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.
Yes.
One hundred and six. Teen candles.
Also: it’s Friday. And it’s about time because I’m exhausted. Let’s chicken.
The hard stuff
Transitions.
Transitions. You know they’re going to suck so you (for once) build in lots of recovery time.
But you know what? They still suck.
Ugh.
Horrible. Do not like.
A horrible day.
It was a funk. I was in it.
I woke up hating the world and it just went downhill from there.
The number of people who pissed me off this week is extremely high. No, not you. Don’t worry.
People ordering me around.
I really cannot emphasize enough how much I dislike that.
The way I see it, the raison d’être of running your own business is this: random people don’t get to tell you what to do.
When they start doing it, I get irritable.
Foggy and headachey.
Just part of this whole transition thing.
Wanting your routines back and yet not really being capable of being in them.
Timing.
Because it wasn’t insane enough to announce a program (Rally!) a week before it starts, I didn’t bother writing an actual sales page until yesterday.
Which seems to point to me wanting a very intimate Rally, apparently.
That part is fine. The hard part was just watching myself be all tangled up in the shoulds of it all and then having to find my way out of it.
Taught a terrible teleclass. Sorry.
I was supposed to teach this class about systems in my business for my Kitchen Table program.
And had just gotten back from New Mexico and someone had changed the passwords so I couldn’t get into my systems in order to talk about them.
I gave a not good, flaky, ridiculous class and still feel kind of crappy about that.
Luckily I may have accidentally said some wise things, so maybe there was a moment of redemption in there. Still. Yuck.
The good stuff
Realizing that 95% of the stuff I was upset about had nothing to do with me.
It never does. Because it’s basically just other people’s shoes.
But it’s always a relief to remember.
Being home.
Being back in Portland again and rejoicing over little things like the rose garden and walking in the morning and wearing a hoodie and doing yoga in the living room and eating foods from the garden.
And being filled with love and appreciation for Hoppy House and what a wonderful it is to live in.
Also: my exquisitely comfortable bed and the way it says come sleep in me right this second.
I talked to my favorite uncle on Wednesday.
He’s coming to visit soon. Hooray!
Also, talking to him is always the best thing ever. I’m not really used to having someone in my life (other than Selma and my gentleman friend) who can just be happy for me when things are good.
Just happy. Not: happy and expecting things. Not: happy and concerned about what this means and what could go wrong. Not: happy and wondering what will happen next.
It’s so amazing. None of that “yeah that’s great but what about this other thing” stuff. Pure simple joy that something good is happening in my life.
It’s probably kind of screwed up that this strikes me as so COMPLETELY out of the ordinary. But it does. And it feels really good.
Speaking of visiting…
Visits! All over the place!
First I got to spend a long lazy afternoon with Tei (and show off the Playground to her). Then my darling Amna pops into town for brunch.
And my wonderful childhood friend Jon Berman (whose name I still think of as Jonberman one-word) is in town and I haven’t seen him since a mutual friend’s wedding ten years ago, and this is great.
Then there is Rally all week! RALLY! And then my friend Jane comes too. Oh the good. And other good things coming up too!
Like this extremely awesome weekend of Roller Derby.
The Bay Area Derby Girls (BAD Girls) and Gotham are in town, as is our neighbor to the north Rat City (Seattle) for the Hometown Throwdown.
Lots of our girls from the team I sponsor will be skating for Portland’s bad-ass Wheels of Justice and it will be hawt. Trash will be talked. Capes will be worn. Beverages will be consumed.
Of course we’ve beaten Seattle so thoroughly the past three years that you’d think it would hardly even be interesting at this point but I don’t at all mind watching that happen again. Sorry, guys.
Obviously we’ll get completely destroyed by New York (though not as embarrassingly as Seattle will) but I think we can definitely take out the BAD girls and maybe go up in the national rankings.
Note: I will have no voice left by Monday.
And then … Portland Folk Festival, people! This coming week!
I’m still kind of annoyed that among that crazy selection of terrific music at amazing venues there is no shantey singing. What’s up with that, city that has an actual port?
But even though I don’t get to sing songs of the sea, it’s going to be brilliant. If you’re in the area or attending my Rally, get tickets. They’re super affordable.
Stuff I read/thought about/ appreciated this week.
- Mariko’s noozletter on sunk costs was a terrific follow-up to the class she did for my people. Very useful.
- Maryann is rocking it again, this time with the question “How am I all wrong?”, part one and part two.
- Jesse (Persnicket!) wrote this awesome post about the decision to rally called the power of the rally compels you. And I quote: “The Rally Cabal! the One True Order of the Rallions!” See how great?
- Jolie’s work was featured in Handmade Portland and that was neat. Yay Jolie!
- Also, Tara the Blonde Chicken is doing a test kitchen thing for her crafty (non-crafty people welcome!) business genius advice. I approve.
- And: “the most powerful thing you can do with a moustache is grab it and pogo.”
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?
Death Metal Librarians
I think they used to be known as Death Metal Professors (hit song: I am Irony Man).
But yeah. The Death Metal Librarians.
I’d go see them at the festival … except it’s really 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
I hate being ordered around by people, too. So sorry you had to deal with that!
Hard:
-Patterns of procrastination.
-Fell into a very, very dark mood last weekend.
Good:
+Recognizing the procrastinatory patterns, working/playing with them in different ways, and feeling a glimmer of faith that I can change them.
+Realizing that I have become much better at letting my moods be what they are, knowing that they won’t last forever.
+Exquisite little moments of epiphany.
+Feeling more…embodied? Can’t quite find the right word for it yet, but stronger, more grounded, more solid, more stable, more in touch with my wholeness.
Wishing beauty and good things for all of you!
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … Did anyone ever tell me there’d be days like this =-.
Couldn’t resist since I saw this was up in my last late night perusal. However, must get to bed soon. Going to a huge gem, mineral, fossil show tomorrow. That’s good!
Also saw 2 movies this week. Unheard of these days, but realized I’ve gone so light with movies the past few years because there wasn’t much I wanted to see/needed to see in theater. A nice treat.
The bad, I’m gonna skip. Well, light bad maybe. Cloudy for Perseids. Still saw a couple last night though so happy with that.
Sweet dreams! Good morning!
.-= claire´s last post … Life of Art SitRep 27 =-.
Oh yes, transitions are so hard. When I’m in them, I keep singing this one Alanis Morrisette chorus:
The only way out is through/the faster we’re in the better/ the only way out is through ultimately
It reminds me that this too shall pass. Even though the passage itself sucks.
The Good Stuff
+My husband was sweet and loving and helpful this week, which made me feel less alone
+My kiddo was with me this week
+I really love my new direct boss, and my new top boss is a nice person
+My brain is returning to normal day by day after stopping all synthetic hormones
The Hard
Oh this week has been so so hard.
-The mood swings. Oh the tears, the tears over silly and awful thing.
-Realizing that not a single one of the doctors I’ve seen to figure out what is wrong with me give a shit. No one has stepped up to say, “Sweetie, you relax. I will figure it out.” And I’m at the point where I desperately need this person.
-Being your own health advocate sucks. Feeling so alone and scared.
-Not being able to sleep. Being in complete pain. Being exhausted. Being overwhelmed.
-New top boss kibboshed the big web project and has given an impossible charge. I don’t know how to deliver what he wants. The stress of this situation is so bad that I want to quit, but if I do I’ll lose my health insurance and likely, our house.
-Hubby pulling the rug out from under me at therapy. Emotional whiplash.
-Two big fillings yesterday and so much freaking pain that I had to take Vicodin, then deal with the rash.
-Realizing that I have forgotten how to laugh, and not caring
.-= lynn @ human, being´s last post … If I go through with it =-.
Good:
Making new friends
Finding a home-base for a while
General traveling joy
Starting to feel a balance again
Hard:
Weirdness with my mother, still
Over-thinking of things I want to do, but get nervous about. Happens often, but I still do them, mostly.
Eeee!!
So excited about the Roller Derby! That is awesome!
(I only knew about Roller Derby from a combination of you and Whip It! – I’m not sure which came first – but now I’m learning to play and IT’S. SO. AWESOME! So thanks!)
Good Stuff
+ Lots of random epiphanies for seemingly no reason
+ Trip to Edinburgh two weekends in a row = EPIC!
Bad Stuff
– My boyfriend lost his job today, so *sad-face* for him
– I’ve been exhausted for the past two weeks, and I’ve been all sensible and taking care of myself, but blargh, I wanna get back to the gym and Roller Derby practice
.-= ShimmerGeek´s last post … Fresh Meat =-.
Why do people insist on ordering us around ? I have been struggling with this all week. Is it the “chicken pecking order” ?
Hard:
– Dealing with Stinky Pete at work.
– Trying to set boundaries at work
– Telling my boss I want to quit
Good:
+ Welcoming the sun with a great cup of coffee
+ “Cheer Up” lunch with friend
+ paying $2 for a scratch ticket and winning $50
Going to begin this day by giving myself a great big hug. Warm hugs to all of you as well !
~namaste
Your uncle sounds cool. I think joy is underrated.
Wow, Friday again, huh? Ok, time to chicken.
The Hard
– Incredibly boring annoying project at the day job makes my eyeballs want to jump out of my head and run away screaming.
The Good
+ My gentleman friend is all moved in. Happiness!
+ I’ve been working on a new inventory/labeling system for my yarn and fiber. It’s a lot of work up front, but once everything is set up, it will save a lot of energy.
+ Lots of spinning and dyeing going on. Fuzzy colorful bliss.
.-= Riin´s last post … More woolly goodness- and I suck at blogging =-.
Happy Friday! Thank goodness. I missed last week’s chicken as I started to write it and then was called away. So I’m back with a vengence.
The Hard:
+ My mum has been very ill recently and whilst the shock of that for me was dealt with last week, I am very concerned for her and want to be with her. Especially when she needs loving, caring family with her to hold her hand and whisper, “patience, patience” as she recovers.
+ My job is and continues to be not what I expected. It’s difficult to adjust to and I’m trying to figure out how to make it my own.
+ Moving still sucks. New friends are lovely but old friends are home.
+ The Past Reared its Ugly Head – not really, I’m just being dramatic but there are ends that need tying up and this is something I want to not think about.
The Good:
+ So much!
+ Belly Dancing classes – wheee! fun. It would appear that I have a knack for shaking my hips about!
+ New desk, finally a desk of my own and a desktop of my own at work. Integration begins…
+ Mum got out of the hospital.
+ I made Rowan Berry Jelly from the Rowans in my garden! Wheeeeeee! And Ice-cream which is unbelievably yummy. I am a Domestic Goddess
+ I wrote a poem that I love. It’s silly and has had me called crazy more than once and it’s fab.
+ New friends – so fast! It’s amazing.
+ The possibility of a horse to ride! Oh this makes me so happy.
+ plus much, much more! It’s been a good week.
;o)
Oh Friday!
The hard:
-Construction workers all week again. Inside my apartment. Telling me everyday that they’d be done “today”. That never happening. Noise all.the.time!
-Becoming the crazy gringa ranting about “no more dust” and otherwise just being completely cranky and having no less than 7 strangers witness it.
-Clients being a little flaky. Nothing catastrophic, but someething I should probably have a better system/plan for.
-Completely generalized sense of pissed-offed-ness that totally relates to some anxiety I’m having, of which I’m aware, but not doing a good job of sorting anxiety from anger. *sigh*
-Feeling very judgy this week. Which totally relates to above mentioned problems. But it’s kind of embarassing to catch yourself (even mentally) being such a bitch.
The good:
-Going to bed a little earlier and waking up a little earlier. It’s kind of peaceful here in the mornings. Before the workers. Before the boyfriend gets up. Before the chaos.
-One of the workers fixing the loose foot on my couch, which is totally not his job.
-Everyone is sick but I’ve managed not to become so.
-The trees are coming back to life! Yeah, it’s still cold, but there’s hope.
-A tiny, baby thing I’m working on. That I’m excited about. But I have to be vewy, vewy quiet while I’m preparing for it!
-Progress on some business stuff. Even if a lot of it was in the soft. A little more beginning to give myself permission to move forward and DO STUFF even if it isn’t “perfect”.
Happy Chickens to all . . . until we meet again . . .
Chicken!
The hard…
– So much to do, so much I am behind in, the crushing overwhelm is smooshing me so much I can barely breathe.
– Why do people insist on “helping” me in ways that are not helpful? Why? WHY?
– If I could actually complete some of these tasks, I could move on to getting paid. Which would be a very awesome thing, because right now NOT getting paid really sucks.
The good…
+ Following lots of new chicks at the twitter bar that I met at the She’s Geeky conference last week.
+ Annoying person didn’t show up for networking event w/ his stupid cell phone that goes off during the speaker’s talk. Very good, since probably I would have witnessed (or participated in) a beating if he had.
+ Finally found time to call grandma, which is good because we haven’t spoken for 3 weeks. Double good, because she is feeling better.
.-= Avonelle Lovhaug´s last post … What kind of emergency support do you need =-.
Wow, Friday again!?
Hard:
Not getting into the studio much this week, to the point of true grumpiness.
Power going out *again* on Wednesday, with 90F+ temps outside.
Sink flies *everywhere* and my inlaws are coming in two weeks!
Feeling really exhausted on days I do my walk on the bike path. Not sure what combination of food/electrolyte replacement to stop that.
Feeling bad about myself because of my weight at the doctor’s last week, even though I feel so good other than the exhaustion.
Trying to not be too scared because the doctor’s office called on Wednesday to tell me the ultrasound showed further testing was needed and that I needed to keep my appointment on Monday. She had serious face after the exam last week and this didn’t help.
Running out of my stash of pumpkin and not knowing for sure what to replace the income from the pumpkin muffins with.
Being irritated with my friend who has time to post tarot card apps on his facebook and to write a letter to the editor, but apparently not enough time to be there for me when I text him worried about the doctor call.
Good:
Having enough money to go out and see a movie (Inception) while the power was out on Wednesday.
The two days so far I have gotten into the studio have been really productive. The big huge quilt is actually underway!
Shiva Nata and yoga helping me handle the big huge quilt without freaking out (where does it go? I am tensing up, relax those muscles, etc)
Making baskets with Izzy. He really enjoyed teaching me what he learned at Boy Scout camp.
Banana butter (banana mixed with almond butter) on rice cakes. Helped with that electrolyte issue from walking. Not walking in 90% humidity also helped. (duh)
Power only was out about 5 hours on Wednesday, unlike last week when it was out for about 12 hours.
Instant download collage images from ArtChix Studios so I can play with some simple art.
Writing the perfect artist statement for my grant application. Sending the draft to the coordinator and getting some good feedback on what to add. Gratitude for the smoothness of this part.
Hope you all are keeping cool (or warm!) out there 🙂
.-= Andi´s last post … The Sketchbook Project- Week Two =-.
Death Metal Librarians! Somehow, it makes total sense.
The hard:
-Depression. Oh my goodness. I have been managing, somehow, to just barely hold it together for the past two months, and this week feels like I’m just unraveling.
-Looking for jobs is really hard. Especially when you don’t know what you want and are feeling depressed, which makes it hard to trust any feelings you have while you simultaneously doubt your skills and entire worth as a person.
-I miss my family and my Northwest home so much.
The good:
-I’m going to the doctor next week. Hopefully this doctor won’t stink and will be able to help me deal with the whole depression thing.
-I got to visit my family in the Northwest, and it was beautiful.
-Had a great visit with my mom, thanks in no small part to what I’m learning about Nonviolent Communication.
-I got some clarity about my living situation conundrum.
-My girlfriend bought me some clothes, because I don’t like shopping but was running out. Everything she bought fit me perfectly and was lovely. She has some sort of superpower for doing this.
-Snuggling and laughing with my girlfriend. And being entirely supported by her, even though I randomly start crying for no apparent reason. She is beyond amazing.
.-= Kylie´s last post … belonging =-.
My first chicken! 😀
Hardity hard hard:
– Work. I finish in two weeks, and this last week and next week will be the worst weeks in the entire job. I’m not even sure WHAT’S going on, only that it’s making me stressed and cry and other uncool stuff. Sigh.
– Not doing anything about it. I guess I prefer sitting here stewing in anger and other negative stuff than trying to plethora of tools (meditation, Shiva Nata, journaling, etc) I could be using to work through this. Double sigh.
– Said co-worker. Telling me problems/blaming me for stuff two weeks before I leave isn’t going to help. It just makes me hate you and care even less. Our massive communications issues don’t help, either. Triple sigh.
The good:
+ Everything not work related.
+ Friends/family. Talking with them, whether here with me or 6,000 miles away, has cheered me a lot.
+ Getting the apartment cleaned up, slowly but surely. It’s encouraging.
+ I go back home in two weeks. It can’t come soon enough!
Here’s to a better week…
Friday, huh? Oh. OK.
Hard:
Being grumpy. Grump grump grump. Even to the point of snapping at the boyfriend. Sucks.
It’s distraction central down here. Somebody make my brain stop, I want to get off.
Not liking Order of the Phoenix. I liked the rest of the series, so I kind of feel aggrieved. Dear Harry, please stop being a stupid git when I get to book 6. Thanks.
Good:
New PC! Shiny and new!
I got to draw actual pirates for an actual client who’s paying me in actual money! Awesomesauce. Drawing pirates is the best. I want to make a career our of drawing pirates.
I think I’m done with level 5 of Shiva Nata. By which I mean to say: it’s not rediculously hard anymore. I think I might want to know what level 6 is soon. In the meantime, showing off (to music) is in order.
My new THING is ready for launch, almost. Almost almost. Whee.
Hugs and juicy fruits to all your hard. 🙁 See you next week.
Havi, I thought I had the corner on people pissing me off this week! I’ve finally decided that the planets must be seriously aligned given the extended people of hard and bizarre that I’m going through.
The Hard:
– I can’t catch up. I can’t even tread water. It is all so overwhelming. I need a break and can’t figure out how to schedule one.
– Lost a cousin-in-law to cancer yesterday. Our annual fun trip to Indiana will instead be a sad trip for the funeral.
– Research subjects canceling at the last minute. Not a single day has gone as originally scheduled this week.
– Stress, lack of sleep, eating on the run and lack of exercise are not providing good physical outcomes.
– Continued excessive heat and humidity. We are on track to have the hottest summer ever. Terrific.
The Good:
+ Finally linked up with the handyman so my rotting mailboxes can be fixed. They are currently held together by duck tape. At least the tape and the boxes are black.
+ Older kitty had a good check up at the vet.
+ Got paid today! Yes, that is routine event, but in this economy I do appreciate my paycheck.
+ My friend survived her home remodeling project.
+ Final exams are over even though the grading remains.
Here’s hoping the next week is easier.
Havi, thanks so much for not just linking to my posts, but linking to the posts in the new site! Mwah!
And by the way, I listened to the systems teleclass and it most certainly was not terrible. It was super helpful.
xo
maryann
Havi: I’m struck by your description of your uncle — so much that I’ve copied it for myself, to reread. I want to become someone who offers that to the people in my immediate life. (I started to write, “in my own life,” but this is a real part of my life too.)
Hard:
* seriously, it’s Friday already? Good freaking LORD. And from which time-space continuum am I going to wring out the extra two weeks I apparently need to deal with all the things I was going to get done by, oh, last Monday?
* watching people I care about majorly stuck in majorly unhappy patterns
* colleague I’m fond of put substandard work on sale. *massively unhappy sigh*
Good:
* productive meetings
* effing asthma loosening its grip a shade
* drafting some promising poems
* new printer and laptop making life so much easier in numerous ways
* friends looking out for me
* Rogers Cup tennis. The color commentary on Twitter has been more fun than a conga line of Muppet chickens. 🙂
Shabbat shalom, all y’all!
.-= Mechaieh´s last post … August Break- photos 12-14 =-.
Huh. How is it Friday already? Well .. onwards .. Happy Chicken!
Your uncle sounds great.
The hard:
* Two episodes of angry snapping at the pup. In two days. Both for bad behavior. Ironic that I chose bad behavior for my response. After the first episode, I figured out why he did what he did, and he had no choice but to do it, so I definitely chose the wrong response.
* Weird dreams impacting my sleep .. again.
* Trying to listen to my hunger cues and struggling. Right now, apparently I go from not-hungry to starving. I am missing everything in-between.
The good:
* I finally managed to write the post that’s been rolling around in my head forever and a day about how Shiva Nata affects my photography. Yay.
* Time with friends, including a Shiva Nata practice.
* A fabulous Hopscotch Strategy session – I am so excited about the upcoming fun!
* I have an idea. And it is my favorite idea yet.
* My latest two sets of cards, which I am so very much in love with.
I feel like there was more, but clearly I have morning brain. I must visit the ocean and clear it.
.-= Elizabeth´s last post … the walrus said =-.
Oh my God, LOVE Death Metal Librarians! 🙂
The Hard:
Money woes. Checks never arrived. Missed rent, bank calling. Yuck.
Not sleeping.
REALLY wanting to go to Rally!
The Good:
Insanely productive. Also, talked with opposite ends of fear spectrum monsters and have discovered Father Creative and Mother Restorative, who apparently have opposing agendas but ultimately wish me well.
Had a tiny sweet thing explode into an ecourse that I’m beta testing right this second. Surprised even me!
Working with Rachel, the Caffeinated Elf. SO helpful!
Discovering Naomi Dunsford and Johnny B. Truant.
The good outweighed the hard this week, I think. Have a great weekend!
Oh, so many hard things for everybody! Sending love to all of you.
Big week for me…
The hard:
— New jobs are awesome but also stressful. I hate when I can’t figure out how to do something that I know someone explained to me just an hour ago, and struggling to remember what seems like a whole new language and culture. It makes me feel stupid a lot. And my new commute is long and draining.
— Major polyamory drama put me in a funk for the past three days. Things between me and my boyfriend are strained, a situation I contributed to by more or less throwing NVC out the window in a fight Tuesday night because I was just really scared and lashing out all over the place. We’ve been trying to be patient and get the whole ‘molecule’ up and running again, but it’s taking lots of slowness and space and making me feel a little bit abandoned.
— Feeling like crap over that set off a whole avalanche of Stuff that’s way more than I can process right now.
— Found out about something really crappy that a close friend did, and can’t talk to them about it because it’s a sensitive issue involving lots of other people. Just sort of stewing over it.
The good:
— First week of my new job! Learning and meeting people and accomplishing things slowly but surely!
— Some necessary and significant progress with nonviolent communication, especially with the husband.
— Taking care of myself and doing what I need to keep the stress down.
— My awesome friends coming through to support me when I need it.
— Writing again! After being blocked for a while.
@havi
Aw. Happiness without impending doom. So fantastic.
@willie hewes
Book 5 – long, slow, whiny. Book 6 – Oh my god. Genius!
*The hard*
-schedule changes (again). Actually started 3 weeks ago and I’m *still* grouchy, disoriented and disorganized. And, as Havi has mentioned, the knowing that this is what always happens when in transition isn’t helping. Seems like my life is just one huge transition right now and I’m failing at it. 🙁
-mis-scheduling a new client. Hello, my you’re-so-unprofessional-and-everyone-will-think-you-are-a-flake monster.
*The good*
-spending an afternoon at the foot of the most magical waterfall in the world.
-doing shivanata – with a friend!
-a mini breakthrough between my mom and me.
-new clients making amazing progress. Yay!
.-= Larisa´s last post … The Art of Magical Listening – a DIY Guide! =-.
Happy Friday and thanks for the shout-out! Doing the tele-class was SO MUCH FUN!
The Hard
-Not sure Thing 2 would make it through a week at camp
-Sleep! not enough! low quality!
-Loose ends everywhere like a can o’ snakes
-Laptop that capriciously blanks out
The Good
-Mindful Biggification call
-A few days for self scheduled and booked
-Lydia Davis’ fiction — she’s a genius!
-A constant itch to write
Thanks for the sweet mention! Very excited about the intimate Rally and cannot wait to meet the group. The Rally Scalawags! The Original Rallyeers! Must brainstorm even more fun names! I’m getting excited just thinking about packing my things on Monday.
Also, I had no idea it was a big derby weekend! And now I see the tickets are completely sold out — wow, go PRD! We haven’t been to any games this year (a bit harder with a wee one). Hope you have tons of fun at the game 🙂
@Lynn I have so been there with wanting the right doctor person to tell me it will all be okay and they will figure it out! That is a hard, hard journey and I’m sending sympathy and kind thoughts your way.
Love and love and love to everyone with all the hard stuff and big thumbs up for all the good stuff. Happy Friday!
.-= Jesse´s last post … Friday check-in- Insert life here =-.
So happy it’s Friday! Much sympathy for the transitioning, Havi, it’s been a week of that for me as well… but tomorrow, I can sleep in and cuddle my bed as much as I want! Yay!
This week’s hard;
* Transitioning, ugh! Came home from an amazing, but intense retreat, and immediately had to jump into the Day Job. No breaks, no rest, no day off in between. 🙁
* The Appreciation Day That Was Not Very Appreciative. The larger entity that my Day Job belongs to had an Administrator’s Appreciation Day… which consisted primarily of being forced to sit through PowerPoint presentations on stuff that doesn’t even pertain to my job. Also, they gave us “goodies”, except they were really goodies for work, not for us… lamesauce.
* So much tired! Feeling like there is so much I’m inspired to do after the retreat, but not having the energy to do any of it /sigh
The good;
* Finally giving in and sleeping for like 12 hours. Turned out to be just the thing I needed, I woke up feeling human again!
* A brief moment of sun… it only lasted a few hours, but it reminded me how much I love the sun.
* Working with a friend on sparkly goodness for her legal interlude… having so much fun creating beaded goodies! And for such an awesome lady too! Double yay!
* Finally starting to get some headway on my inspiration… but also recognizing the value in taking my time on it, rather than trying to push push push and hurry hurry hurry 🙂
Happy Friday my fellow Chickeneers! Here’s to hoping the good outweighs the hard in all the weeks to come 😀
.-= Heidi´s last post … Six Tips for Recharging an Energy Slump =-.
P.S. I almost forgot! Happy Friday the 13th 😀
My honey, my niece and I will be watching scary movies all night to celebrate, how bout you?
.-= Heidi´s last post … Six Tips for Recharging an Energy Slump =-.
I have a particular person who looooves to tell me what to do, almost in the same breath that said person complains about people telling him what to do. My response these days is just raised eyebrows. Usually works. Sometimes not.
Hard this week:
-feeling under attack by summer. A friend said August is summer’s February, and I gotta agree. I’m done with it. I can’t even be outside. I don’t feel like a person when I don’t get to spend time outside every day. 10 degrees I can handle. 105 with a swarm of mosquitoes I cannot.
-A little lonely, which is, in its own way, kind of funny to me. Irony. Nice.
-Things breaking/running out at bad moments.
-Having to work when all I really want to do is build towers of blocks and knock them down with the Little Bird. And cut out paper dolls. And color. And play princesses. And….and…and…I feel like a jerk when she wants to play and I have to tell her to wait because I’m working.
Good:
-Chickening some healthy experiments to help me cope with the lonely. And it’s working.
-Is it possible that just thinking about easing back into shiva nata would bring on the bing? Cuz it seems to be working even though I haven’t done it yet. Weird, that.
-Yoga, and realizing that 5 minutes is as good as 50. Or, at least…well, I guess I’m still working on believing that it is. How about this? Doing 5 minutes is better than avoiding it entirely if you don’t have time to do 50. (Does that make sense?)
-There is a pleasant breeze today.
-I have been indulging in a truly awful novel. I mean, bad. Really bad. Why is this good? It’s nice to remember that not everything I do has to be about learning and challenging myself. I can read crappy novels and it won’t stunt my growth. Yay.
-A weekend, with some solitude. Blessed, blessed solitude.
-The green beans are flowering, and the squash is about to. I may have been late, but I’m still gonna get some goodies out of the garden.
-Speaking of the garden, our yard is full of toads. Adorable little guys. Glad (for them, anyway) they were born in a feast year.
.-= Emily´s last post … Randomness – It’s Getting Itchy Around Here =-.
Yay! Friday! (I didn’t think this week would ever end!!!)
The hard: My mole status in the Whack-a-mole game continues and, while in a the larger sense I am still unscathed, on a lower level – I’ve run into a nest of angry wasps: Lost phone, lost camera card (with pix!), 1 notebook died, and I’m waiting on the other shoe. (What? Doesn’t everyone have four (left) feet?)
Also some of those wasps looked more like ticks and I am itchy.
The good: uhm … no phone calls 🙂 Fun new glittery things are planned!! The Robot walks (well, rolls) in three weeks! @Havi and @Hiro on my iPod – still keeping me in the here and now.
Hugs and Love to all with the Hard and Happy dances for the good!
@Havi: Your uncle sounds amazing! I think everyone should be able to have at least one family member who is absolutely lovely like that.
@Emily: Ooh, the 5-minutes-is-better-than-50 thing totally made my day. I’ve been struggling with that for a while now. Brilliance!
Hello, Friday. It’s nice to see you.
This week in Kailand~
The Hard:
~Struggling. With everyyyything. To the point that when I tried to eat a bowl of ice cream to make myself feel better my lip got stuck to the spoon and my boyfriend had to pry it off. Everything I’ve attempted to do this week has gone like that. (That is, everything has gone awry. Not everything has gotten stuck to my lip!)
The Good:
~Support! My boyfriend has had my back the entire time.
~I got a fluffy stuffed puppy in the mail who barks and snores when she naps. I named her Pastry.
~I just recently got a book called Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude and I’ve been rereading it all week. It’s life changing in the best of ways. And there’s a poodle in it! Named Basket.
~Super yummy pizza with broccoli! I can’t wait to have it for dinner tonight.
the good:
wishing i could see photos of the playground and like magic they were on the blog. from elizabeth no less!
interviewing michelle for my blog. written and then a video of follow up questions. she’s so easy to talk to and had good ideas for the process. love! can’t wait for it to all come together.
connecting with friends after being gone for a couple weeks.
setting limits on screen time – literally setting a timer – and realizing this may be the answer to my internet hangover
still being on summer break.
returning to yoga.
using an electronic calendar.
joining a fancy gym monday and actually going t,w,th! and finding out my newest friend is also a member so now we’ve got all sorts of secret hangout time.
the hard:
remembering the hard way why i went on the pill. ugh, monthly hormone surges of suckiness suck. plus they make me totally hate everyone and everything, including me. boo.
saying goodbye to summer break and realizing i didn’t accomplish everything i wanted to during break… transitions totally suck.
cat had fleas. i have bites.
.-= Tami´s last post … Song of the Day! =-.
Wasn’t it just Friday yesterday? These weeks go faster every week…
OK, here goes!
The hard:
*learning to deal with fiber arts wholesalers. Yeouch. Such a new experience for me! Somehow, paper wholesalers have a completely different temperament!
*Thread I wanted to use in a project just isn’t working.
*Going to need to pull out a BUNCH of stitching that’s all over one thread to redo the colors on a design YET AGAIN!
*I finally wrote something down about what I want to become that made me go – REALLY? Wow you’re presumptuous!
The good:
*I have new designs!
*I have a real, honest to goodness model stitcher! I’m getting a crew (team? cadre? Hmmmm. this is a job for metaphor mouse, I think)
*Extra time to myself.
*The house is finally coming together and getting organized.
*I’m seeing progress on all fronts – work, self, house…
*I was able to see that little inner critic calling me presumptuous for the little monster it was, and talk it out of that attitude! I know what I want to be when I grow up! Or don’t grow up, whichever.
.-= Romilly´s last post … A Studio Confession… =-.
Yay for friday!
The hard:
– today: nightmares, tiredness and generally emotionally off kilter, worries about someone, oddness at work.
– feeling a bit overwhelmed and lacking in confidence
– missing a friend
– a rather unfocused feeling that I should be doing more
– a ‘nothing is changing’ feeling
The good:
– easing into the evening and the weekend with a glass of wine and some delicious veggie chilli
– a couple of hilarious text conversations with said friend
– time for cooking, reading, writing and yoga
– generally quite perky mood
– getting on with everyone in my life
– laughter
Have a lovely weekend everyone. 🙂
Things that I hated this week:
1. Being told what to do. Is there something in the water?
2. Not being heard.
3. Stress.
4. Uncertainty.
5. Thrown shoes (ouch).
6. Lack of sleep.
Things that I loved this week:
1. Keeping my cool.
2. Snuggling with my dog.
3. The good connection with my sweetie getting even better.
4. Naps.
5. Clarity.
6. “Free” peaches from neighbor’s tree, and homemade “free-peach” jam. Mmm!
.-= Barbara J Carter´s last post … New dot painting- “Mandala” =-.
The first time I read it, I thought you said “Dead Metal Libertarians”. But I think that implies two guys, not just one…
A great, but difficult week. The hard — realizing that things I’ve worked insanely hard on are not heading in the right direction, and that even if they are headed somewhere that’s not where I want to be. I hate to think of the time (and money, yikes!) spent on those things, and am still trying to figure out what I’ve learned.
The good — realizing that I know where I need to go and what I need to be doing, and that I just need to do more of it. Awesome sessions with my clients who are amazing people. Lots of sharing, and great metaphors that I can’t get out of my head. Feeling like I’ve come home.
Hope the rally next week goes amazingly well!
.-= Liz´s last post … Dinner with My Troll =-.
Yeah, transitions are tricky, Havi, I don’t do well with them either.
Hooray for all us chickeners, we rock. I do like reading about everyone’s weeks.
The Hard
– still being ill. It’s been a good two and half weeks now & I’m Officially Fed Up. I’m already ill with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, do I have to have The Evil Cough Of Doom on top of it? Whine, whine, grump, grump
– feeling guilty about letting people down because I haven’t posted their art yet
– feeling overwhelmed with too much stuff, lots of it is good but oh, the overwhelm
– not getting enough art made
– my monsters being far too talkative on various subjects including my illness (apparently illness translates to ‘laziness’ in monsterland) and not having sorted out my mailing list three years ago (‘imagine how many people you’d have by now if you weren’t so lazy’)
– some scary nightmares
The Good
+ Coming out on Twitter as being in a bisexual threesome and everyone being wicked cool about it. Not one single person unfollowed me & I got a ton of supportive loving messages – I have awesome peeps.
+ going out to dinner with my honeys
+ celebrating being with my boy honey for 16 years
+ scanning old photos & putting them on Facebook
+ finally managing to get some gardening done
+ homegrown veggies
+ having a fantastic chat with Sister Diane of Craftypod
+ hanging out with cool folks on various forums & lists
+ working on my Very Exciting Idea
+ finally getting a mailing list sign-up form up on my website. Suck it, monsters!
+ a lovely phone call with my best friend
.-= Kirsty Hall´s last post … Money- business & how to avoid magic pill thinking =-.
I just haven’t had the time and brain to do this for a few weeks, but I’m going to take the lazy road and mostly just do this week’s worth of chickening anyway. Where I am now seems more useful than where I was 3 weeks ago, anyway.
The Hard
– Some anxiety about slipping back into work-mode and whether or not I can sustain myself the next few months
– Allergies lead to postnasal drip leads to tummy oogies which lead to wondering if it’s just that or some underlying stress I don’t really know about
– So much laundry waiting to be done
– Fallout from Drama, still feeling very bruised over a friend who turned out not to be a friend at all, and all the changes that will cause and difficulties it creates in what little social life I have
– Feeling a bit ill-fiting in my life this week with all the shifting routines and getting back into work and everything else
The Good
+ Guest #3 (of 3 for the summer) was lovely and relaxing for the whole of her visit, and we had a really nice time doing nothing of note
+ I got glorious extra sleep last night
+ There is painting on today’s schedule!
+ Illustration clients that were languishing are happy with their sketches and forward momentum is happening
+ Generally having good forward movement in the area of work, and seeing my ability to sustain happening in more than one area
+ Making some new friends a little at a time
+ Planning for September Sales for my birthday
+ Glorious weather, cool and sunny and just really lovely all summer so far
+ Building new routines and making room for new social stuff, and new work routines as well
+ Slept a delicious 9 hours and loved every minute of it
+ Cuddly cats are warm and snuggly and awesome, as always
+ Realized that, despite the drama and discomfort, that I’m still pretty happy with my life, and the direction I’m building things and the way the rest is going — Contentment win
.-= Amy Crook´s last post … Translucent Pelagic Octopus =-.
Note to self: Start a Big Book of You, dammit, if for no other reason than to keep track of the Hard & Good. Where did the week go?
Let’s see.
Hard:
-Saw the cover of TIME this week and realized I don’t have any hard by comparison, which is good. But very hard.
-Tough back pain brought on by funky office chair.
Good:
+Gave away bad chair. Picked up new/old one at thrift store, reupholstered the arms with men’s black dress socks (which look way better on a chair); Nice, green feelings.
+Offered a gig moderating the senior class speech club at local prep school. A milestone. Yay and more yay.
Thank you, Havi. Blessings to all.
.-= Rupa´s last post … One Who Can’t Dance Blames the Floor and Other Useful Proverbs =-.
Holy cow. I’m glad I waited to chicken. Last night’s response would have been completely different.
The hard:
– I’ve been exhausted all week, and it’s shown. I’ve been high-strung and my temper’s been short.
– I’m still struggling with being comfortable with self-promotion.
– I’m also still struggling with keeping the house straightened. It’s surprisingly difficult.
– I’ve had no fewer than three fights with my sweetheart. All of them were my fault.
The good:
+ My son Alex is home! He spends the summers in California but he came home on Tuesday.
+ I had a great interview with Johnny B. Truant for Delightineering 101.
+ I had a significant realization about myself, and talked about it in a guest post for Fabeku.
+ I’m having what might be the best Friday the 13th ever (*knock on wood*). 🙂
Love to all! ♥
.-= Chris Anthony´s last post … No one is alone =-.
Wow, what a week. There’s something wonderful about reading all of these, and feeling like none of us are alone in this.
The Hard:
-Family member with possible major medical illness, who is refusing to let anyone know. I only know because other family member told me and swore me to secrecy, and now it’s just a big mess of stuck and suck and dishonesty that I hate being part of.
-Trying to turn to a friend to support, and getting pretty much nothing back. Having issues dealing with said friend now as a result.
-Being totally blocked on writing (this is the first thing I have been able to write all week), and not knowing how to break things down to get through it.
-Having to tell my childhood best friend who is equally close to aforementioned family member about the medical situation, and hearing how upset he was and feeling responsible.
-Not being able to sleep until five am because of stress, and having lots of trouble decompressing or putting it all out of my mind until I have more information.
The Good:
-Amazing amounts of support from other friends that was both unexpected and a true blessing. Hearing from childhood best friend that it was his family too, and that I wasn’t alone in having to deal with it.
-Lots of business support, including a long phone call from an unexpected source with good advice about growing and moving forward and getting past my insecurities.
-Being willing to let go of everything from this week, and to try and start fresh on Monday.
.-= Holly´s last post … Friday Roundup- Tech edition! =-.
Friday AGAIN?
The hard:
– A night of horrible sleep or rather no sleep, weird dreams and fatigue the next day.
– Stupid allergy, sneezing, tissues all over the place.
– Having to think about a potential big change of place in 12 months which seems so surreal at this stage.
The good:
– One very replenishing night of solid sleep. The sweet feeling of waking up and actually feeling awake.
– Fondness and intimacy made up for the fights with my husband in the previous week.
– Time with my cousin. Long, long chat in a café.
– Yoga. 50 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes. Every day.
– A hermit day on Sunday with 3 (!) naps and a good book.
– Feeling more at ease with a decision.
– Found a dress that was considerably reduced in the sales and that feels so like me.
Have a beautiful weekend with lots of good everyone!
Chicken and run this week…
The hard:
– Working around some new dietary restrictions. Trying to keep it interesting and creative, and not feeling like I’m doing a very good job of it.
– I think this humidity is out to kill me. I like the heat — bring it on — but the sticky yuckiness and having to change clothes three times a day because I’m sweating beyond all belief is just nuts.
The good:
– Found an absolute treasure at the antique store earlier this week: a 50-drawer library card catalog in fabulous shape at about 1/4 of what it should have cost. I might have done a happy dance.
– A whole week off from editing work, and the time that’s freed up to take care of a couple of projects that have been picking at me all summer to get them done.
– Rock wall = done. At least until those friggin’ vines start poking their heads up again to get napalmed. (Generally, I’m against crazy chemicals in my garden, but this stuff is *crazy* tenacious. And it’s not really napalm, but about as close as you can get off the shelf. And I’m using it carefully.)
Happy Friday, everyone!
.-= Lori Paximadis´s last post … Friday Really =-.
Havi, you’re wonderful. I usually read but don’t comment–Today’s been a lonely day for me and I wanted to share in someone else’s joy. Glad to see things working out for you–I can’t believe it’s Friday again. Take care and enjoy.
.-= Kari Wolfe´s last post … Distractions and Sidelines! =-.
-hugs for the being ordered around- Horrays for visits and people being happy for you – “just because”.
@Kari – some hugs for you, just because.
The Hard:
-Procrastination and a HALF.
-A scare with my other half (whose 6,000 miles away in Cambodia). Miscommunication meant we weren’t sure if he was safe or not. [though we now know he is, this was VERY hard as we can’t communicate.]
-Dentist.. went for a check-up and ended up with an extraction. Lots of tears and shaking and had to have four injections because I was wasn’t able to stay still. So much stuff came up.
The Good:
+Talking to friends – asking for help, gaining support.
+Writing. Oh writing, I love you.
+Planning for positive things – ordering gig tickets, browsing ebay for gig an outfit, planning meet-ups
+Getting an e-mail from my other half’s mother; saying he’s safe and well. And then getting an email from him, saying he’s safe.
+Getting back into art-journalling
+Opening my shop.. This Morning!!! I took off it’s password and laid it out there. Scary but a relief to be open.
+Choosing a new laptop for my birthday. Have borrowed 4 laptops since April to deal with mine dying; but now I can have a shiny one of my own again 🙂
Have a restful weekend everyone.
.-= Rose´s last post … Need to mend your wings =-.
Havi,
Yuck yuck. Hopefully by the time you are reading this you have moved into a much more happy (or hoppy?) space. But, in the spirit of your post, yuck and being okay with working through yuck…
and a Hug.
Today we missed our flight from Beijing to Seattle. We are out a lot of money, and the most harrowing part was being deliberately thrown off track by two anti-american ticket agents. Out of nowhere, all this hostility. Then getting f-ed over.
I just want to go home…feeling stranded and stuck.
But, blessings are profuse. I am listening to Bluegrass, which is very humbling (“I’m just a pilgrim on this road”)
~
Amy Martin
.-= Amy Martin´s last post … Missed Flights And Twitter Bans In Beijing =-.
oh, P.S. Twitter is banned in China!
.-= Amy Martin´s last post … Missed Flights And Twitter Bans In Beijing =-.
Oh my – what a long, strange trip it’s been. I can’t remember the last time I got to do a Friday Chicken, and here I am doing it on Saturday. C’est la vie. 🙂
And transitions – I offer extra hugs for those. It does seem strange that no matter how prepared we are for them, they still suck. Bleh.
The hard:
– getting used to the drug dealers across the street; developing systems for NOT being on constant state of alert
– supporting my Hippie and all the Hard he’s been experiencing in conjunction with mine (the move, the drug dealers, etc etc)
– broke my damn foot on my damn stairs dammit
– putting together a workable office in preparation for a project that resumes on Monday, but on a limited budget and with a cranky Hippie and a broken foot
– trying to remember that this, too, shall pass
The good
+ loving our new house and new town – haven’t heard a siren in more than 12 days, which freakin’ rocks
+ having a project resuming that will bring in necessary funds
+ finding a primary care physician right by our house who seems like a nice, competent lady
+ getting to see my first roller derby match
+ successful birthday barbecue for the Hippie last weekend – getting to see him genuinely smile for a day – and hanging out with fantastic P-town peeps
—–
Fake band name of the week? “Suspicious Noses”
Loving the band name.
My fake band name for the week was The Mutating Abominations – mainly to honour the fact I have been PLAGUED with a revolting cold (Again!!!!! It should not be possible) and I love the word Abomination – there’s something powerful and rebellious in it…. But you know, it’s just one guy…
Have a blissed out, jumping around like crazy, laughing till your cheeks hurt week all xx