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.
Hahahahahahaha.
This week was such a freaking saga of things falling apart while being challenging and ridiculous.
I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or dance a jig.
Really, at this point all I can do is chicken. TGIFC, as we say. Even though no one has ever said that.
The hard stuff
How much there was of it. Where do I even begin?
Seriously this week was kind of out of control. All inconsequential problems, yes.
And my life is still better than when I was a bartender in south Tel Aviv or a yoga teacher in east Berlin.
But it was a lot to deal with. And I feel completely worn out from all of it.
Oh, right. Not having a computer.
My lovely laptop had a heart attack.
Which is a problem, since I run an internet business.
It got sent to the lovely Apple people. But they didn’t have any spare ones to rent out while they were being all fix-ey.
So I didn’t have access to my computer (or the files I wanted) for five days. Oof. And no, they couldn’t save the hard drive. And no, they weren’t sure if they’d have it back to me before I left for two weeks in New Mexico.
Also, not having a roof.
The roof on Hoppy House was being replaced this week.
My gentleman friend and I both work from home. And we couldn’t do that.
We were out of the house from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm.
And not having internet.
We were trying to work at the Playground, but there’s no internet access there so we had to keep ducking into cafes.
I had client calls all week, but couldn’t access my notes. And a Kitchen Table call where I had to have someone else moderate the chat room for me.
Of course everything took longer than anticipated.
So I was sure I’d be back in my office for the Copywriting Magic class I was scheduled to teach on Wednesday.
I like teaching in my office. I have an excellent headset and a very nice chair and everything is exactly the way I want it.
But there was no roof on my office and it was insanely noisy. So we had to scramble to find a place that was both quiet and had internet access.
Not good.
Being completely worn out.
I was so tired this week. And being on the move did not help.
So tired I caught myself doing a thing I haven’t done since I worked in the dairy and had to work at three in the morning: spacing out completely.
The kind of lapse where you discover yourself fifteen minutes later with one sock in your hand (or leaning on a cow), having no idea where you are.
Oh, I wanted a nap! But the Playground isn’t really set up for napping. Yet.
Between the pirate pillows and the baby blankets in the Refueling Station, it kind of worked. But I so just wanted to be at home.
Not teaching with Selma.
In five years and two months of knowing Selma, I have never taught a Shiva Nata class without her being there.
Not once.
This week it happened. And it felt so wrong. I don’t know how to teach without her there. I mean, I do, obviously. But it was weird. Do not like! Plus now she’s mad at me.
The good stuff
It’s Friday. And this week is over.
And I’m in New Mexico.
I love New Mexico.
The fabulous writer’s retreat at which I am teaching begins tomorrow. And in the meantime, aaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Sigh of relief.
I have my computer. Just in time.
And really, I only ended up losing three blog post drafts and a page of copy.
Not even slightly the end of the world.
Hooray for my Regularly Scheduled Rituals of Backing Stuff Up, because that was crazy great and also made me feel smarter than I actually am.
And really, things worked out.
It turns out that my ancient piece of crap iBook was a) in the closet and b) still kind of worked, despite the screwed up screen and only having six legible keys on the keyboard.
So I was able to do some writing this week without having to steal my gentleman friend’s laptop.
Some of the things that were going horribly wrong this week turned out not only to have been okay, but actually kind of for the best.
And I am (mostly) capable of appreciating a good reminder to not just assume that things-not-the-way-I-wanted necessarily means “wrong”. So that’s good too.
We still had fun.
The Shiva Nata class was awesome.
The Copywriting Magic class totally worked despite all the things going hilariously wrong in the background. The people who come to my things are smart, funny, kind, creative and I adore them all. And Selma even condescended to squeak out loud for everyone.
Plus, I like working at the Playground. Because I like being at the Playground.
And now we have a roof at Hoppy House. Rock on.
Shivanautical epiphanies like crazy.
I had so many post-Shiva-Nata moments of bing this week that I can hardly stand it.
Big, wonderful, outrageous things. Loving it.
Things I enjoyed reading this week.
Maryann’s piece about how am I wrong. Not how I’m wrong. How each of us is. Never mind. Loved it!
Bridget’s wise words and understandings about dragons and process and softness.
Kelly’s post called I’m on a train is my new favorite everything. Read it!
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?
Bette-Davis-ize
Yeah. All the boys thinks she’s a spy. But rumor has it … it’s 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 day and a restful weekend-ing.
And a happy week to come. Shabbat shalom.
Follow
RIDICULOUSLY GOOD WEEK. I feel actually kind of bad doing this in case it looks like gloating (it’s okay, gloating monster!), but I have to share, and you will see why.
The hard:
— Being strung along for several days over whether I got a job or not. They kept sending me emails and voicemails saying stuff like “We still have to check on a couple of things… but it looks good!” and I was all “aaaaah! please just let me know if I can feel excited yet without possibly being horribly upset later!”
— Getting the Worst-Of Marathon in my head regarding my past relationships and the wisdom of getting involved in a new one.
— Continued sick dog issues
— Big, horrible fight with a friend, bringing up tons of Stuck out of absolutely nowhere! Sudden onset of rage and crying! Not sure how to redraw boundaries to save the friendship while eliminating the sources of upset.
The good:
— ACTUALLY GOT THE JOB! This is amazing, you guys: on Monday, I posted my first ever Very Personal Ad. I honored my commitment as best as I could, and on Thursday, my ad was answered! This is really huge news for me. The way the whole process worked, on my end, felt true and authentic and not like I was trying to sell myself or pretend to be someone else. And it worked! 😀
— New relationship is going… pretty amazing. This was clever: for ages, the two of us were circling around each other feeling way too stuck in insecurity and past baggage to actually share our feelings. So this very clever gentleman suggested that we start sending each other songs to express how we feel… and it totally worked! And now we’re actually communicating, like, great big beautiful FEELINGS! It is terribly exciting.
— I am painting a little bit! And also dancing a little bit! It has been ages since I’ve worked on these things.
— The Big Horrible Fight with the friend actually led to some productive realizations about my Stuff and my sovereignty (and lack thereof) and what I need to work on.
— I’ve been reading Nonviolent Communication, and I think it’s really helping me with some of my communication stuff already, despite the one giant failure in there. 🙂
— My brother and my sister-in-law, two of my favorite people, are now considering moving to my town! There is some family drama around it, but I think I’m navigating it pretty well to make sure that my brother feels supported and understood while trying to make a tough decision.
I feel like this is a turning point in my life in more than one way, and I feel like I owe a certain amount of that to Havi and to this blog. Thank you so much!
And omg, I was so excited to share my awesome week that I forgot: Havi, congratulations on making everything work despite truly daunting circumstances! You’re an inspiration as always. Have the awesomest of times in New Mexico!
The roof was off your house and your laptop was in the emergency room in the same week? And you still taught that class. Huh. There’s some kind of lesson there that I need to take on, I think.
You know, I think I might want to re-join the chicken. Let’s try and see.
Hard:
– There was an undercurrent of panic/despair/hysterical laughter to this week. I half-quit my job (meaning I now work part time) in favour of the freelancing biz. Yay. Also, aaaaargh, panic!
– I don’t like being along in the house all day without the boyfriend. Need to learn how to do better in the dealing with that department.
Good:
– I’m an official part time freelancer! I even have clients! Oh fabrous day! (Help meeeee…)
– Listening to Harry Potter audio books with the boyfriend is great. Especially because I can draw while doing it.
– Panic may not be a good motivator, it is an effective one. Stuff gets done. I am happys.
Have a good week everyone!
Embracing, without conflict finally, the sanity preservation that is velvet ropes.
It’s not about making people prove themselves to you.
It’s grinning at your right people in broad daylight and everyone else just walking by.
PattyK did it with pajamas. Havi reminded me that I could have a picket fence or a drawbridge or whatever if ropes were too night club.
But the phrase finally clicked and I’ve made my peace with the ropes.
“I was thought to be ‘stuck up.’ I wasn’t. I was just sure of myself. This is and always has been an unforgivable quality to the unsure.” – Bette Davis
Happy happy chicken. Oh what a week. I want to make a whoopie cushion noise, but I can’t work out how to write that. I once did, but I can’t remember how.
Have the most fabulous time in New Mexico – in light of the impending wonderfulness of the skabbatical, I sincerely hope it brings much reassurance to the monsters.
Right – onwards with the Chicken:
The Hard:
– water through the ceiling! Oh yes, it has happened to me now, albeit not in a house I own, but in one I live in and I am feeling most empathic with my housemate, who does own the house.
– then on the same day the dishwasher exploded. Okay it didn’t explode but it certainly leaked great quantities of water onto the floor. Again much empathy for my poor housemate who has to deal with all of this. We’re both a little nervous now to use anything that has plumbing.
-Tiffs and madness. Work is a biiig challenge still. Relationships remain rocky and difficult and I remain feeling frustrated and incompetant when it comes to dealing with them.
-The Cold. It visited me and stuck about unwelcome in my chest and nose. How rude. It made me achy and tired and generally mis.
The Good:
-My niece is one! Can you believe?! I distinctly remember this time last year and being so excited by this wonderful little monkey who had become part of the family. She is still adored and will be always, and every milestone seems like magic.
– Um, the bath didn’t fall through the ceiling, just water.
– In spite of the tiffs and shouting and madness, I think I managed to ensure that goodwill remains. It made me realise my side of things, which always helps.
– Camping and forests to restore my spirits. Lots of time with trees and a sleepy baby did much to fill my fatigued little soul up with some much needed R&R.
– Quiet time and lots of sleep – also very much needed to help restore the extrememly fatigued old soul, not to mention the tired old body which accompanies it.
– Hilarity over the word “decisioneering” being used in seriousness. Soooo much funny. Talk of goblins and trolls and generally reconnecting with good friends over it. Yay.
That’s it I think – have a lovely week to follow fellow chickeneers.
Aaagghh! What a crazy-making week for you, Havi! So glad you’re at gorgeous Taos now.
Just want to say thank you for linking to my little postie! Whoo!
xo
maryann
.-= Maryann Devine´s last post … How am I all wrong Part 1 =-.
Wait it’s Friday? whoa.
this was one of those weeks that went like lightning and felt amazingly long at the same time.
hard stuff:
-a weekend of talk, talk, talk with my inlaws. Since I am a good listener I was exhausted by the end of it. Spent the week trying to recover.
-screen tent I need for vacation the first week of August died. very sad and frustrating. doing my best not to beat myself up for not checking on it sooner.
-a work thing brought up a big hard stuck from the past. not quite sure where to go with it yet.
-pms, bleh.
good stuff:
-awesome writing partner helped out with weeding my garden, so sweet to get that feeling of side by side accomplishment
-met possible awesome new housemate, which just reassured me again that the right people are out there
-draft 2 is still fun
-my inlaws [although talkative] are great people, I feel lucky to know them. and my mil is doing some sewing for me, which is another sweet and supportive thing.
Feeling pretty fortunate.
I hope all have a fab weekend.
.-= mary´s last post … revisions are different =-.
Have a lovely time in New Mexico, Havi. Happy chickening everyone!
The Hard
Realising how tired online consulting makes me – I did two sessions this week & had to have three hour naps after each of them
Monsters, monsters everywhere – the copymagic call got them well and truly riled up
Feeling an unusual level of neediness around social media and needing people to like me
Feeling like my life is out of balance, everything feels a bit tippy and unstable right now & I’m not sure why
The Good
Feeling like I did some good with the online consulting sessions
Going to a party and meeting my twin, seriously it was spooky how much we had in common right down to having holidayed at the same obscure beach as kids
Managing to do some proper cooking for the first time in several weeks
Speaking to lots of interesting and cool people
Being in Natalie Peluso’s Fearless Karaoke video & feeling very brave because I sang on the internet
Having an interview with me published in the Craft Leftovers blog
Doing my first metaphor-mousing & realising how powerful a technique it is for me
.-= Kirsty Hall´s last post … Embarrassment Won’t Kill You =-.
Happy Friday, y’all!
Hard:
* new laptop wackiness I do not have time to sort out this week
* heaps of interpersonal wackiness I do not have time to sort out this week
* not being done with the project I’d hoped to be done with a week ago
* the effing asthma
Good:
* getting to spend the week with my sweetie, his new housemate, and friends in the area
* my job is portable and I’m pretty good at it
* free ticket to tennis match tomorrow, via a friend who says it’s my karmic reward for donating to her fundraiser (even though I’ve openly admitted I donated simply because I want to see her in heels)
* a note from a friend I haven’t heard from in years, and notes from other friends I hear from practically every day. Feeling loved remains a wondrous thing.
Shabbat shalom! Hugs and toasts!
.-= mechaieh´s last post … now and 24-7 =-.
So it was you channeling the lesson I won’t actually admit to knowing until I, you know, use it with unconscious competence.
Show up. Stay. Finish.
Everything both hard and good in my week reinforced this lesson.
The Hard
– saying out loud the things, factually, no drama, that I struggle with
– realizing how loud the mental conversation has become
– writing what I thought was something worthwhile and then it not wanting to be saved grrrr
– still with the financial #*^^$(!$
The Good
+ writing oh yes, the writing. I practiced. I showed up. I stayed. I finished. Now to continue practicing that.
+ hearing and halting the despairing and discouraging thoughts before they became chants in my head
+ an NLP, EFT and Hypnosis barter that is just lovely and needed – oh so needed
+ getting clear that my thing, as in the thing I’m not ready to call a business but that I want to be my livelihood, isn’t about a specific topic or a niche, it’s about specific people
+ laughing at how frequently I’ve read about Right People and thought that yeah, Right People and still just not getting it until that Bing! happened.
And yes, in my head I’m pretty sure I’ve said TGIFC
Ugh, I agree it was a hard week. Kept checking to see if it was a full moon. It isn’t. WTF?
The Hard:
– Seemed to be the official “piss off Gadgetgirl” week
– Random things breaking in the lab consuming time and money
– Email system decided to start blocking emails from an important vendor without any notification. Couldn’t figure out why they weren’t responding to me. They were, but the emails were going into the bit bucket on my end.
– Not getting the support I need from my boss. She is spread too thin as is and woes on the domestic front are making it worse.
– Impossibly long days at work. Yesterday was 15.5 hours. This is freaking ridiculous.
The Good:
+ Kitties
+ Vendors who are helping me get the broken stuff in the lab fixed quickly
+ Students who are helping out in the lab with research
+ Teaching the newer students how to conduct tests in the lab – they are at the “sponge” stage which is a lot of fun.
+ The new version of the machine we are testing as part of our research has arrived!
+ New sound recording system to help capture classroom discussions
+ Feeling more confident in my skills as a facilitator in the lab.
Have a great weekend!
TGIFC! (There, now someone else has said it, too!) I hope that the awesomeness of being-in-New-Mexico-with-a-fixed-computer makes this week a little smoother for you.
The hard:
*Starting off the week without sleeping enough = bad plan
*Uncertainty! Not sure where things stand in a couple of respects that are important to me; struggling to trust that people who love me would tell me if there were stuff I should know.
*Figuring out a whole new set of stuff I’m stuck about! How is there room in me for that much stuck?
*Remembering that I forgot to reschedule my birthday for the summer, and seeing the busiest part of fall looming over me.
The good:
*Wrote. Lots. Stuff that I am really proud of. Hooray!
*Asked a tiny company I do business with to let me write some test blog posts for them with the idea that if it works out, we could make some awesome barter arrangement. On top of feeling like it was a brilliant idea, I feel brave for doing it.
*Got the last thing I needed to submit a proposal for a workshop to another awesome tiny organization
*My friends provided awesome and helpful and non-advicey thoughts on something I’ve been working on lately…and then I found the most perfect book for me to read about it already on my shelf!
TGIFC! Would you believe me if I told you that during the copywriting magic class they were removing the ceiling in the hall and I would literally have to squish the headset into my ears every five minutes to just barely hear what you were saying? So I just have to say, on the construction front, ME TOO! 🙂
The hard:
– I live on the fifth floor. My front door is now particle board. They are removing all the cement around the rebar in the ceiling in the hall so that they can lay the cement again. It starts early and goes all day. Big clouds of dust everywhere. Loud noise everywhere. Rocks falling everywhere. My happy place; MIA.
– Water falling into my apartment from the two meter crack that formed during the earthquake. This happening at midnight so people not wanting to deal with it becuase this is Chile and the concept of ’emergency service’ is well, not urgency based. Very wet walls and carpet. MORE workers but this time INSIDE.
– Stuckness on one of my projects/jobs. Bad stuckness. Trying to think of it like a wall and call my fox video game designer. Or metaphor mouse? Anyone? But really kind of just staring at it right now going ‘damn that wall is exhausting just to look at’.
– My boyfriend has basically been gone for two weeks. Which I thought I wouldn’t care about. Turns out I do. So I’m not sleeping well. And feel kind of lonely and isolated.
The good:
– New clients this week and they are nice and fun.
– My first business cards are being printed and they rock. And it feels like a big step for me.
– The crack has almost stopped leaking water now. So maybe I can put some bowls back in my kitchen.
– Copywriting magic class! Warm fuzzies all around.
– They are fixing the building. So it’ll be nice again. And when I invite people over I won’t have to say, “please excuse the hole in our ceiling from which small rocks do occasionally fall.”
– A meeting I had yesterday went really well. I felt all “Wile E. Coyote. Super genius. I like the way that rolls off the tongue.”
– Talked to some monsters. Made a little progress there. Baby steps.
Happy Friday chickeneers!
Havi, I first found Fluent Self when you were in New Mexico. Somehow it feels like a circle.
And what’s up universe? When it rains, it pours, eh? Hopefully not when you have no roof.
So. Chicken.
Hard:
-girl stuff. Getting used to the new way of the girl stuff because of the things that have changed.
-work. Trying to reframe the seemingly un-reframeable.
-hot. Hot hot hot. Heat index of 103 today? Ugh. Don’t like.
Good:
-That’s all the hard there is. Things are easing. Yay for ease.
-Reframing the seemingly un-reframeable. I still don’t like it (and I don’t have to), but at least it has a purpose now. And somehow that gives me more control.
-Queen Annes Lace is abundant and beautiful this year.
-The Great Horned Owls started making noises in the predawn again. It’s like getting together with old friends.
-Feeling more connected. Nice.
.-= Emily´s last post … Randomness – The I-Can-Dress-Myself Version =-.
Happy Friday! Havi, I’m so glad that Hoppy House has a roof again, and that your laptop is back safe and sound. Have fun in Taos!
The Hard:
– Still having a hard relationship with money.
– One of the cats has decided that my desk chair is just the right place for doing his business. I’ve finally just left cleaning supplies over in that corner…
– We haven’t walked as much as I’d like, in part because it keeps raining when we try.
– Lunch yesterday really soured my stomach, and I’m still not feeling well.
– I screwed up a client interaction earlier this week, and I’ve felt really awful about it ever since.
– I’m starting to feel like I’ve made several wrong decisions regarding Twitter. (Specifically: I feel like the people I want to interact with on a business level started ignoring me because they think of me as a “World of Warcraft person”, and the WOW people have started ignoring me since I started talking about business.)
– O my dogs, why must you bark so?
The Good:
+ That client interaction actually taught me a lot about myself.
+ The times that we have gone walking, it’s been really nice.
+ I set up an excellent arrangement with a friend to be her outboard brain, which is working out very nicely.
+ I put out my Very First (well, technically, my Very Second) worksheet yesterday, which people seem universally to be enjoying.
+ I’m actually getting fiction writing done for the first time in a while, which is great.
Happy Friday!
.-= Chris Anthony´s last post … Everyday Delight 4 – Comfort Edition =-.
I’m sure Selma won’t stay mad. She’s too cool for that. And congratulations on getting stuff done despite the ick!
Oh, wow, Friday. Here we are. Allrighty then.
The hard:
-Oh dear God the Giant Test of Doom is in three days. I feel unprepared and panicked. The stakes are so high and I don’t want to be known as the idiot who couldn’t pass. Unfortunately this kind of panic makes me freeze rather than be extra productive, especially when…
-Bad weather this week has not been helping. Hello, migraines that none of my usual remedies have been helping. Ow.
-People acting shocked and offended at my post-Test plans when I had consulted them more than once while making said plans to make sure they were OK with them. Attention span anyone? Please?
The unknown: Pots coming out of the kiln probably today. Going to go check this afternoon. Completely scared because there’s nothing more I can do about it and if it flops I will have wasted a lot of time and money this summer. That, and I could really use something going well.
The good:
-Sale on bubble bath! Never a bad thing.
-Post-Test Vacation arrangements are all made. It’s going ahead as planned despite upset-ness from others. With bubble bath. And trips to the tea shop. And napping. So there.
-Wobbling toward some kind of equilibrium with my friend with whom I had the unpleasant disagreement earlier this summer. I can’t relate to him like I used to, which still makes me sad, but it doesn’t hurt so much anymore. I’ll take the improvement.
-It’s sunny right now! When it doesn’t last very long you have to relish it extra.
Many hugs for everyone’s hard and a big hip-hip-hooRAY for the good. Happy weekend!
I hope you have a lovely time in New Mexico, Havi!
Wow, I can’t believe it’s Friday already. Friday, you are so sneaky
My monsters told me that if I were to do the chicken it would be too sad. So I bargained with them and they decided it was okay for me to cheer on the other Chickeneers. So yay Chickeneers!
Happy, happy cheers for the good and yummy cocoa and hugs for the hard. Have a great weekend, everyone! <3!
Oh, Havi! So much hard! You were without your laptop and without the comfort of working from home? And without Selma?! TGIFC already, for sure.
My week, my week. Hmmm.
Hard:
-My daughter is still with her grandparents, and I still miss her. (We re-unite this Sunday, thank goodness.)
-One of my partners, who has a mood disorder (actually, both of my partners do. I know, what?!) had a couple of days of feeling very irritable, easily angered by various things I said and did. It got so bad that for a while he wasn’t sure he should join us for the weekend adventure that we’ve been planning for weeks. This led to:
-My stuff being triggered. I spent a big chunk of yesterday weeping whenever I had the privacy to do so, then having to pull myself together to interact with the world, over and over. All the while, an old, sad, familiar story was looping in my head: You can never be good enough to keep the people you love from getting mad at you. No matter how hard you try, you will fail; they will get mad at you. All the more insidious because it’s absolutely true, of course; I can’t control other people’s emotions, and they will get mad at me, even people who love me. It’s the imagined consequences of that anger, the fear that it means I will be rejected and abandoned — that’s where the distortion lies.
Good:
+Really, my partner handled his irritability well, all things considered. He took responsibility for his own stuff, acknowledged that he could be overreacting to the things that upset him. Even when he considered not traveling with us this weekend, it was out of love; he was afraid he’d keep being cranky and taking it out on the people he loves.
+And then he decided that taking the trip with us would be a good thing after all, and he’s decided to come! Yay! So much relief!
+I loved the Copywriting Magic teleclass. I listened to it in my car (thank you, Bluetooth) while driving from one appointment to the next. So pleasant, so helpful.
+Mini traveling adventures this week! On Monday we went swimming in a big, beautiful lake where we’d never been before. This weekend, we’re taking a long, scenic drive through the Appalachians, ending up in Asheville (Asheville!) on Sunday, where we’ll meet up with my daughter and bring her home.
Oh, I am so happy it’s Friday. Wishing good things for everyone!
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … The trouble with “middle vision” =-.
Havi, what a week you’ve had! I’m so happy you’re in New Mexico, with laptop and roof overhead. Wishing you a restful, creative week.
My chicken.
Hard:
– Hot, with a heaviness here where in my new house that isn’t mine, but that’s taking time and patience to transform.
Good:
+ Class 2 of Sovereignty Kindergarten. Insights, questions and discussions blooming so richly among the folks taking part in the class. Much wisdom and playfulness.
+ My #1 son and his fiancee arrive for a five-day visit this afternoon.
+ Writing.
Happy weekend, everyone!
Love, Hiro
+
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … Going Away =-.
Oy. Being computerless is my worst nightmare. That anyone could handle that level of hard with grace and still manage to get stuff done amazes me.
This week’s hard:
– The humid, it is making me miserable.
– Related: the lack of rain, meaning I have to haul the hose all over the yards and garden all week in the humid.
– Shopping for a formal dress to wear to a black tie wedding a month from now. Lots of pretty things that don’t fit me, or that do fit me and cost more than what I spent on my own wedding dress. Frustrating, and not doing much for my self-esteem.
This week’s good:
– Back on the exercise wagon, and so far successful in ways to make it fun and less gym-class-y and stuff-triggery. Metaphor Mouse has been helpful here.
– Finished an editing project a day ahead of schedule so I can spend this afternoon in the studio guilt-free, getting ready for next weekend’s big show.
– Taught a great etching class Wednesday — fun group of students.
Happy Friday, everyone!
.-= Lori Paximadis´s last post … whither summer =-.
Have a great time in New Mexico, Havi!
The Hard:
-Money stuff, although not as bad as last week. Lots of late payments for work that is already done, but it’s still frustrating to deal with.
-An ear infection. Tons of pain, grumpiness, and not sleeping because of it.
-Learning to work with another person continues to be a difficult learning curve, especially since we have different expectations, priorities, etc. We’ll get there, but right now it is stressing me out.
-35 pounds doesn’t seem like a huge amount of weight to lose, but when you start doing it, it’s really difficult. Lots of mental blame and managing expectations there.
The Good:
+Lots of exercise; walking, belly dancing, all good things.
+More time with the best friend, even if it’s five minute phone calls between all the crazy.
+Managing to eat better and resist the temptation to eat junk all the time.
+Time with my dog.
+Getting awesome surprise presents.
Have a great week full of ease everyone!
.-= Holly´s last post … A Pet Project Literally! =-.
Thank you for still posting when you would’ve been quite justified to be installed behind a glass of scotch somewhere.
The hard:
– horrible horrible work stuff
– unsurprisingly this did not help the horrible trapped feeling I have at the moment
– the tiredness, again, we are companions
The good:
– getting some wonderful feedback from people on my writing course
– lots of little connections making me less isolated
– booking a slot to read at a short story open mic night
@sarahhf, you’ve inspired me to participate this week! I’m so happy for you and your new job and relationship. I’m now looking for a job, AND I’m now reading Nonviolent Communication. And after your success with your VPA, I’m going to muster the courage to write my own this week.
The hard:
-It is hot in NY in the summer. I cannot pretend to not mind it any longer. I’m feeling terribly irritable and sad about the heat.
-Stressed about money. There is so much I want to do, but it all seems impossible, and largely due to money issues. Right now I’m very stuck in this.
-Work is draining me, and has been draining me for many months.
-I’m looking for a new job, and that has so far meant facing my self-worth and money monsters. Mostly the self-worth ones. Sadness around this.
-Lots of communication troubles with my girlfriend, lots of which are around money. This just makes me feel so sad and helpless.
The good:
-After a month of my office being 90 degrees every day, they fixed the air conditioning yesterday. I felt a humongous shift, and I already feel so much more…human.
-I scheduled an interview for a job! And another job contacted me to request a writing sample!
-I’m going to visit a friend in Philadelphia this weekend. I adore getting away from NY, even if just for a day.
-I returned to more mindful eating practices this week, which makes everything in life so much more beautiful.
-We’re taking a trip to Ireland in the fall!
-I’m going to my very first acupuncture appointment today. And it’s at a clinic that has a sliding scale, which makes it accessible.
-I had a really terrific workout last night. I love the day-after feeling of soreness.
-I’m devouring Nonviolent Communication. I already feel buoyed by hope for what is possible using NVC.
-My girlfriend (who identifies as someone who doesn’t like reading) let me read to her from NVC last night for 10 minutes. It was so wonderful.
Thanks, everyone, for being here. Havi, way to go this week. Wow.
.-= Kylie´s last post … things i love on a thursday =-.
I wish I were in NM. Next year–a priority. Hugs for the hard and yays for the good!
This week was a mix of hard/funny and good.
The Hard:
-Getting stuck in the checkin line @ DIA behind 100 (no joke) boy scouts, who were checking in 4 hours ahead. I was running late for my flight and the would not let me cut. How un-boy scout of them.
-The full pat-down by TSA agents. More like “felt up”
-Barely making my flight, then getting the last center seat in front of two kicking, screaming babies who did not stop the whole 4 hours we were on the plane
-Being on East Coast time and having to be at meetings when I would usually be sleeping for another 2 hours
-I’m not supposed to have the girl issues post-surgery and while on the pill,yet the girl issues have returned. Disappointed.
-2 new bosses, including one who does not understand that I must prioritize, and his text to my private cell at 10 pm about “let’s do a mobile version of our website” does not rank.
-Violet the ferret has gotten sicker and weaker. Hard decisions.
-So Far Behind at work and on laundry, ugh.
-Dear Denver weather. You are not North Carolina. Knock it off with the humidity already.
-Not writing. At all.
The GOOD
+Booking our honeymoon trip to the Oregon coast + Portland for the end of Sept. Thank you again to the First Mate for the beach town rec’s.
+Finding a condo on the beach for $100/night.
+Great meeting in North Carolina with colleagues. The Think & Drink crew. Good times.
+2nd new boss seems to understand how to temper 1st new boss’s requests.
+Time for 2 good movies on the plane
+Really good WordPress developers
+New Nikon D90 + lens arrived. O M G.
+Not writing gives me time for taking pictures.
+Violet the ferret is on new meds that will hopefully help her for another few weeks.
.-= Lynn @ human, being´s last post … At an impasse about integrity =-.
TGIFC! and yay for New Mexico and hugs for all the hard for y’all. and cheers for all the good for y’all too 🙂
Hard:
Dishes. Never ending parade of ’em, it seemed. Especially yesterday when I started at 5pm and didn’t sit down again until 10pm what with all the dishes and cooking and cooking and dishes.
Not as much studio time as I craved.
Having a big attack of the “what’s the point” monster so that I didn’t do any show prep until Friday last week (for a show on Saturday).
Sick doggie.
Good:
Someone else to deal with the output of sick doggie. (I do not handle barf well at all).
Having a successful show anyway because of all the prep I’ve done in the past.
Bach’s flower remedies.
Enough studio time to actually make some (small) paintings.
Happening onto the most amazing sale at Michael’s which enabled me to buy 17 sheets of Arches 90lb Cold Press watercolor paper for less than the price of one sheet regularly.
Air conditioning, without which I would be spending the week at the library, especially today with the heat advisory.
Buying Izzy that simple $1 SpongeBob weekly planner, which helped him get all of his “to do” onto paper and out of his head. He has been so much more cooperative and happy this week. Coincidentally so have the rest of us.
.-= Andi´s last post … All in the Family =-.
Wow, it’s amazing reading everyone’s weeks. A lot of challenges, but we always find the good. This practice definitely helps that.
Here’s my week.
The Hard:
-Freaking out about student loans coming due soon. I knew this day would come…but it’s still terrifying.
-Absolute irritation at everyone and everything at work.
-Feeling like sometimes I’m too sensitive for this world.
-The oppressive heat & humidity. It just won’t yield.
The Good:
+Cute little animals in my life.
+My gentleman friend’s studying.
+Gratitude for being employed.
+Worked hard this week eating cleanly and moving my body (with a minimum of self criticism!).
+Resolving to learn things better at work.
+Saving money in little ways.
How come it’s Friday AGAIN???
I am feeling for everyone’s hard! And joy about your good!
The hard:
– heat, heat, heat.
– not enough sleep.
– pretty much nothing but work.
– a friend’s father died. Reflections on my parents and their age.
– missed Hiro’s 2nd class
The good:
– last night it rained. Non-stop. And it cooled down.
– this job is temporary and
– I am earning money in a month that I thought would be income-less.
– another friend had a baby.
– a performance by Japanese Taiko drummers. Insanely loud but an amazing resonance that reverbarated through my whole body.
– retail therapy: bought lovely pants and matching top (“hard”: both designed to be worn in hot weather, once I bought them it started raining 🙂
– no plans for tomorrow night, hence time to listen to the recording of Hiro’s class
Have a refreshing weekend everyone!
TGIFC!
@Havi: Enjoy your time in NM, especially after that week!
@sarahhf: So much wonderful goodness – yay, yay, yay!!!
The hard:
Huh. There was hard for sure. But I just ate onion rings, and I love onion rings, and now I cannot remember the hard at all.
The good:
Two Shiva Nata practices with other people. Fabulous. (As a bonus, I learned that I do remember the patterns when someone is mirroring me, so it gives me lots of hope that I will remember them when teaching. Hurrah.)
My head is full of fun ideas for my eventual photo shop. I did not realize how much fun this part of preparing for a shop would be .. I am constantly delighted. And oh, my goodness, my cards. I am just in love with them.
hopscotchdistillery.com and their Wednesday work party.
The farmers’ market.
Burgerville’s onion rings.
Cooler weather combined with hiking on the Wildwood with the pup.
Getting another random unexpected check in the mail.
Some fun conversations.
Lovely people. (Note: I need to use Metaphor Mouse to come up with a word for clients.)
Havi’s copywriting class.
Photos that make me laugh.
.-= Elizabeth´s last post … orange is the happiest color =-.
Strait to chickening,
Hard-
-Everything!
-Not knowing where to start on all my ridiculously awesome ideas.
-Having my new work station (which I love)turn out to be really uncomfy and hurting me OUCH! Not good, have to fix that.
-Telling my doggie clients that I am quitting or taking a break, but that most likely they will be groomerless in a month or so. Feeling sad and like I am breaking their precious ‘so devoted to their groomer’ hearts. That may sound weird, but I can actually feel their hearts just sinking and it’s all so sad.
-Having to listen to my monsters constant babble about how I will survive when I stop grooming. I’ve already explained that there is a plan and even tho it may be hard at first it will be way better in the end.
-The Air conditioning kinda threatening to go out with 107 heat index. Uh- NOT okay. Luckily the guy came out and it seems to be okay now. And it MUST be okay because I have oodles of fresh flowers coming in next week for a wedding I am doing and no refrigeration.
-Mr awesome cutting his finger with the tree loppers. ewh! He’s okay tho, yay! Oh and he’s out of town again even tho he just got home. Grumble.
-school starts next week which means more to do than I already have to do. but the house will be mine during the day!
-almost constant headache, tired tired tired!
Good
-well I got to hear Selma’s voice on the copywrite magic call and that was pretty cool. Oh the call was awesome too and I got some good ideas. 🙂
-Students re-uping for my larges package! Hooray and yay!
-Awesome sessions with my students
-a good report for my website from a business teacher which makes me feel good.
-realizing that paypal is probably super easy for my webdude to use to build a page for my new “sales piggy” (who is waiting for a name, she is a very large red piggy bank with flowers on her sides and she is pretty cute!) to sell stuff for me so I don’t have to.
-I’m sure there is more good but I’m too tired to think anymore.
I want a nap.
I cannot believe how long it’s been since I checked in with the Friday Chicken. I told myself today, that no matter how busy I was, I was going to chicken, damn it!
Lots and lots of internal working going on over here. Some of it’s way of there woo-woo. I met this incredible woman who is into the Divine Feminine and women’s experiences (in fact she’s writing her dissertation on it), and she read my akashic record (warned you it was woo woo) and she confirmed things that my intuition had been telling me for a long time, that I was ignoring because I don’t trust me. Big, big lesson in learning to trust myself and what my inner wisdom is telling me. Spent a lot of time doing internal work and getting in touch with the divine feminine in me. And realizing that I have to write about it. I taking the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge at The SITS Girls blog and plan on really getting going on this.
Cairene’s Project Front Burner class totally rocks, and I ma getting work done on The Book Proposal! Whoo-hoo! And her container method totally works for me. Now I know who to go to for systems. I can’t believe I found something that works. I’m also using it for my blogging.
Big lesson learned: When doing a lot of internal work and having really focused times of Getting Shit Done, you must take care of yourself! You have to fill your well or you will go to bed and crash for over 10 hours like I did last night. Officially ending the work, celebrating, and refilling the well are necessities and not an option!
The good and bad all kind of mix together as one leads into one and out to other. I just can’t distinguish them time around. I’m doing a lot of hard work with block, fears, and monsters, but my creativity is picking up and I’m writing. So it’s all good.
Glad the roof is on Hoppy House and you have your home base back. I probably would’ve ended up on the floor in a quivering mass if it had been me. And the computer died too. Oof. You and Jen have lots of fun in Taos! I plan to be there next year.
Happy Friday Chickeneers of the World!
.-= Shawna R. B. Atteberry´s last post … Empowering Women- My 10 Favorite Books- Part 2 =-.
How is it Friday already? Not that I want a repeat of Tuesday or anything, but bleh.
The Hard:
– It’s a week of things going wrong, for sure, tech small and large, interpersonal everything, and just a whole lot of meh.
– Getting caught up in other people’s Drama, my least favourite thing ever.
– Miscommunications and generally at the end of my stress-rope, so tending to read everything in the most negative possible light.
– Just as I start to think things are evening out so I can recharge, something else goes wrong.
– Still no art sales, little feedback or discussion, and no idea how to foster either. Tired of feeling lost on this subject and wishing I could peer through the fog enough to see if it’s all stuckness or something else.
– Still find myself writing copy like the Stepford version of myself, and cringing whenever my normal vernacular creeps in. That is definitely all stuckness. Bleh.
– So much laundry to do.
The Good:
+ Wrapping up projects that have dragged out ridiculously long.
+ Had a wonderful time with Houseguest & Visiting Friend doing tons of fun stuff I’d never do on my own.
+ Went to the twee-est high tea in all of creation. Trolley Dolleys serving “cups of brown joy” with decidedly un-joyful attitudes, amidst a plethora of pink.
+ Realizing that getting out and walking was good for me, even if it tired me out like whoa.
+ Eating a whole lot of really lovely things.
+ Buying the awesomest eye shadow in all creation.
+ Finally getting to the point where catching up to work seems possible, and a day off might be in my future.
+ Found a really great little restaurant down Fisherman’s Wharf with friendly staff and a nice selection of single malts.
+ Going to get Cinniminions tonight, and I will love them no matter how silly and awful they are.
+ Cuddly kittehs are full of love.
+ Pod did not claw the aerobed, or steal G’s straws. Apparently he only loves my straws.
+ The weather’s been absolutely gorgeous, and I’ve loved it when I’ve gone out walking in it.
+ Went to Havi’s Copywriting class & got some great encouragement, advice, and things to let percolate until I’m ready for them.
.-= Amy Crook´s last post … 7 Chakras =-.
Happy Friday Chickeneers!
@Havi – what a week! But yay! for finding the good in it, and super yay! for New Mexico and the writer’s retreat 🙂
This week’s hard… is mostly lost in a blur of working on good stuff. So I’m not even going to bother listing it, since it would take effort to remember it, and I can’t imagine it being that important 🙂
So. The Good!
* My tiny, sweet thing is growing in leaps and bounds! I think she’ll be ready to make her debut this weekend… sadly, she will be a local-only sweet thing. But I feel her leading me on to bigger, more widespread sweet things 😀
* My tiny, sweet thing spawned a sibling! A tiny, sweet thing to share with my mom, who has agreed to partner with me and bring this new thing to life. Yay! collaberation!
* Kooky Pets! I randomly discovered a chance to review an incredible book by a fabulous illustrator, and now I’m in love with the idea and searching for my own Kooky Pet (their kind of like monsters, only their job is to make you laugh instead of frightening you)
* Lift Off! Pam and Charlie are just about the best, and with their help we’ve found a way to make this work so that I can attend! Super excited… there has been much squealing with glee… and chair dancing… 😀
I know there is so much more, but my brain is so full of preparing for the awesomeness to come that I just can’t think of anything else!
.-= Heidi´s last post … Book Review- Kooky Pets =-.
Happy Friday All!
Let’s do the chicken dance!
The Hard:
-Too much busy making me feel time-claustrophobic.
-Unmatched skills in a chamber group leading to lots of time wasted and extra rehearsals.
-It’s Hot. Still. Again. I don’t even know anymore. But I’m dripping.
The Good:
+Unexpected art project! Yay!
+Sovereignty Kindergarten. Love.
+Beautiful talks with Mom
+Shifting patterns and realizations
+Reconnecting.
xo
.-= Eleanor´s last post … Swimming back to Bodh Gaya =-.
Hard: getting an email from my cousin Diane telling me that our cousin’s husband passed away from a massive heart attack this afternoon. He was only in his early 60s. Still in shock.
Its been a long while since I’ve been active on the blog and oh my how I have missed you all!! I have lurked occasionally but not nearly enough.. anyway it is time to join in again. I can tell a huge difference in my self in-tuneness when I spend time here.
I spent a lot of the day with actual, real live chickens today and they are a hoot! Seriously, 10 chickens running free around the yard is hilarious and they have such funny social habits and.. anyway CHICKENS!
Good:
spending lots of time with mom and dad and being ‘home’ again.
hilarious chickens and the sweet last living cat from when my grandad was alive. She is 17 years old now.
the summer night sounds. almost deafening cicadas and tree frogs. I can even hear it inside, even with the AC and fans running in the house… and lots and lots of stars and satellites whizzing around
memory foam mattress. ahhhhhhh
Hard:
wedding planning stress. there is no money and way too many people that “have to be invited” because my family has been in this small town for 5 generations and aside from that my family is huge (150). I am thankful to have such support and love and excitement from so many sweet people, but I hate the financial burden it takes to provide the nice time I really really want to have on my wedding day. and blah blah blah.. I know it sounds petty or pretentious or trite or I don’t know… weddings are surrounded by ick in a lot of ways. And Yes, its MY wedding but if I don’t include everyone that ‘should’ be, it is my parents that will pay the price. It is their businesses that will suffer, they will feel the guilt and embarrassment, not me. I can’t put that on them… SO… ICK.
Missing my fiance terribly. SO hard to be so far away for so long. really not cool. at all. boo.
realizing what a tough time my parents have been having and all the help they have needed around here. There is MUCH MUCH chaos (remodel, self employed, flat broke thanks to cancer, small town social expectations) I remember very clearly why I got out of here as soon as I could, but it is different to come back and witness it as an adult. There is guilt there for sure.
and you know what.. enough Hard. Tfu Tfu Tfu!!! off to bed now, I’m tuckered.
CluckityCluck.
Leftover chicken for breakfast!
(ok, that sounds kind of icky)
The Hard:
-Checking the bank balance. Ugh.
-Really really wanting the prelaunch special from Heidi and her Aardvark potions with audio… but no. Sigh.
-Really really wanting that marvelous limited edition Kooky Pets book from Koldo Barroso and it’s going to SELL OUT! But no. Sigh.
-Quietly setting up Facebook to quietly check it out before realizing you can’t set it up quietly because people immediately find you. Like within one minute.
-Big company client still hasn’t paid. I had to delete a funny rant here because it might have identified the company. But trust me, it was funny.
-The House. It’s a wreck. I’m ready to call a tow-truck and start from scratch.
The Good
-OMG, the copymagic class connected me with SO many great people, some of whom are now on a LIST and I’m loving them.
-I may get part of my stuff featured in a book. A BOOK. From a real publisher and author and everything.
-I got some more great ideas for The Circus
-The website is nearly done. NEARLY DONE!
-I now have a (locked down) Facebook account. I’m active on Twitter again. I have a Tumble log (which is kinda fun). And I haven’t freaked out yet.
-The Circus is coming, the circus is coming!
.-= Tori Deaux´s last post … Needful Things! The Yes-I’m-Still-Breathing Edition =-.
@Havi – uhm, Yikes! What a week. Glad you are in NM and hope you find what you need there.
Just an update (because I can) when I first tried to do this, I literally couldn’t remember my week (which made me a leetle-bit weirded out). But I’m better now 🙂
The Hard: Oh the melting hot and humid and humanities: This is what has fried my brain. My method of getting some alone time is to take a run. It is too hot to run ‘whenever’ and too crazy to plan.
‘Broken Cousin’: still broken. No amputations yet. (Yikes – this is gonna be a long haul on all concerned.)
Minor Disappointments: they are minor.
The Good:
I have, for years, practiced (at work) reminding people what constitutes a ‘real emergency’. I’m relieved and pleased and grateful that they are behaving themselves during the ‘real emergency’. (Also 1 of 9 ‘things’ completed before I can ‘move on’.)
Perspective: My world is good. No really. Not exactly where I thought I wanted it to be; not gloating or bragging but appreciating and grateful: my world is good.
Oh my. I’m two days late. But I slept almost all day today, so today doesn’t count as a day, right?
The hard
– Normally if it’s really hot and humid outside, I just don’t go out, or if I do, not more for half an hour or so. I had to work at our art fair booth outside for several hours for 4 days straight. It was hot. Really hot. And really humid. We had a couple of downpours, and the requisite art fair tornado warning. The heat and humidity really took a lot out of me.
– The downpours kind of wrecked my labels, which I had done on an inkjet printer. It looks like I’ll have to get a laser printer.
The good
+ People bought a lot of my yarn! And it was fun meeting the people who were buying it and asking what they were going to make out of it.
+ Seeing my fellow fiber artists’ work really inspired me! I loved some of the color combinations and can’t wait to get back to the dyepots once I’m not exhausted.
+ Laser printers are really cheap now. Cool.
+ My gentleman friend is going to move in next month. Yay! Happy!
.-= Riin´s last post … Art Fair is almost here =-.
I forgot to chicken.
FORGOT. TO. CHICKEN!
Please note the outrage, as if this has never happened before, leaving the impression that I am a reliable Chickeneer, and not an on-again-off-again Paltry Poultry Producer.
Ahem.
The Hard.
It was hot. Sticky. My neck gave me fits, and then I slept wrong and it threw a serious temper-tantrum, and then I slept worse. Money is way shorter than predicted. I didn’t publish a single post (again!). Finally got the check from late-client, and they made it out wrong. I appear to have broken a brand new expensive gadget. And… and.. Life is hards, dammit!
The Good.
The spontaneous follow up group to CopyMagic rocks, meaning many cool new connections. Wrote the most glorious love letter to circus-goers. The puppy has had a serious case of cuteness. I got quite a bit of behind the scenes done. And today? I woke up with the happies. I LOVE when that happens!
It was a good week.
.-= Tori Deaux´s last post … Needful Things! The Yes-I’m-Still-Breathing Edition =-.