Couch 158: The Newberry Couch!

I have one that wakes you up with light. I find it useful in the winter when it's still dark outside when I normally get up.

ETA: it's the Phillips Wake Up Light. Simulates the sun rising by gradually increasing in intensity and changing colors from kind of orange to more yellow/white.

Waiting for my eye exam....

If you were looking through Psychology Today profiles (not for someone to see, I’m just following networking or modality links all around the US), what would you

a) think of a therapist who says outright that her “ideal client” is an abused woman?

b) is there a top limit of exclamation points (throughout the entry, not all together) that you would accept before dismissing the therapist? Mine would be about one. The average seems to be around 3.

I don't actually see the reason to use an exclamation point at all in business writing. If they are that emotional in their website or their self description, then I can't possibly imagine I could abide them in person

a) Umm....what? That.is.scary.

b) One is too many.

c) I want to know the exact terms / phrases you use to look for therapists. I suggest you place some sort of a patent on them -- I haven't come remotely close to your ability to find these gems and I'm pretty sure I've spent as much time as you (if not more), trying to find therapists.

Well, if I’m actually looking, I usually Google my ZIP code and psychotherapist. On Psychology Today ZIP code and refine by gender, modality, and sometimes insurance.

I found ideal-client-abused-woman by looking for existential therapists. She is nowhere near me. Now I’m searching for the phrase “ideal client” in other profiles.

So, I don’t search for anything weird, but somehow my brain will always zero in on the one with the most issues that are the least obvious, no doubt due to their not using exclamation points? My own personal mental algorithm.

This is my Christmas tree after i came in from hanging the washing. The little plastic holders are broken and i could not find a kitten anywhere. They were still hiding ing in the tree! my D will be upset she set it up

a) the wording of that kinda bothers me....

b) i just checked my t's profile. it says she changed it a couple days ago, back to what it had been before the change early in november. no exclamation points at all, although she does begin with a question.

Well that took a long time! Back from my eye exam and ordering new glasses. It took longer to order the glasses than to get the eye exam because the guy had trouble getting my AAA discount to work (i don't have vision insurance so... yeah.) But my eyes are doing better than I thought, she said I probably still have 10 years before I'll have to start thinking about cataract surgery, and the macula or whatever look good (macular degeneration runs in my family) although my prescription has changed a bit. Supposed to get my new glasses in 10 days. Yay! But... trifocals now... not just bifocals. Meh. I tried the progressive ones (without lines) a couple years back but they did not work for me - they made me dizzy. So trifocals it is... part for driving, part for computer, part for reading close up. I really like the new frames I picked out, he said they'd just come in today so I'm a trendsetter haha, the sidepieces are like a smokey grey color and the frame around the lenses is clear. They look cool. Well now that I've bored everyone.

Hi All,

I am home now and hopefully that will be the last surgery for some time.

I'm doing ok. Sleeping lots.

Possible trigger warning (not putting in regular codes, just a heads up for loss):

Thanks for the pocket riders. Survived the memorial OK. Saw some people I hadn't seen in like 20 years--good to see a couple of them (and likewise), less so for the others. Could tell my aunt and cousin really appreciated my being there, even though I felt I didn't say the right things. Did some shot of some sort of...cherry whiskey? or something like that...which my uncle used to drink along with many other attendees in a toast to him. Parents didn't comment on my having 2 beers and a shot (was over course of 3 hours), so that's progress, I think (years ago, my mom would have freaked out if I'd had two sips of beer because of a DWI 14 y ago...). So, glad I went, even though I did get weepy about my grandmother (who passed about 5 years ago) with my Dad, and he started feeling sad about his late parents. But I guess one loss brings up other ones....I mean, I even mentioned to my dad how MC's wife's death dredged up unresolved stuff about my grandmother... really wished they'd had a funeral or at least a celebration of life for her (my grandmother) to give some sort of closure...

So far Piaf seems awfully organized and focused for a therapist.

As in, we’ve set the first appointment for a month from now, she’s emailed me paperwork, a map, explained how the first appointment works, discussed payment, and asked me to confirm receipt of all this.

And, there are no typos in her paperwork. There is proper punctuation and capitalization in her emails, and no exclamation points.

I’m very suspicious.

Atat-proceed with caution

Here's Miss Penny surveying her kingdom just now:

Why did I not read the about page on her website before?

She’s a former state bodybuilding champion.

This is not good. I have always taken comfort in knowing I could take the therapist in a physical altercation if need be.

I have the house to myself this evening - well, me and the cats - hubby left for a job for a few hours, son came home, showered, changed and left again... think it's time to light a few candles, turn the lights off, and fill up the bathtub with some bubbles and kick back and relax for awhile!

(((LT))) So far each of my Ts have said a version of this statement, and it is the one thing I have been able to agree with them 100% on (at least, it has been very true for me).

How former?

Here's a picture of my cat Moby surveying HIS kingdom earlier today (sorry for the crappy photo quality...my cell phone is 4 years old). Why he loves the top of the toilet when he could hang out anywhere else, I will never know.

She is sixty and has been in the US twenty-five years...so sometime in that period.

I’m hoping closer to 40 than like 58.

Eta: I guess it’s better than court tennis.

Awwww!! He looks like my Rascal!

But, the French have women bodybuilders too.

I suggest clarifying such important questions in the very first session (preferably followed up with a poll or two on PC).

ETA: I just saw your ETA. I take serious umbrage -- court tennis requires......requires.....requires.......something darned character-building I'm sure

I think Rascal has more orange...he's adorable. He probably doesn't bite like a mofo like my cat does either, ha.

Looking good in white and knowing ridiculously complicated rules?

Piaf also publishes in psychotherapy journals, has won some therapy writing award, taught at a certain university in Cambridge, worked as a UN translator, raised two kids, and a bunch of other stuff.

I’m feeling intimidated.

On the other hand, she’s probably read Hamlet.

As if it cant get much worse, the fuel pump has gone in my exs car that i am borrowing. I am destined to **** cars up i hope when i get my newish used one i dont **** it up either. Now it has to be towed and i dont have a car again until itS

fixed