Couch 158: The Newberry Couch!

Just checked my grades for psych class, and they're updated yay, got full credit for both of my discussion posts and my paper from unit 3 yeah! assuming i don't really blow the last paper i'd say i have a solid A in the class. woohoo! next semester doesn't start until january 30th, which fits in perfectly with overtime at work all of january so i won't have time to be bored waiting for my next class to start! i'm taking positive psychology next.

I don’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m looking at other therapists on Psychology Today.

I haven’t dumped Info, but I canceled next week’s appointment. I need a break from the zany flakiness at minimum.

Anyway. Has anyone done existential therapy? (It’s this Frenchwoman I considered over the summer but Info got back to me first.)

Eta: not that it’s relevant, but she looks like Edith Piaf.

Non, je ne regrette rien...

(No, I don’t regret anything.)

(((@@))) I could totally get into that fantasy! Plus i always picture you as coco chanel. With a long cigarette holder, tres chic!

just finished my sister's slippers, in christmas colors! i'm so happy with how they turned out i may have to make a pair for myself!!

Nice. You should make yourself a pair.

Congrats Artie- Those marks are fantastic and a testament to your hard work!

Oh gawd, ATAT, why are you even thinking twice about Piaf? The answer’s totally yes — I would be very tempted to (be an arse of course and) set the tone by handing her a pastiche of Sartre’s Words? (I don’t think I ever managed to get through it).

Btw, I *think* Out-There may have some experience with existential therapy.

In other news, something’s wrong with my brain — a client I work with asked if I wanted to have dinner last night (she’s straight, married, has kids and this was one of those “I have some time to kill before the concert starts” kinda thing). I nurse a bit of crush on her (her PhD was on math in linguistics and she’s rather sweet) and so, getting to hang out with her should’ve felt awesome and yet, I found that I was so tired and just “off” and unable to even keep up a basic, less-than-excruciatingly-awkward conversation going.

I think therapy’s damaging my brain or something.

I just looked up existential therapy and sounds like it has the potential for being some really deep work...reading about it on goodtherapy.org... it actually sounds rather interesting to me.

(Uh oh - haha)

Trigger warning, just in case:

Will see his family, who I haven't seen in many years and who had turned very strongly against my aunt (my mom's sister). Just feeling pretty anxious about it--and H can't go with me because he has to work (tried to get out of it but couldn't). On the plus side, it's at a bar, so I can have a beer or two... Pocket riders maybe?

I'll ride along, LT.

Sure, if you don’t mind me in your pocket smoking a cigarette in a really long holder while wearing a little black dress and a beret, wafting Chanel No. 5 after you as you go and occasionally saying things like, “la mode se demode, le style jamais.” (Fashion goes out of fashion, style never does.)

Thanks, Art! My mom keeps referring to his friends that will be there as "the barflies," since he hung out at that bar a lot (the one that's hosting the event). I'm a bit curious about them...

That's fine as long as you let me have a cigarette!

Sure, but you have to get your own holder.

My hope is that someone who does existential therapy might have greater intellectual depth than most therapists because it stems from existential philosophy.

I am probably wrong however.

We should all be philosophers insead of going to therapy. Isn’t ataraxia (tranquillity, equanimity) a goal of both?

I’ll be the Stoic, una can be the Epicurean, SD the Cynic, and AY the Peripatetic.

Since morning, I’ve moved from my bed to my couch. And, am planning to make the return journey very soon.

Just sayin’.

I hope you did so while discoursing on the nature of the Prime Mover.

When I was really ill last month, I removed the back cushions from the couch so that it was more bed like, and I haven't changed it back. It saves transportation time.

For some reason, my D insists on taking the back cushions (and sometimes the regular cushions) off of our couches...

I'm right there with you, AY. After I got home from my appointment this morning I was on the couch for a bit, now back in bed. May be ready for the couch again soon, though...

Hello all. Hugs and other appropriate gestures for all who want/need.

Does anyone use a smart alarm clock? The ones that wake you up naturally with light instrad of blaring noise, or track your sleep cycle so it wakes you up at the optimal time.

Hello couchies. H and I just got done slightly rearranging the familyroom (and sweeping because of all the crap that was under the couch haha) to make way for the christmas tree we're going to get on the way home from my eye dr appointment. Yay!

One of the things that was under the couch was an old purse that I haven't used in a year, still full of 'stuff' like old receipts, dead batteries, pennies, and folded up pieces of paper with various writings on them mostly therapy-related. One of the papers is a poem I wrote like a year ago I'm guessing, around the time I was working on forgiving my mother. I may share it.

When I was in high school I set up an "alarm clock" through our home automaton system. The lights in my room were programmed to turn on at whatever time I woke up was. It was nice. Right now I wear my Fitbit which vibrates at 5 am. Both are effective and much preferred over the sound.

Yeah, I will share it, but behind a trigger cuz of one line. It's called The Choice.

Piaf/French T is taking new clients in January. Which pretty much works well for me given holiday travels.

Those light alarms are very popular right now. For me, sadly, they don't wake me up. I sleep better when it's light outside. I mostly use a natural method of alarm clock – the dogs and cat. Their internal feed me it's breakfast time is my most consistent alarm clock