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.
Yeah.
A hundred and one.
Now nothing to get excited about until two hundred, says Eeyore.
The hard stuff
Back to work. Again!
I know, I know.
It’s part of life. Blah.
But growth periods suck. And so does recovery time.
Even though my Official Pirate Queen Holiday Vacation was supposed to be restful (and it mostly was), I’d also set an intention to learn about my relationship to biggification.
And so I had all sorts of huge understandings and big crazy epiphanies.
So I came back kind of exhausted.
And despite the enormous piles of doom waiting for me, I couldn’t get out of recovery mode. Lots of sleeping. Lots of bleary-eyed confusion.
Lots of waiting. Frustrating. Normal, but frustrating.
You know when you miss someone and then they’re everywhere?
And all it takes is a hint of Desmond Dekker in a cafe in Seattle and … you start to doubt things.
My favorite pair of pants died a horrible death.
Totally unfair.
Almost having seventeen thousand heart attacks because of World Cup.
Seriously, that stuff is not good for my health.
Stress plus pain. Not good. I have grey hair now.
But of course I also am incapable of stopping. Oh, the roller coaster.
I was super sad when Ghana lost to Uruguay. I’ve been rooting for Ghana the whole time.*
Even against Germany. And I never root against Germany. Except in basketball. And world wars.
Anyway. Gah. Way too much stressful. I can definitely wait another four years to practice breathing some more.
* Except when they played the States, but that’s really only because what the hell, I live here now.
Kyeli is having surgery.
Big scary surgery. Please send her loving wishes for ease and comfort and a speedy recovery.
The good stuff
Insane amounts of writing.
Twenty one pages of monster conversations. Unbelievable.
It was way less stressful than I’d been imagining (which is why I’d been avoiding them).
And they were full of unexpectedness. Usually it’s the same old yeah yeah you’re trying to protect me by being cruel and horrible blah blah.
This time they gave me all sorts of useful new information. Feeling really glad that I asked.
Feather boas!
The other day, I said something about how now all I need is a feather boa.
Well.
Two of my lovely, lovely blog readers (thank you so much, Danielle and Mariko!) each had the idea of getting me a feather boa.
So now I have two.
Which is awesome.
And now I’m wondering if I should get in the habit of saying “now all I need is …”, just to see if whatever it is ends up in my mailbox.
I am the luckiest lady alive. Also, yay blogging. Who knew? If they’d told me there would be feather boas in it for me, I would have started years earlier.
Now all I need is …
Pickles.
First I had the best (and largest) pickle of my entire life while on the tail end of Pirate Queen Holiday Vacation.
And then my gentleman friend gave me his pickle while we were out at dinner. Possibly only to avoid an argument but still. I took it.
I saw Alice in Wonderland.
And loved it.
I wasn’t expecting to, after the especially depressing New Yorker review.
But wow.
It’s weird how I don’t think of Tim Burton as someone who shares my message, but there he was, speaking my mind in color.
- That a little madness is not only okay, it’s vital.
- That even within extremely confined, predetermined situations, you own your life, which means you get to make decisions for yourself.
- That you don’t have to know how to do what is needed — it’s enough to claim your powers (or hold the sword) and the rest will happen.
A considerably more thought-provoking film than I had anticipated. Though probably more so if you’re obsessing over sovereignty and its applications. I’m so glad to have seen it.
Good things I read this week.
This wonderful bit from Fi about the Stuff-Lover’s lament.
Spam comment of the week! We look flippant to your order.
I can’t even tell you how much I loved this.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
We are a European coterie and we offer services translational within 16 languages and all fields.Our translators decode only into their indigenous language. You can ask for an guess of the rewrite of the text.
If the bonus corresponds to you, choose substantiate your uniformity and choice directly experience a finished translation.
We look flippant to your order
Frankly,
[Spammy Spammerson]
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?
Oar Or Ore
Though I believe they sometimes add a question mark to it, so it’s more like Oar Or Ore?
Anyway. They originally started out as an a capella group made up of former Navy Seals. But last I heard, 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
Havi, sorry about the pants. I wrecked my favourite pair in a fit of amnesia, they could only cope with a cool iron because they were partly silk and I basically melted them under a hot iron after having ironed them correctly for many years. May our pants rest in peace.
@Kyeli: Caring thoughts to you and all fingers crossed for the surgery and a speedy recovery, may all go miraculously well. Thanks for linking to Jen Louden’s Lost Place video in your blog (and to Havi for linking Kyeli’s blog and making me find it).
The hard:
– Germany losing the semi-final.
– A challenging session with my therapist.
– Fatigue.
The good:
– Three days in the countryside with husband: gorgeous weather, swimming in lakes, morning yoga on the lake front, cycling, poppies and cornflowers in bloom everywhere.
– Germany’s match against Argentina.
– Session with therapist brought up in an important epiphany.
– Naps.
– Reading “Whatever makes you happy” by William Sutcliffe about three mothers who simultaneously visit their 34 year old sons for a week without being invited. Sounds like slapstick but isn’t.
-Signing up for Hiro’s sovereignty kindergarten, horray.
Have a sunny and beautiful weekend, chickeneers!
The goods, I (finally) haz them! But first, the Spammer and the Fake Band had me spit out my water. In fact, this particular fake band is my favouritest ever! Oar Or Ore!
So, the goods. And only goods this week:
+ The PhD thesis named Phil has been accepted! Just a few minor adjustments to make before Monday and it is off on its journey through commission and publication land.
+ Just one more week of current job left, then off to blissful unstructured refueling and reconnecting for six weeks.
+ I’ve got a new job, which promises to be as uncorporate as a corporate job can get. I’m exited! Yay for new beginnings!
+ The Dutch are in the world cup finals! Even though I’m not particularly excited about soccer, I do love the atmosphere and how everything turns orange. Really, you have no idea how orange a country can get until you’ve lived it. Let’s see what the Prediction Octopus Paul has to say about who will win the cup.
Have a glorious week, all! I’m off to send good thoughts to Kyeli.
What fabulous spam. I want to ask for an guess.
Hard:
-Trying to eat better. Not doing as well as I want to.
-Two days of clashing with my husband – we can be so stupid about things sometimes.
-Also felt a bit sad for Ghana. I must say World Cup is still great but I am really glad it is coming to an end.
Good:
-Something shifted for me this week. Not quite sure how yet but it is feeling positive.
-Cirque de Soleil is coming to South Africa next year for the first time and we bought tickets! Feeling super excited but also proud for planning for something I really want so far in advance.
-Holland going through to the finals! My husband is half Dutch so hup hup!
Oh Havi!
‘That you don’t have to know how to do what is needed — it’s enough to claim your powers (or hold the sword) and the rest will happen.’
My friend Kerry and I are engaged on an Awfully Big Adventure, and tomorrow, we teach our first ever workshop together. And, we kinda feel like this. We know it’s needed (because it sold out, and then the second date we put on sold out too).
We know we are going to do it, and we kinda, sorta know how. Kinda.
Sorta.
Ok, we have swords.
And now I know the rest will happen, yay!
.-= Nadine Fawell´s last post … Making Space to Feel =-.
I’ll be refreshing this thread today and passing on the love to Kyeli. And then I’ll do it once again after she’s out of surgery, conscious, and non-loopy enough to actually remember it. (:
That spam made me laugh out loud 🙂
The Hard:
-Been delaing with 13 weeks without my other half… about to face the final 5 weeks without communication. So many tears and worries and fears.
-Trying to settle back in with parents.. Different food 3 times a day and must do things their way again etc. Difficult.
-Sunburnt and exhausted.
-Missing next weeks chicken and blogs 🙁 because am on holiday with family who I don’t always get on with. Worry.
-University exam results in a week. Scared. Worry. Tears.
Good:
-Saw friends and had a great day playing Tennis
-Knowing I’m supported.
-Free texts to keep in touch with my supporting people
-Will have time to journal
-Got 10% of my novel’s first draft done 🙂
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and week 🙂
Rose
.-= Rose´s last post … Visibility- Out of the Mist =-.
“We look flippant to your order” — I’ve been on the customer end of that before. Great description. 😛
And the favorite pants — no fun. It’s so hard to find awesome pants (the real world ones), and so heartbreaking when their lifespan is done.
This week’s hard:
– Tetris scheduling. Again. And again. Projects flitting around like mice — once you get one cornered and think you have it taken care of, it darts off and disappears and you have to go looking for it again.
– All this project creep means I haven’t been able to get as much done around the house as I wanted to in preparation for a gathering of friends I’m hosting on Sunday.
This week’s good:
– Reunion weekend is finally upon us, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone. And then it will be Monday, and it will be over, and I’ll be even happier.
– More wholesale orders, a new gallery stocked, and two custom orders.
– An abundance of projects, despite their squirminess, means I’ll be able to finish redoing my office this fall.
Happy Friday, everyone!
.-= Lori Paximadis´s last post … Tetris =-.
To paraphrase WOL – HIPY PAPY FRITHDTH THUTHDA FRIFRIDADY!
There were all sorts of good and bad this week. Predominantely the good outweighed the bad, which is fabulous and included much revelry, a gigantic hangover, new experiences, good conversations, cycle rides, running, funning, fresh properly free range garden reared yummy eggs and a Friday song which goes thus:
Iiiiit’s Friday and we’re dancing. We’re dancing cos it’s Friday – there’s drinking and there’s laughing to be done, dum, dum, dum.
Altogether now – Iiiit’s Friday and we’re dancing….
The bad involved conversations not being enough, missing Wales and my little surrogate family like mad and all the newness of moving hitting me full force.
But as I say – iiiiit’s Friday and we’re dancing….
PS: Is the death irrevocable? The death of the pants? I’m thinking I may be able to do a Lazarus on them?
Not 101 Dalmations? Spotted chickens FTW 😀
Hard:
Not getting enough time in the studio.
Having to clean everywhere before I did anything. Yoga, studio, baking, the area needed cleaned before I could act. Even if I had already cleaned it when I finished the last time. Big grumpy.
Having an anxiety attack when I finally got into the studio because I felt overwhelmed by everything I wanted to make and the amount of time these big pieces take.
Missing my friend who is off for two weeks to Starwood and Sirius Rising.
Very grumpy Izzy who doesn’t want to go to camp, even though he wants to go to camp.
Good:
Getting the invitation from San Jose to exhibit again in the High Fiber Under Five show.
Peaches and pears and plums, oh and watermelon!
Lily Fest starts today! We’re going up tomorrow to partake of all the beauty. http://lilyfest.com
Delivering kitty art to the gallery today for the cat and dog show next week.
Have a great weekend, y’all!
.-= Andi´s last post … Drawings Drawings Everywhere =-.
Glad you liked the boa. It seemed like something the playground costume room was yearning for as well!
Plus: wrote a fun newsletter about dreaded raisin bagels with two free offers: 1) daruma tag temporary tattoo and 2) a vuvuzela direct from the world cup…..
Had creative flow in an area I thought would never be open to me
finally an empty house and a little peace and quiet
a hula/writing/fruit picking week-end ahead
Minus:
rough markets
unresolved issues lingering
allergies made worse by heat waves
oh if anyone wants a free fun temporary tattoo or a chance at a vuvuzela, ping http://www.darumanyc.com/newsletter/Daruma_2010_07.html
we’ve had so much fun with temporary tattoos! i think our holiday card this year will be an assortment of daruma tattoos!
I know exactly what you mean about the World Cup being practically traumatic this year. On Wednesday I actually got mad at the octopus (over the German loss to Spain)! (Poor octopus, he merely devines the future, he doesn’t make it!) Next world cup I’m going to need to take it down a notch! 😉
The bad:
– Germany lost to Spain. Freakin’ Spain, with smug-ass David Villa and his soul-patch! Ugh!
– Tuesday and Wednesday were just kind of blah, wandering around, feeling confused
– Problems with a psuedo-client who is withholding payment even though this particular person has no legal (or legitimate) right to do so because she is not the check cutter and I never answered to her. I had to put on a very BIG teg-gallon sovereighty hat before I went in to speak to someone about it yesterday. And I still don’t have money, just vague promises. And I’m really offended. So I have to practice breathing like EVERY time I even think of it. *breath* See, it just happened again!
The good:
– Awesome yoga class on Wednesday. All of a sudden I was rocking like 4 postures I used to suck at, including all the postures where I have to lift my pelvis which brings up my issues with the past (long story). But anyway, thanks to Shiva Nata and journaling there was movement. And there was kick-assery!
– Monday was super productive. And even though I would like to be doing more sometimes, I’m practicing being nice to myself even when more doesn’t get done.
– Being nicer to myself in general. Rejecting the idea that I have to berate myself all the time to get things accomplished. Practicing! Feeling better. And as a result being nicer to others. Wow. What a relief.
– Cookies. I like cookies.
Happy Friday Chickneers! 🙂
How the bleep is it Friday already? I mean, I’m glad, but holy disorientation, batman.
The hard this week was … hard. Basically I didn’t get a job I applied for that I really really wanted. And it brought up all kinds of stuff about failure. And it showed me my pattern of doom, doom, doom whenever something doesn’t work out.
The good this week was really good. I’ve started a practice of reading a spiritually-themed book every early morning after journaling, sort of as an innoculation against the day, a reminder of who I’m trying to be. Tara Brach this week, who is full of compassion and clarity and wonderfulness.
Also, a dear friend stepped in to send me to a meditation retreat I desperately wanted to go to but couldn’t afford right now. All hail patrons!
All that being said, I’m looking forward to the weekend. Yoga! Journaling! Meditation! Yoga pants! Zen tangling!
Mwah.
.-= Julie´s last post … Monday Roundup =-.
Hi Havi! This is my first comment (does first comment dance). Thought-hugs for Kyeli & yay for feather boas.
Here’s my chicken for the week:
The hard:
-Pangs of missing “*****”, who I broke up with a month ago
-Trying to balance friend-time with working time. They don’t really get that I have a day job + another full-time career.
-Feeling guilty about splitting my time.
The good:
-Amazing class I’m taking.
-Getting cast in a reading for the fall!
-Seeing friends who are often far away & getting a real sense of connection that had been lacking.
Happy Weekends, all! Eat ice cream – it is good for your soul. ~Beth
Wow, you get awesome spam. Most of mine is trying to sell me drugs for body parts I don’t have.
The hard.
– I keep waking up with a sore throat/earache. So I take lots of naps and drink lots of slippery elm bark tea, but then I keep waking up 3-4 times in the middle of the night because I have to pee, and also maybe because my sleep schedule is whacked, so I still feel tired, and my throat/ear still hurts. Grumble.
– I still keep gaining weight, even though I’m vegan and eat the same stuff I ate when I was losing weight, and it’s frustrating and annoying. And then one of my coworkers, who can’t weigh more than 100 lbs, was talking about all the donuts she eats. Not fair at all. I don’t even want to eat donuts (blech!), but it’s totally not fair that she eats crap and weighs less than I did when I was 11 while I eat healthy food and keep gaining weight. Pissed me off.
The good.
+ I’ve been dyeing and spinning so much yarn, I impress even myself.
+ Watching Futurama DVDs from the library while I spin. Life is good.
.-= Riin´s last post … Yep- I’m up to stuff =-.
@Riin: I have a friend…one of my closest friends, actually, who is like that. Incredible sweet tooth. Loves donuts. Eats chocolate daily. More than once daily. And still weighs about 95. Me? If I’m in the same room with chocolate, I gain weight.
Havi, am wishing for some ease for you as you settle back into work from your vacation of biggification investigation, with pickles. (And much more than that, I’m sure…)
The Hard:
-same old. blah. non-feeling. then too-much-feeling. not enough space. too much work. jerks and such. overly critical people overly criticizing. blah-blah-blah.
-4th of July. Fun, but oh my. The teenagers. The dog-angst. The noise. And then more noise. It was a bit much, with no recovery time. Not really my favorite holiday. (Little Bird, on the other hand, had a blast, but we’ll be washing sand out of her hair for a week.)
The Good:
-just a little light? the awesomeness of KT people. the revealing of the concealed, leading to a shift, ever so slight, in the clouds.
-writing a poem at stoplights in the car on the way to work today. I like it when that happens, even with the inevitable honking when the light turns green. (Sorry, dude in the Prius!)
-pretty yarny pets, and knitting up a storm. still with this. I never knew I’d love it this much. Blessings to Tara for being a catalyst for something that brings so much good to my life.
@kyeli: wishing ease and healing for you, body and soul.
.-= Emily´s last post … Everybody’s Got a Little Light Under the Sun…Right =-.
Hello, Chickens. 🙂
This week’s hard:
-Having to euthanize our elderly girl-cat Emily. She went easily, and even with a smile on her face, but it crushed our hearts to say goodbye to her.
-Trying to keep moving forward on my projects and goals with a crushed heart.
The good:
+Gradually, the grief is fading. Our remaining cat, Mojo, seems to enjoy being an alpha cat at last, and our dog Peach is cheerful as ever.
+All the love and support from friends and family members.
+Remembering to cherish everything I do.
I know next week will be better, and I’m grateful to have had a week to grieve.
Much love to my fellow poultry.
.-= Catherine Cantieri, Sorted´s last post … Manuals can make your business more automatic =-.
Ah, Friday. 101 chickens.
Kyeli: sending you so much love and good wishes for a healing surgery and swift recovery.
Hard this week:
Many things electrical have been iffy at my new house for the past few days. Sporadic outages on internet too.
My son and daughter-in-law are moving to a city a couple of hours’ drive away, in September. I keep remembering him at various ages of his life, and my heart hurts. When I stay in present time, and bring my agreements with him into the present moment, this feels like a Very Good Move for him.
Good this week:
Astonishing response to Sovereignty Kindergarten from the wonderful folks who’ve signed up for it. There are just a couple of spots left in the class!
Playing with new exercises and processes in prep for the first class next week.
A whole day of hanging out with my son at the spa and at the beach yesterday.
Water Pilates…yummy, especially on a hot summer’s day.
Hugs for everyone’s hard places this week, and celebrating the good with you.
Love, Hiro
My first chicken. I hope it multiplies.
The Bad:
-the death of that spacious feeling that I had at the start of summer… Now it’s July and I don’t know what happened to June, and my task of doom for August/September is loom-doom-looming again.
-it’s HOT. I’m swelling up and feeling lazy and muddled. Baking like a big loaf of bread in our third-floor apartment with no a/c.
-getting stuck cleaning up my coworker’s sticky mess, which left my fingers sore, and took twice as long as expected. Also stress over having to see one of the administrators at the school again. How can one woman be so negative and stress-inducing?
-Having to work while Germany was playing (though maybe this was good, as I would have been stressed throughout and upset with the outcome)
-Shivanata and other physical practices derailed by recent vacation and workshop schedules… Now I’m craving them, but not doing them.
The Good:
-My mama’s birthday! Yay! Such a wonderful woman!
-Signed up to take Sovereignty Kindergarten with my mama! We’re going to have so much fun! What a rich gift! gathering my fingerpaint and looking forward to the picture books and naps!
-Great talks with my love, and my mama. Feels good to really connect.
-Arabic improv, and American fiddling on the cello — fun expansion of my practice repertoire!
-Lovely times with friends here. Lovely to realize that we’ve finally made some real friends here.
-Making the baby I watch laugh by waving a burp cloth over his head, and singing him new songs each day.
-Spinning and knitting up a creative storm. Feels good to be making stuff again.
-Yoga yesterday. Wow I needed that! I love my spine.
-Finally chickening!
@kyeli: sending loving healing energy to you right now. wishing so much good for you in the surgery and the recovery. (Thank you, Pace, for passing this on)
.-= Eleanor´s last post … Swimming back to Bodh Gaya =-.
@Kyeli: Sending wishes for a smooth surgery plus a quick and healing recovery.
The hard:
Sleep. Where is it.
A bad watermelon. I was so looking forward to eating it.
Worry about the finding (or not finding) of my right people.
Pain whenever I’m on the computer. Pain that I am trying to ignore.
The good:
The pup is cute when it’s hot. At the moment, he is lying on the bed, face turned into the fan.
Somehow, I seem to be learning Level 2. Weird. Also sad; it used to be my flail-y go-to thing. Plus, useful insights after practice.
I am making progress on things, even though I’ve spent most of the week enjoying the heat and doing nothing.
Under the Tuscan Sun – as always, it is the perfect hot weather read.
Time with friends.
I was brave and now most of my hair is gone. Hurrah!
.-= Elizabeth´s last post … building a bridge of love =-.
Wishing Kyeli a boring, uneventful surgery and lots of love, healing, and comfort afterwards.
Hard
-I was sick for the holiday weekend. Ugh.
-My sweet little dog, not yet recovered from his previous illness, fell very ill again.
-Old trouble with taxes and the ex, which I thought long ago settled, is back.
-I keep discovering things I forgot to do this week. Feeling distracted and unable to trust myself.
-Stress over househunting.
Good
+Sold a painting this week.
+My dog is recovering, and it’s going faster this time.
+Ex seems to be cooperating on the tax issue.
+Househunting progress.
+All sorts of love and support from my extra-special sweetie.
.-= Barbara J Carter´s last post … Little-Bitty Dot Painting “Dots 16? =-.
@Kyeli: Sending lots of healing vibes your way.
Hey Havi and fellow chickeners!
The Hard:
-Self-doubt and insecurity. Those monsters are really getting on my nerves and will require a stern talking to.
-Outrageous heat. It’s killing some of my garden. Literally and figuratively.
-Squash bugs and cucumber beatles. You suck. I wanted a bounty of summer squash and you’re ruining it.
-My artificial tooth flew out of my mouth last night. It cost me a fortune and wtf? This thing was supposed to be cemented in.
-Found out the Tooth Fairy doesn’t exist when you’re an adult. 🙁
The Good:
+My toof has been restored.
+Loving presence of supportive gentleman friend.
+Received heavy dose of the often-elusive thing called Perspective.
+Writing about stuck about writing about stuck about writing…
+Doing a small writing project for a mission I support.
+It’s almost 5pm. Or, as the country song says, “it’s 5:00 somewhere.” Yee-haw!
Frankly, that is some of the finest spam I’ve ever seen!
Hard:
-Visiting niece meant less privacy at home than usual. She was no trouble at all in any other respect, but there were times when I craved a bit more room to fall apart.
-Sad/mad/bad moods.
Good:
+An unexpectedly lovely family outing for the Fourth of July — well-played minor league baseball, pretty fireworks, and just general companionable coziness.
+Lots of support all around me, and I’m remembering to notice it and be grateful for it.
+Edging back into a more consistent Shiva Nata practice. If one day my practice is to listen to one of the teleclass recordings, that’s okay. If another day my practice is to gently move through some arm sequences while lying on the couch, that’s okay. What feels important to me right now is to let it be a part of my daily life, and that’s what I’m doing.
@Kyeli — wishing you ease, comfort, and healing!
.-= Kathleen Avins´s last post … The trouble with “middle vision” =-.
Of course, I had to spend a few minutes googling an eventual French version of the spam comment of the week (to no avail, unfortunately). The English version is so hilarious, I can only imagine how delightful that incredible piece of prose would be once translated in French…
No chicken for me this week – the heat wave has melted my brain, and reduced to nothing my ability to do stuff.
I’d be almost tempted to order a translation just to see what would happen.
The hard:
– complete lack of physical and mental energy, which resting hasn’t seemed to help. Frustrating.
– the pain in my neck and arm getting a lot worse before it got better.
– hayfever. Ugh.
– Working environment where it can sometimes feel that you are less human by the week
– Feeling stressed by things at home that I tell myself are so petty that I shouldn’t mind, but I do. Mainly the constant mess and dirt – depressing.
– Seeming to have no time at all
The good:
– have been talking about my novel with more people and getting positive, supportive reactions – whether from friends or people on my course
– my foot getting good enough for me to take my first country walk for weeks and to start walking home from work – so thankfull to be living without that amount of pain
– my neck and arm are mending too, so glad
– read another brilliant book by Scarlett Thoman, The End of Mr Y
@Kyeli: Sending lots of happy healing wishes your way, laced with thoughts of comfort and fairy dust!
@Havi: May your pants rest in peace! *raises her applesauce cup in a toast*
This Week In Kailand~
The Hard:
~Making peace with past and feeling heartbroken all over again.
~Being sick. Ew ew ew.
The Good:
~Clearing away emotional clutter to allow for new, vibrant emotions.
~Finishing the second book in the Looking Glass Wars Trilogy! I have got to get the third one, stat.
~Seeing Toy Story 3 with my family.
~Getting a new wallet from Etsy, made from a bed sheet from the 80s with the Popples on it. Nostalgiaaa!
Happy Friday, everyone!
@Havi: Commiserations on the pants. I still miss the pair the drycleaners lost eight years ago.
@Inge: Mazel tov! *thesis-celebration cartwheels in your honor*
@Stephni: Yay, someone else rooting for the Dutch! (I’m surrounded by Spanish fans.) *raises glass of jenever to you and yours*
Hard:
* feeling mushroom-bombed by committee work
* feeling massively resentful of it encroaching on my barely existent free time
* feeling seriously frightened for friends with various issues
* still the fragging asthma
* a bit daunted about upcoming fiscal challenges
Hard and good:
* resisting temptation to escalate several situations
* some major decluttering. A comforter I’d owned for nearly 20 years (too lumpy and nasty to squander any more time on cleaning/repairing, but it took me a good while to admit that – I’m still mopping clumps of dirt out of my dryer), comped CDs I’d never listened to, the shoes I bought last spring that are super-cute but about two inches too fashionable for my gait)… (
Good:
* a significant asthma-free stretch this week
* a check just arrived in the mail
* fun breakfast with one of my favorite good ol’ boys
* crape myrtles in full flower
* clean dog!
* letters and notes from friends. Feeling loved, adored, and needed.
Shabbat shalom and strength for the week ahead to all y’all.
.-= Mechaieh´s last post … love and a steady hand =-.
@Havi – I, too, mourn the pants of awesomeness. It’s so hard to lose a favorite anything, but especially favorite and useful.
@Kyeli – good luck and quick recovery!
The Hard
– Wooooork work work busy work omg
– Client from heck driving me mildly insane. I tell her things and she only listens to the ones that please her, and then is unpleasantly surprised later when the ones that don’t please her are still true.
– Busy busy social busy peoples omg
– No time to clean the way I wanted to before all the social, due to all the work
– Stress tummy bleh
– Still not selling art and not sure why or how to fix it, and no time to really ponder, so I’m slogging on with the things that aren’t really working
– One big project keeps the kitteh from cuddling (papers in her spot) and it annoys us both
The Good
+ Client from heck project nearly finished!
+ Other big projects moving along apace
+ Took a day off yesterday to shop, bought cute gothy accessories and am pleased with my choices
+ Mmmm, chocolate
+ Kittehs cuddle when I’m not working on the one project
+ Friends, both near and far, and far-but-near-right-now
+ Pop rocks!
+ Overall my house isn’t as messy as I pretend, and I will get some more cleaning in today, most likely
.-= Amy Crook´s last post … Green Angel =-.
Is it REALLY Friday again? Where is this year going? I mean, really…
@Kyelie – Lots of healing energy and shimmies coming your way. Hope you’re feeling better soon!
@Inge – YAY Thesis done!!! Yay!!!
@Havi – Dead pants icky, new boas Fantastic! (In related news, I think our dance troupe decided AGAINST boas for the next performance… snakes or feather! 🙂 )
The Hard
Exhaustion. Chauffeuring the husband around until he’s off the pain meds and we get a new car=not fun. Stressed, tired and feeling like there’s no time to get my stuff done…
Being reminded that Corporate America is still Corporate America, even when indications are otherwise.
Heat wave and dead AC in my studio/office.
The Good
Husband feeling much better.
Bellydance troupe rehearsals!
Kitties doing much better on their new diet.
Being reminded that Corporate America will ALWAYS be Corporate America, and that’s why I need to focus on my own plan. 🙂
My new little toddler-plan.
.-= Romilly´s last post … Why I Carve Rubber Stamps =-.
@Kyeli I hope you have a safe and restful recovery!
@Havi My favorite pair of pants was a beautiful pair of all white linen ones. They were gone for good when a car in front of me slammed on their breaks in the middle of the road and I slammed on mine, causing my coffee to jolt out of the cup holder and spill all over them. Le sigh.
The Good:
-My baby labor of love program launched smoothly and successfully.
-I met so many awesome and supportive people this week due to baby labor of love program, and I feel so blessed to be part of this amazing community.
-Got interviewed for the first time, and did not have a meltdown from nervousness.
-Pushed through and went running even in the horrible heat wave.
-I have wonderful supportive cheerleading friends who love me and are good at telling me that when I’m feeling insecure.
-My dog continues to be a calming and supportive presence in my life, despite his canine nature.
The Hard:
-Sooo tired. Launch was great but exhausting, I have enough word count to fill a mountain, and I’m still a mix of emotions from the week. Need sleep, and have no time to get it and make my deadlines.
-My best friend has been super busy, and so have I, so we’ve had less time to hang out this week. It’s bumming both of us out.
-Desperately want to go on a nature break vacation (even if it’s just for a weekend!) and don’t have the money or the time to do it, really.
Happy Friday Chickeneers!
.-= Holly´s last post … On claiming expertise and why I’m not gonna =-.
@Kyelie – May the surgery be boring and the healing uneventful. Lots of healing energy coming your way.
The Hard:
a breakthrough – a massively difficult (obvious) shattering break through
the Hot
clearing out of (physical) clutter
The Good:
a breakthrough – a massively difficult, wonderfully joyous, shattering break through (and relief!)
the garden grows
clearing out of (physical) clutter
@Havi Sympathies for the pants… I’ve had many a favorite article of clothing pass over the years, and it’s always a bit hard 🙁 Somehow, I can never quite resign myself to the fact that replacing them is impossible /sigh
But that was the best spam message ever! Cannot stop laughing at the horribly translated offer of translation services 😀
@Kyeli So much love and good wishes!
This week has been… odd? Lots of good, and hard, and it’s all sort of mixed up with itself…
The hard;
* Lots of frustration with the Day Job, and the Boss, and the not loving either
* Still struggling with this whole “having to narrow the focus of what I do – if only so that my audience isn’t so horribly confused and unable to figure out what it is I do and if it’s for them” thing
* so much anxiety revolving around the above…
* stomach ick being brought up by it, making the healthy eating more of a challenge than I want it to be
* Money stress… having to write a rent check I wasn’t sure I could cover, not knowing how I was gonna put gas in the car so my Dearest could actually get to work, etc, etc, etc…
The good;
* Money stuff somehow coming together in a way that let me take care of immediate needs, and feel good about it!
* Wacky goofy play time with my puppy – who probably thinks I’ve lost it, but seems to enjoy it anyway 🙂
* lots of mini-epiphanies in regards to my thing, and how to make it work for me, so that I can do what I love AND love doing it!
* my sister, who fabulously lets me bounce ideas off of her (even when she’s tired and cranky about the visiting family)
* putting on my sovereignty crown, and asking for something that I really wanted, but didn’t think I would be able to get
* Actually getting the thing that I wanted! Yay Sovereignty Kindergarten! 😀
* Being invited to participate in something amazing, which was another one of those things I’d wanted to do, but didn’t think I’d be able to (does the universe just love me lately or what?!)
* Practicing my helper mouse thing, and hearing that I was really helping people! Yay! It feels fabulous to be me 😀
Just generally loving life right now, having hard but getting through it, and focusing on the good, which is ever so good and wonderful!
So many good thoughts and hopes for all my fellow Chickeneers… may your weekend be full of good!
.-= Heidi´s last post … Discovering where the line ends and Sovereignty begins =-.
Oooh, another lover of Stuff. I come from a long line of Stuff-lovers. It is hard. I do occasionally get a rush of minimalism (usually with the accompanying thought “this is what my mother’s house looked like! AUGH!”) and try to use it when I can.
@ Kyelie: Prayers and good wishes your way.
@ Everybody: Hugs all around, and/or treats of choice.
My week… well. The hard in extreme brief:
-Identity crisis and resulting breakdown. There’s never a good time for this, but it always happens when I’m getting really stressed, and the Giant Test of Doom is in two and a half weeks, so I think I’ve got some of that.
-So very tired. And behind schedule. Hoping I can catch up tonight and tomorrow.
The good:
-Figuring out some specifics about the identity crisis, in terms of why my life does not fit quite right. Taking some baby steps to see what I can do to help. Feeling brave for even touching the stuff, since I usually will myself to ignore it.
-Pots! Project done. Always good to feel like something’s done.
-Gradually getting back onto my sleep schedule, and routine in general. It feels so nice to wake up without an alarm and without feeling unrested!
-Sunshine. It always helps.
Happy weekend!
hey there! followed you over from leonie’s site and I have fallen in love with your blog!
also, my friend Joe and I like to come up with funny band names too! Our fave: brown eye stye
(ew)
.-= brandi´s last post … silly rabbit =-.
I have never gotten over the demise of my favorite pair of pants. I grieve for your loss.
I can’t believe I almost forgot it was chicken day!
The hard~
I decided to quit my day job of grooming dogs, even though my new thing, sharing yoga, isn’t pulling as much moolah. I have monsters who keep trying to talk me out of it because they are scared and I confess it is really scary.
Fears about money and being able to pay for redoing the studio and stuff.
feeling icky and tired and worn out and like I have to do everything or nothing gets done. Boo Hoo whah,… blah blah
The good~
Despite all the monsters it feels really good to be letting go of the old and creating space for the new (yay for the post on creating space which made me feel all confirmed and like I had made a good choice!). I feel like I am coming into my own and I know it will all be super awesome in not so long from now.
My website redo got all done and put up last week or the week before I can’t remember. Relief!
Ideas and epiphaneezers coming out my ears, and a new project planning note book to keep track of them all.
Acupuncture! Hooray!
Kind comments from a doggie client about my quitting, on my blog no less, which I thought was hidden and apparently is not so much, which is good. Now if I only understood how it all worked.
sleep
Watching my students “in the zone”, and thinking “did I teach them how to do that? Wow!” and thinking this whole thing just might work!
The studio redo feels so awesome and safe, like getting a big hug! Got some numbers on the finishing touches finally and feeling ready to just get it all done.
knowing that everything will work out and be okay.
I love how every time I pop in to read your blog, it’s bizarrely parallel to what’s going on in my world.
I came home (from a heavenly week making music in the woods at Jazz Camp) to enormous piles of doom, compounded by broken email (message from the universe?) *and* broken computer.
In other words, with no way to *deal* with the enormous piles of doom.
Meanwhile, I was in recovery mode for most of the week. (And the beauty of having no way to deal with enormous piles of doom is that you might as well take a nap!) That’s just how it goes, I guess, and everything always seems to work out anyway.
Congrats on the boas! I have a red and black one a friend gave me years ago, which I have astonishingly never used on a gig. Must change that!
And congrats on the flippant spam. And condolences on the death of your favorite pants. I lost mine some time ago and have never quite recovered.
The Bad in my world:
– so crazy busy with work that all of my Big Plans and My Important Work are languishing in the corner. Very sad!
– stress from above
– migraine attack
The Good in my world:
– I’m so incredibly grateful that I HAVE the aforementioned work!
– I get to go to another music camp a week from tomorrow! (Which is the cause of some of the aforementioned stress, but will be the antidote starting next Saturday.)
– new friends, and an offer of a free flight to visit in Seattle!
– someone very special has taken very good care of me, including during my migraine attack
Shabbat Shalom!
.-= Melissa Dinwiddie´s last post … The view from inside the fire pit =-.
Ooh, I like that “Now all I need is …” mojo. I am going to try it out.
Now all I need is a fabulous massage lady to come to my house every day.
Now all I need is a funny little dog in a bumblebee costume.
Now all I need is some really good cake.
I will let you know what shows up.
(Sorry about your pants. Sad times.)
.-= Sonia Simone´s last post … The Law of Anti-Attraction =-.
Havi at first I thought you wrote death BY pants, not that your pants have gone to the great trash bin in the sky. And I thought, wow, someone other than me has almost been killed by an apparel item (because I had THOSE pants I tripped over again and again, especially while going down stairs with my hands full, which were clearly full of murderous intentions.) And then I re-read it. And now I’m sad for you over your pants. Hard to find, hard to lose.
The hard
-Ugly fights over sovereignty and staying true to my integrity regarding committing “minor” fraud to get a new mortgage & house. I refuse to do it and am getting ridiculed for it by man I love. So hard, because there is no compromise here.
-VA hospitals, ugh. Such crappy “service”. Hurt hubby who may be disfigured due to really bad care (see the linked post).
-Dumb phone alarm failed and I missed a meeting with my new boss.
-New boss has completely derailed the Project of Doom that I was *this* close to closing the deal on after a year of really hard negotiations & work & planning. Gah.
-Post-surgical infection and need to take flagil, which leaves my tummy upset.
The good
+Asked to photograph a wedding in October! Working out the details!
+Benign results, polyps not tumors!!! Still celebrating.
+Took full financial accounting and it’s not as bad as I feared.
+My debt-to-income ratio is just 29% and credit score is “good” when I thought it was going to be “below average”
+Cooler weather means our house is comfortable
+My kiddo’s back with me for the week.
.-= lynn @ human, being´s last post … He deserves better =-.
The Hard
Having a stomach bug that lasted several days
Having to cancel two appointments because of said stomach bug
Coming home after a week’s holiday in my very special place & finding it hard to re-enter my normal life
Fretting about money
The heat is very draining
Waking up with a very sore throat every morning this week. It goes but it’s not fun while it’s here
The Good
Selling my first online consulting session – I did the happy ‘I got paid’ dance around the house
Being home with my loves
Earl grey tea
My son deciding that he’s going to stay on at school for an extra year, this is good because I think he needs to be a bit more mature before he leaves home + we’ll have him around for another 2 years.
Having a week in my beautiful special place, which was a balm to my soul (see attached post for pretty pictures)
.-= Kirsty Hall´s last post … So Many Summers =-.
The Hard:
hot, hot, hot
flirting with asthma when ozone levels go up
I must be allergic to summer
(maybe not so)gently defending my turf
I hate the 4th of July
zombie customers keep coming back from the dead to make my life miserable.
The Good:
think I know how to defend my turf better
bubbles of protection
figured out how to hook up radio through speakers
my sweet helpful husband
lots of time in my less cluttered studio
rising to the occasion and knowing I can
Ugh. Late. How much more can I cram into a week and still keep all the balls in the air?
The hard
– Very long days at work
– No progress on the to do list
The Good
+ Spending quality time with my students in the lab!
+ My kitties
Can’t remember anything else.
Dearest darlings Leocadia, Inge, Beth (not Liz), Emily, Hiro, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Barbara, Dawn, Kathleen, Kai, Amy, Romilly, Holly, Bullwinkle, Heidi, Beth, and, of course, Pace and Havi:
Thank you so very much for all the love and well-wishes. My recovery is going smoothly and I’m feeling better.
I can’t say “back to normal”, because I’m not ever going to be back where I was, but I’m certainly progressing toward healthy again.
I am awash with the beauty and love. Thank you all so much!
<3
.-= Kyeli´s last post … Mad Props Monday- Sara Blackthorne =-.