Couch 240: The Vanadis Couch

Thank you for asking the questions the rest of us dare not speak.

Is it our fault if you run rings around us all linguistically?

I expect you all to "hold me in mind" as t's say.

And now im watching Svengoolie. A mountain climbing horror movie with SD's favorite, Forrest Tucker and a telepathic sister act. Hes gonna climb the mountain in his business suit and a white dress shirt. And i presume his wingtips!

H is doing really well on changing his eating habits (trigger for weight talk) i wish we knew how much this is due to the medication and how much diet change - like maybe it's a sign he's actually getting the medication and not a placebo...

Eeks! My lunch break is almost over have just enough time to go make some more tea. Hugs and head nods all around as appropriate.

those sound yummy!!

now I have the f troop theme stuck in my head

morning couchies! hugs and headnods all around as appropriate.

I was dreaming about L this morning right as the alarm went off; in the dream: I call her and she answers, we chit-chat just catching up and it's a very friendly conversation. Suddenly I lose my voice just as I start to say I want to come in and see her, so it just barely squeaks out. She says I'm sorry I can't understand what you're saying, I squeak it out in a whisper again, and she says I'm sorry I can't make out what you're saying then the call drops. I look at my phone and see only 1 bar so I try texting "Oops, I lost you" and that goes through, she asks what's going on with me right now, I tell her a couple things, and she sends several therapy-related meme like things (quotes with beautiful background pictures), which I actually find helpful and then I can see she's typing something and I'm waiting and that's when the alarm woke me up. In the twilight time between asleep and awake I think "Whew, I'm very glad I did not text the thing about wanting to come in!"

Plopping down on the currently quiet couch, closing eyes to rest while I'm on lunch.

Hugs and head nods all around as needed/wanted/appropriate.

Thanks for the hugs, Artie.

We might be getting a new puppy in January!

Aw, so cute!!!

I'll plop down next to you, Art.

After months of working with small germy folk without catching so much as a sniffle, I have finally gotten the crud that's going around. Just a nasty cold. Not so sick that I am able to sleep all day but too sick to do much other than be bored and cranky. I did put out the Christmas decorations this morning, in small bursts, but it wore me out.

Still seeing bicycle guy. It's going really well except sometimes something happens that makes me go "That response was super healthy and relationship affirming and what the heck am I supposed to do with that?!?!?!?!" Inside my head. The outside of my head looks so calm and relationship-y. Then my former therapist's voice in my head tells me stuff about healing and relationship and I breathe and get on over the shock and move on. Then I tell my new therapist about it (because I went and found a new one) and she says therapist-y stuff too.

So...things are going pretty well here. I'm still reading the Couch, keeping up with you all and sending mental hugs (or waving from a distance) even though I don't have much time to respond to folks.

What breed is that tiny adorable little fluff?

Awww! So cute!

Sheltie! She's only 2 weeks old right now.

I took a nap this afternoon and dreamed i was just so happy and comfortable. As i woke up, i realized my abdominal pain has decreased to where i can stand up straight and it doesnt totally consume my mind. I do not like pain. More bargaining with the supreme being going on here!

Sorry you're sick and hope you feel better soon. Glad to hear things are going well with bicycle guy! Sounds like you've learned a lot from therapy. Thanks for checking in!

Curious about something that came up in therapy yesterday: Do you tell your good friends that you love them? Or have you in the past? (Maybe not often, but just at some point.) Also, do you say that to your pets? Yes on both for me.

It came up due to some conversations I've been having in there that led me to say, "I've been wondering if my definition of 'love' and maybe 'caring' is different from most people's." Like that maybe my definition of it was a bit looser. And Dr. T said, "Well, it's different from mine at least. For example, I don't tell my friends that I love them."

I asked him about pets--I know he has a few--but he didn't answer that one. I'm just going to assume no.

No - I don't tell friends I love them and I rarely say it to pets.

I don’t tell friends I love them except very rarely, with the ASL sign. Pets...I might have aaid “I wuv you” (please keep the gagging sound down, SD) but not the same.

Saying I love you more or to a wider audience doesn’t mean a different definition. It just means your rationale for saying it is different from mine.

But you'll look sweet
Upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.

Hahahahahaha! I will make sure to sing that to him next time we talk....

LT- I say "Love you!" to my closest friends all the time, usually with a hug when we're saying goodbye. And to my sisters. Friends and sisters say it to me too, so it's not just me. We also often exchange heart emojis when we text or sign texts or emails "Love."

You warned me too late.
I do tell the pets they are my favorite cat/dog (describing them differently for each pet so one dog is my favorite tweaky dog and the other is my favorite bouncy dog = that sort of thing)

In what will come as a surprise to no one - I have never used a heart symbol for anything in my entire life.

I pretty much reserve saying love for partners (and ex partner my person - I loved her very much) and very close family (grandmother, parents, and sibling on occasion)
Or when making up pretend snarky letters to idiots - Dear Utility Company - your repair person was late and when he finally showed up, he didn't know how to fix the problem so another call had to be scheduled. Tardy and incompetent is not inspiring confidence. Love Stopdog

I tell my cats I love them about a zillion times a day. I don’t say it often, but I’ve told my closest friends that I love them.