Couch 230: Decent Communications

Thanks, Lost.

I finally have a whole weekend off — wahoo!!!

I just looked at my calendar and realized that I’ve been on a cross-country flight, working, on call, or (on the one day at home I was not working or on call) attending a family command performance every single day for over a month. I am ready for some frigging *rest*.

Hugs if wanted. Oof at his choice of words.

I can't believe I start teaching in just a couple of weeks. I really need to put my syllabus and stuff together. And figure out when and where my classes are

I made another sunflower this evening, slightly different pattern, and 2 colors for the petals. I don't know which one I like better! I'm tickled with how they both came out.

Hugs, Kit. I would be annoyed too. I hope they can get you in sooner so you don't have to worry about it so long and that everything turns out well.

Hugs, LT and ugh, I would hate it if L said something like that. I'm sorry Dr T did. I know t's are just humans too but still... I feel like we pay them so they should be able to 'think a little bit more before they speak' before saying something like that.

Today i painted a snail

I love the way you've captured every little nuance! I'm guessing acrylic paint?

Yes acrylics. I recently bought oils and watercolours to try too. You paint in watercolours dont you?

Yes, I do - thanks for remembering!

I'm currently immersed in the remixed new release of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album, for the 50th anniversary.

I hope you'll continue to post pictures of your artwork.

This sounds very similar to where my H works (also a big company), where some of his coworkers (like his immediate team) are local, but others are all over the country. Even when he was working in the office pre-pandemic, his local coworkers often would still work from home. And he usually did one or two days a week (ah, I miss those days, when he was actually in the office much of time and I had the house to myself).

The last job where I worked FT, 10 years ago (before my D was born), we mostly worked in the office, but we generally were able to work from home 1 or 2 days a week (and any time we were feeling under the weather, so we wouldn't have to use a sick day). I feel like that was an ideal scenario, the mix of being able to see people and also be able to WFH at times. I became good friends with a coworker there who I'm still in touch with (we used to meet for lunch every few months before Covid--might try to meet outside soon). If we'd worked fully remotely the whole time, I'm less sure we'd have developed a friendship. We used to walk to get Starbucks most mornings (was around the block) and did lots of talking then.

I also miss working at a place other than home just for being in a different location. That job (and a couple others I've had) was in a major city (I'm in the suburbs), and it could be nice to walk to a restaurant to grab lunch or pick up carryout and sit by the water to eat. Or just go for a walk. I mean, I can go for a walk here by my house, but it's not the same. I do hope at some point to get back in the FT in-person workforce (and tried in the past after I got my grad degree), but I feel like this is a bad time to do so, with so many places still remote.

Oh, I love the snail! Very detailed.

Thanks, QM. Hug accepted! I mean, most of the conversation was good during the session. But the whole "tit for tat" felt very much like...I don't know, like some sort of countertransference coming out. What you'd say in an argument with a friend/relative/partner, not a client. He could have gotten the same point across in a more...therapeutic way.

Had intended to sleep in this morning given that it is my #aggressiverestweekend but the best my body could do was 7:02

Welp, maybe I'll be able to take a nap later.

Thanks, Artie. Thinking before he speaks has not been one of Dr. T's strong points, though he's gotten better. I love the times he says something like, "I knew when I was about to say x thing, you'd probably react poorly to it." Well, if you knew, then...why did you say it? Or at least preface it with some sort of warning (he does that on occasion).

(Yes, I know that sometimes T's need to share harsh truths with us, but there are different ways to word such things.)

Tit for tat seems out of character for Dr T to me.

Sounds like something you would say with extra ty's added at both.

Your funny!

Im just saying, he would be using it as a meta-technique. He KNOWS its not worthy of him or anyone. So i would wonder more about his message rather than deigning to question his psychoanalytic technique. Is he that loose a cannon in session?

My boss texted me yesterday when I was on the way home from seeing L. I didn't see it til I was almost home and stuck at a stop light. She wanted me to work some overtime today. I went ahead and said ok, I'll do 4 hours. That's not too bad. Done with it now and have the rest of the day to do whatever!

My new user name will accordingly be atisketyataskety. I mean, tit for tat is right in there...

I think a) you are giving the therapist too much credit for brains, and b) you are essentially agreeing with stopdog that therapists are wily.

what on earth is a meta-technique? And why make things even more hide the ball pyschobabble?
The second woman used to say things like she was meta-listening= she was thinking of her next art project/dinner/vacation

Technically, if you think about it, all therapy is meta, self-referential.

If only those people didn't act like it is all so mysterious

I havent painted in a long time like 18 months. I recently got motivated. I will post more as it comes along.