Couch 241: Twin primes!

When they handed out lanyards at my last place of employment, i was all like, "i hope these are breakaway in case i get my i.d. caught in a thresher." I thought thresher was a funny word, but i got the feeling people felt i was being rude or something.

Hi Couch,

Is it common after an embarrassing experience to feel like you don't want to be seen by that person again for a while?

What I did on Wednesday hasn't yet reached the point of being a funny story.

I'm still kind of worried about the fallout, to be honest.

Yeah, lots of people like to hide after feeling embarrassed. Even in the sims 4, there is a feature to hide when embarrassed! It does blow over after a while though, and probably they wouldn't mind seeing you right now either.

Thanks, CNS.


I bumped into my vicar in town, who I have met a total of four times.

He was walking behind me and said something.

As soon as I realised it was him...I turned around and gave him a hug.


This is not protocol, by a long shot.

I recently did one of those DNA testing kits, 23andme. I got my results back last night. My feelings about this may not make sense to any of you, but I was adopted as an infant in a closed adoption so I have only ever had the demographic information provided by my 15yo birth mother. The idea of being blood related to someone has always been a very vague and hypothetical idea to me. Apparently there were DNA matches found. I don't know how to deal with this information right now. I haven't clicked into that part of the report. I knew this was a possibility but I also did not prepare myself for this. We probably should have spent several sessions on this, but we didn't. The current plan is to not look at this information until we can meet again in person and do it in session. I emailed him that I got the results and the feelings I was having about it. It was his idea to read it in session and I think it's a sound one.

I imagine that any sort of DNA connections could be meaningful to you. But I also have done 23andme, and pretty much all of the connections it's given me have been things like fourth cousins or further out. So know that if it says you have a DNA match, it doesn't mean that it would be something like a sibling or parent--could be someone fairly distant. It still seems like a good idea to read it in session. Just preparing you that it might not be as enlightening as you could think.

H got a long-distance job over to El Paso, TX this afternoon, he just called and let me know there were several delays with getting the package delivered so he was just barely getting to Las Cruces, NM on his way home.... he decided since it's below freezing over there right now, it'd be smarter to get a hotel room there and sleep for the night, instead of driving the rest of the way home now as it would not be good to have car problems at night in below-freezing temps on those long, lonely stretches of highway between there and here. I'm very relieved at this decision needless to say!

Also, I think this means that I must take myself out to breakfast tomorrow morning

I am also going to take myself yarn shopping after breakfast, yay, it's SO cold where my son and his gf live now that I want to make them each a scarf before they come visit in early January. I can't wait to see them! They're coming really soon so I need to buy some chunky yarn that will work up quickly - otherwise I'd just use yarn that I have here already. Besides I still have a gift card for Joanns that has like $25 on it still or something that has been calling out to me from my purse haha. Woohoo, I love yarn shopping.

Hugs, Lost. I think he knows about what's going on with your grieving, right? I imagine he understands about the hug and is accepting of it. In his role, I imagine he gets hugs from other parishioners, too. So it's different from if you, say, suddenly gave your plumber a hug. I suspect he's OK with it, even if he may have been a bit surprised.

I imagine you'll see him for some sort of holiday service? I hope you can feel more OK in yourself about what happened and that he will greet you warmly.

Thanks, LT.

I think he knows.
I've explained a bit, at least, about who Steve was to me and his 'role' in my life.
Although I'd like to go to a festive service, my Mum is not feeling well at the moment...so it's probably best that we don't.

Thank goodness for live streamed events.

I've already scheduled an email to R about all this, for a couple of days before next session. I mean, we hug, but it came about by agreement...so that's less weird.

Happy holidays everyone, I'm thinking of all of you!

I realized a bit ago that I’ve never not seen my mother on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve too for that matter.

Moving on to London tomorrow.

Hi Couches ! Not been around for a while but nice to see you all and Merry Christmas !

Are you coming to Edinburgh?! The Athens of the north!! Except better! On the downside, not as many kουραμπιέδες but don't despair. We have In Bru and sheep's intestines instead.

Omg i am so over the stupid people in my ex family. My D told me one of her uncles had his leg amputated and i said 'oh well' but tis guy has diabetes and was told years ago if he didnt take control of things he could lose a leg. His idea is i can eat more sugar if i take an extra tablet, it doesnt work that way. Now i feel alittle bit bad because i was so uncaring in fromt of my daughter, but come on...

Happy Holidays if you celebrate.

I will just stay curled up in my bed like every other weekend.

Happy Holidays to all who celebrate.

I have had Irn Bru, thank you, and am not anxious for an encore.

But a candidate for next year’s holiday distraction is hiking Hadrian’s Wall, so the Athens of the North would be a natural next stop.

If you go around saying things like that about Irn Bru, you won't be allowed further north than Hadrian's Wall.

I dreamed something about L last night. I don't remember the dream anymore; it was one of those where I remembered it when I woke up during the night, and thought to myself "eh, I'll still remember it in the morning" then rolled over and went right back to sleep. And of course, I no longer remembered the details of the dream this morning, only that it somehow involved L. I have been really lax about writing down my dreams and working with them in the last few months; but I would like to get back to that habit!

We are not doing anything for the holiday, I'm off work today/tomorrow and h will be leaving shortly for a job up to Scottsdale (extra pay cuz it's christmas). I don't mind, it doesn't feel like christmas to me anyway. Well, we did go out to breakfast this morning, so that was something at least! I called my son earlier but I guess he wasn't awake yet. Hopefully he'll call me back this afternoon. eta just talked to my son! they're doing well, learning how to drive in ice and snow!

I hope you all don't mind, just needed somewhere to dump this!! That was a pretty horrible day... Possibly one of the worst Christmas' I've had, certainly for a while. It started off well but got steadily worse and worse and ended with me downstairs in our room at the in laws with my colouring book watching catch up TV on my own. I just couldn't deal with the bickering anymore. Sad times. Unhappy Christmas to me. I'm not sure whether to be proud of myself for walking away or whether all I've done is bottle it up and turn inwards again. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day and all that! I won't be rushing back to spend Christmas with them again sadly, I'd honestly rather spend it alone with just R and me!

Sounds, uh, interesting. I'll try not to pre-judge based on the Listerine comment because I love root beer and I know a lot of UK folks think that is pretty disgusting. And they're wrong.

Happy Holidays to those who celebrate! I have now survived Christmas Eve with the in-laws and Christmas Day with my family (including my aunt, who I haven't seen in like 4 years). Both were generally OK, I suppose, but lots of stuff came up. Plenty to unpack with Dr. T.

Oh, and things I've now said at Christmas: "My therapist will be happy about this gift!" (regarding a guided mindfulness journal that I'd asked for).

I'm sorry you had such a bad Christmas. I would say to be proud of yourself for walking away. Maybe next year you can skip your in-laws'? Hugs, if wanted.

Just too effin' cold. But my ozempic stomach pains continue to diminish. It had felt like my sides were stiff and swollen - a weird sensation! Like a vacuum cleaner store balloon guy? Like i couldnt bend? But feeling and softness is returning. I had mac n cheese and an apple for breakfast, and some potatoes and corned beef for dinner. So getting pretty daring with the meal plan.

I think one more day of cold. I REALLY need to clean this house and wash some clothes and build a fort - it is drafty in here!