Monday, August 14, 2017

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

Being honest here, not much. We did see a fabulous movie, LADY MACBETH. Phil is very much enjoying THE CORONER'S LUNCH and I am enjoying SUNBURN by Laura Lippman. We also saw OTELLO streamed from the Royal Opera House in London. And Megan said she is coming out both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I managed to find a childhood friend via facebook. I was asked to write a story for an anthology raising money for Planned Parenthood.

So it sounds like a good week. But what's going on in Virginia and the way Trump framed it; the idea he might go to war with virtually any country on the face of the earth appalls me. Too many sick friends. The very idea of white supremacists makes my blood boil. Do they have any idea what suffering others have endured? And for the first time they have a champion for their cause in the White House.

My therapist says I allow what might happen to overwhelm what is happening. This is true.
I got the book George read last week on anxiety and that has lots of insights too. Anxiety often begins with respiratory incidents according to the author. And I was in an oxygen tent with pneumonia as a six-year old child. So I wonder if that's the beginning. My insomnia began the next  year.

Sorry to anaylze myself here. Tell me what good stuff happened to you.

12 comments:

George said...

Diane and I loved the movie you recommended, MAN UP.

Katie is coming home this weekend for a friend's bridal shower. We plan to take Katie out to a swanky restaurant.

My new APPLE computer should be delivered this week!

Jeff Meyerson said...

That thing your therapist said really rang a bell. Jackie does that too, a lot. We made it to this age and, as infuriating as his behavior is, I am not going to let Trump destroy my sleep and peace of mind with what might happen. The here and now is what we have to deal with. We all have enough real sh!t to deal with on a daily basis, as well as worries about health problems of our families and friends. F#ck that @sshole.

And on to the positive. We really enjoyed the movies you (MAN UP) and George (HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE) recommended. So much more to our liking that the newest Marvel (or whatever) thing, however good the latter might be.

Still enjoying Netflix (GLOW) and Amazon Prime (Man in the High Castle), and Jackie has added Acorn to that. We are certainly not short of television to watch in what is a network wasteland.

Two concerts this week. The first, and far the better, was Earth, Wind & Fire plus Nile Rodgers and Chic, who were surprisingly fun. The less good: Buckingham McVie, who could have used better material than their collaborative CD, as well as Stevie Nicks.

Good reading this week - mostly Marcus Sakey (especially the new AFTERLIFE) and Terence Faherty. And I've started Bill Crider's latest Sheriff Rhodes, so that's always fun.

Decent, not too oppressive, August weather so far. We're probably going down to D.C. this weekend. Also, we have the Hal Prince show (PRINCE OF BROADWAY) this Wednesday.

pattinase (abbott) said...

You two do not let any grass grow under your feet. We are going to DC next month. We wait till the cooler weather for that trip.
I loved GLOW but Phil did not get it at all.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Glad MAN UP is a winner for you both.

Jeff Meyerson said...

I'm glad Phil is enjoying THE CORONER'S LUNCH. Dr. Siri is a favorite.

Gerard Saylor said...

I have a cousin who produces MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. I've not spoken to him in 30+ years. When he stayed with us for a week one summer my brother and I fought with him a lot.

Saturday evening was the Rotary Club's Cheese, Chocolate and Wine fundraiser. After clean-up I was able to take home a bunch of chocolate that was opened and left over.

I took a bike ride Saturday afternoon and did a short kayaking during last night's sunset.

Charles Gramlich said...

Like you, I often let myself get overwhelmed about what might happen.

Jerry House said...

When Kitty was very young (tow- or three-years-old) she was in an oxygen tent for several days. They had packed her in ice at one time and had even given her the last rites of the Catholic church. So that may be the reason she suffers from anxiety? Wow. Also of interest -- either one of the nurses or her doctor was Lithuanian and she ended up (for a couple of months anyway) bilingual in Lithuanian and English! The fact that she pulled through and ended up with me is constantly a source of happiness. Even without the Lithuanian. Luckily there are no major illnesses or problems in our immediate family, but our thoughts are always with friends, family, and members of our online community who are facing such challenges.

Speaking of anxiety, Christina's ten-year-old cat Willow has been acting up for the past month or so, being incontinent and avoiding people. Most likely it was a stress reaction (most likely from sharing the house with three dogs, two other cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, a tortoise, and a South American tegu, as well as two teenagers and a very active five-year-old) so Willow has been re-housed to our place, which we hope will have a calmer atmosphere and less stress. Three days in and she seems content -- and no accidents! Fingers crossed. She an awfully sweet thing and we enjoy her.

Today is the first day of school. Mark, a senior, was blase. Erin, a sophomore, was nervous. Jack, getting on the bus for his first full day of kindergarten, looked and acted as though he was going to conquer the world.

Last night we had a small birthday party for Jessie. It's hard to believe she has graced our lives for 45 years! She and Christina and all the grands drove over to Mississppi for a swamp tour during the day and all of them got to hold a (baby) alligator. Better them than me. (Last week would have been my father's 101st birthday. He died from injuries suffered in an accident when I was 34, more than half my life ago. I am so grateful for the time I had with him and for any part of him that lives on in me.)

While I am sickened by what happened in Charlottesville on Saturday and by the loss of Heather Heyer, I am gladdened by the positive reaction against hate that the entire country (a certain president excluded) showed. There are many good, kind people throughout America that I am convinced that evil will not win.

Also, I am glad that I have patience. I spent the past week reading Stephen King's IT, a thousand-page-plus tome and enjoyed it greatly. I usually don't read what George would call big fat books but sometimes they are worth it.

Binge-watched and enjoyed DCI BANKS on Hulu. We've no longer found the need to watch regular TV.

TracyK said...

I am your therapist's comment. I don't do that so much but my husband does. A lot.

TracyK said...

Sorry, what I was trying to say was that I am saving that comment to share with my husband.

Steve Oerkfitz said...

I've posted 3 times and none have shown up?

pattinase (abbott) said...

Steve-I don't quite know how to fix what's going wrong for you. I will try but maybe if you registered like the others above it would work better. I think Jeff did that eventually after frustration. If someone can tell me how to fix this, I certainly will.