Just an Update
May. 24th, 2008 01:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bookofmirrorsWhere to start? Today, I plan to spend most of my time on the computer, working on various things. I've decided to start off with an LJ entry, though, since I haven't in a while, and I feel like I'm in a transition period in my life, as is 
BlckwngdOrcl. As a result, a lot of things have been going on. If I'm not burned out after making this entry, I'll make some more detailed notes on how this is happening within our personal relationship over in my secret journal.
So.... new stuff that's been going on, some boring.
We signed the new lease on our apartment. Our rent has gone up by just over $200, which sucks. However, the cost of moving and setting up a new place, not to mention the hassle, isn't worth it to us to lower the rent. Where we live is close to both our jobs, and it says right on the lease that we can have an inordinate number of cats, and that's worth a lot of money in my book. The apartments have been bought yet again by another company. Of course, first thing, we went down and introduced ourselves to the new people, and pointed out the clause in our lease about the cats, and told them that if they weren't going to honor it, they might as well tell us now, so we could plan on moving. Like everyone who's bought the complex since the owners it had when we first moved in, they were kinda freaked that the "up to 7 cats" clause was in the lease, but they basically said that they'd honor it, and we should never speak of it again. The new lease reflects it as well, in some vague wording relating to the original lease, but legally sound, as far as I can tell. The new management says all the right things, butBlckwngdOrcl and I both get a kinda smarmy feeling from them. The people both above and across from us moved out within the first few weeks of the new management taking over, specifically citing them as the reason for moving. We went to management and asked about it, and of course, they gave us (as much as they could) their side of the story, which of course made it the tenants' issue. *shrug* We have a place to live till September 2009, and that's what matters. We're still planning on moving to Chambana, Illinois at the end of the lease. It should be noted, however, that the maintenance guy, Orlando, who's fixing our shower (the tiles started falling out, and it turns out the wall behind them is rotting) as soon as the materials come in, is way cool. He remembers what we've said, he's cool with the cats (and understands they're indoor cats, in spite of what they say), and doesn't care if we're naked when he's there. Can't guarantee he does good work till he actually gets it done, but he seems very sharp.
This past month, the 4-year training training program at Core Energetics officially ended. It's hard to say I graduated from it. I haven't, technically, 'cause I haven't completed all the course requirements - most notably, seeing clients in the 3rd year. None of us did (except one, and they weren't technically Core clients, just clients she saw as part of her regular job as a therapist, but incorporated Core techniques with), so none of us technically graduated per se... but the classes themselves are over. I am taking the optional fifth year, and will incorporate the makeup work in that, and I do plan on starting to see a client or two during that time. It can't be any of my friends, but, if any of you are looking for free therapy, all my classmates in the fifth year have to see clients, too, and I'd be happy to pass you on to them. (The one I mentioned who is already a licensed therapist is allowed to charge $65.) Just let me know - feel free to email me privately at bookofmirrors@livejournal.com. Anyway... it's all been an incredible experience. It didn't feel "done" to me as I went into the last module, 'cause there's still so much to do, and since I'm taking the 5th year, it's not really done for me, even if I had been up-to-date on everything else. But we spent a lot of time on closure and other things, and it really felt complete. Not everyone in our small group is going on to the 5th year, so there were many tearful goodbyes. I'm not sure I could describe the process, and I'm not even sure I could say how it's changed my life. I know that it has, though, and the most noticeable way, for me, is that I can (usually) now see where I'm coming from, why I react the way I do to certain things. Knowing it doesn't automatically fix it, and going through the emotional part is always much harder, and is the part I resist, but at least I have something in place for it. I certainly think in terms of Core, and it's almost a spiritual practice as well as a therapeutic process. In spite of the cost, it's been, and I think will continue to be, well worth it.
BlckwngdOrcl got hired to do seasonal work at Pike Nursery, and has been hired on permanent part-time. Greatly reduced hours, and he was never on full-time hours, but at least it's something, and he enjoys the work. I went in once to scope the place out, and it does have great energy. Whether it's the people there, or just being around all those plants (or some combination of the two) I can't say, but it is definitely a good experience to be there. More than one psychic and/or astrologer has told him that gardening is something near and dear to him in past lives, and would be in this one. I'd love to see him pursue that, if it makes him happy. In the meantime, we're crossing our fingers that he can get a job where 
Eloreen works. It would almost double our income (well... at least the income I claim), and would allow us to pay off all our debts within 12 months and set aside money for the move. At least that's what it looks like on paper. Please send good energy for this, or a similarly good outcome, because we need more money than he can make at Pike. He is planning on working maybe one day a week there, even if he gets the other job, though, 'cause he likes it so much.
On my job front, I'm still working Monday-Thursday days at David's office, and 6 nights a week at his house (I recently asked for Saturdays off... working 7 nights a week all the time was just too much). I still enjoy the nights, and still am not enamored of the office. Between lots of soul-searching, lots of friends and professionals opinions/advice, and even David's thoughts, I'm looking for another job. David, who didn't know I'd been contemplating looking, said just the other day that I should have something else lined up by June 30. I asked him if he was finally retiring, and he said no, but I know that it's something that's been tossed around. I also asked if he had someone lined up to take my place, and he said no to that, too. Part of my many many resistances to moving forward and past this job is hubris - thinking that, to some degree, others would focus on that silly-ole-business aspect of it, and neglect David's medical needs, which is my focus, must to David's dismay at time... but also that, if I leave, who's he going to get to do it in the first place? I've tossed around some ideas, but none are immediately viable, and I really am hoping he's just going to retire. At any rate, I have to work past that whole mindset, and do what's right for me. As I mentioned, I'm planning on being on the computer most of today, and re-vamping my resume' and job-hunting are on that list. I have several good ideas on where I'd be interested in working, including the system that my previously-mentioned therapist friend works for. I'm qualified for both nursing and counseling positions, and it would be nice to have the choice.
I'm still studying Animal Communication in fits and spurts. I attended an incredible class in April by Carla Person, focusing on shamanic masks, and work with spiral energy. Lots of amazing things with that, and interesting to me that Core's symbol is also a spiral. I go back in August for a class hosted by Tom Cowan. It's harder to focus on this work, because of all my other obligations and time, not to mention my own personal resistance to success. I'm still pushing forward with this, and trying to stay grounded and in touch with my Spirit Guides and Power Animal. It's made a difference in my life, and I'm still learning a lot. As soon as I get some business cards (*looks pointedly at
WalkingBear*), I'm going to toss a few around, do some free work (perhaps in exchange for feedback, testimonials, networking, etc.) and see how all that pans out. I need to do case studies as part of my certification, at any rate. Anyone interested in that, let me know. I've done some work with people on my friends list before, with varying degrees of success. I'm interested to see how incorporating the shamanic work with my communication will affect it.
Let's see... what else... the cats are all still doing well. Murke still gets impacted and has to be cleaned out under sedation at the vet's, which is expensive as fuck. I asked the vet on tips to do it myself, which she gave me, since I do it 6 nights a week to a human... unfortunately, Murke can actually feel it, and my attempts to do so myself have been futile. Other than that, though, he does well. Loki has had for quite some time a Dowager Empress feel about her, and limps now and again, which I figure is some form of arthritis. I plan on ordering her an Aura patch for pain next time I make an order. Her coat has the sleekness of a mink, and it interests me that they're all so different. I can tell each cat apart with my eyes closed, just by the feel of their fur. Loki's is as I mentioned, Whimsy feels like a rabbit, Smithers' fur is more coarse... Murke's is harder to describe - soft, but not like any other particular animal... Ashira's fur is thick and luxuriant.
I recently spent the day with
Strega42 as she astrologized me for hours. Honestly, while I intellectually believe that Vedic astrology must be more accurate in principle than Western astrology, her stuff was RIGHT ON. We spent hours, and still didn't get to everything she'd discovered. I now have no wonder why personalized astrology readings cost so much. And hers are cheap(er) and detailed. Highly recommended. I don't know if this offer is still in effect or not, but more than worth it, even at full price. She's on my list of people-to-give-lots-of-money-to-if-I-win-the-lottery. *nods* Interestingly enough - and I say that tongue-in-cheek, kinda like I use the word fallacy "coincidence" - a lot of the stuff she brought up as part of my chart is exactly the stuff that's been brought up recently, originally by 
JudasLovesMe, and has been the subject of numerous talks between BlckwngdOrcl and I, as well as a bit of a few therapy sessions. I can't decide if it helps or not knowing that this rather annoying and frustrating part of my personality is written in the stars. I mean, just dealing with it as a character defense structure in therapy is bad enough... being somewhat hardwired in that way I figure will end up making it more of a challenge. Bleh. I'm pretty sure the "cure" for all of it was somewhere in the chart, too, but it was a lot to take in, and in spite of her best efforts, sometimes my brain just loops on "UR teh 5uXx0rZz". When I read over the written stuff, I think I'll be able to look at it more objectively. (What address did you need, hon? eMail or snailmail?) She's got BlckwngdOrcl's chart, too, and will get together with him someday, too. Some of the conversations I've had with him relating to the reading have been incredibly healing in a lot of ways. Looking at the time I've spent on this entry, it's unlikely that I'll get around to making the "secret" entry today, but if I do, that will likely be there.
That's kindasorta it. A few cool things have happened in the past few days that are worthy of mention and hyperlinks, so I'm including those, as well.
Last weekend,BlckwngdOrcl and I met JudasLovesMe at the Rise-n-Dine in Emory Village for (a rather godawful early on a Sunday) breakfast, followed by a bit of mall-walking at DeKalb Mall while we waited for Prince Caspian to start ($5 Sunday before noon, kiddies!). Good movie, can't remember the book enough to know how well it matched, JudasLovesMe says there were quite a few differences. More mall-walking and a few minor purchases (refurb geekery CHEEP!) later, we were hungry again, and were treated to Zyka, one of those hole-in-the-wall places that JudasLovesMe just seems to always know about, and they're always fantastic. It was BlckwngdOrcl's first Indian food, and luckily, he liked it, so we can add it to our repertoire. It was very good, and though my personal knowledge of what makes good Indian food is lacking, the number of Indian patrons should have been testimonial enough. It was a lovely day, followed by a lovely afternoon/evening.
The other night, David was scheduled for a dinner with a colleague, who invited me along, as well, because he's not as familiar with David's needs in that setting. I've gotten to go to a number of restaurants I couldn't normally afford due to these types of issues, which has been pretty cool. (I called the time we went to Morton's "take a vegetarian to a steakhouse" day.) This past time, it was to Oceanaire, which was a neat place. Pricey, which was to be expected... but honestly, looking at the portion size, and that all the seafood is flown in fresh (within 24 hours of capture, I think), and the quality of the food, not to mention the atmosphere and the really impeccable service... maybe it's priced just about right for what you get. Anyway, I mention it partially because, although we didn't have dessert, I had a look at the dessert menu, and it was more extensive than just about any other I've seen, and the desserts themselves were actually quite reasonable. They had everything from baked Alaska to warm cookies and milk. I'm seriously considering someday heading over there after some cheap meal (even pizza at home or something) and sharing a lovely romantic decadence with my husband some latenight. I think it would be way worth it.
Yesterday was a really good day. A bit of a backtrack to the Rise-n-Dine...
The first time we went there (and it's very good, and I highly recommend it), there was a line, and they asked if we wanted coffee while we waited, so we both had some. Now, if some of you will recall,
ElephantAnkh used to work at the Starbucks on Powder Springs Road (I think that's where it was) and he hosted coffee tastings once a month, which BlckwngdOrcl and I used to go to, and really enjoyed. They ended when ElephantAnkh left the store, but not before I had become a huge coffee snob, even being able to have a pretty good idea what continent the coffee comes from - I'm personally partial to African coffees, and Asian. Anyway, the point is, I can tell a good cup of coffee when I taste one. So, I take a sip of the coffee they gave us, and was blown away with the yumminess of it. Of course, when there was a lull, I asked about it. Turns out it was Counter Culture Coffee (great double entendre), and she talked about it a little, including letting us know they had coffee cuppings (the fancier term for tastings) locally every Friday. I followed through with that, and finally all the schedules meshed, and BlckwngdOrcl and I were able to go. They hold them every Friday at 10:30am at King Plow Arts Center, and it's free! It's like fuckin' Frodo and the Ring to get there, though... take extra time to get lost - it's not marked. Anyway, the guys who run it were cool, and it was very different than the tastings at Starbucks, but still awesome. He talked about the coffees themselves, and the difference between Direct Trade and Fair Trade, and how they were moving towards being exclusively Direct Trade. It was very cool. He also talked a lot of making the coffee properly (showed us a new brewing method), and even talked about the best way to make espresso, including giving us samples of espressos brewed for different lengths of time to show us the difference a few seconds too little and/or too much of brewing makes. And OMG does it make a HUGE difference!!! They also gave us some free coffee to take home, although I don't think that's common. They were saying it's the off season for coffee, and that the coffee they had there was reaching the end of its 6-month shelf life, so I think they were just trying to get rid of it. You can only buy the coffee online, since they don't roast it until it's ordered, and then send it out within (I think) 48 hours. OMG teh yum, though. You should get some. :)
From there, we attempted to go to Octane, which keeps being recommended to us. It was right at lunchtime, though, and the parking was atrocious, and neither of us were in the mood, and we figured we'd go back another time, now that we knew where it was. We ended up, rather serendipitously, at Eats (apparently previously called Pasta de Leon)... a place whereBlckwngdOrcl had apparently been taken by JudasLovesMe not too terribly long ago, and he believes that he had also been (under the old name) with WalkingBear and 
Waterfall_SH years ago. Interestingly enough, once I was in there, I had the distinct impression I'd been there before, perhaps when I was in training to work at the Red Cross. It was just heavenly, though. Extremely cheap, which is always a plus, and OMG... I was just entranced with every bite. I'm not even sure why... I mean, it was good, but... I was just SOOO into it.
From there, we finally made it over to Snap Fitness. We've been wanting to join a fitness club for a while now, but none 100% made our simple (to us) criteria of being open 24/7 and being CHEAP. There was one that was close (cheap, but not 24/7), and we'd just been about to join, when the money got tight again, and then suddenly this place opened, literally within walking distance of us, and met both criteria. We went in yesterday, and really liked it, although we'd already made up our minds to join, period. But the equipment was also very new and shiny. :) Anyway, we're both looking forward to that. I really want to get into shape.
We also ran to the library. I think I've mentioned it before, but I've read books on all 3 candidates at this point, and I want to read others. So far, I've read Living History by Clinton, The Audacity of Hope by Obama, and Faith of my Fathers by McCain. I still want to read It Takes a Village by Clinton, Dreams from my Father by Obama, and Worth Fighting For by McCain (which is the one that just came in). I'm really enjoying the insights I get, but I'm wanting to delve deeper into their policies. It's also nice knowing my vote will be a bit more educated than usual. :)
After that we ran to Whole Foods, only to find they've discontinued the shampoo we use, so we went home for a while, and passed the time of the storm most pleasantly. :) We ended up picking some up at Rainbow afterwards. Same brand, but still a different "flavor" than what we usually get. It was amazing the difference between the Italian red grape we usually get and the lemon tea tree we ended up with last time. This time, we ended up with red raspberry. I hope it works better. I want my red grape back!
Finally, we went to the DeKalb Farmers Market. I'd been twice, but it wasBlckwngdOrcl's first time. We had decided to try the restaurant, which was good. Excellent, fresh, presumably good for you food, very cheap. We shopped around after that; I showed him all the goodies, and we did some shopping. I'd never really splurged there before, always sticking to the fresh meats and veggies, and not buying much in the way of processed or pre-prepared foods, but I did the opposite this time. Unfortunately, it showed visibly in the bill, and proved better than anything previously had just how much money can be saved by buying ingredients and cooking them yourself rather than buying stuff others have made. Now to find the time to cook.... :)
And some miscellany...
As of yesterday, I finally got to try out my new Diva Cup. I'm not flowing heavily enough to be a good judge, I don't think, but so far so good. No leaks, I keep forgetting I'm even on my period. They say if you can feel it, it's not in right, and I *can* feel it, but it's not uncomfortable. Just a bit of a full feeling, and the edge of it presses up against my urethra, so there's always a bit of stimulation there that take a bit to get used to. Also, I don't recommend putting it in immediately after a shower - water is not a good lubricant. But all the other stuff they say on the website is totally true. Having not yet gone through a complete cycle, I can't say for sure how it works for the whole time, but I'm happy with it so far. And that whole thing about it being way cheaper in the long run, better for me, the environment. Not a bad thing at all. I'm also wanting to get these from Etsy, although it sounds like I won't even need 'em. Would be nice to have, just in case, though... And I totally love the color. I mean, really, what other color should menstrual pads be??
One of the things I bought at the Farmers Market was some tea that reminded me of Blooming Tea. It was good (not exceptional, just good), and it did flower out and was very cool. But the whole concept of blooming tea is just cool.
Anyway... I've typed for a LONG time, and I'm totally ready for a break. If you've made it to the bottom of this, my congratulations. You're probably as much in need of a break as I am. :)
BlckwngdOrcl. As a result, a lot of things have been going on. If I'm not burned out after making this entry, I'll make some more detailed notes on how this is happening within our personal relationship over in my secret journal.So.... new stuff that's been going on, some boring.
We signed the new lease on our apartment. Our rent has gone up by just over $200, which sucks. However, the cost of moving and setting up a new place, not to mention the hassle, isn't worth it to us to lower the rent. Where we live is close to both our jobs, and it says right on the lease that we can have an inordinate number of cats, and that's worth a lot of money in my book. The apartments have been bought yet again by another company. Of course, first thing, we went down and introduced ourselves to the new people, and pointed out the clause in our lease about the cats, and told them that if they weren't going to honor it, they might as well tell us now, so we could plan on moving. Like everyone who's bought the complex since the owners it had when we first moved in, they were kinda freaked that the "up to 7 cats" clause was in the lease, but they basically said that they'd honor it, and we should never speak of it again. The new lease reflects it as well, in some vague wording relating to the original lease, but legally sound, as far as I can tell. The new management says all the right things, but
BlckwngdOrcl and I both get a kinda smarmy feeling from them. The people both above and across from us moved out within the first few weeks of the new management taking over, specifically citing them as the reason for moving. We went to management and asked about it, and of course, they gave us (as much as they could) their side of the story, which of course made it the tenants' issue. *shrug* We have a place to live till September 2009, and that's what matters. We're still planning on moving to Chambana, Illinois at the end of the lease. It should be noted, however, that the maintenance guy, Orlando, who's fixing our shower (the tiles started falling out, and it turns out the wall behind them is rotting) as soon as the materials come in, is way cool. He remembers what we've said, he's cool with the cats (and understands they're indoor cats, in spite of what they say), and doesn't care if we're naked when he's there. Can't guarantee he does good work till he actually gets it done, but he seems very sharp.This past month, the 4-year training training program at Core Energetics officially ended. It's hard to say I graduated from it. I haven't, technically, 'cause I haven't completed all the course requirements - most notably, seeing clients in the 3rd year. None of us did (except one, and they weren't technically Core clients, just clients she saw as part of her regular job as a therapist, but incorporated Core techniques with), so none of us technically graduated per se... but the classes themselves are over. I am taking the optional fifth year, and will incorporate the makeup work in that, and I do plan on starting to see a client or two during that time. It can't be any of my friends, but, if any of you are looking for free therapy, all my classmates in the fifth year have to see clients, too, and I'd be happy to pass you on to them. (The one I mentioned who is already a licensed therapist is allowed to charge $65.) Just let me know - feel free to email me privately at bookofmirrors@livejournal.com. Anyway... it's all been an incredible experience. It didn't feel "done" to me as I went into the last module, 'cause there's still so much to do, and since I'm taking the 5th year, it's not really done for me, even if I had been up-to-date on everything else. But we spent a lot of time on closure and other things, and it really felt complete. Not everyone in our small group is going on to the 5th year, so there were many tearful goodbyes. I'm not sure I could describe the process, and I'm not even sure I could say how it's changed my life. I know that it has, though, and the most noticeable way, for me, is that I can (usually) now see where I'm coming from, why I react the way I do to certain things. Knowing it doesn't automatically fix it, and going through the emotional part is always much harder, and is the part I resist, but at least I have something in place for it. I certainly think in terms of Core, and it's almost a spiritual practice as well as a therapeutic process. In spite of the cost, it's been, and I think will continue to be, well worth it.
BlckwngdOrcl got hired to do seasonal work at Pike Nursery, and has been hired on permanent part-time. Greatly reduced hours, and he was never on full-time hours, but at least it's something, and he enjoys the work. I went in once to scope the place out, and it does have great energy. Whether it's the people there, or just being around all those plants (or some combination of the two) I can't say, but it is definitely a good experience to be there. More than one psychic and/or astrologer has told him that gardening is something near and dear to him in past lives, and would be in this one. I'd love to see him pursue that, if it makes him happy. In the meantime, we're crossing our fingers that he can get a job where Eloreen works. It would almost double our income (well... at least the income I claim), and would allow us to pay off all our debts within 12 months and set aside money for the move. At least that's what it looks like on paper. Please send good energy for this, or a similarly good outcome, because we need more money than he can make at Pike. He is planning on working maybe one day a week there, even if he gets the other job, though, 'cause he likes it so much.On my job front, I'm still working Monday-Thursday days at David's office, and 6 nights a week at his house (I recently asked for Saturdays off... working 7 nights a week all the time was just too much). I still enjoy the nights, and still am not enamored of the office. Between lots of soul-searching, lots of friends and professionals opinions/advice, and even David's thoughts, I'm looking for another job. David, who didn't know I'd been contemplating looking, said just the other day that I should have something else lined up by June 30. I asked him if he was finally retiring, and he said no, but I know that it's something that's been tossed around. I also asked if he had someone lined up to take my place, and he said no to that, too. Part of my many many resistances to moving forward and past this job is hubris - thinking that, to some degree, others would focus on that silly-ole-business aspect of it, and neglect David's medical needs, which is my focus, must to David's dismay at time... but also that, if I leave, who's he going to get to do it in the first place? I've tossed around some ideas, but none are immediately viable, and I really am hoping he's just going to retire. At any rate, I have to work past that whole mindset, and do what's right for me. As I mentioned, I'm planning on being on the computer most of today, and re-vamping my resume' and job-hunting are on that list. I have several good ideas on where I'd be interested in working, including the system that my previously-mentioned therapist friend works for. I'm qualified for both nursing and counseling positions, and it would be nice to have the choice.
I'm still studying Animal Communication in fits and spurts. I attended an incredible class in April by Carla Person, focusing on shamanic masks, and work with spiral energy. Lots of amazing things with that, and interesting to me that Core's symbol is also a spiral. I go back in August for a class hosted by Tom Cowan. It's harder to focus on this work, because of all my other obligations and time, not to mention my own personal resistance to success. I'm still pushing forward with this, and trying to stay grounded and in touch with my Spirit Guides and Power Animal. It's made a difference in my life, and I'm still learning a lot. As soon as I get some business cards (*looks pointedly at
WalkingBear*), I'm going to toss a few around, do some free work (perhaps in exchange for feedback, testimonials, networking, etc.) and see how all that pans out. I need to do case studies as part of my certification, at any rate. Anyone interested in that, let me know. I've done some work with people on my friends list before, with varying degrees of success. I'm interested to see how incorporating the shamanic work with my communication will affect it.Let's see... what else... the cats are all still doing well. Murke still gets impacted and has to be cleaned out under sedation at the vet's, which is expensive as fuck. I asked the vet on tips to do it myself, which she gave me, since I do it 6 nights a week to a human... unfortunately, Murke can actually feel it, and my attempts to do so myself have been futile. Other than that, though, he does well. Loki has had for quite some time a Dowager Empress feel about her, and limps now and again, which I figure is some form of arthritis. I plan on ordering her an Aura patch for pain next time I make an order. Her coat has the sleekness of a mink, and it interests me that they're all so different. I can tell each cat apart with my eyes closed, just by the feel of their fur. Loki's is as I mentioned, Whimsy feels like a rabbit, Smithers' fur is more coarse... Murke's is harder to describe - soft, but not like any other particular animal... Ashira's fur is thick and luxuriant.
I recently spent the day with
Strega42 as she astrologized me for hours. Honestly, while I intellectually believe that Vedic astrology must be more accurate in principle than Western astrology, her stuff was RIGHT ON. We spent hours, and still didn't get to everything she'd discovered. I now have no wonder why personalized astrology readings cost so much. And hers are cheap(er) and detailed. Highly recommended. I don't know if this offer is still in effect or not, but more than worth it, even at full price. She's on my list of people-to-give-lots-of-money-to-if-I-win-the-lottery. *nods* Interestingly enough - and I say that tongue-in-cheek, kinda like I use the JudasLovesMe, and has been the subject of numerous talks between BlckwngdOrcl and I, as well as a bit of a few therapy sessions. I can't decide if it helps or not knowing that this rather annoying and frustrating part of my personality is written in the stars. I mean, just dealing with it as a character defense structure in therapy is bad enough... being somewhat hardwired in that way I figure will end up making it more of a challenge. Bleh. I'm pretty sure the "cure" for all of it was somewhere in the chart, too, but it was a lot to take in, and in spite of her best efforts, sometimes my brain just loops on "UR teh 5uXx0rZz". When I read over the written stuff, I think I'll be able to look at it more objectively. (What address did you need, hon? eMail or snailmail?) She's got BlckwngdOrcl's chart, too, and will get together with him someday, too. Some of the conversations I've had with him relating to the reading have been incredibly healing in a lot of ways. Looking at the time I've spent on this entry, it's unlikely that I'll get around to making the "secret" entry today, but if I do, that will likely be there.That's kindasorta it. A few cool things have happened in the past few days that are worthy of mention and hyperlinks, so I'm including those, as well.
Last weekend,
BlckwngdOrcl and I met JudasLovesMe at the Rise-n-Dine in Emory Village for (a rather godawful early on a Sunday) breakfast, followed by a bit of mall-walking at DeKalb Mall while we waited for Prince Caspian to start ($5 Sunday before noon, kiddies!). Good movie, can't remember the book enough to know how well it matched, JudasLovesMe says there were quite a few differences. More mall-walking and a few minor purchases (refurb geekery CHEEP!) later, we were hungry again, and were treated to Zyka, one of those hole-in-the-wall places that JudasLovesMe just seems to always know about, and they're always fantastic. It was BlckwngdOrcl's first Indian food, and luckily, he liked it, so we can add it to our repertoire. It was very good, and though my personal knowledge of what makes good Indian food is lacking, the number of Indian patrons should have been testimonial enough. It was a lovely day, followed by a lovely afternoon/evening. The other night, David was scheduled for a dinner with a colleague, who invited me along, as well, because he's not as familiar with David's needs in that setting. I've gotten to go to a number of restaurants I couldn't normally afford due to these types of issues, which has been pretty cool. (I called the time we went to Morton's "take a vegetarian to a steakhouse" day.) This past time, it was to Oceanaire, which was a neat place. Pricey, which was to be expected... but honestly, looking at the portion size, and that all the seafood is flown in fresh (within 24 hours of capture, I think), and the quality of the food, not to mention the atmosphere and the really impeccable service... maybe it's priced just about right for what you get. Anyway, I mention it partially because, although we didn't have dessert, I had a look at the dessert menu, and it was more extensive than just about any other I've seen, and the desserts themselves were actually quite reasonable. They had everything from baked Alaska to warm cookies and milk. I'm seriously considering someday heading over there after some cheap meal (even pizza at home or something) and sharing a lovely romantic decadence with my husband some latenight. I think it would be way worth it.
Yesterday was a really good day. A bit of a backtrack to the Rise-n-Dine...
The first time we went there (and it's very good, and I highly recommend it), there was a line, and they asked if we wanted coffee while we waited, so we both had some. Now, if some of you will recall,
ElephantAnkh used to work at the Starbucks on Powder Springs Road (I think that's where it was) and he hosted coffee tastings once a month, which BlckwngdOrcl and I used to go to, and really enjoyed. They ended when ElephantAnkh left the store, but not before I had become a huge coffee snob, even being able to have a pretty good idea what continent the coffee comes from - I'm personally partial to African coffees, and Asian. Anyway, the point is, I can tell a good cup of coffee when I taste one. So, I take a sip of the coffee they gave us, and was blown away with the yumminess of it. Of course, when there was a lull, I asked about it. Turns out it was Counter Culture Coffee (great double entendre), and she talked about it a little, including letting us know they had coffee cuppings (the fancier term for tastings) locally every Friday. I followed through with that, and finally all the schedules meshed, and BlckwngdOrcl and I were able to go. They hold them every Friday at 10:30am at King Plow Arts Center, and it's free! It's like fuckin' Frodo and the Ring to get there, though... take extra time to get lost - it's not marked. Anyway, the guys who run it were cool, and it was very different than the tastings at Starbucks, but still awesome. He talked about the coffees themselves, and the difference between Direct Trade and Fair Trade, and how they were moving towards being exclusively Direct Trade. It was very cool. He also talked a lot of making the coffee properly (showed us a new brewing method), and even talked about the best way to make espresso, including giving us samples of espressos brewed for different lengths of time to show us the difference a few seconds too little and/or too much of brewing makes. And OMG does it make a HUGE difference!!! They also gave us some free coffee to take home, although I don't think that's common. They were saying it's the off season for coffee, and that the coffee they had there was reaching the end of its 6-month shelf life, so I think they were just trying to get rid of it. You can only buy the coffee online, since they don't roast it until it's ordered, and then send it out within (I think) 48 hours. OMG teh yum, though. You should get some. :)From there, we attempted to go to Octane, which keeps being recommended to us. It was right at lunchtime, though, and the parking was atrocious, and neither of us were in the mood, and we figured we'd go back another time, now that we knew where it was. We ended up, rather serendipitously, at Eats (apparently previously called Pasta de Leon)... a place where
BlckwngdOrcl had apparently been taken by JudasLovesMe not too terribly long ago, and he believes that he had also been (under the old name) with WalkingBear and Waterfall_SH years ago. Interestingly enough, once I was in there, I had the distinct impression I'd been there before, perhaps when I was in training to work at the Red Cross. It was just heavenly, though. Extremely cheap, which is always a plus, and OMG... I was just entranced with every bite. I'm not even sure why... I mean, it was good, but... I was just SOOO into it.From there, we finally made it over to Snap Fitness. We've been wanting to join a fitness club for a while now, but none 100% made our simple (to us) criteria of being open 24/7 and being CHEAP. There was one that was close (cheap, but not 24/7), and we'd just been about to join, when the money got tight again, and then suddenly this place opened, literally within walking distance of us, and met both criteria. We went in yesterday, and really liked it, although we'd already made up our minds to join, period. But the equipment was also very new and shiny. :) Anyway, we're both looking forward to that. I really want to get into shape.
We also ran to the library. I think I've mentioned it before, but I've read books on all 3 candidates at this point, and I want to read others. So far, I've read Living History by Clinton, The Audacity of Hope by Obama, and Faith of my Fathers by McCain. I still want to read It Takes a Village by Clinton, Dreams from my Father by Obama, and Worth Fighting For by McCain (which is the one that just came in). I'm really enjoying the insights I get, but I'm wanting to delve deeper into their policies. It's also nice knowing my vote will be a bit more educated than usual. :)
After that we ran to Whole Foods, only to find they've discontinued the shampoo we use, so we went home for a while, and passed the time of the storm most pleasantly. :) We ended up picking some up at Rainbow afterwards. Same brand, but still a different "flavor" than what we usually get. It was amazing the difference between the Italian red grape we usually get and the lemon tea tree we ended up with last time. This time, we ended up with red raspberry. I hope it works better. I want my red grape back!
Finally, we went to the DeKalb Farmers Market. I'd been twice, but it was
BlckwngdOrcl's first time. We had decided to try the restaurant, which was good. Excellent, fresh, presumably good for you food, very cheap. We shopped around after that; I showed him all the goodies, and we did some shopping. I'd never really splurged there before, always sticking to the fresh meats and veggies, and not buying much in the way of processed or pre-prepared foods, but I did the opposite this time. Unfortunately, it showed visibly in the bill, and proved better than anything previously had just how much money can be saved by buying ingredients and cooking them yourself rather than buying stuff others have made. Now to find the time to cook.... :)And some miscellany...
As of yesterday, I finally got to try out my new Diva Cup. I'm not flowing heavily enough to be a good judge, I don't think, but so far so good. No leaks, I keep forgetting I'm even on my period. They say if you can feel it, it's not in right, and I *can* feel it, but it's not uncomfortable. Just a bit of a full feeling, and the edge of it presses up against my urethra, so there's always a bit of stimulation there that take a bit to get used to. Also, I don't recommend putting it in immediately after a shower - water is not a good lubricant. But all the other stuff they say on the website is totally true. Having not yet gone through a complete cycle, I can't say for sure how it works for the whole time, but I'm happy with it so far. And that whole thing about it being way cheaper in the long run, better for me, the environment. Not a bad thing at all. I'm also wanting to get these from Etsy, although it sounds like I won't even need 'em. Would be nice to have, just in case, though... And I totally love the color. I mean, really, what other color should menstrual pads be??
One of the things I bought at the Farmers Market was some tea that reminded me of Blooming Tea. It was good (not exceptional, just good), and it did flower out and was very cool. But the whole concept of blooming tea is just cool.
Anyway... I've typed for a LONG time, and I'm totally ready for a break. If you've made it to the bottom of this, my congratulations. You're probably as much in need of a break as I am. :)
