Because it’s Friday AGAIN. And because traditions are important. In which I cover the good stuff and the hard stuff in my week, trying for the non-preachy, non-annoying side of self-reflection.
And you get to join in if you feel like it.
Oh boy. This was a very loooooooong week.
I’ve been thinking it was Friday since about Tuesday.
If that makes any sense at all.
The hard stuff
Carpal freaking tunnel.
I make my living from writing. Now I can’t really write.
A lot of stuff has had to change. Fast.
It’s been interesting. And hurt-ey.
The most annoying week ever.
Obviously being in pain tends to make everything worse, but still I think all will agree that this was an exceptionally sucky week.
I spent huge amounts of it feeling frustrated, irritable and generally upset with the world.
There was much stomping around. Also, I forgot that I’m only allowed to stomp on the trampoline and I broke the bed.
Managed not to put a fist through the wall, but really only because I love Hoppy House so much and also we’re renting.
I don’t really feel like getting into the complicated background story, but lets just say there was a lot of hard.
Dealing with the past. And the future.
So I bought plane tickets for the annual teaching trip to Germany. And also for a two-week visit to Israel while we’re there.
Tel Aviv. I miss it like crazy and I also don’t want to go back. Did I mention that I haven’t been home in four years?
And now everything that was already complicated is made extra-complicated because of my friend who is dead.
I have to decide who I will see and who I cannot bear to see. Which family obligations are do-able and which ones I need to sneak out of.
Whether we go to the grave or whether I won’t be able to handle it.
If there is even a single street in Tel Aviv which I didn’t walk down at some point with my friend and whether or not any of it will be bearable.
Trying to make any plans at all with the weight of this sadness is like trying to run a race underwater. I’m not getting anywhere and that’s just where I’m at with it.
Let’s try for some good stuff now because I really need it.
The good stuff
I got a sock monkey! A sock monkey!.
I love Melle. This is not news.
But now my adoration is just that much more intense because she made a Sock Monkey and mailed him to me to be a permanent resident here at Hoppy House.
I love him. He still does not have a name that I know of, but one day he’ll tell me what it is, I’m sure.
But I don’t care. He is marvelous.
I get presents.
And snail mail.
Lots of it.
Basically, going on email sabbatical has been good to me in all sorts of unexpected ways, as I explained yesterday.
So … some of the random and excellent stuff that has been showing up, aside from the Sock Monkey. I’m including links and Twitter handles in case you want to internet-stalk befriend any of these fabulous people.
— A book about chickens! But a really funny one. From Christopher L. Jorgensen aka @jackassletters.
— A card from Crispy Mark aka @MarkWSchumann.
— A wonderful letter from my dear Douglas aka @LenKneller.
— Soap from Grace aka @GraceJudson.
— Flowers from Char aka @CharTFirstStep.
— And a wonderful thank-you note from the lovely Julianna aka @julianna01.
Birthday of the trees, baby.
There are so many bizarrely great Jewish holidays that it’s hard to narrow it down to your top three or top five, but come on! Tu B’shvat!
For one thing, it’s the birthday of the trees and who doesn’t love trees? Well, lots of people. But I am obsessive about them. Trees are big, happy love machines. Plus they tell me secrets.
But even if you’re not the kind of person who regularly hangs out with trees, the whole point of this holiday, as far as I can tell, is to fill up on dates and figs and almonds.
Best. Holiday. Ever.
Anyway, it was Monday if you missed it.
Spa Day (the kind that happens by phone.
If you read this blog you already know about my sexy crush on Jennifer Hofmann.
When she does her Inspired Home Office Spa Day (two and a half delicious hours of clearing out stuckness in your office), I’m always the first in line.
This month she actually decided to do two in one week. Well, last week. Wednesday and Saturday.
Guess who signed up for both of them?
Uh huh. So this week my office has been loving me up and appreciating not being covered in insane pile-age.
Spa Day (the kind that happens by in a spa.
I’ve been getting lots of massage for my poor hurt-ey arms.
And my massage guy works in a place where there’s a spa. So I’ve been sauna-ing it up and hot-tubbing and generally using the hell out of the spa.
Another thing that will suck about getting well. Just kidding. I’ll find some other equally brilliant way to treat myself to fabulousness.
I have a new laptop. And I can see the keys.
My old scrappy iBook G4 has been hanging in there for four years now.
I wore off the letters on the keyboard ages ago from over-typing. And since I regularly type in three languages (English, Hebrew and German), it’s almost better if I don’t look to see where the letters are.
Now I have a brand new MacBook Air and I am madly in love with it. Madly, I tell you.
It turns out it’s really cool to be able to look down every once in a while and actually see what you’re doing. Who’d have thought?
Ez lives here! Still!
It’s been a month since my brother moved in with me and my gentleman friend and Selma. And we could not be happier about it.
Having him around is so, so, so perfect. If only for the spit-takes.
Also, this week we invented a new style of kung fu inspired by Bob Hope. That’s how much fun we have.
Not to mention the day we spent speaking only in Peter Lorre imitations.
Or the pleasure we’ve taken in coming up with ludicrous album titles for our fake punk rock band Euphonius Maximus: Charlatans at Large.
That’s it for me …
And yes yes yes, of course you can join in my Friday ritual right here in the comments bit if you feel like it.
Yeah? Anything hard and/or good happen in your week?
And, as always, have a glorrrrrrrrrrrrious weekend. And a happy week to come.
Follow
Drooling MacBook Air and a brother and a sock puppet. He immediately told me his name was JeanClaude and he’s French because it sounded like he said ghucklud or ghucles. Anyway I don’t speak French and it could have been something else.
The hard
– admitting to myself that I do this really bizarre dance around actually needing what I want in order to make sure I don’t get what I need or what I want.
The good
– realizing that I need hugs and not the kind where they pat you on the back two or three times but deep bear hugs where you get squeezed and squeezed
Christian the Lion helped me figure that out along with a support group I happen to adore spending time with.
Minervas last blog post..Medictation Moments | A Lion, No Tiger & Three Bears
The Hard:
The new(ish) job is very scattered and disjointed with interruptions that lead to layer upon layer of work “to get to” adding up. I don’t work this way. I’m very frustrated.
I’ve helped my boss get 5 articles published in the month I’ve been here. You’d think I’d be happy about that; but I feel like I’m giving all my best effort to further someone else’s goals (and career), at the expense of my own. It’s depressing.
The Good:
I’m feeling increasingly motivated to go out on my own with a new business. And I’ve had a good idea that is designed to really help people and comes out of 12 years of research and writing I did previously as a hobby. It’s something I can work on closely with my wife. There’s lots of potential and it’s kind of inspiring.
I went through a spell of carpal tunnel in 2005 – I really, really hear your pain on this one. I was writing Amnar, working on my PhD thesis and working full time. My hands and wrists basically resigned.
I used to bathe them in warm water. It really helped the pain.
For reasons I won’t go into here (it hurts a bit too much), I also empathise deeply about the person you’ve lost. I just *get how that feels*.
And now, my week –
Hard
– Running very low on money (again).
– As a result, spending most of my time on the phone with contacts and clients and potentials. It’s a rough time in my business.
– My own intuition pushing me in a very scary and entirely different direction.
– Issues with the website needing to be cleared up! Argh!
Good
– Teleconferences that make a huge difference.
– People who’ve reached out and are volunteering to help me get through this emotional place to a new space.
– The feeling that so much has been cleared, I feel like I’ve moved house or something. I have a lot of peace I didn’t have a couple of weeks ago.
Love,
J xx
Joely Blacks last blog post..TGIAD: The hungover edition (with added apologies)
That is one handsome sock monkey.
This week’s Hard for me:
– Overwhelmed by all the stuff to do to finish my transition from corporate to magnificently free.
– Strep. All three of us. Really sucked.
– Second week without writing for my own blog, I am so freaking busy, and I miss it a lot.
This week’s Good:
– Going to be magnificently free!
– Nice number of client inquiries. Even though the flood is scary, to have no inquiries would be way more scary
– Mark Silver’s fantastic teleclass. Figured out some missing pieces that are already making things better. Mark is the awesomest.
– Got my hotel for SXSW!
– Penicillin! You can dis modern medicine all you want, but sometimes it’s a glorious thing.
Sonia Simone | Remarkable Communications last blog post..SlowBlogging
(or should that be a glorrrrrrrious thing?)
One good thing is birthdays still happen. My 45th is today, which is probably a good thing too, since longevity still happens (I’ve seen way too many hospitals and graveside services in the last year!).
I haven’t gotten a sock puppet for my birthday (yet!) but so far I’ve received some VERY cool cards. There is still good stuff going on.
Terry Heaths last blog post..Beautiful Statues, Clever Horses and Letting the Crap Fly
Hi Darling,
I am so sorry to hear that your sweet arms and hands still hurt! Without going into any details lets just say that I know more than I wished I did about pain. My heart goes out to you and I am holding you in my thoughts and prayers.
Damn! That is one bitchin’ sock monkey! He (or she) is just so gosh darned cute. No wonder you have a mad crush on melle!
My good this week:
– I have completed teaching the third session of my expressive arts teacher training program and there were NO dramas this time. Everyone is loving the program, me and each other. I am relieved, proud and happy.
-I have created a new About Page for my website using the principals and ideas that I am learning here. I am really excited and am getting ready to post it to the Kitchen to see what people think!
The hard:
-I have been away from my fabulous husband for an entire week and I miss him horribly.
chris zydels last blog post..STAYING CREATIVELY ALIVE: KEEPING YOUR EYES OPEN, YOUR JUICES FLOWING AND YOUR SHADOW GREASING THE WHEELS
@Minerva — it’s funny, a number of my sockmonkeys have turned out to be French. French and Scottish shows up, too. (One is Marcel McGonigle.) 🙂
While he appears to be quite happy at Hoppy House, as I knew he’d be, he doesn’t appear to be doing a very good job picking up Havi’s typing slack and whatnot… Hrm.
@ Terry – Hey, it’s my birthday too! Yay for Friday the 13th. : )
@ Havi – Sending you soothing thoughts and wishes for your arms to give you a break from the dagnabbit pain! Yay for sock monkey too.
Is Selma jealous? Or has she welcomed him with open wings? 🙂
Karen JLs last blog post..The Kid, the Kat and the Creator: Part 2
Hard:
– Realized I forgot a bunch of things in my latest bulk order of art supplies. Now I’ll have to pay shipping.
– Beating myself up over skipping my January newsletter and being late on the February one. Stuck on what to write about for the February one. Maybe no February one.
Good:
– Finished two paintings this week!
– Set up my art festival booth in the back yard and took some really fabulous photos of it. These are the best ones yet. Maybe now I’ll get into some of the better art shows!
– Received my big art supply order.
– Joined Twitter!
Barbara J Carters last blog post..Work in Progress – Finishing the Painting
Happy birthday to all the dear birthday peeps today! It was my birthday on Tuesday.
The good:
I threw a birthday open house and had such joy making cupcakes and getting my place all birthday’d up and 4 people came.
The bad:
I threw a birthday open house and 4 people came. I’ve had some good cries about that! One “friend” texted me and said she was tired and needed to be eating a salad rather than a cupcake. Good freaking Lord, I say.
The good:
I’m getting lots of laughing mileage out that excuse.
The bad:
I’m getting lots of poor me mileage out of it.
The good:
I have wonderful people, but they’re all over the freaking world. I’m putting into the universe that I’d like some close-by friends of the caliber of my far-aways.
More good:
I a hummingbird be! (See linklove to my blog below!).
I’m loving learning about hummingbirds.
They are awesome aerodynamic wonders.
They feed and do their intense humming-hovering-thing 15% of the time, and get this: they do a grounding, replenishing, hybernating thing 80% of they time. Like sitting in a hole in the tree (those magical ancient wonders, too).
Hummingbirds are my new teachers. My mind is like those wings, wonderful and crazy-ass fast. I need lots of body-time and rest-time too.
I’m sending a hummingbird over your way Havi. It’s whispering all sorts of lovin’ in your ear and it’s madly flapping its miraculous wings over your tunnels.
xox
Heidi Fischbachs last blog post..Move over squirrel. I a hummingbird now.
Havi, big virtual hugs to you for your trying week.
And happy birthday to this week’s birthday people!
The hard:
– Having to deal with some seriously irritating people.
– Having that irritation come out in random bouts at random (generally) innocent people all week.
The awesome:
– There wasn’t too much hard to deal with this week.
– My major time-sucking volunteer obligation officially ended on Tuesday, and someone stepped up to take my place (after much hemming and hawing). Once I get her trained, I will be free. Free!
– A project I expected this week was delayed, so I got to spend the entire week cleaning up little loose ends and even spent an afternoon at the bookstore soaking up new ideas and inspriration.
Lori Paximadiss last blog post..25 random things
I bought the Dance of Shiva dvd cause I want to work on my stuckness… but I’m poor so I haven’t bought the starter kit yet and now I’m scared of it. I don’t want it to be just another coaster.
I’m scared of doing it wrong but I’m more scared of not doing it at all.
@Heidi: I have to say that’s one of the worst excuses I’ve ever heard for someone not wanting to come to your party. I’d venture to say it at least borders on rude!
Terry Heaths last blog post..Beautiful Statues, Clever Horses and Letting the Crap Fly
They were chickens? I thought they were ducks! It’s why I sent it to you. I never did learn my fowl very well.
I did think the book was weird and odd, and the chicks did remind me of your shoulder duckling.
Thanks for the thanks and the site mention.
You’re welcome for the book. I wish people sent me cool crap. Ok, cooler crap than what I get.
Christopher L. Jorgensens last blog post..Gordon Brown
I’m glad you didn’t put your fist through the wall! Not good for the carpel tunnel.
I hope it gets better for you very soon, Havi. And I’m sure that your many fans & friends will be holding you in the light as you prepare for and take that trip to Israel.
(((Hugs galore :)))
Sociomaitris last blog post..What May I Eat, Part Deux
Dear Havi-dear… your tunnel(s) of the hand(s) are on my mind… as well as anatomy class from years ago. If I remember correctly, 9 tendons plus a nerve, pass through a that narrow tunnel there in the wrist…
I don’t know why it comes to me to share that with you. And probably you already know that. But in the event that you don’t, well, sometimes it helps me to be able to picture anatomically what is happening inside, in addition to any kind of energetic thing one might do in the healing process.
Since the opening is fairly small, if even one of those dear tendons is swollen up, well, things can get a wee bit tight, especially with the nerve passing through there as well. And when things get tight all present parties get a wee bit on-edge, shall we say. (Think crowded subway car). Those dear mah-velous conversations you have come to mind: you and Selma, the tunnel, the tendons, the nerve… not to mention whatever else is wanting passage in your chunnel there.
Ahhhh. Totally disregard if this is of no use. And in any case, all my love for your tunnel(s) — there’s always room for love, no matter how crowded anywhere is. Good thing about that.
Heidi Fischbachs last blog post..Move over squirrel. I a hummingbird now.
Sending Reiki healing energy to *your* hands of healing, Havi.
Your hands, as they type, help smooth out my crumpled and constricted spirit and hand me back to myself…with a little speck more healing than I had before. I am so grateful.
Bad stuff no work tired from teaching cat bringing in birds missing my best friend miss b since she left on wed fecking St Valentines Day trying to find a lodger
Good stuff no work giving myself a weekend off, my friend miss b staying for 3 days at beginning of week, buying myself valentine treats and renaming it Love Yourself Day http://creativevoyage.blogspot.com/2007/02/promise-to-marry-yourself-and-never.html having the house lodger-free and going to the beach and turkish baths this afternoon
creativevoyages last blog post..Love Yourself Day
Sending healing energy to your beautiful hands, Havi.
And happy birthday to those with birthdays this week –
The good:
-had a great dinner with my boyfriend from when I was 16 (37 years ago) who found me on facebook. We laughed, talked, picked up seemingly right where we left off – even though he’d been through 2 divorces and has a 26 year old and I am a widow with 2 adult kids. Seemed like no time had passed at all – kind of like Back to the Future
-my kids were seriously there for me when I went through the hard. one of them deeply listened and the other was so compassionate with me as I cried and cried.
-my youngest said to me that on a good day when he is really taking care of himself he makes space to laugh, cry and pray – this from a 19 year old young man. that’s just too awesome for words that he even has those concepts
-my dogs ran away AGAIN and came home at 4:30AM
-my friend Donna was with me every step of the way this week through the hard with laughter and compassion. love her!!
-someone sent me some books for free that are right up my alley and helping me with what’s going on in my life.
-i was passionately kissed for the first time in many years.
The hard:
-the passionate kisser bailed and doesn’t want a relationship
-somehow my fence keeps getting unlocked and i can’t figure out how
-i got a huge water bill. the city said i used 40,000 gallons of water (yep, 40,000 gallons). there is no leak, i’ve had the plumber and furnace guy check things out and i may have to sue them
-i went to the cemetary to see my husband sobbing my eyes out in the pouring rain
-i volunteered to teach a yoga class at gilda’s place, travelled over an hour and no one showed up.
Happy Valentine’s everyone!! Thanks for listening.
You had me at “sock monkey”. Seriously cute!