevin: In what way?

Me: … I used to be cute. I used to work. I used to carry my own weight around here.

Kevin: hmmmm….

Me: What do you mean hmmmmmm?

Kevin: So what’s your point?

Me: Now, I’m like an albatross around your neck

Kevin: yeah, you are

Me: ummmm….you weren’t supposed to agree with me.

Kevin: oh…sorry

Me: Why an albatross?

Kevin: Why an albatross what?

Me: What does that even mean anyways?

Kevin: What?

Me: … an albatross around your neck. Like why the hell would that be an expression anyhow? Who carries an albatross around their neck?

Kevin: I don’t know…you should probably Google it

And so I did. I Googled “the origin of ‘albatross around your neck’ and here’s what I came up with:

An albatross around one’s neck

Meaning

A burden which some unfortunate person has to carry.

Origin

This phrase refers to lines from the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in which the eponymous mariner, who shoots an albatross, is obliged to carry the burden of the bird hung around his neck, as a punishment for and reminder of his ill deed.

Coleridge published the work in 1798, in the collection of poems that is generally accepted as being the starting point of the Romantic movement in English literature – Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems:

God save thee, ancient Mariner

From the fiends, that plague thee thus

Why look’st thou so ? – With my cross-bow

I shot the ALBATROSS.

…

Ah. well a-day. what evil looks

Had I from old and young

Instead of the cross, the Albatross

About my neck was hung.

And then I read it out loud to Kevin.

Kevin: the coolest part was that he killed it with a crossbow

Me: I know, it’s like it was WRITTEN FOR ME!

Kevin: It’s just like lately EVERYTHING has to do with you

Me: I KNOW! Like in Once Upon a Time on Sunday!

Kevin: yeah…are you going to write that one up too?

Me: yep. But that’s a story for another day …

And it is and that day is NOT today…

I’m just saying …

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8 Comments

Mayor Gia
December 26, 2011

Hahahah what a great convo. It totally reminds me of one Boyfriend and I would have. Then I’d get all huffy and he’d say something like “No sweetie, you’re not an albatross…..if you were hanging around me, my neck would have snapped by now…” Because he’s sweet like that.
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- Lynn
  December 27, 2011
  
  hahaha…nice
Melanie
December 27, 2011

Was there a new Once Upon A Time Sunday? Say it ain’t so. My dvr didn’t record it. Don’t tell me that the dvr is becoming an albatross around my neck. If so, I have no qualms about shooting that thing with a crossbow.

Ok, that may or may not be all I got out of the conversation. I kind of focus on one thing and everything else goes the way of the wind.
- Lynn
  December 27, 2011
  
  no…not this sunday. It was the one where the queen pulled the huntsman’s heart out
  - Melanie
    December 27, 2011
    
    Whew! Yes, I’m that sad that I was going to have a small life crisis if my dvr fooked up. :)
    I love my overreaction to my first world problems.
Laura
December 29, 2011

I had never heard that expression until I read this. I’m going to drop it into conversation with the Mr and see if he agrees too (I already know that he will)

Thanks for teaching me something new :)
- Lynn
  December 29, 2011
  
  Really? I’d heard of it but obviously didn’t know what it meant
Laura
December 29, 2011

Honestly never! In all fairness I did once describe something as being as white as a sheep. Not great on the old metaphor front