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.
Still weirded out that I managed to pull of a non-emergency-breakdown vacation. One that’s actually supposed to happen while it’s happening.
Planned! What’s that about?
Go me, for being an adult. Kind of.
The hard stuff
Making a huge, horrible, stupid mistake that totally didn’t need to be made.
And then the resulting confusion, agony and shame of that.
It was a fairly straightforward administrative mix-up (fall-out from the First Mate switcheroo last month, combined with an oversight on my part).
Except that the consequences were big and our shopping cart charged people money who weren’t expecting to be charged at that time.
Oof.
Everyone was amazingly understanding about the whole thing and my new First Mate was incredibly speedy at getting it all sorted, but I felt absolutely terrible about it.
Being crazy busy.
And tired.
Interrupted sleep stuff.
Combined with the time change thing, which always throws me into kind of a mini-jetlag stupor and just generally gets on my nerves.
Stupid St. Patrick’s Day.
Well, stupid me for trying to start my Non-Emergency Vacation on St. Patrick’s Day.
And for staying at a hotel named for an Irishman.
Between the obnoxious kids, the obnoxious drunks, the obnoxious (and tall!) leprechauns and all the noise, it was a long, annoying night and a tired, cranky, not-loving-vacation me.
My monsters had strong opinions.
Particularly, they were tearing into me about not going to SXSW and all the opportunities I was missing.
And how I’m selfish and irresponsible for neglecting my business just because I’m highly-sensitive and a big baby.
Luckily they tripped up and used the phrase “you’re leaving money on the table”, which is something I would never say, not in a million years. So then I knew for sure that it was my monsters and not me.
And I talked them down. But yeah. They had a lot to say this week.
The good stuff
Not being impressed by shoes.
Some people said some pretty crappy stuff to me this week.
But somehow the shoe-throwing didn’t hurt.
I could see the shoes. See them being thrown. But they weren’t landing.
It was weird and great.
In the Schwung.
Oh yes.
Absolutely massive amounts of Getting Stuff Done.
I went into crazed production mode and wrote two ebooks from start to finish.
And finished my brand new Monster Coloring Book project (details coming soon).
That would normally be about three months of work. So it kind of blew me away.
Thank you, Dance of Shiva. Yet again you deliver the putting-me-in-the-zone goods. Amazing.
Realizing that not having gone to SXSW was really fortunate.
Because all that stuff I got done?
Never would have happened.
And now I’d be in recovery mode instead of on vacation. So yeah, that was a good decision. My monsters are looking bashful now. It’s kind of cute.
Mensch points.
This is a Steve Krug thing. He talks about how people in your business are constantly rating you in a mostly unconscious way, based on their experiences with you.
When you screw up, you lose points. When you do stuff right, you gain.
He’s talking in terms of website design (for example, sending people to a link that doesn’t exist puts you into negative mensch points). But it applies to the entire experience of how someone interacts with what you do.
Anyway. With our big screw-up this week, I was really really glad to have been building up mensch points with my people for such a long time.
Because even though we messed up in this huge way, everyone was so great about it.
Which means (to me) that we’ve been doing most things right. And that means a lot to me.
I got a flower! From a boy!
Okay, so he was about seven. And shy.
And it was a dandelion.
But still. So sweet. Spring! Being accosted by (extremely) young men on the street and given flowers! Totally counts. I haven’t lost it.
Ha. Vacation.
It’s fun.
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?
Terrible Mustachioed Rhubarbarians.
But it’s really just one guy.
This is actually from when I started going crazy at a workshop (not mine) where people were coming up with the worst book titles in the history of the world, but they didn’t know how supremely awful their ideas were.
And I had to distract myself with Terrible Mustachioed band names to keep from saying something out loud:
- Terrible Mustachioed Frank and the Two Timers
- Terrible Mustachioed Lemon Bark Pie
- Terrible Mustachioed Monkey Slugs
- Terrible Mustachioed Fairy Horned Mustardized Jam
- Terrible Mustachioed Pink The Rebellion
- Terrible Mustachioed Dancing Figurines
- Terrible Mustachioed Turtlenecks
- Terrible Mustachioed Fruitfloops Loops
- Terrible Mustachioed Stranger In A Rocking Chair
Luckily, all of these bands are just one guy.
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
Havi, I’m loving that you recognized your monsters by the way they talked! That is so cool!
Chicken!
The hard…
– Lots of work. Oh, the overwhelm is so, um, overwhelming. Ugh.
– Lots of personal stuff to do, too. The overwhelm is crushing me there, too.
– We had beautiful weather here this week, but I never got out to ride my bike. Now it is cold again. Brrr.
The good (or totally awesome)…
– Made progress on a new super-secret project of mine. Yay! It is the first thing I’ve gotten excited about in a while.
– Made progress on all the projects (personal and business) too.
– Lost a bit of weight. Hurray – I’m done with my plateau. Phew!
Have a great weekend!
.-= Avonelle Lovhaug´s last post … Your design will never be “perfect” =-.
So, is it just one guy who comes up with a new bandname every time he does a song? If so, that’s kinda cool. Also, we want to hear about those book titles. It sounds like fun.
So, I haven’t been chickening and I wanted to say something about that, just in case anyone missed me. I found myself being late a couple of times in a row, (like, I’m posting on Sunday pretending it’s still Friday) and then I realised, of course, it’s because my week ends on Sunday afternoon, not on Friday.
So, much as I love the chicken, it’s just not the best way for me to look back on the week (because a very important part of the week still needs to happen). I’m still reading though, and still mentally sending all the chickeners hugs for the hard and cheering for the good.
<3 <3 <3
By the way, dying to know more about the monster colouring book. And two new ebooks? Awesome!
.-= Willie Hewes´s last post … Mascots for Life =-.
OMG. Rhubarbarians! With a studded vegi-leather Conan outfit!
The week’s theme for me seems to be healing old wounds.
Hard-
-Hurt my shoulder a few weeks back, and it is just now feeling better (+) but it’s led to a few weeks of poor sleep and feeling un-productive.
-bad news about struggles and difficulties in my extended family, esp the teen kids. 🙁
-? Hard/weird/confusing/outcome may be good- My most damaging Ex, a very veryy destructive relationship with ripples for decades, got in contact with me (FB, what else.. ha.). I was able to set down a majority of the hurt/fear/anger without really knowing how I did it. I don’t trust him, he’s been what seems to be a narcissistic/sociopathic guy… seriously troubled, and says he’s changed. But whether he has or not is irrelevant; what is, is how I can heal this in myself and just observe without grabbing onto the toxic stuff and getting stuck in it.
Good+
+Getting asked out by an OLD OLD classmate, pretty much spontaneously… haven’t gone out yet, but it is part of this pattern of resolving a lot of old hurts.
+Working on my stuff in a very positive way
+My dog <3
+Being able to call on my ex fiance for support in this 'toxic ex' situation!! So very surprised by this. But he and I have gotten to a healthy friendship, and he knows all the dirt on me 🙂
+starting to figure out the 'right person' thing a little more. (on account of a 'bad' pseudo-date running the dog yesterday) I have discovered that I'm pretty sure my right person:
..has waterproof boots to tromp around in very muddy forest preserves, or would be willing to get some to go out in the woods.
..knows how to canoe, or ask for instruction if he doesn't. 🙂
..Also, can dig the fact that I am in to weird martial arts without objectifying me into a Hot Leather Bikini Wearing Rhubarbarian Goddess in his head.
..Or if he does, he can at least remember what I told him I do for a living!!
..Or one other fact about me!
..And calls if he's going to be late.
Anyone with stray healing and positivity mojo floating around today that they aren't using at the moment, toss it my way?, in the hopes that I will be Strong and Kind and Good and Healthy in this whole resolving with the ex hard.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo!
Ingrid
What is it with this Irish holiday and the stoopid drunks? I had guys yelling “Show me your boobs” on the street. And I was like, “Really guys? Boobs? What are you, 7 years old?” Also? It happened as I was walking to the bar where my husband-person was playing, and I hadn’t seen him for 3 1/2 weeks. So, not very receptive to the whole rowdy request for the sight of some flesh. Harumph.
Also…thinking about the shoes…I noticed myself beginning to interpret some things as shoes this week, but then saying “Just wait for a minute. Think it through. Get out of your head for a second.” And the things that felt like big shoes turned into…party invitations. Oh I guess I’m mousing the metaphor again, but the shoes turned into opportunities for really great (though certainly not easy) conversations…which was unexpected. And surely not something I could do every time…
@Ingrid, I have lots of extra positivity right now. (Where did all of this come from? It seems to be breeding…) Sending in a virtual airdrop of it right now…with a rainbow-colored parachute.
Soooo, chicken. Yay chicken!
The Good:
+Husband-person is back. We’ve (I’ve) been NVC-ing the problems that used to be impassable mountains, and it’s been incredible. Smoothness where there were horrible, horrible bumps before. Nice. NVC helps, but also the witnessing of others having hard conversations so effectively. Wow. It sinks in, you know?
+Lots of creative acts, thanks to the Metaphor Mouse and the Inner Curator. (Oh, and thanks for the Item!ization. It’s always pleasant to have company.)
+Walking outside in the sun and spring. No dandelions yet, though maybe I should get out and see if the leaves are up since it’s best to pick them before the flowers are up.
The Hard:
-I’m sick again. (What’s that, like the fourth time in four weeks?) And the ick that has been populating my sinuses is now seeking to colonize my lungs. Not liking it. So just focusing on the self-care…and lots of napitude.
The usual hard no longer hard. What’s up with that? I’ll take it.
Fellow chickeners, may your week be full of gloriousness. And Havi, I hope your on-purpose vacation is wondrous.
.-= Emily´s last post … Creative Every Day, Part 11: Recovery =-.
Yay, Friday!
The hard:
-I had my first experience with someone seeing a thing was not ready to be seen. It was… a lot more painful than I was expecting. But this person now knows that hunting out things that I don’t actively ask him to look at is not good. And he cares about me so he won’t do it again (he genuinely didn’t realize that I didn’t want him to look at it– he thought the plan was only not looking if I ask him not to, so we had opposite expectations there). And hopefully I can do a better job in future of protecting myself against that sort of thing, because I don’t want this to happen again with someone who doesn’t care so much about me.
-Capacity issues. As in, me repeatedly saying “I cannot do all this and it needs to get done, one of you needs to step up here” and no one answering. And so I do it anyway, and get burned out and frustrated. Thankfully this situation will end very soon if I have anything to say about it (and believe me I do!), but again with the ow + valuable life lessons.
-I am so bad at time management lately. Yeesh. What the heck happened? I need to get back on track with that.
The good:
-We had fabulous weather this week. Sunshine. It was great.
-Traveling friends are at their destinations in one safe piece. Always a relief.
-I am super well rested (because I overslept, true, but you know? I’ll take it anyway).
Happy weekend!
Awesome that you’ve been so productive! I want to write an e-book.
Did I just say that out loud?
Not sure what it would be about, but I feel the stirrings of the drive to write (now that the dissertation is finished – woot!).
The Hard:
+Seeing a disturbing accident involving a pedestrian on a busy road on my commute home. I actually cried and felt reminded how unsafe the world can be.
+Feeling frustrated at my sensitivity, esp in contrast to those around me. That’s why Havi’s one of *my* right people (as are my fellow Havi-ites). You guys just get it.
+Upset over taxes. Moved states mid-year, so forms were a nightmare. Felt stupid with gentleman friend, but was able to explain how doing taxes made me feel stupid and dumb at math (which often irrationally leads to my being dumb at everything).
+Low blood sugar issues that are taking me by surprise. Blood work came back normal, so just need to reassess diet.
+Budget frustration. Do I need to still live as a poor, starving grad student now that I’m gainfully employed, or is it okay to spend cash-monies I’m earning? Guilt over buying anything, even when I can now afford it.
The Good:
+Loving my gentleman friend. 🙂
+Meeting a new friend this weekend!
+Being gainfully employed and able to pay my bills – need to keep reminding myself of this one.
+Garden planning!
+Lovely weather, driving with the windows down, and afternoon strolls that make me come alive.
hard
* Away from my sweetie and my dog for a week.
* Grueling physical work that kicked my ass.
* Cash flow issues.
good
* Coming home to my sweetie and my dog. Yay! I love them both so much.
* Home cooking.
* Rest.
* Getting lots done even though I’m supposed to be resting.
.-= Barbara J Carter´s last post … Meet me in La Quinta – March 11-14 =-.
I have missed like a month worth of chickens, but not today! I am making the time to Chicken damnit! First Havi, congratulations on your email freedom and deciding not to do it is the best thing for you. I have some left over Carolans (Irish Creme liquor): would you like with milk or on the rocks? 🙂 *clink glasses* To Havi! L’chaim!
The Hard
I have not slept most of this week due to the evil, demonic entity known as insomnia. The rest of the hard stems from that. I’m way behind reading a book I’m reviewing, I’m way behind on the sermon I will be preaching Sunday, I’m way behind on writing projects and finding paying writing gigs. I’m way behind.
There has been very hard going on with my parents for over 2 years. It’s driving me crazy. Crazy to the point I don’t sleep. Fortunately I live hundreds of miles away from the parents, which means I can do what I decided to do last night. I am emotionally disowning my parents. This means anytime my brain starts obsessing about their stuff, I say, “I’ve disowned them. This has nothing to do with me.” I’m hoping this gives me the space I need to set boundaries for the holidays.
The Good
Hiring the personal trainer was a really good thing. I need the accountability to take care of myself through physical exercise. Plus I was feeling like shit yesterday when I went in (see evil, demonic insomnia above), and by the time we were done, I felt great. And I felt good the rest of the day. Getting up and moving does help me feel better. Now I need to find the same sort of accountability for my writing.
Columbia College’s Story Week Festival of Writers was just tremendous. I went around and heard authors read their work and talk about the craft, and it was marvelous. David Morrell (his books include First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose, and The Shimmer) totally rocks, and it you ever get a chance to hear him speak go. Change whatever you have to, reschedule whatever you have to, sell the dog if you have to, if you’re a writer and get the chance: GO! His love and dedication to writing is phenomenal, and he is very blunt about how hard it is, but it’s also very obvious how much he loves what he does. And he has lots of good practical advice. I’ve just ordered his book The Successful Novelist.
I was sent a free book to do an advance review of by one of my favorite theologians! (N. T. Wright in case anyone was wondering.) And it is a very good book, and one that the Western Protestant Christian Church needs to hear. I’m not sure how much I can say before the reviews start going up, but I’ll link to my review on that week’s Chicken when it’s up.
I have set the number of pages I need to write a day on The Book Proposal. And like David Morrell said yesterday, I will write them everyday, no matter how long it takes. He made the point that writing is a perishable skill, and if you don’t use it everyday, you will lose it. And that my friends, is one of my problems: I write a couple of times a week and am constantly reteaching myself the basics. To move on, I am going to have to write everyday. I had never thought about it before. But he is absolutely right. Just like playing scales on an instrument, if I’m going to be a virtuoso at what I do, I am going to have to practice everyday.
And now I have to get ready to head to yoga then on to Trader Joes. I hope everyone has a great weekend!
.-= Shawna R. B. Atteberry´s last post … The View From My Window =-.
Oops, I meant to close off the bold after the strong. Hope all that bold type doesn’t hurt your retinas.
.-= Shawna R. B. Atteberry´s last post … The View From My Window =-.
Yay, Havi, for vacation and writing two e-books, and the Monster Coloring Book! I can’t wait to see all the gorgeousness you’ve created this week.
Hard this week:
Knowing that I’ll move this summer from the home I love. Lots of sadness around this.
Good this week:
In the week since I discovered I’ll have to move, I was offered three places to live, and put a deposit down on one of them. I’ll miss the sea and my home here more than I can say, but my soon-to-be new home is lovely.
I’m talking with Koren Motekaitis this morning on her webcast about healing stuckness and creating a thriving business.
The transcripts of the audio from my four-month program finally arrived, and I’ve begun writing my ebook!
Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!
Love, Hiro
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … Conscious Unraveling =-.
**The Hard**
~ S being away. Still. Day 15 today and it all hit me. Sobbing in a mall. 2 more sleeps. But still. OW!
**The Good**
~ The new site. Yay video. Yay – comments!
~ The Book.
~ Hitching my jeans up (Dance Your Ass Off, Fat Boy! DVD must be working).
~ Chinese character flashcards on the iphone.
~ Bacheloring without too much carb-grief-sublimation.
~ ‘Zen’ meditation timer – (yes, on the iphone). Customisable! Bells!
~ Me and The Kitty.
~ Rest after Shiva-ing. Crunchy!
Huh. A lot of good…
.-= Andrew Lightheart´s last post … How to present like Jill Bolte Taylor =-.
The Hard: This week’s hard is not even really hard. It’s more the Bittersweet. This week has been completely overtaken by the Good. So I’ll start with the Good:
The Good: I did a performance of my solo show on Wednesday and it went better than I could have possibly imagined. Full house. Great audience. Performance went well. So happy with the script. So proud of myself for how much work I got done in such a short amount of time. Took three days off work so I could be rested and present and focused. So many people showed up to see me and so many wished me well. Felt so loved and held. Felt like an artist — like a real actress again. Felt like a professional. Felt like dreams are possible.
The Bittersweet: It was a one night only performance. I will have four performances in June, after doing more work on it, and then will hopefully get a professional run at a theatre in San Fran. But because it was only one night it was over so fast. And I had to return to “real life” so quickly. Back to the day job. Usually when I open a show, there are many performances. So it was so brief. Bittersweet. And, it lights the way for so much more to be possible.
That was my week. Proof that if you show up, work hard, play full out, and have some faith, really really good things are possible.
Hugs for the hard. Cheers for the good. And lots and lots of love.
Love the monster colouring book!
The Hard: Showing copy to people for my thing — getting feedback is hard, even when it’s from loving people.
Spring break going on for too many days when it’s raining.
The Good. ohmigod. Had the greatest experience of working on some stuckified energy internally which had an almost immediate external result.
So, thank you Havi because it was your alignment technique that did the trick.
Also good — my birthday! Lots of fun including an unexpected out of town visitor and the purchase of some wildly extravagant shoes.
Yay for birthdays!
.-= Christina´s last post … Woah — that was fast =-.
Blah. March Madness isn’t a basketball tournament in my life, it is an insane workload with insane deadlines for my doctoral program. Not a happy camper. Just an exhausted one.
The hard:
– Feeling like I’m back in kindergarten. Weird happenings with former acquaintances in FB. Finally decided today that I’m unfriending a couple of people to put an end to this nonsense.
– Deadlines, no me time, pushing way beyond my limits…
The good:
– Crazy kitties in the morning make me smile even when I’m totally exhausted.
– Good group members for the project from hell
– My husband who may someday see his wife again if I live through this doctoral program.
– SPRING weather – 60’s today and Sunny (snow tomorrow – go figure!)
Ah, dandelions. So cute.
The hard.
– the migraine elimination diet I’m on. It sucks. I’m hungry.
– and while I’m actually having fewer and less severe migraines, now I have a sore throat. And I’m really tired. I would go to bed, but I’m waiting for UPS to show up.
The good.
+ I’m waiting for UPS to bring me 10 cones of sock yarn. Happy!
+ Dwarf irises are blooming in my garden. So cute!
+ I’m redoing my website and blog. Got a lot done, but then felt like I needed a nap.
+ I’ve got my first scarf up for sale in my new etsy shop! http://riingilldesign.etsy.com
+ As soon as the UPS guys comes, I’m taking a nap. Well, after he leaves. You know.
.-= Riin´s last post … Happy birthday to me! =-.
I’m very excited to hear about the ebooks. And a Monster Coloring Book? Wow!
Hard:
– Some scary hours while we were working on the taxes. I did my best to stay calm while it was still a work in progress, because we’ve been through this before; that bottom line can look really bad until all the details have been sorted out.
– Our first weekly grocery shopping trip since last weeks financial explosion was a bit difficult. We’re a bunch of foodies who love to research and prepare fun and festive meals, so it was hard, feeling that we needed to make cheap choices. Then there were things like getting the kind of cold cereal that was on sale, which was not the kind I would have chosen otherwise…(Huh. A crabbed little monster just popped up to scold me, telling me to grow up, stop whining, and just be grateful that we can put food on the table, period. Hello, where did you come from?)
All in all, though, this has been a good week!
Good:
+ By the time we’d finished working on the taxes, things were looking all right again. Whew!
+ The vehicle I’m renting while my car is in the body shop, while not the kind of vehicle I’m ever likely to buy, is fun to drive for now, and I’m enjoying it.
+ Shiny new, non-sucky yoga DVD! I am really enjoying this, and feeling completely free to ease into it gently and gradually, feeling that each little baby step is absolutely a win. I tried the first few poses in the Spine series, and felt so great!
+ Spontaneous soccer game with my ten-year-old, one-on-one, running clumsily up and down our slanted yard, laughing uproariously as we utterly failed to score a single goal. I’ve been feeling the need to spend more time with her getting physical exercise, for both our sakes, and it feels good to know that she’s open to it. And we have a swimming date tomorrow!
+ Shiva Nata! Shimmery little epiphanies! Delicious.
@Ingrid — sending you magic mojo power!
@Pidge — that sounds fabulous. I’m so happy for you!
@everyone — wishing you much gloriosity!
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … An open letter, from me to me =-.
Girl, you have *definitely* still got it. I am laughing imagining the inside of the seven year old boy’s head. “Omigosh, she’s so pretty! And tall! I have to give her this dandelion RIGHT NOW!” Too adorable.
Havi! Pirate Queen of my blogging soul! I am so very impressed this week. More than usual. You’re on non-emergency vacation. Your posts have rocked and inspired tons of us. You’ve ducked shoes, overcome a mega difficult oopsie, apparently written and colored up a storm. I so rarely have role models, but you are one now. Admittedly, it’s strange to have one who has a duck on her shoulder and wears a pirate hat, but… who am I to talk. I mean, have antlers, for gawd’s sake.
Ok. Chicken.
The Hard:
Not feeling good.
Dog refusing to eat unless hand fed freshly cooked food.
Being bitten by said dog while giving her meds.
Not feeling good some more.
Feeling overwhelmed.
Overspending.
Significant-Whoever still working way too many hours.
Grump, bitch, whine, pout.
Unmentionable painful not feeling good OW.
The Good:
The dog IS eating a lot more food.
And she IS feeling a lot better.
And the bite? minor. really minor.
I got a new monitor, yay!
I got a new metaphor, double yay!
Running off to join the circus?
Serious, serious goodness.
Ring Master School here I come!
.-= Tori Deaux´s last post … A Trip To The Circus, Courtesy of Mighty Metaphor Mouse! =-.
@Havi: Schwung sounds good.
@Hiro: I totally feel with you, had to say good bye to a house I loved 3 years ago and it was a very hard separation.
The hard:
– Fatigue, not a single night where I slept well
– Grumpy husband; I know I am not the reason for his grumpiness but it is still hard.
– Too much happening too fast which makes time fly.
The good:
– The first day where spring was really in the air, beautiful, warm, sunny. Such a relief, such a joy, such a revelation after this endless winter.
– Lots of exiting plans for travels over the next few months.
– My aunt and uncle booked me a flight so that I can visit them in Spain next month and that will be an extremely necessary vacation. Very touched that they did this for me.
– Unexpected opportunity to visit old friends next week has come up.
The good: An outrageously great (thus highly stressful) coaching call with one of my Heart o’Business people.
More good: You know, I always get really good food in my life. It makes a difference.
Still more good: Got to go to CT for my lil’ niece’s baptism. Good family party ensued.
The hard: Google sent me home to Cleveland via New York City. I dutifully hammered the frame of my Saturn on a pothole in the Bronx.
More hard: Even though nobody else saw it, there was a major throwing of shoes. It totally pushes every single button I have when a prospective client just drops out of sight after asking for help. Avast!
Major coolness: I’m about ready to share the most awesome way to Make Your Software Project Not Suck. With the world. Next week! Yay!
.-= Mark W. “Extra Crispy” Schumann´s last post … Do what you gotta do. When you gotta do it. And not a moment sooner. =-.
The Hard:
*Yoga. Starting a practice is uncomfortable.
*The BIG contract that fell into my lap was whisked away in a little email. Budget could not be passed.
The Good:
*Yoga.
*Freedom from losing the BIG contract. I can finish my thesis more quickly.
*I have a little contract to get me by.
*Amazing meeting with someone who might be a RIGHT person. Making future plans.
*husband/family who support me in not making the BIG contract cash.
I didn’t do the check-in last week, ‘cos I went and helped out at the Steampunk Expo, and was too tired when I got home to bother with much. This is sort of a mishmash of the past two weeks and my secret desire to go take a nap instead of doing it at all.
The Hard:
– Totally failed to trade contact info with people at the Steampunk Expo
– Too many people not enough sleep ugh
– Getting burnt out, not sure why, maybe the above but not entirely
– Had a couple of clienty shoes, and am generally having my monsters rally around hiding from everyone, ever, which is great but won’t pay the bills
– Having a lot of Inner Turmoil and Doubt about various and sundry, though a lot of that vanishes as soon as I buckle down and start getting things done
– Irritated by certain mental processes that I’m aware of and having a hard time shutting down
– Lots of walking but not enough time/energy for other exercise
– My sleep cycles are all thrown off and I’m not sure it’s just the time change, since I’m actually waking up earlier instead of later and still not able to fall asleep on time — insomina = fail, sigh
– Busy feelings teaming up with overwhelm to keep me from keeping up with Twitter, my Etsy store, blog posting, etc, and uncertain how to fix it
– Stiff neck, sore shoulders, sore hips, even a random flaring up of my left wrist, allergies and tired and meh
– Tension between trying to believe that there is not scarcity, and not wanting to overspend and end up scrambling
The Good:
+ The Steampunk Expo was fun, and I met some nice people and had a great time, and actually was useful and helpful despite a couple of long breaks
+ I got to see the King Tut Exhibit on Sunday, which was awesome despite the ass-early start to my day
+ I got a metric fuckton of work done this week, including a rush job for a high-profile new client that I’ve been deeply wanting to impress
+ Had a couple of really productive client meetings
+ Am starting a new Sekrit Joint Venture soon and I’m hoping it’s as awesome as it seems like it’s going to be
+ Got my favorite comfy clogs repaired for $15 instead of replaced for $100
+ New snazzy high-heeled sandals are way comfier than they have any right to be, and make me feel very tall and sassy when I wear them
+ New jeans are turning out to actually be a bit loose except for the first hour out of right-out-of-the-wash tightness
+ Bought makeup. Wore makeup. Confused friends.
+ The sun came out, huzzah! I have gone out in it in measured doses so as to not spoil my geek pallor
+ Getting to do more of the work bits I like (art/design/illustration) and less of the ones that irritate me (coding/tech support)
+ Fuzzy cuddly kittehs
+ Saw Alice in Wonderland and, predictably, loved it, though now I have the urge to start wearing really interesting make, and hats. Clearly, I need the Joint Venture to go well to support this recent upsurge in desire to dress up and look like a hot goth chick again — I miss my little black dress collection, but man, goth clothes are pricey
.-= Amy Crook´s last post … Illustrations, Illustrations, Illustrations! =-.
Wow… it’s Friday already. How does that happen so fast?
Here’s my week:
The hard-
half days of school all week. Much less time to do stuff than I usually have.
Annoying mix up about when to drop things for school garage sale necessitating a second trip and re-arranged plans… annoying, that’s all.
the school my son attends is having $ troubles which has resulted in the teachers taking a pay cut. And having to clean their own classrooms because they cut the cleaning service from the budget. I hate it that the teachers I love and who work so hard are being treated this way. I wish I had the funds to make it all better. About all I can do is organize the parents to help out with the cleaning. Ugghhh….
The good-
Teleclass was great fun! People came, we talked, we laughed, we learned. It was a good time.
Techie bits under control. I got the recordings sent out without banging my head against my laptop.
Feeling much more relaxed now that my calendar is up to date and under control.
My class of moms locally ended, but we were having so much fun we’ve decided to continue meeting. And we have a space! Yay!
Happy Chicken everybody!
.-= Liz´s last post … Systems Failure and the Domino Effect =-.
oh you guys i’ve missed you! This will be my friday chicken of all chickens… because wow. by far the hardest times i’ve had in my life in the past 6 years or so. i don’t even know what else to preface this with so here we go:
the hard:
my gentleman friend hit rock bottom friday the 12th while we were at work. goodbye emails sent to friends and his mother, drinking all day mixed with meds that had not been helping or monitored for months. a fire escape attempt, a window attempt i physically pulled him down from….a YELL for help at the top of my lungs unanswered because they were all down in the kitchen drinking and playing games..even after KNOWING the seriousness of the situation. phone calls for help unanswered for the same reason. the therapist “i have obligations this evening but i can see you both tomorrow” her obligations being oysters and cocktails…. it ended up just he and i on the sidewalk downtown, him at his end, out of control, me hanging on to his arm to avoid a jump in front of a train or into traffic….rush hour, 911 call and a cop taking him away lights flashing as i crumpled over crying in front of a full max and street car and sidewalk full of gawkers. 7 hours in the ER and then 5 days in a horrific psych unit. His parents flew in to town and we met for the first time. I had coffee’s and lunches and dinners with them in between visitation hours.
tuesday, he is checking in to inpatient care and i get a call from our boss. we and some others have been laid off.
my roommate is putting the house on the market, i need to move out.
the good:
everything that happened, as horrific as it was, needed to happen. my gentleman friend has his meds straightened out and feels SO MUCH BETTER. he will be getting unemployment pay instead of nothing and is free and clear of the fucking horrendous company we used to work for. he truly gets a fresh start. insurance coverage will continue and he will get the care that he needs.
my family was incredibly helpful and supportive and not condemning as I feared.
I got along great with his parents and after the doctor at the hospital spilling the beans about him wanting to marry me, they like the idea…. heck of a way for that to be announced…. SHEESH
i am eligible for unemployment pay too.
i wanted out of the house anyway. so here we go…
The things I have learned here are exactly the things my gentleman friend is learning in his treatment. I can vouch that they WORK and have brought me miles and miles from where I was one year ago. I am equipped to support him in these things and it is a process we can share and are already on the same page about.
Shiva Nata is and will be a big part of getting through this and I am relieved to have it to lean on.
so a big thanks to you guys for being a community willing to listen and share, a huge thanks to Havi for the skills and insights she has given us to talk to our monsters and set up red velvet ropes and sovereignty and awareness…. mindfulness and self care… I truly don’t know how I would have survived this last week without it.
@ilikered — *gasp!* *hug* I’m just so relieved to hear that your gentleman friend is doing so much better, and I am in awe of your courage. Support and strength to you both!
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … An open letter, from me to me =-.
carrie – wow…What an incredibly awful and terrifying thing to have to go through. I’m in awe of your ability to see the silver lining so soon afterward. Can I send you a hug?
and havi…did I hear you say “Monster Colouring Book”? My inner child is clapping with glee…
.-= Patty K´s last post … Why I spent all day Monday attending a 90 minute bellydance class =-.
Ooh, Monster Coloring Book, yeah baby! Kinda want to draw one now. 🙂
The Hard: Not my week overall. Started with anxiety dream that I was annoyed my mostly unconscious self bailed on by waking me up because my dream self was handling it pretty well. Then my negatives arrived in a soggy box & there were some other issues with my order. Effin’ ides of March.
Though trying to be in sovereignty, writing my frustrated email to customer service (not you!) & waiting for reply totally stressed me out. Missed out on burning Wednesday cuz I was dealing with negs and writing that email. Thought it’d be better once done but instead it triggered a deep funk.
Had an honest to god banana peel moment on a piece of soap in the shower. Didn’t fall but felt my back muscles strain to keep me upright.
The Good: Beautiful weather! And I was out in it most every day.
Took care of my back so my potential wrenching was not bad at all.
Shot something super cool albeit with non-ideal camera.
Had first cooked out steak of season last night. Whole meal was so fuckin’ tasty! Really boosted my mood.
Had a lovely quasi-saucy dream this morning & then got to burn. Even got to set it off which I don’t recall ever getting the chance to do before. So awesome. Only kind of yard work I love to do.
Claire’s last post … Life of Art SitRep #6
@ilikered *hugs* What a horrible week. I’m glad your gentleman is doing better.
.-= Shawna R. B. Atteberry´s last post … Company Girl Coffee: Columbia College Story Week Edition =-.
@ilikered: Oof, what a week you had to go through. I’m really glad to know that things are now better, but still, big hugs for the hard.
@Havi: Two ebooks! Monster colouring book! Yay for Shiva Nata putting you in the zone in such a way that you could get that much done – that’s awesome!
Also, I *love* the band of the week. Those Terrible Mustachioed Rhubarbarians are/is amazing! 🙂
The hard this week:
– A stupid networking event that I really wasn’t sure I wanted to attend, but decided to go at the very last minute because I “should” (ha!) get out of the house more often. It was pretty much as lame as I thought it would be, and I came back home grumpy and irritated both because of the event and because I was starving.
The good this week:
– Waking up in the middle of the night a couple of nights ago and suddenly having huge parts of a blog post appear in my mind.
– My gentleman friend being sweet enough to get up and get me something to write on, so that I wouldn’t have to get up and not have to risk losing it all either.
– Writing and publishing two blog posts within a week!
– Realising after my Shiva Nata practice this morning that I am now feeling ready to teach it. That felt great!
.-= Josiane´s last post … Middle of the night musings =-.
you guys, thank you.
i can’t tell you how nice it is to be able to come here and hear some encouraging words and get some hugs… it really does help and, yeah, just thank you for listening/reading and being so great.
xoxox
@ilikered hugs to you for an unbelievable week. glad you found the good in it all.
@everyone – as usual, hurrahs for The Good and high-fives for making it through The Hard
my week?
well it was loooooonnnnnngggggg and it was very full but you know, it was okay.
The Hard
Long week, too much work, more europe irritation.
The Good
I went back to the county of Warwickshire, where I was born, to speak to a conference of carers and educators. I gave the opening address and two women who taught me in my late teens were in the audience which was like a sort of homecoming.
Better still I spoke just before the poet Lemn Sissay (http://www.lemnsissay.com) and he’s a great bloke. We both talked about the importance of art and creativity to the conference and it went down really well. he told me how much he liked that I used my personality and humour to deliver a serious message. That meant a lot because sometimes I think it stops people from taking me seriously…
have a great weekend, Chicken-heads!
Lucy x
.-= Lucy´s last post … A Day Working from Home =-.
Just running by like a chicken on a sugar rush (must be all the easter eggs) to say woohoo! to the Monster Coloring Book. Excellent!
Lot’s of hard in the week, but get to see my family tomorrow. Another chicken next week, I hope.
@ilikered – ohmygod sweetie, that is way too much hard for anyone to have to deal with in one week. So much painful stuff to experience, and to do it alone. Wow. Hard hard hard hard hard!
Sending love and support and caring! I am so glad that you have these amazing internal resources of strength and power, and the ability to access to them. And I am so glad that we have our Chickeners/Chickeneers to be glad for you too.
@Lucy – so delighted to hear that your talk went well and that you enjoyed yourself. Lovely!
@Josiane – YES you are ready to teach Shiva Nata! Wheee!
@Liz – so good that your teleclass went well. That’s marvelous news!
@Amy Crook – oh I am going to join you in returning to hot goth chick mode. I’ve been wanting to re-dye my hair black for a month now (like it was when I was twenty five!). I guess Selma won’t be very hot goth but that’s okay.
@Kathleen – nice monster recognizing! 🙂
@Riin – a scarf! Love it. LOVE.
Waving lovingly to all the Chickeneers. I just saw Casey in person this morning so if she doesn’t chicken this week you’ll know she’s fine.
Giggling at your dandelion experience, Havi.
THE HARD
Period pain.
Feeling like I acted like an accidental jerk at an art networking event. Thowing shoes at myself because of it.
Still not knowing what I’m going to show at an upcoming exhibition.
My procrastination getting smarter and disguising itself as lots of very hard work on the wrong things!
Stress eating because of the networking event and then feeling guilty.
THE GOOD
Our lovely wife getting home safely after 5 months in deepest darkest Peru.
Writing up a storm and feeling that I’ve got my blogging mojo back. I’m actually starting to put together a collection of posts in my pantry (so much nicer to have a ‘pantry’ instead of something dull like ‘posts written in advance’).
Having lunch with a sweet art friend and seeing his inspiring studio. Meeting another art friend the day after. Hooray for art friends!
Some good opportunities coming my way.
Being brave and changing my ‘about me’ page so that it’s much more honest, real and human. Plus publicly informing people that they can *gasp* hire me for things. That was HUGE for this chronic underearner.
Having an utterly amazing massage and feeling things shifting in my body and mind.
Having a couple of Hot Buttered Ephiphanies.
.-= Kirsty Hall´s last post … 8 Excuses Artists Make For Not Having A Website =-.