what are you doing right now?

[azucena]

Dec 9, 2023 11:21:18 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

I talked with Kiddo last night, to get his version of what happened at school last week. I didn’t fuss at him, it was just a conversation. I told him I would support whatever consequences his parents imposed, I just wanted to talk about why he had such a bad week at school. For each incident, he told me what happened, then we discussed ways he could have handled himself better. One big thing is that he needs to mind his own business and let his teacher run her classroom and deal with his classmates. He seemed relieved that I was just calmly talking to him and listening to what he said, and not fussing at him, and he didn’t get an attitude or anything. Hopefully he remembers some of my suggestions about how he can keep himself out of trouble.

You're fantastic!

[soupandstew]

Dec 9, 2023 11:21:18 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

I talked with Kiddo last night, to get his version of what happened at school last week. I didn’t fuss at him, it was just a conversation. I told him I would support whatever consequences his parents imposed, I just wanted to talk about why he had such a bad week at school. For each incident, he told me what happened, then we discussed ways he could have handled himself better. One big thing is that he needs to mind his own business and let his teacher run her classroom and deal with his classmates. He seemed relieved that I was just calmly talking to him and listening to what he said, and not fussing at him, and he didn’t get an attitude or anything. Hopefully he remembers some of my suggestions about how he can keep himself out of trouble.

Thank you for giving Kiddo tools to help him help himself.  While consequences for poor behavior choices are important, learning ways to avoid those poor choices is equally, if not more, important.  To have a listening, non-judgmental ear is so important for all of us, especially children.  

[jerseygirl]

Dec 9, 2023 11:19:15 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Dec 9, 2023 8:53:04 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Tmr - check in and let us know how you're doing.

Thanks. I'm doing pretty well today. I still have the pneumonia stuff and some indigestion, but the lightheaded, sick part, seems to be gone. Thank goodness.
I'm going to pack up today and get ready to go home. I'll leave in the morning, I think.
I should wash the sheets and remake her bed. But I don't think I have that much energy. We'll see.

Leave the sheets on or just strip them off. Don’t remake bed!
You are SICK!!

[soupandstew]

For several years we subscribed to a farm share program supporting local refugee farmers.  Now I remember how much work it is to clean and prep veggies, especially greens.  Between de-stemming spinach and handling beets some of my nails are now seasonal in color.  And before someone says you shouldn't wash greens ahead of time, if you buy organic produce there's a fair chance it has some 6-legged occupants which you don't want roaming around your veggie drawer so a good washing is needed.  

[soupandstew]

toomuchreality, JerseyGirl is right - you are sick and need to take care of yourself.  I am glad you are a bit better today, but don't overdo it, please.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

My sister has visions of going to Costco today.  I think she’s nuts.  I’m not going with her as I don’t have the patience for that.  TD went last Sat to pick up a prescription and couldn't get into the parking lot.  Weekends are to be avoided at all costs, add to this Christmas and the Canadian traffic (which seems to have really ramped up a LOT) and it’s like the Bermuda Triangle of shopping.  You go, you might never be seen again!

The next week is going to be absolutely nuts,  I have events Wed, Thur x 2, Sat we have people coming up from Seattle and Sun we are meeting friends at Tulalip.  I need to find some sort of While Elephant gift for Wed, I have a few ideas.  

[cooper88]

I'm taking a break because my hands are freezing! They had pork butt on sale for .97 per pound. I got two, and decided to make it into Italian sausage. Just got it all ground, will do a test patty and adjust seasoning, then stuff into the casings.

[Opti]

Dec 9, 2023 11:39:43 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Dec 9, 2023 11:19:15 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Thanks. I'm doing pretty well today. I still have the pneumonia stuff and some indigestion, but the lightheaded, sick part, seems to be gone. Thank goodness.
I'm going to pack up today and get ready to go home. I'll leave in the morning, I think.
I should wash the sheets and remake her bed. But I don't think I have that much energy. We'll see.

Leave the sheets on or just strip them off. Don’t remake bed!
You are SICK!!

When I am not sleeping, i.e. multiple nights of less than 4 hours sleep, my new mantra is 'What is the least I can do?'
I have a tendency to overdo or think I am in better shape than I am. That makes me focus on what I can do now, and how
can I accomplish said goal with the least amount of work. Sometimes the answer is to do nothing.

Pack up. Rest. This is your internet mom talking!

[Opti]

Dec 9, 2023 11:41:14 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

For several years we subscribed to a farm share program supporting local refugee farmers.  Now I remember how much work it is to clean and prep veggies, especially greens.  Between de-stemming spinach and handling beets some of my nails are now seasonal in color.  And before someone says you shouldn't wash greens ahead of time, if you buy organic produce there's a fair chance it has some 6-legged occupants which you don't want roaming around your veggie drawer so a good washing is needed.  

What? You don't have a separate drawer or place for your greens and potential insect hikers?



Yep, prepping lots of produce on demand takes a toll. Are you going to share a pic of your seasonal organically dyed nails? I was trying something with nail polish and got tired of waiting for it to dry and decided to get some dessert for post lunch. Turquoise everywhere or so it seemed. 

At least I finally found my nail polish remover and at least kept polish confined to the front of my hands instead of branching out into the back of my fingers, etc. 

[lurkyloo]

I generally feel that if I don’t get all the things done, I am lazy, even if sick. Bc obviously I’m just using sickness as an excuse.

Bit of an eye opener today as DS caught my cough with symptoms starting Thursday evening.  This morning my never-still-always-moving kid got up, took a hot bath, ate a little breakfast, took his stimulant meds, then passed out for an hour-plus nap.  Kid hasn’t napped without a car drive to make him fall asleep since he was about 14 months. Hasn’t done a daytime nap since he was maybe 4 (sick then too).

Maybe I could feel less guilty about tapping out and making DH do the evening puppy walks for the past week?  

Still coughing    DH has been nagged into wearing a mask around us.

[weltz]

Dec 9, 2023 0:20:00 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

On top of having pneumonia, I haven't felt well today (feverish and like I was going to ther up).
I stayed in bed and slept.
Tonight I needed to turn the light off in the fish tank and check the cat's water fountain. I also was going to clean the litter box.
I got the fish light off and went downstairs. Got the cat's fountain and although it still had water, I decided to give her fresh water. After dumping the water out and rinsing the filters, I suddenly got really sick and weak. I ended up with a towel, laying on the bathroom floor ("Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!" kept going through my head.) I laid there trying to throw up, but there was nothing in my stomach. Finally, I just laid there, wondering who I could call, besides 911. I couldn't think of anyone. Decided DD2 and family would come home and find me there. And the cat with no water. Great.
After what felt like forever, I was finally able to get on my hands and knees. There was hope!
I got to my feet and steadied myself at the counter. I filled the cat fountain and got it to the cat's room. Feeling faint, I didn't even check the litter box. I slowly made it to the stairs, then back to bed. My guess is, I'm dehydrated, on top of the pneumonia.
I may still be here, when DD2 gets home, Sunday night. Not that I want to be. But if I can't pull myself together, tomorrow, I'm not going anywhere.
Boy, do I feel old.

If there's no Gatorade in the fridge, you can make your own hydration fluid.  My doctor niece worked in Africa for a while.  Bringing Gatorade to Africa is not feasible, so this what they did  when they saw people with dehydration.....water with sugar in it and a small pinch of salt works very well. Feel better soon.

[weltz]

I went to see Napoleon with my sister last night. I really enjoyed it. It's a long movie.
My nephew passed the bar exam and is now a full-fledged lawyer. He's working at a fancy firm downtown.  Starting salary is $110,000.
Good for him!

[TheOtherMe]

toomuchreality  Please keep yourself hydrated.  If I get dehydrated, I feel worse until I get some fluids like Gatorade or Pedialyte in me.  

I hope you have a better day today.

[TheOtherMe]

My half sister in California called last night and we talked for 5 hours!  We had a lot to say to each other.  

I do have another half sister.  Now to figure who and where she is, but she is out there somewhere.

My sister is 78  and gave up driving on her own 2 years ago.  She no longer felt comfortable driving on the freeways that she had to use to get most places.

Confirmed a lot of things I have been thinking since she lived with us and why she just took off.  My adult self can see more than my child self about her reasons.

She misses her husband, who died in 2012 and can't understand why neither of her 2 sons or their children has been able to have good solid relationships.  It was always obvious to me that those two loved each other and liked to be together.  

I'm happy my dad did not get mean with his dementia.  Her mother got so mean that her 9 children went through court proceedings and turned her over to the county.  There were still problems with her hitting the other patients.  They did not want to put her in a nursing home, but she attacked every child when they tried to have her live with them until no one felt safe with her in their house.

Anyway I was still awake at 3 AM, so I'm going to try and drift back to sleep.  I've got some thinking to do.  

I also have an invitation to come visit.  

She did say she understood why dad did in the will what he did.  She is doing the same with her youngest son.  He owes back child support and back taxes.  He still would rather do drugs than work and she doesn't want him spending whatever he might inherit on that kind of stuff.  She has told her oldest son that if he decides to give any money to it, do it in very small amounts at random times.

[Opti]

Dec 9, 2023 13:12:29 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

I generally feel that if I don’t get all the things done, I am lazy, even if sick. Bc obviously I’m just using sickness as an excuse.

Bit of an eye opener today as DS caught my cough with symptoms starting Thursday evening.  This morning my never-still-always-moving kid got up, took a hot bath, ate a little breakfast, took his stimulant meds, then passed out for an hour-plus nap.  Kid hasn’t napped without a car drive to make him fall asleep since he was about 14 months. Hasn’t done a daytime nap since he was maybe 4 (sick then too).

Maybe I could feel less guilty about tapping out and making DH do the evening puppy walks for the past week?  

Still coughing    DH has been nagged into wearing a mask around us.

Effective laziness is what certain programmers aspire to. You never know when management will change their minds or sales will sell something stupid that is a must do, so you want to save your strength for the work fire drills. If you are effectively lazy you can accomplish what you need to and will be less crushed when they kill it right away or change it a day later.

[daisylu]

Put the finishing touches on Christmas gifts today, mostly adding cash and gift cards. I've never been done so early.

Well there is a SNAFU on something that I ordered for my sister. Tracking shows shipping label made November 26 and nothing after. Not a huge deal, but I emailed the company today asking for reship or refund.

[weltz]

THIS is fusion jazz.   It's jazz, but not enough to scare the horses. Open your minds to something new. Something different. Jean Luc Ponty on electric violin.

[NastyWoman]

I have been quite efficient today. Got a haircut (way overdue), did a drop off at Goodwill, and went out and bought the very last Xmas present I still needed. Now I should start pulling out my suitcase and gathering everything for my trip. But I don't leave until Tuesday morning so I'm not feeling it.


Maybe, just maybe, I will narrow down which sweaters I will pack. Those suckers are bulky so I will have to really think about what I want to take. Summer travel is so much easier: take this t-shirt or that? Can't decide throw both in the suitcase. Can't do that with those big sweaters - oh well. Maybe that means I should wait until tomorrow before making a decision about this.   Laziness for the win!

[NoNamePerson]

Dec 9, 2023 17:03:12 GMT -5 weltz said:

THIS is fusion jazz.   It's jazz, but not enough to scare the horses. Open your minds to something new. Something different. Jean Luc Ponty on electric violin.

I remember him from being with Mothers of Invention. I think I still have one of their albums amongst tons I can’t part with   Gonna let my son deal with them when I croak! 

[chiver78]

I'm parked at the bar, around the corner from my old condo, waiting on a to-go order of a couple pizzas to bring to a holiday party that's nearby. this friends couple moved in right around when I moved out. lol...oops. it's fun to be back in the area once in awhile. it is definitely too peopley up here, though.

[soupandstew]

The chicken thigh thing for dinner is simmering on the stove-just need to stir in the spinach when the chicken is tender.  

[minnesotapaintlady]

Well, I blew off work today for the birthday party instead, but I wish I would have just gone to work so I wouldn't have to tomorrow.  My head cold is still bad so I didn't have a great time anyhow, might as well been suffering at work and been done.  Maybe tomorrow I'll feel better and be more productive.

[soupandstew]

Dec 9, 2023 17:03:12 GMT -5 weltz said:

THIS is fusion jazz.   It's jazz, but not enough to scare the horses. Open your minds to something new. Something different. Jean Luc Ponty on electric violin.

I like although I wouldn't necessarily identify it as jazz.  But isn't that the good thing about jazz?  There are so many faces of it and jazz always welcomes innovation.  Thank you for sharing this with us.

[soupandstew]

Our cold front is passing through with high winds, rain and hail.  Power is holding but tv is iffy.  And in interesting news a neighbor just posted a picture from her front camera asking if that was a lost dog.  No darling, that's a coyote and it looks well fed.  You gotta love life in Houston, in all its forms.  

[Pink Cashmere]

I was just talking to Mister , and without going into a long story, he made the comment “I have government clearance for keeping secrets”. Which gave me pause, for some other reasons I won’t get into.

Anyway,  a week or so ago, we were talking, and he compared himself and our situation to how things worked in the military. Like I said then “this is NOT the military!”. 

He has never told me exactly what his job was in the military and I’ve never asked. He’s only ever talked about being in a war ONE time in all these years. Part of his veteran disability is due to PTSD and I know that his PTSD is real, from certain things that I know bother him, even if he just carries on and it’s not obvious that he is struggling. One thing that I will share is that he doesn’t like getting caught off guard with fast, sudden movements toward him. He’s never reacted aggressively, but he’s been clear that it’s not a good way to approach him. Because I’ve gotten to know a lot of veterans over the years at my job, I understand. There are a lot of normal, everyday things, that make some veterans that have been in war freak out, even if they manage to catch themselves before they react. Think sudden loud noises, or even fireworks, for instance. That’s a common one that’s been described.

I also know it’s real for Mister because when he’s had VA appointments where he had to talk about his PTSD, he always comes home in a very somber mood. I always just ask him if I can do anything for him, then give him space and leave him alone to deal with whatever he’s going through. That’s another thing I know from having worked with so many veterans, a lot of them don’t get the care they need because they absolutely do not want to talk about any of it, and prefer to try to cope by trying to pretend none of it ever happened. Like my “happy go lucky” coworker said to me after he got emotional talking about that shit and thanked me for listening “it’s people out here playing crazy, and we are trying to pretend we are sane”. I’d always known he’d gotten medals for his bravery, but until that day, even though I’ve known him over 20 years, I’d never realized anything was wrong with him. Like so many others, he hides it very well.

Anyway, I am now wondering, besides Mister’s natural tendencies to be an asshole, how much of some of the shit he does is because he can’t get that military shit out of his head. I still am NOT making excuses for him because either way, I still have the same expectations and needs from a life partner. I can’t heal Mister. I can give him a safe and soft place to come home to, but he has to do certain things, like not be an asshole, to allow me to give him that, because I need a safe place to land too.

[TheOtherMe]

Pink, the PTSD is real, as you know.  

I have a now former friend (his choice) that has severe PTSD from his years in Viet Nam.  He says he will never get past it.  

He destroyed his marriage and one of his two children.  Luckily for him, his wife is now a psychologist and she understands stuff better than I do.  Their children are adults with grandchildren now and she will see him but prefers not to socialize with him.  She babysits the grandkids and if he is in town, he won't do it, so she still does it.  

I don't know what he turned on me and whatever reason he would give me I wouldn't believe.  I unfriended him on FB.  He retaliated by blocking me.  I think it's funny.  If he knew that, he would be more angry.

I probably became a bit flippant with him when I realized how he physically beat his children when they were growing up.  That I can't understand.  PTSD doesn't cause me to forgive him for beating innocent children.

[TheOtherMe]

I still have so much stuff rolling around in my head about my sister.  So much stuff.  I am very happy we talked.  

I think I wrote here years ago that when I got the divorce decree, it didn't say what I had always been told, so my dad lied to me.  Since divorce had to be for fault back then, they were both trying to make the other look like a monster.  As far as I'm  concerned, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

However, he always said, he made his child support payments.  He didn't.  Yes, he went to court to get them stopped and got them stopped but he wasn't current when he went to court.

I hope our Christmas call happens because I need to talk to her more.  

She told me to tell my sister here that she never wants to hear from her again.     For the most part, neither do I.  

We did agree to have the people in charge if we should die contact the other one.  We don't want to not know the other is gone.  

[Pink Cashmere]

My birthday is Tuesday. Until 10 years ago, My “birthday” started December 1st. Most years after that, I didn’t even celebrate my birthday. I have no plans to celebrate it this year either, but starting today, I have declared it my birthday.

I will do my best to be unbothered for the next few days. I only saw the first Matrix movie once, and don’t really remember it, but in my mind, I am making Matrix like moves, ducking and deflecting bullshit. I am still exhausted from lack of sleep and physical issues, but mentally, I feel pretty good, and hopefully my mental Matrix moves can keep me there for a few days, at least. If somebody insists on disturbing my groove, imma be mad and may or may not rain fire in their head for disturbing me during this time.

Mister’s cousin that we had a date with in October, scheduled another date for next weekend after he learned my birthday is this month. I’ve never even heard of the restaurant he made reservations for, but he sent the link to their website and it looks like a really nice place. I’m game for a new experience, and I am looking forward to hanging out with him and his BF again. 

I might even get all dolled up and strut my stuff. It’s been a very long time since I’ve felt cute. But my hair seems to have gotten a new breath of life,  just when I’ve been thinking about giving up and cutting it all off. I’ve been snipping at it, trying to make it have some kind of shape, and it finally does, and for whatever reason, my curls/coils have started cooperating again. The big spot where my hair came out, is not clean and completely bald anymore, the hair is growing back there, but is still very short. Fortunately, I’ve always been able to hide it by covering it with the rest of my hair, but I am very glad that it has started growing back. 

Life since my last birthday has been very much less than ideal, but I am grateful that I survived and am on the verge of another birthday, in spite of it all. I hope and pray that whatever my circumstances are this next year, I am physically and mentally able to handle it, and with grace and love. Most importantly, grace and love for ME.

I am still confused about so many things that I don’t know what to do about, but right now, I choose to just be still and try to have some peace in the midst of some storms. 

Which doesn’t necessarily mean that tomorrow or the next day, despite all my efforts, I won’t be an angry bear again lol.

[toomuchreality]

Pink Cashmere and Tennesseer, as well as anyone else in the path, or area of the tornado I heard is coming through your area, please stay safe!

Maybe I'm wrong and it's not your area, but the thought of losing someone I care about, is deeply upsetting to me.

Take care.


Happy birthday, all month long, Pink! I hope you enjoy it.

[Tennesseer]

Dec 9, 2023 20:49:40 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Pink Cashmere and Tennesseer, as well as anyone else in the path, or area of the tornado I heard is coming through your area, please stay safe!

Maybe I'm wrong and it's not your area, but the thought of losing someone I care about, is deeply upsetting to me.

Take care.


Happy birthday, all month long, Pink! I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks. All okay in metro Memphis area. While we had a tornado watch for a good chunk of the day, nothing happened. We had a pretty good t'storm around 0430 this a.m., no tornado.