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.
I love how the last day of the year turned out to be Friday, so we could send it off with a Chicken.
The last Chicken of 2010! Confetti! And a beer.
Maybe next year Friday will stop sneaking up on me like this. Who knows. It could happen.
The hard stuff
I worked my ass off this week.
Between the new Kitchen Table website changes and the temporary site that we’re using in dry dock, and brunching what felt like seventeen million new things…
The new Year of Biggification (like Biggification 2010, only even more great). And Crossing the Line, a new course that I’m way too excited about.
And something called Plum Duff days. And the Secret Lab for Shivanauts.
You would not believe how much effort went into all of this. By the time we got to the last Drunk Pirate Council, I was really done. Weekend, please.
And then Workless Wednesday was a farce .
It rained all day so our outdoor plans became indoor plans.
Then the cafe we went to was crazy loud. And they forgot our order twice. It was just a crankypants sort of day.
Then we took Casey‘s cat to the vet, which was cool because we got to see Casey and we love Casey, but less so because we were taking a cat to the vet. And then another cafe, which was also crappy.
I call do-overs!
Missing Hiro.
Usually Hiro and I talk… oh, I don’t know, practically every day?
This week we were both outrageously busy and it didn’t happen.
I miss my sister!
A big mess at the Playground.
Cleaning it up felt really good.
But seeing how my office there is still not a welcoming space. And how I have really neglected it.
Very sad.
The internet. Oh, it is boring this time of year.
Blah resolutions blah everyone talking about resolutions blah.
Not yours. I’m sure yours are awesome. The other ones.
No new fun things on the hulu. And of course the twitter bar is lame because people are either away or being preachy about what resolutions we should all be resolving.
I had to go to a real place just to hang out with people. Imagine that. 🙂
Okay, enough. On to the good.
The good stuff
Stickers!
I have stickers and I’m not afraid to use them.
Though I am slightly afraid to admit how covered everything is in stickers.
STICKERS!
Kitchen Table dry dock: totally working.
We’re in crazed transition mode with the Kitchen Table as we head into year three. And yes, that’s blowing my mind.
The site is being upgraded and rebuilt. We deleted…wait for it… 7,527 forum threads.
Seven thousand, five hundred and twenty seven. And some of those threads have fifty posts or more.
My people: nothing if not prolific.
Astonishing, I know.
So this new state of deletion should make things slightly less overwhelming for the new people coming in.
And I had been a bit worried that our temporary Dry Dock mode site wouldn’t feel like home. But we are drinking cider in mugs, huddling around in blankets and posting fifty or so things there a day while we wait for the main site to come back for the new year.
Hot bath and slippers and warm bed.
So nice. So nice.
Old Turkish lady postcard from my favorite uncle.
He is the best.
Crossing the Line.
That’s our newest program — the page is here — and it’s fabulous and filling up.
So looking forward that I can’t stand it! AAAAAAAAAAAAH EXCITED!
I took time off.
And even had a proper weekend on Sunday with some actual real-live weekending.
Lots of sitting in cafes and writing letters to myself. And going for walks.
It was good. I saw a movie! And ate a tiny pizza! Ha. I do know how.
Quiche.
The gentleman has decided to put his heavenly pie-crust-baking genius to good use, since I don’t eat pie.
And he is knocking out these terrific quiches. Leeks and chard and all things good.
Guess who was here?
I got to see Pace and Kyeli (of milk song fame, among other wonderful things) again last Friday when they were in town.
Selma and I gave them a Grand Tour of the Playground, and we all went out for lunch with Danielle.
It was absolutely lovely. What a treat.
And … playing live at the meme beach house it’s the Fake Band of the Week!
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’s band?
The Scarlet Bat Bat Bat
They have style like you would not believe. Even though of course 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.
Oh, and of course! Happy New Year! May it be glorrrrrrious. And may there be toast.
Selma and I wish you an ease-filled transitioning to 2011. It’ll be good. I can tell.
Follow
First comment! unless someone types faster than me..
Huzzah! Final Friday Chicken of 2010, let’s go!
I love stickers. I think they should have royal authority or something. And always be obeyed 🙂
The Hard
-Little sleep
-Not seeing my gentleman friend much. bring on mid-february
-trying to find a birthday present for him.. he gave me no idea but I think I struck gold 🙂
-Incredibly boring work that has to be done *like right now* that i’m too tired to do
The Good
-I slept until midday today
-I’ve been setting myself work-goals and reaching them (500 words by 2:30am)
-movies! each night are some of my favourite movies on – interview with a vampire, last samurai, tomb raider etc.
-chocolate and sweets to keep me awake [though energy-sapping in the long run]
-no more present buying until March. Huzzah!
-written up 3,164 word of a necessary 13,500. Progress.
Happy a happy chicken, a happy night and hope tomorrow brings the beginning of good things 🙂
I wasn’t in the mood yesterday and still not really am but I cannot let 2010 go past without a final chicken.
The hard:
– So much fatigue, and I actually have a few days off.
– Not having done any yoga in 8 days.
– Just feeling under the weather.
– Some of my mother’s patterns that drive me round the bend just permeated into me when I was at home.
– Crammed to much into too few days.
– Husband at work tonight and then off abroad for 5 weeks on Monday.
The good:
– Some really touching christmas cards by colleagues.
– Despite all airplane and train hassle because of weather conditions my plane left on time and my train arrived with only 45 minutes delay.
– Haircut, and colour to cover the gray 🙂
– Just prepared tons of chinese dumplings for later today.
– I am staying at home tonight and if I feel like it I will go to bed before midnight.
– New entry for the Book of Me: A holiday doesn’t feel like a holiday if I am in 3 different places within one week.
The last chicken for 2010- this one is cooked!
The Hard:
At the first wearing of earrings made by a lovely fellow commenter mouse, lost one-agghh. Next time – I put backs on immediately.
My dad- 93- in the hospital, refusing help at home, angry, scared, and doing his leave taking his way….
Coming to the end of 2 weeks off and have procrastinated on some work that still needs doing.Makes me feel gummed up.
The Good:
Children home for a few days.
Fabulous holiday gifts from students.
Organization! Clearing out! Giving away! Chucking the not needed. I feel lighter.
Yoga and Shivanata everyday!
Some good books read, meals eaten, baths taken.
Amazing craniosacral session.
GOOD BYE 2010.
Stickers have superpowers beyond the knowing of mere mortals. 🙂
Hard:
#1 son’s laptop died. He is bereft. We are in between sessions at the university so all of our tech people are away.
Not knowing what next month is going to bring. Apparently the “job training” is only for a month and then ?????
Good:
The power of friends. We have found someone who can go to our friend’s house and color her hair, and we are all pitching in to help pay for it. She was so sad in September because she couldn’t get out to color her hair any more. I am over the moon that this idea came together so smoothly.
A phone call that was for a job interview. It’s on Tuesday (4th January). All good wishes and thoughts appreciated muchly.
Randomly saying to DH that I wish Kroger had birds of paradise because I want to revisit some old work. Walking into Kroger and finding, yes, birds of paradise. Drawing commences today 🙂
Random art experiments while waiting for my new paint to arrive.
Secret Play Date Toozday was a success!
Monkey pajamas!
Getting to see my local friends several times this week. Soul food.
See you all on the other side!
Whoosh! Go, Speed Chicken, go!
Hard:
-Having to work when I would really have preferred one more week of utter rest. Dry dock sounds so-o-o good!
-Got my Stuff triggered last night, unexpectedly. I coped. Sigh.
Good:
+So many wonderful messages in bottles from the Pirate Ship!
+Writing well, and enjoying it immensely.
+Gift cards from colleagues giving me money for treats! Mad money! Just for meeeee!
+Feeling so very loved. I know, I say that every week lately, but it just feels so good, and I want to savor it all.
+Plenty of performing: singing and playing, and reading Terry Pratchett aloud to my family.
+Filled with hopes and happy dreams for the year ahead.
Not sure what they all are yet, but the general feeling of happiness, hopefulness, and possibility is an excellent beginning.
Happy New Year, Happy Silvester, Happy Hogmanay, Happy Hideaway, and/or Happy whatever else you feel like celebrating! I’ll be thinking of you all.
Wow. This darn year is FINALLY coming to a close. Whew. Survived.
The Hard:
– Feeling guilt over being a “slug” the past week. I guess when you have been going at Warp speed 10 for so long, Warp speed 1 feels like you aren’t doing anything!
– OMG – break will be over soon and I haven’t done anything on my dissertation despite my good intentions.
– Eating too many things that I know don’t agree with me. Insides unhappy.
The Good:
+ I still have friends despite not seeing anyone most of 2010 due to insane work & school schedule
+ Awesome Christmas weekend with friends!
+ Clearing up nearly a year’s worth of financial paperwork.
+ Much restorative sleep!
+ Resolved ongoing problem with internet (I hope) at rental property by replacing equipment.
+ iPad!
Happy New Year! May 2011 be the best year yet!
Scarlet Bat Bat Bat? Are they that Klezmer punk band?
Ok, Fridayness.
The good
+ Joey let me pet him for several minutes this morning, the longest ever. And he let me take his picture a few days ago and even let me hold him while the gentleman friend took our picture. I think he’s finally decided, after two years of living here, that I’m not trying to kill him.
+ I decided to start selling patterns in my shop, and my brain said “patterns? you want patterns? Ok!” I’m almost done knitting a hat that came into my head almost fully envisioned when I looked at the yarn, and I woke up at 1am this morning with a sweater design in my head. I got up and sketched it so the idea wouldn’t float away into the ether.
+ I decided to sell knitting needles too and emailed a couple of wholesalers. People who buy my yarn are going to need needles, so why should they buy them from somebody else, right?
The hard
– Insomnia. Every night there are a couple of hours when I’m not sleeping. Tired during the day.
– End of year means doing inventory. I’m hoping somebody will buy a huge amount of my stuff today so I don’t have to count as much. I set up a spreadsheet that will help a lot with some of it, but not all of it.
– I have to go back to the day job next week. I do not want to. No no no no no no no. (Cue “Bohemian Rhapsody.”)
– I’d like to start the new year with a clean house. But that means I need to clean the house. Can I have a robot maid? What about elves?
The last Chicken of the year.
Hard this week:
– Missing Havi
– Ouchy arms and hand from too much typing/typesetting
– Missing my kids
– An avalanche of work awaits
Yay this week:
– Finished recording the audio for How to Rule Your World! This is huge. Yay for learning how to do it, and yay for getting it done on time! 🙂
– Resting ouchy arms
– Walks along the beach and in the woods. Walks along a lakeside trail where the shadow of the mountains reflected in the water met the blue of sky and bright coins of sunlight
– Good food; good friends
– A grateful, grateful heart for all the goodness that flows through my life
– The Last Friday Chicken of 2010!
Wishing you all a sweet and loving close to the year, and bright blessings for 2011.
Love, Hiro
not chickening today, but just had to say yesyesYES to your comments about the internet this week…I don’t need any retrospectives of the past year’s high points, low points, who died, etc…I was there and I lived it and I can remember it all on my own, thank you very much. Just like last week was the week of forced goodwill and consumption, this week is becoming the week of forced nostalgia and resolution-setting. Yes, I’m a little too deeply plugged into the culture-at-large, as well as knee deep in my own stuff.
Thank you Havi for again putting into words frustrations that have quietly been driving me nuts.
I am ready for the weekly Chicken. Still not sure about the yearly Chicken.
The Hard:
Feeling like I have no friends.
Money stuff. Quelle surprise.
Bedroom is messy.
Went to try on dress from a wedding 6 years ago, can’t get it over my thighs.
Weather-stripping failed badly. Then I cried.
The Good:
Slept for 11 hours last night. I love sleep!
2 new plants today. Happy healthy plants.
New table to house said plants.
Thank you note from neighbor whose driveway I shoveled earlier this week.
Going tromping in the snowy woods later.
House stocked with shrimp and butternut squash. I feel happy and safe.
Lost 5 pounds with no hunger and much happier body.
Having choices of things to do tonight: out at bar or in with sushi. Still deciding.
Yesterday, I was not in the mood to Chicken for the year. Now, I think I might. Closure or something.
On to the week!
The Hard:
The people I’m living with all being extroverts and in business together in one way or another. Resulting in a LOUD discussion about long term gain and short term benefit. I folded myself in half in front of my computer at one point. Then I asked the man person for a hug, when it was over. That helped.
The Good:
After much futzing, I’ve decided to offer coaching for people who’ve let their shyness stop them from having the lives they want and now want to change that. Excited and nervous.
The coaching I’ve been taking had been epiphinal as well.
Remembering that on occasion, I can spend more than four days straight with someone, without wanting to stab them with a fork. #certainpeopleonly
All the lovely people at the Twitter Bar.
Cluckity Cluck CLUCK!
I really don’t want to chicken this week, and sometimes I don’t, but it’s the LAST ONE OF THE YEAR! (OMG) So I had to come and cluck. If I can remember what happened this week. Erm. Yeah!
The Hard:
Holiday Exhaustion. Seriously. Too much. Has to stop.
Money panic when I realized a certain deposit *didn’t* get made.
Enough with the leftover ham already.
More tired.
Power going out one day. Internet going out the next.
More. Ham. Please. Make it stop!
Everyone is having these awesome end-of-the-year product launches and sales and I can’t do them.
Behind on the product I was supposed to launch 2 weeks ago and being in a slump about it. Argh.
The Good:
Some really, really lovely unexpected gifts.
Some really, really useful expected gifts.
A lot of people I got to make smile.
Lots of left overs meant a week without a grocery store trip. For that, I will eat ham. YAY.
I did make real progress on the product. And I’ll be over my icky feelings about it soon.
But the most awesome? Two words and an exclamation mark:
Sleep Sheep! It’s this stuffed, uber soft infant’s toy sheep with a very sleepy expression and a noise maker in its gut that plays white noise like rain or waves or whales! And it *totally* knocks me out. ZzzzzZZZZZzz!!
WAY better than a lullaby. Or insomnia.
Ok, that’s it. I might have fried chicken tonight at midnight, in honor of the Chicken. Probably not, but doesn’t that sound fun?
…using my super powers to (re)morph from Lurker Mouse to Commenteer … (Also /waves! Hi! I missed you!)
Yay Chickening!
I can only go for good – not good because good stuff happened this week (which it did) but incredibly exceptionally OutRAGeously good because for the first time in 3 years (maybe 4 – I’m not over-thinking this) I feel like the ocean is calming down. For the first time in ages, I’m thinking – I’m not totally over-whelmed. Exhale. Enjoy. Appreciate.
And there isn’t even a monster in the back of my brain squirming because I might have forgotten something. (I’m sure I have forgotten something, I’ll deal.)
Happy New Year!
Let’s see…
Hard:
-Long flight home involving waking up way, way to early, feeling faint on one leg of the flight, and sitting right in front of a shrieking kid on the other leg
-This place is covered in snow, and my boots are… somewhere. In the basement. In one of, oh, maybe 30 boxes. I am not amused.
-Spent more money than I’d wanted to while on vacation. Not a disaster, but still.
Good:
-Lots of thinking! And I found a place to write it all down that’s comfortable and low-stress for me–a private wiki. I’d like to eventually get comfortable writing things down in a physical notebook, but right now I can find my voice better when I type.
-Realized a big project I had in mind was exactly the type that would stress me out–and that I could extract the good and awesome parts of it into a different idea that would involve more kindness to myself.
-I’ve come up with a new way to conceptualize making time for working on stuff that’s important to me. I think this will help a lot.
-Cute boy visiting me and my girlfriend for 4 whole days!
-Boston has so much SUN! A week on the west coast was nice, but I need more sunlight than Portland has. Sunsunsunsunsun!
Is it weird that the Friday Chicken is making me think of pizza? Probably.
The hard:
– some tired
– some hangover
– some encounters with crazy people
The good:
– A perfect Christmas. Everything was wonderful, everyone loved my gifts, and I got some gorgeous and incredibly thoughtful presents.
– WAtching crazy amounts of Supernatural
– Having 5 days of just chilling out – so needed
– getting amazing amounts of sleep
– I played around with the idea of gwishes which was interesting and liberating and somehow made things seem more possible
– Having some lovely chilled out dinners with my mum
A good week, just wish I didn’t have so much wine last night! Have a lovely NYE everyone, including people like me who are refusing to leave the house.
Stickers! My niece and I found a stash the other day that we had both forgotten about. Much fun.
This week’s hard:
– Wacky weather change headaches. Surprisingly little hard this week other than that.
This week’s good:
– Excellent holidays with family and friends.
– Excellent birthday.
– Ahead of schedule on my projects.
Happy Friday, Chickeneers!
I’m glad somebody told me that the Twitter bar was not always like this. I just found Fluent Self (after numerous promptings) and when Havi was all like “Twitter is like a bar”, I resolved to finally join up already because I love me some conversation. And then I got there. And I was like, this is kinda boring. so, yeah, I’m gonna follow you all (that sounds kinda stalkerish) until somebody says something interesting.
Friday Chicken! How I have come to adore you and the ritual you bring to my week (even if I am writing this on Saturday).
The Hard
– General bleughy run-downness, which means my internal resources are running pretty low and setting off all HSP sensitivites. Poor me and poor darling, who is suffering the brunt of my grumpiness.
The Good
Oh yes, the good.
– Procrastination Dissolve-O-Matic! As in, finally got around to buying it and it is all kinds of awesome.
– Tramping as a procrastination dissolving tool. Half an hour of doing stuff -> iCal alarm goes off ‘Go Tramp!’ -> one song’s worth of tramping -> two minutes of resting, semi-supine style -> repeat!
– The ease at which semi-supine became incorporated into my tramping, after months of trying to set it up as a practice. Woop! Double score!
– Bubble bath! The first one since August! Thank you, surrogate bathroom.
– Almost forgot this one, it seems so far away now… Delicious Christmas dinner and a whole afternoon of games and silliness with my crazy, brilliant family.
To all Chickeneers, a salute!
Reba x
I’m getting the year and the week mixed up!
The hard:
Stressful dealing with insurance company and annoying medical provider (but successful)
Starting to feel overwhelmed at all I’ve taken on.
The good:
Easy fun Christmas in spite of emotional stuff! Thank you VPA!
Wonderful visit with beloved sister, brother-in-law, neice, nephew, and puppies. Relaxed games, knitting, and laughing. Ahh.
The John Prine Sing-a-long: a bar jammed full of friendly people singing John Prine songs at the top of their lungs for hours with open mic/guitar. Got up on stage twice with my duo partner. Community at its best!
New Year’s Eve with my folksinging group! Singing singing playing playing with some of my favorite people!
Got my first blog comment love note from someone who didn’t already know me! Waves of delight!
Glimmerings of ideas about changing the expansive/yay to oh no/overwhelm pattern. Determined to change this.
Finally immersed in the index due next week. Bengali goddess holidays–fascinating!
Happy New Year, Chickeneers!