I’m sure.   In the UK, it’s already Friday, and it’s less than a week till I fly out.       I received a notice from the airline that I have a trip next week.  Yay!

Tonight, I got in my car after picking up my daughter and the stupid car wouldn’t start.   I got a jump and then had the battery tested.   The results were confusing:  good voltage; bad battery.    I decided to pick up something to clean the connectors with.   They look a little icky, really.

My daughter lost her tooth yesterday.   She had a visit from the tooth fairy and made $2.   I’m thinking about pulling some teeth.   Ok, maybe not.

I trained people today.  It was a class on taking pictures for medical issues.   I don’t mind training; I just don’t like the pictures I have to look at when the picture-takers require technical assistance.   It usually ends up with an exclamatory “ewwww!” that I don’t say aloud.

They’re right up there with the videos of what STD’s look like.  Ick.

I am now winding down, watching Friends, and counting days.

“Creating inclusion [a simple mindfulness that others might have a different reality from our own] requires being generous.  Most often it consists of simply extending a hand.  That’s hard to do if you are grasping tightly to your sand, your rightness, your belief system, your superiority, your assumptions about others, your definition of normal.”

I think it’s safe to say that there are a lot of us grasping tightly onto our belief system.    One of the goals of my life over the last several months has been to be as generous as I have always wanted to be.

It’s a part of remaking myself.

Me… being with my original family… a rare occurence.

My parents are currently vacationing this week in Natchez, MS. I bet it’s warm there, too. I only mention it because, while yesterday was in the upper 70’s F, today is not quite as luxurious.

My life… somewhat upside down. Someone will be along later to say, “It’s going to be fine.” I know it will be. Life has a habit of being fine, doesn’t it. There are blessings to be counted, there are things to look forward to you. For everything inbetween, there are Kleenex.   (and chocolate animal crackers dipped in cream cheese frosting)  

for Ian

Good things to come.    Keep believing.

For the last 4 days, I’ve been vacationing, err.. attending a conference here, in Kansas City, Missouri.    My bed looked JUST like this… it was extra comfy and had lots of pillows.    

I attended a conference for some healthcare software my company uses, and a national user group meeting.  There were some boring spots, but I also learned some things, too.    It was interesting to hear about how other healthcare agencies dealt with scheduling issues and technical issues.    And we had lots of food.   And even some beer.

Here’s something not to do, though.  You see, I was very exhausted the last morning.    I missed my daughter and therefore would not sleep past 4am.   After day 3, I was worn completely out.   So… I made coffee in my room with the automatic coffee maker.    I poured the water in the receptacle, put the coffee in the spot where the coffee goes, turned on the machine, and totally neglected putting the carafe where it goes.

This is not to be tried at home.   Coffee goes everywhere.    Trust me on this.

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself (instead of calling yourself a complete idiot).  

It’s good to be back at my normal job, though…    because I get to pass out some stuff I was doing before that I have to get off my plate so I can begin to support this software the conference was all about.   Yay!

No more Microsoft Licensing and no more hardware purchasing.   And no more computer loading.   Life is good.      I love Ian.

WANTS AND NEEDS

Legitimate Needs

Intellectual Needs.   Your mind needs information, stimulation, and the challenge of problems to solve.  You have an innate need to comprehend and understand the people and events around you.   You need variety, recreation and play time.  You have a drive to accomplish things.  You need to grow and to change.  You need the freedom to honestly express your thoughts and you need authentic, consistent responses from others.

Emotional Needs.   Less obvious, but hardly less essential, are your emotional needs — to love and be loved, to have companionship, to feel that you are respected, and to respect others.   You need sympathy and compassion from others, and you need to express your own sympathy and compassion for them. 

Needs v. Wants

.. If you have low self-esteem, it’s hard enough for you to pursue survival needs.   But your less vital needs and wants seem unimportant, particularly if they conflict with someone else’s.  Moreover, you tend to identify essential needs as mere wants and neglect to satisfy them.  You think that you’re being a stoic and forgoing comfort for the sake of others; but actually you’re an unwitting martyr to your low self-esteem.   You’re not merely uncomfortable, you’re surrendering important emotional, social, intellectual or spiritual needs for the fear of hurting or offending someone.

(there’s more.. if these things sound legitimate to you, you may want to buy or check out the book)

Having just consumed a small glass of margarita and eaten some fish and chips… (well , ok … CARP and chips.    We shan’t call this official “fish and chips”….   Just out of respect for the real tea lovers who happen to hang around here)… I am doing pretty good.  

 My day consisted of blowing apart the assumption that loading Great Plains 10 is actually a complicated task (oh, come on!) and messing around with bluetooth KVM switches (not recommended for the faint of heart, or those who require consistant bluetooth mouse and keyboard connections!)   The day went fast.

I had a few gifts today…  I’ll call them warm and fuzzy gifts because they comforted me.     A bit cryptic, but it makes sense where it counts.

It is COLD here.   This morning, the air temperature was -7F.   The wind chill made it -20F.    It was so cold that they called of school.   They didn’t want the kids waiting outside for busses to freeze to death.       I have to admit, I put on my mittens today.   It was a little breezy, but not terribly.   Frankly, to me, it was the same as any other freezing day around here lately.

Now, I am sitting here writing this, reading through some email, cruising a blog or two and watching this man cook up some octopus and various other things.  

Oh, I am going to be a godmother to my niece.   I had to get a letter from The Church showing I actually went into a Catholic church recently.   Then, maybe in April, I’m flying down to Texas for the baptism.   I only pray for warm weather this time.  Last time I was in Dallas, it was almost as cold as Nebraska.

 One thing I did for myself today (a nice suggestion, courtesy of Gem):  drank tequila, took a hot bath.  

Well, you get the picture. It’s been crazy.

Yesterday, my husband had the GALL (lol) to ask if I wanted to go for a walk after work. “No,” I said, “I have a cake to bake and presents to wrap. Why don’t you go and take TLK with you?” So, off they went. I watched them walk into the park, and wished I could go, too, but I kept telling myself that my work was important, too.

Tomorrow, her birthday, more rushing around. Get pizza, drive to Iowa, party with the family. Saturday, my stepdaughter’s birthday. Drive to Iowa, have lunch. Open presents. Go home.

Sunday, TLK’s little kid party. Bowling. Three girls are coming. When I get to the bowling alley, I’m just going to watch them bowl and maybe wind down for Monday.

Hey, maybe I’ll take Monday off.

Thanks for visiting Lisa’s Place.