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.
Man.
I don’t even know what to say about this week.
Other than that it was pretty crappy, with some surprisingly good bits thrown in.
But that the good bits showed up at all the right times.
And that is actually pretty great in and of itself. Shall we chicken?
*waves to the Chickeneers of the High Seas*
The hard stuff
Birthday weekend hangover.
Not literally or anything.
But maybe energetically.
Down in the dumps. Dehydrated. Headachey. Miserable. Ugh.
Lost track of the good.
Had a couple days of feeling really disconnected.
And then I couldn’t remember why I do what I do.
And it was not fun. But then I remembered. Whew.
Stickiness.
Processing discomfort. And more shoes.
Blah blah. Growth period. Blah. Ick. Stoopid. Tired of it.
Awful treatment at fancy spa place.
Ugh. Worst birthday present to myself ever.
Did I mention the part about everything getting on my nerves or is that already obvious?
Grrr.
Yeah.
Luckily, there was also good stuff.
The good stuff
My people.
You guys and my clients and everyone making things better.
Toozday.
Pulled out of my funk (with the assistance of my gentleman friend who took me and my duck out for a breakfast-and-work date) and actually got stuff done.
Had my first genius productive day in a while and it was lovely.
Oh yes.
yoga.
Yet again, my salvation in difficult times.
My gentleman friend pulled out the non-sucky yoga package every single evening after work. And we made creaky sounds (I am, after all, an old Turkish lady) and it was kind of depressing to see how little my body wanted to move, given that I am also a yoga teacher.
But it just made everything better.
A lot better.
Kirtan!
So much happy.
Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band was in town from New Orleans. I was pretty excited to see them again.
And it was exactly what was needed. Mad dancing ensued. Selma loved it.
Shivanautical epiphanies!
Much rocking out to Dance of Shiva and having weird, crazy, wonderful understandings.
Whoooosh!
Big progress on my thing.
Thanks to some emergency Non-Drunk Drunk Pirate Councils with my gentleman friend (more like Morning Bagel Council — aaarrrr!), stuff is moving.
Movement! Big!
Hooray!
Thank you!
Seriously, all the cards and presents-for-Selma that arrived this week were just charming.
Thanks Janet and Meghan and Megan and Steve and Beth and Michelle and Ingrid (mwah!) and Cairene and my uncle Svevo and everyone else that I’m forgetting at the moment in my current state of being overwhelmed-by-sweetness.
You are all marvelous!
Also my gentleman friend surprised me with a vintage 40s vanity table (remember?!) and it’s gorgeous. And now I can sit on an enormous pink mushroom stool brush my hair in style.
And … playing live at the meme beach house!
Yes, that’s a Stuism too.
My brother and I have this thing where we come up with ridiculous band names and then say in this really pretentious, knowing tone, “Oh, well, you know, it’s just one guy.”
This week?
Dough Conditioner Conspiracy
Yeah. It’s just one guy.
Second runner up: Hollow Bagel Politicians (their latest album is RUBBISH!)
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.
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Wow, I’m sorry you had so much hard during your birthday week, Havi. The good sounds really good, I am so happy you got your vanity table and yoga does make things better, doesn’t it 🙂
This week:
Hard:
Getting angry with Aisha on Monday.
Getting angry with the meter maid on Tuesday.
One of my art friends saying “Congratulations! Why didn’t you tell me about the show so I could enter it?” when I told her about the ODC and then going on to basically say I owed her because she’d passed along show info in the past. Yes, I got angry. Not at the moment, but after I walked away. This friend is always exhausted and so busy and doesn’t have time, and even if it had occurred to me to say “hey you know about this show, right?” I would have expected to hear “oh but I’ve already got these five shows and I’m so tired”. Just like I’ve heard in the past when I’ve tried to pass along information.
Being a homework widow, two quarters down, three more to go (he’s on track to finish in November).
Good:
Being a homework widow. 🙂 Because I don’t have to be “on” or “entertain”, I can concentrate on my work.
Sunday. Marty and Izzy were on a daylong skiing trip and Ben and I had a whole glorious day of doing what we wanted when we wanted. Yoga at 7:30pm? Sure! Leftovers for lunch and dinner? Why not! No dishes! No cooking! Lots and lots of art making! 😀
I finally got my own cell phone. So when I made my MOO cards for an upcoming event, I was able to put my own personal phone number on them. Trippy!
Izzy’s wonderful birthday on Tuesday (meter maid notwithstanding). He made his own cake and cupcakes, that sweet boy. We were able to pool resources with family members to get him the DS Lite he’d been asking for the past three years. We surprised him with a balloon bouquet and we had lunch out with our friend Sonja and he got a free chai from Donkey. Who knew he’d be such a good friend 11 years ago when he arrived? 🙂
Finding out after the fact that there was an art group meeting on Monday. Not feeling guilty for missing it because it was already over. So freeing. 😀
Collagey stuff. Making lots of art with old art and found objects and paint. Fun!
Oh and I heard the frogs for the first time on Wednesday night!!!!!
Have a great weekend, y’all! 🙂
.-= Andi´s last post … In Process =-.
Ick. Same with me. Crappy post-birthday week (mine is 8th of March). And everybody and everything getting on my nerves…
I do need a vintage 40s vanity table.
Celebrating my own gratitude party. How I’ve enjoyed being a lurker mouse! Yay!
And yet, how excited I am to leave that behind and be here.
The hard for me this week: figuring out how to support aging parents. In a way that gives them love and dignity JUST like they gave me when I was a child. But yuck. Hard. Where’s the pirate treasure map for that?
The good: week two of the wacky blog project with my best friend that’s making me remember how much I love writing with her. And how much I love being a book nerd. Of the nineteenth century, no less.
Also good: Spring in Austin. The patio is officially open for morning coffee and evening candlelight.
(and, Havi, I giggle every time I hear of the band One Eskimo. It’s _four_ guys.)
Thanks for letting me pull up a chair!
I’m sorry there was so much hard in your week but super extra hooray for the good!
The vanity table sounds totally awesome.
This week in Kailand~
The Hard:
~Realizing I do not have any real friends anymore. Ouch.
~Feeling like I’m defective and not as good as other people because I’m unusual.
~The resulting loneliness of the above.
~Feeling like shoes seemed to be coming from everywhere.
~Wanting to give up being Kai to be more like Other People.
The Good:
~Deciding to become better friends with myself so that I can keep myself better company.
~Talking to a monster and making progress with it. Yay!
~Spending time with my fiance.
~Realizing that being Kai might not be easy but it has it’s perks.
~Remembering that I’m a dinosaur and dinosaurs didn’t even wear shoes, so it doesn’t matter how many people throw at me.
Yes, we shall chicken. Hope you can brush away last week’s hard while brushing your hair at the vanity table, Havi.
The hard:
– Still very low energy level
– My Mum’s silent but very obvious disapproval of my plans
– Visiting a friend twice who suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome. Seeing her tears, her desperation, hearing about her pain, her sense of isolation, her gradual loss of hope. And feeling so helpless about it.
The good:
+ A few walks by the sea
+ Visit from my cousin and his wife
+ Daily yoga
+ Went to a very interesting talk with my Dad about “inherited feelings” that basically dealt with how we can sometimes be confronted with feelings that are caused by unresolved issues from our parents or grandparents.
Chicken!
The hard…
– Rain, will it ever stop! So dreary and depressing.
– Worried about 102 year old grandpa, who is sick this week. Also 22 year old son was sick too.
– Lots of overwhelm – super, super busy.
– Realized one of my friends is not the person I thought she was. Still processing.
The good…
– Rain is helping to wash away the snow. No more snow on roof, and starting to see some grass! (Plus, at least it isn’t snowing!)
– Great lunch w/ friend I haven’t seen in a while. Yay!
– Good 26 year anniversary. Dinner and some good talks.
.-= Avonelle Lovhaug´s last post … Your design will never be “perfect” =-.
Oh, I envy your vanity table. Fabulous! Here’s my two bits for Friday…
The hard:
-Getting back from traveling. Having post-seeing-friends homesickness, because it will be months before I see them again and this makes me sad.
-Days spent being completely busy all day, and still not doing things I thought I should have gotten done.
-I also got a spa afternoon for my birthday. Mine was mostly good (learned what I like, and what was not overly horrible but I will never do again), but there was embarrassment over the gratuity thing. I said one thing, they heard another, I didn’t realize what had happened until it was too late and felt too awkward to say anything. Combination of two weak spots in one, money and making mistakes– ick. I want a do-over where I only do the things I like and can be confident about the whole thing.
The good:
-We’ve had some weather resembling spring, with sunshine even.
-Having it click that there’s one thing that consistently manages to make me angry. Still not sure how to not be angry, but happy to at least be recognizing one more thing about myself.
-The big thing: I got into both of the Masters programs that I applied to. Now I just have to pick which one I’ll attend (I’ll visit both and see). It’s a relief to know what I’ll be doing for the next fourteen months.
Happy Weekend!
Pirate bagels! Bagel pirates?
Ah, the hard…
– Too too too many migraines. I’m trying an elimination diet because, yes, I am desperate. In addition to being vegan and not doing caffeine, alcohol, or chocolate, I am now trying to eliminate EVERYTHING that’s listed as a potential migraine trigger (I’m hoping to reintroduce things one at a time after the migraines stop, so I can identify what’s really doing what). So for now, I’m trying to figure out what I can eat that doesn’t have any garlic, onions, soy, yeast, eggplant, mushrooms, grapes, berries, dried fruit, nuts, peanuts, seeds, black beans, anything aged or fermented, refined sugar…oh, there was more, but I just can’t remember all of it all at once. Any suggestions on what I can eat without dying of boredom or malnutrition?
The good
+ Spring! All the snow has melted off my garden and little green things are poking up out of the soil! Yay!
+ I found 31 cents on the sidewalk this morning walking to work. Not even all in one place. Three separate locations. Ok, it’s not a fortune, but I figure it’s a good sign. (Either that or an anvil is about to fall out of the sky and flatten me. But I’m trying to think positive.)
.-= Riin´s last post … Spring =-.
Chicken! The weeks and days seem to seamlessly flow into one another and it’s been a while since I chickened, so it this is a week+ of good and hard.
The hard
– Reality checking and facing the massive to do list. Massive overwhelm. 3.5 more chapters and 35 more days until deadline, then life may slowly resume.
– Massive anti-me campaign by a co-worker because of one of my joke-ey remarks that didn’t go down too well. I know this person does not have the same sense of humor as I do, I know I should not joke with her, I was being me without thinking about it. She later tried to get support from all other colleagues that had been present, but apparently the colleagues thought she was overreacting and backed me up AND they came to tell me I shouldn’t worry about it too much. Phew. Also: tried to figure out what I said that was wrong, but failed. So I just apologized for making her feel bad.
– Working until 3 AM to get something finished, then not being able to work much for two days because of tiredness. Effective much?
The good
+ Finished chapter 5 of the diss (not the fifth chapter finished).
+ Received peer scientists’ thoughtful comments on 2 other chapters, which now need minor revisions before being final.
+ Being able to let go of the overwhelm and face face-able tiny tasks one at a time.
+ Got two invites to come and have a chat at potential employers.
+ Still finding time for mini social contact moments.
Love your no-shoe dinosaurness, @Kai! Hugs for your hard. Don’t give up on being Kai!
Have a great weekend and next week, Chickeneers!
Ouch, sorry about the post-birthday hard!
Is it really Friday already? Hmmm. OK, let’s fry this chicken.
Hard:
-The blahs. Trying to get out of the blahs and still feeling blah. Occasionally seeing a light and then sinking back into blah again.
-Too many at-work days and not enough work-at-home days. The dog does not like this. Neither do I.
-I stepped in poo this morning. Some other dog’s poo. I want to shake my fist at the neighbors, but I’m not sure which dog did it. Now I have a poo-shoe.
Good:
-Tentative clearing of the blahs…will it last? Not sure. Trying to hold onto it for dear life.
-And spring! Spring! We have flowers blooming, and the bulbs are all poking up through the dead leaves. Happy.
-I played piano for at least 30 minutes every day this week and it makes me soooo happy. And I’m not sure, but I think shiva nata has sped my piano-skill-recovery time. The fingering is easier already, and I am able to read ahead two measures, which is how I read when I was actually good.
Happy weekend chickens!
.-= Emily´s last post … Find Your Inner What? Who Wants to Remind Themselves of a Smelly Gym? =-.
Hey Havi,
I just wanted to send you a gentle star shower of gratitude for some progress I’ve made recently.
MONTHS ago, I made a comment here about being too timid to get on Twitter. I was the one who was “intimidated by bars,” so the whole analogy had me spooked.
Well, after doing some chatting with my monsters, and letting my body warm up to the idea, I’ve done it. I’m orbiting the Twitterverse. Finally!
So a big, big, thank you to you and everything you do. I am abudantly appreciative for your wise and wacky guidance.
And now I’m feeling bright and shiny even through the Portland rain.
Good weekend to all of you!
Rebecca*
Chickeneers of the High Seas!
oh sorry for all the Hard, people. I hope your weekends bring you some relief.
this week, more travelling..
The Hard
I feel absolutely wiped out, I’ve done so much travelling since Christmas that I feel just totally shattered.
It’s not over: i’m away for two days out of each week for the next three weeks.
Europe wrote with their recommendations from our meeting. All expected but a lot of work and a deadline of a month. Ouch!
The Good
we’ve booked three days by the seaside at Lyme Regis after the easter weekend. have you read Persuasion by Jane Austen? have you seen The French Lieutenant’s Woman? Then you know what I’m talking about when I say the the hotel is on the cliff overlooking The Cobb and this is a very Good Thing.
I watched the International Space Station fly over my house. Brilliant!
I upgraded my iPhone by trading in my old one and only had to pay £30 for the new model I wanted!
It’s the weekend. Going to switch my brain into a different mode. Have some thoughts about reorganising my website and where all the writing goes.
Have great weekends all. Big deep breath and *Jump*
Lucy x
.-= Lucy´s last post … Taunton Racecourse under Grey Sky =-.
I’ve missed Fridays. Keep getting lost in the “what do you mean it’s FRIDAY!?!?” funk. But let’s do this thing now…
The Hard:
* VERY sick old lady cat. And as usual, no one can tell why. She’s giving me the same looks that the old man cat gave me before we had to let him go… I’m upset, she’s the EO’s cat, so the EO is upset…just hard all around.
*Being a Systems Admin widow with no sleep because the system EO works on has been going down repeatedly this week due to outside issues. At 2 am. or at 11 pm and extending into 2 and 3 am. No sleep.
*And last night, when we finally started getting sleep, the power went out at 3 am. How do I know this, you ask? I wear a CPAP mask at night. No power, I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe, I snore. EO and I suddenly awake in the middle of the night again. Ick.
*OVERWHELM about my thing and where I’m going with it.
*Being a grownup and taking actual financial papers to financial advisor.
The Good:
*Since the last round of antibiotics, my sinuses are mostly clear for the first time in 2 years. THIS is a HUGE GOOD!
*Daffodils have finally bloomed this week.
*Toads are out in our yard.
**These two things mean that Spring is finally here!
*Received wood carving tools and have taken up new hobby that is NOT shimmy or needlework related. Wow. Hobby that doesn’t bring in money — they make those? (A friend said, “until you decide to start selling your work…”) OK, she has a point. Currently, though, it’s just fun.
*Heart-sisters who can go out for tea with you and look at your list of stuff that needs to get done and cut to the chase. And then offer to help you with it despite a busy schedule of their own. 🙂
.-= Romilly´s last post … Jacobean Design in Stumpwork – Step 4 =-.
Chicken ahoy!
Hard:
Ugh. I just feel the need to say that first.
– horrible situation at work with much shoe-age and ugh-ness
– having to go to some a stressy all day meeting in another county
– knowing that one of my closest friends is having a really hard time at the moment
– having a conversation with said friend interupted by obnoxious pushy woman from the charity I resigned from being obnoxious and pushy to the point where I put the phone down.
– lack of sleeping
Good
– having people rally round, support and defend me during the shoe-age
– someone doing me a huge favour they didn’t have to do
– randomly meeting an old friend at the stressy all day meeting
– realising that I do not have to take people trying to manipulate and push me around and this does not make me a bad person
– being able to afford to buy a bottle of wine 🙂
Suddenly this week didn’t seem as dreadful as it did a while ago
Hooray for chicken! Let’s fricka-see
Hard:
–Much struggle in getting solo show ready for a Wednesday performance next week. It’s an audition for a professional run at a theatre in San Fran. A lot on the line. And I have had a lot of hardness in the rewriting and rehearsing, trying to get to a version of the script I’m happy with and be finished in time to memorize and rehearse it. A lot of feeling like I was losing the thread of my show. Not having an internal barometer to tell me what works and what doesn’t. A lot of doubt and fear and feeling like it’s not worth it and I should give up.
–Having to do self promotion for solo show and feeling very ick and narcissistic and embarrassed.
–Relationship hard because I’m so overwrought from the drama that is involved with created my literal drama. Feeling alone.
–Not enough sleep because of monkey mind on overdrive from (broken record) stress of show going up next week
Good:
–Finally getting to the place where the show feels like it’s coming together, rehearsals going well, memorization feels manageable (knock on wood). Being lifted up by my collaborator/director. Regaining hope. Getting support and cheering on from friends.
–Found a way through the relationship hard by using, of all things, email. Could speak my truth without throwing shoes. So could he. Found our way back to each other and feeling more connected.
–Havi’s wonderful Ask Havi post about shoes and invisible mentors. Feeling so grateful for that lifeline in the midst of hard.
–In an act of extreme self care, arranged to take three days off work next week so I can be where I need to be for my show. Didn’t worry about having to cancel meetings or ask others to rearrange.
–Got some real life experience saying no. To someone I love. The hardest of all. And the world did not come to an end, ladies and gentlemen.
Hugs all around for the hard, cheers for the good, and extra hugs to Havi for a hard week and a crappy birthday spa experience — so not fair.
Hooray for Dough Conditioner Conspiracy — that one guy rocks! If only his bagels did too.
May we all have a glorrrrrious weekend, with oodles of love and peace and sovreignity.
XO
Pidge
So sorry you had such a crappy week, but it’s totally awesome that it was peppered with sweetness precisely when it was needed!
(hm, peppering with sweetness… interesting concept!)
I feel like it’s been forever since my last chicken. Weeks flying by too fast may have something to do with my having a hard time to chicken. Anyways, here goes for this week:
Hard:
– having a crappy start to my day Wednesday and having it ruin the whole day, precisely when I needed to have a terrific day and wanted to accomplish some things
Hard but good:
– being in transition, and figuring out how to navigate that state of being and how to get to the other side
Good:
– realising that some more stucknesses had shifted since my big epiphany
– consequently feeling lighter, and more hopeful than I’ve had in quite a while
– oh, the happiness! it was of euphoric proportions last weekend!
– knowing that the happiness won’t last if I don’t take actions to support it, and having a very good idea of what those actions are
– finally feeling like I’m making progress and that forward movement is happening! woohoo!
.-= Josiane´s last post … A (huge!) shift in perspective =-.
The Hard:
-Filing for divorce and dealing with legal stuffs which I hate
-Getting court date for divorce and knowing I’m going to have to say something in front of a real live judge to get this thing done (Introvert senses activate!!!)
The Good:
-Support. Loving friends always there to cheer me on when I need them. Even the Ex some days.
-Gelato. That creamy goodness that is always there when I need it too.
-Getting court date and knowing that all this will be over soon.
And Havi’s 8 year anniversary. It gave me hope that some day, 8 years from now, that I will give thanks for all this. It’s hard to see that place but it always is when you are in it.
How annoying that there was so much hard in your week, Havi, I hope next week has a much better ratio of good.
The Hard:
Having a Chronic Fatigue flare-up after a couple of days in London
Losing my knitting mojo & feeling cross about it
Being so far off my diet that it wasn’t even funny
Having 2 days when I couldn’t even shower or dress because I was so unwell
Being in a real place of mental struggle with EVERYTHING for the last five days
The Good:
Showering today – really, some weeks it’s the little things!
An awesome couple of days in London meeting knitter friends, splurging on exciting fun things & visiting an excellent Eva Hesse exhibition – it was worth the physical price I paid!
Writing a cool post about monsters (inspired by Havi naturally)
Spending time in my studio today & making art most of the other days too, even though I couldn’t do a lot else
My chickens (real life chickens with beaks and everything) becoming friends & being able to stay in the same run without fighting
Having an online friend contact me after seeing last week’s VPA to offer to work through the Overcoming Underearning book together
Talking through and acknowledging my feelings of stuckness and struggle last night really helped – thanks for giving me these tools, Havi.
Wow, I have a whole lot of good for a week that I’ve mostly perceived as very hard.
.-= Kirsty Hall´s last post … Art School Monster =-.
Hmmm…
the Hard: Mostly my internal monologue before I got out of bed today. Though a reasonably true series of thoughts, not remotely helpful.
Also being allergic to flowers and attending a flower show.
the Good: The flower show was pretty awesome despite my allergies. It only gave me a sore throat which is awesome compared to the sneeze/mucus fests of my youth. Also loved the totally hip exhibit of x-rayed flowers/plants running concurrent with the bulb show. If you can get to Smith College, go!
Got some good stuff done this week. Should get back to it though, so cheers.
.-= claire´s last post … Sketchbook, page 10 =-.
Hard:
Speaking of chickens… one of our tiny flock of hens mysteriously died. Very very sad. And then the other day the two hens we have left were acting weird, and I went into a whole catastrophe scenario that the first one died from some industrial contaminant in the yard or something, that was going to do us in, too, not just the birds. So far they seem fine, but I’m still weirded out about that invisible perhaps-nonexistent-perhaps-lethal poison in the yard.
Non-working hot-water heater. A whole story here, going on for months, that I thought we fixed. No. So on top of feeling greasy and grungy, I’m sure our landlord/coworker hates me for being such a lousy steward of this little house he loves.
Argument with my husband yesterday, where I belatedly realized I threw a pretty big shoe, of a sort that I evidently throw a lot. And then I went through a whole paroxysm of guilt throwing shoes at myself because of it. But I also know that something about the whole dynamic really gets me, makes me feel super threatened and in danger, and my shoe-throwing is intended to pre-empt that… which means I’m entirely likely to throw more of these shoes in the future until I can figure this out, which makes me more guilty, throw more shoes at myself… uh, yeah.
Good:
I’ve been wanting to wake up early and do some little tiny meditating for years. And this week I have been. Thank you, Havi, for this, which I happened to stumble on, which really helped. And a good conversation with my husband where I was able to explain why it’s important to me and why I’ve felt like I can’t say no to him, when he wants to have a late slow breakfast with me, and he really heard me, and supported me in making an earlier schedule for myself.
And so I’ve been waking up early, and it’s been so still and peaceful in the predawn. It’s felt really good. And getting to work earlier has meant a more productive, less dragging day, and getting home while it’s still light?! Wonderful. The whole thing has made me feel more delighted and more optimistic as each day kind of rolls, both of which have been in short supply. So that’s been really nice.
Ugh. Another sucky week. Spring break which in theory meant I should be able to play catch up. Yeah, in theory. The reality? SUCKED.
The Hard:
– Idiot ex-boss throwing shoes and creating much extra work for me.
– And what part of NO don’t you understand? NO, the lab is off limits because the floors are being waxed. NO, all the equipment is moved. NO, you can’t access the computer because it is disconnected and moved so we can get the floors cleaned. NO, NO, NO.
– And it really pisses me off when you leave messages behind my back to my department chair about how I wouldn’t let you into the lab. Did you think she wouldn’t share your comments with me? So much for having a Ph.D.
– Very long work days. 15+ hours. WTF?
The Good:
– To the ex-boss: Revenge truly is a dish served cold. Brooded on the message that you left behind my back and laid out a very clear plan with deadlines for getting the rest of your crap out of our office and offsite facility.
– Sent above mentioned plan to our general counsel.
– Being back home with my kitties after being gone for 3 nights. They are my little sunbeams in the dark mornings.
– NO ALARM CLOCK for the next 3 mornings. Bliss!
Will next week suck less or just in a different fashion? Time will tell!
@Karen, we had the prettiest chicken ever when I was in high school, she had big blue eyes and we called her Henny Penny. She became egg-bound when my parents were in Texas and I was unable to help her and she died. I was inconsolable. They all have their own personalities, don’t they? I’m sorry for your loss.
.-= Andi´s last post … In Process =-.
@Karen So sorry to hear about your chicken. We lost one of ours a couple of weeks ago and we were all a bit heartbroken. I hope the other two are OK.
.-= Kirsty Hall´s last post … Art School Monster =-.
Thank you @Andi and @Kirsty, how sweet for you to have responded to me! And I’m sorry to hear about both of your lost hens (recently or not recently — even if Henny Penny died a long time ago, it’s still sad today.) That’s a hard.
But it’s a good that my other two girls are in fact still fine, and still laying. And when I momentarily let up from needlessly scaring myself, the yard is really beautiful in the Texas early spring. And the pear tree is blooming. All very good.
Late for the Chicken today. It was that kind of day yesterday, plus I was hoping to update my own blog first, but what the heck.
Oh, Chicken, Chicken…it’s been a rough week for a lot of us, hasn’t it?
Hard:
-One of the big, scary, shove-it-aside-and-try-not-to-think-about-it aspects of my life, namely our finances, went kaboom this week. We ran out of propane, which we use both for heating our home and for fueling the gas stove and oven, and we’re still figuring out how to pay the past due amount so that the company will be willing to deliver more. We’re also behind on other bills. Since I was the primary person designated in charge of keeping up with the bills, this left me feeling massively guilty — and both of my partners were upset with me because instead of loudly and clearly sounding the clarion alarm, I’d just been quietly wringing my hands and muttering, “Uh, guys, we need to be really careful with our spending, because I think we’re in a bit of trouble…” The fact is, months ago, I’d said that I wanted help with this chore, because I had a full plate and the money thing was a tangled, overwhelming mess…but, what with inertia and old patterns and life distractions, nothing had really changed, so we just kept muddling along the way we had been, until it all went ‘splody this week. So, I wasn’t a very good canary, but I’m afraid I might be a very good scapegoat.
-On the same day that the finances blew up, a deer collided with my car. Another deer. It had only been about a week since I got my car back from the body shop, where they’d repaired the damage caused by the last deer. I am sad for the poor deer, sad for my poor car, and sad for me, because, y’know, it just doesn’t look good, hitting two deer in the same winter!
-My daughter’s voice teacher informed us — compassionately, but firmly — that for the time being, she doesn’t want to give my daughter lessons anymore. My daughter loves to sing, adores learning new songs and performing them, but becomes impatient and frustrated with the vocal exercises and voice-building techniques that take up half the lesson time. So, they’ve hit a wall, and after months of trying, her teacher thinks it’s time to stop, at least for now. Sadness.
-Still with the academic projects. I think it’s time for me to take a page out of Sparky Firepants’ book: Blah blah prelims, blah deadlines blah, procrastination blah anxiety blah blah.
Good:
+When my sweetie’s computer seemed to have died (man, it was just one thing after another this week!) the problem ultimately turned out to be something easily fixed. That was a relief!
+I had a good visit with my parents this week — was able to tap into some inner resources of patience and kindness, and didn’t feel my buttons being pushed as much as sometimes happens.
+I’ve been writing and singing for my own pleasure on a daily basis, and taking great comfort from that.
+As of this week, my partners and I have much more clarity about our financial situation, they’re both taking a more active role in solving the problems, and we’re all communicating more frequently and openly about it. So, there’s the silver lining in the dark and scary cloud.
Much love, comfort, and good wishes to all of you!
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … This probably shouldn’t surprise me… =-.
the hard
(need a big brother style voice) we’re WEEK 3 OF THE MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS….
I dunnoe after my cough i went back to the job for work for 2 measly 3 hour shifts and on friday was so ill I could’t leave the house…
arrragh ! i’m running out of money and scared this is ME returning.
the good
quality cat time
reading novels by the bus load – dozing while listening to radio 7 http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio7/
going back to old fashioned methods of communication and hand drawing postcards
Chickeneers ahoy! Late to the party again, but here goes:
This week’s hard:
– Had a great wine-y meeting with a business associate in which we decided on some fundamental and earth-shattering changes to our Thing, which exists already in a different form, and I’ve been cringing in anticipation of not just shoes but XXL Steel-Toed Combat Boots when we announce the change, which is likely not even going to be for a couple months yet. This crouching and hiding is already getting really uncomfortable.
– I agreed to meet with a potential client about a project I’m not even sure I want to take on. Generally, the clients who insist on meeting in person before sharing much detail about the project don’t turn out to be good ones. Must. Learn. To. Say. No.
This week’s good:
– Yay for wine-y meetings! And clarity! And knowing that it’s all going to be better and make more sense on the other side of the Combat Boot Minefield of Doom.
– Finally had a breakthrough realization about this other thing I’m working on, enough that I can actually start making progress on it.
– Beautiful weather at last! And daffodils sticking their noses up out of the dirt!
.-= Lori Paximadis´s last post … busy afternoon =-.
Arrrrrg…all ye chickens
The Hard
-very little money (close to zero)
-did some serious shoe throwing at my man
-tire blew out
-stopped drinking
-dealing with old sunken pirate ships
The Good
+very little money (makes me get back to the basics)
+shoes are now safely in the closet
+I did not die, get injured or injure my car when said tire blew out
+Dealt with the sunken ships, namely projects which I viewed as failures, but I am now seeing the value in
+found the ghosts of scallywags while cleaning out my apartment I have the energy to do b/c I am not drinking
@rebecca: welcome to the twitterverse I am now following you and promise not to try to buy you a drink like you are at a bar
@kristy(hall) Thank you for showing me to take joy in taking a shower!
@Kathleen: Oh Deer!! So glad you are ok
@creativevoyage: I am poor too, it will be ok I wish you much health (and wealth)
Thank you Havi for providing this forum for amazing people and a little therapy for me!
.-= Meg´s last post … SOFT-LAUNCH 5weeks!!! =-.
I missed you all so much yesterday. Good to be back and see you guys here. And I never do this but I have to say hi to everyone today because I just do. 🙂
@Andi – frogs!
@helen – happy birthday, sweetie!
@Elizabeth – yay, happy to meet you. And One Eskimo being four guys is now my favorite thing in the entire world. Thank you.
@Kaiasaurus of Kailand – kisses
@Leocadia – thank you for that image of brushing away last week’s hard. That sounds perfect. Waving to you across the ocean.
@Avonelle – sorry about the hard of realizations you don’t want. And happy happy anniversary.
@Beth – ugh for the awkward gratuity thing, how horribly uncomfortable. And YAY for getting into both programs. Brilliant.
@Riin – 31 cents! That’s thirty one times lucky. Nice! 🙂
@inge – who on earth would throw an anti-you campaign? That sounds super hard. I’m sorry.
@Emily – wow, that definitely sounds like Shiva Nata magic to me, very very cool.
@Rebecca – you’re on Twitter! you’re on Twitter! Yay, metaphor mouse. Rock on.
@Lucy – Luuuuucy! Lyme Regis! Have I read Persuasion by Jane Austen? Have I? Only like seven hundred times. Wow. Your seaside holiday sounds perfect.
@Romilly – hey sweetpea. I miss you. Hug! And yes to toads and daffodils.
@Jane – I will say UGH with you. And have a glass of wine too.
@Pidge – oh wow, that’s a LOT. I hope the show is a blast and that the internal barometer shows up (or comes back). Love for all the hard.
@Josiane – progress! progress! progress! Wow. Wonderful.
@R – oh boy. Divorce is heavy and hard. Sending love.
@kirsty – so glad you found someone from your VPA. That is the best news ever.
@claire – flowers! yay. allergies! oh no.
@Karen – oh no! How sad about your hens. And the shoe-loops (shoe-lace loops?). And all the hard. And I’m glad to read about all the good.
@Gadgetgirl – wow, the saga continues. It sounds like you were really clear and in sovereignty so go you. And I hope it just gets better and easier.
@Kat – jeepers. That is a TON of hard. In fact, that is cosmically unfair amounts of hard. Good grief. Wishing you wonderful things (and even more clarity) for this coming week.
@creativevoyage – hi, my sweet. Hand drawn postcards. That sounds absolutely lovely.
@Lori – yeah, that *does* sound really uncomfortable. Daffodils always help.
@Meg – good for the ghosts of scallywags and big realizations, glad you’re okay. Mwah!
@havi there are pictures of our previous sojourn in Lyme on my website.
right here: http://www.lucysweetman.co.uk/lucysweetman.co.uk/Photos.html
xxx
.-= Lucy´s last post … Belgian Waffle with Chocolate Sauce =-.