Couch 241: Twin primes!

cool whip!!

Hey, Velcro.

How are you doing?

i’m doing ok. work is insane right now. the children have been crazy today!

We just had a team meeting at work (at lunch now) and got the 2nd most wonderful news possible this time of year. Our mandatory overtime starting Jan 1 is being reduced! instead of 6 10-hour days - for the first time since I started with this company - we'll be doing 5, 9-hour days and our 6th day per week will be only 5 hours. (The 1st most wonderful news would be that my team doesn't have to help with inbound calls - but that would never happen.)

Glad to hear that, Artie! I know I'd struggle to deal with 6 10-hour days a week!

Hi, Velcro! Maybe they're sensing the holidays coming up? I don't know though, everyone seems a bit crazy lately, including me. So maybe it's something in the air.

Hope they calm down for you.

Mandatory overtime sounds bloody awful. What happens if you don't want overtime and want to work your contracted hours? Also, this looks like a 50 hour week, previously 60 hours. Does the US have a working time directive? Where does a union fit into these working conditions? I feel overwhelmed and miserable just reading about these working hours (mind you, my ideal working week is about 4-6 hours so...).

Sometimes I feel very English.

Yours,
Mrs Outraged from Tunbridge Wells

Wow, we had a luncheon today at work (you all might think this is all we do at work!) We have another one next week to celebrate Christmas. But two people couldn't come next week so we did a chicken spread today. Very good. Anyway, the two that couldn't be there are married and they gave me a gift for Christmas that is so precious. It's a Coach wristlet with little dogs on it. Adorbs. And then because they know I am going to Peru, they got me Mickey and Minnie luggage tags! I've never had anything Coach, although I usually buy Kate Spade if it was my preference but that is such a nice gift. I gave them a Pampered Chef pan that makes individual sized brownies and an overpriced brownie mix from Pampered Chef. I'm not sure we are even. EEK. That is one issue with gift giving at the office. And the problem was I was invited to too many Pampered Chef parties this year so all my coworkers that are girls are getting Pampered Chef. I don't really buy gifts for the guys but we have Christmas stockings and I put beef jerky and See's candies in all of them.

Coach is really good. I got hooked on Coach when all my normal wallets and purse kept dying after a year. My Coahes have lasted for years (minus one that I continually left in the sun). They're not too expensive if you get them on sale especially at an outlet store.

I can't wait for December 23rd! I get to sit on the floor again with L. I'm not allowed to until it's 6 weeks after the gallbladder surgery.

And I also can't wait for January 11th for us to get little Luna! I know raising a puppy is hard, least it's been hard for me. But it's a 10+ years investment, and by about 2 years old, they've settled into their personality and training. Have to try to enjoy the puppy years!

Thanks LT. Things only got worse as the day went on, for myriad of reasons I’ve been crying since I left work, and do not know how I will manage the next two days.

Hugs Velcro

Also sending hugs, Velcro.

Hugs, Velcro.

thanks guys

I've really been enjoying my job as a door dasher. Also last week I went to a concert and because I got there so early they let me do meet and greats with the bands playing. Also the person who was standing next to me at the concert reminded me of an old Therapist of mine.

That's really cool! Hope the concert was good.

Oh, that's awesome! I did that after a concert once.

I had a good session with R today. Ended up doing virtual, as D has a minor upper respiratory illness (Covid negative, but there are like a dozen things going around here) and I didn't want to risk getting her or her kids sick. She had some good insight regarding Dr. T. I may post a bit more on it later, just kind of still processing now.

What's funny is, she said she had a client tell her they loved her this morning! And was OK with it. She said, "I'm a very different person from [Dr. T] though."

OK, I will include one thing here that seems pretty important. She confirmed that D is autistic. And said how OK, I probably adapt how I react to her as a result of that, knowing she processes things differently from me and has certain preferences (like re: touch, etc.). That she wasn't saying Dr. T was autistic necessarily, but that maybe I could think of him in a similar way, how he's different from me and I need to consider some of those differences in how I interact with him (like not wanting clients to say they love him, not wanting any touch beyond a handshake, if that).

Well, a few more things. That it does seem as though I'm trying to figure him out and sort of turn the tables on him (the client analyzing the therapist). And is it worth that energy? Where will it get me?

That maybe I should focus on the stuff he's good at--parenting, marriage, etc.--and consider seeing someone else for other work, whether simultaneously or later.

Also that if some of this is paternal--as he's rather similar to my father in many ways--would I get more out of trying to work on that relationship? R: "It would likely be more fulfilling--and cheaper!"

Finally, I said how in a way I felt shamed by Dr. T. Both in terms of his reaction to what I shared and also in some of his recent comments on how I "wear my heart on my sleeve" and "have strong emotions." The way he said it felt critical. And that I partly wanted to say to him: "This is just who I am. I share my feelings with people. I have strong emotions. There's nothing wrong with that." And R was like, "That's so much progress that you're saying that. That you aren't letting him define you. Can you see that, the progress?" Me: "Hm, yes, I guess I can."

That does sound like a good session, LT. I'm glad. Also hope D is feeling better.

I took the afternoon off today, then I'm off Sunday as well woohoo! Not doing anything special, just needed to use up my purchased PTO.

Thanks, Artie! She actually seemed better this morning, and school was 2 hours late due to freezing rain in the morning, so we ended up sending her (she was negative for Covid, had no fever, and was acting like herself). Hoping she's still doing better now.

The freezing rain shifted to really cold normal rain.

ETA: No idea whether to ask Dr. T if it's OK to meet in person tomorrow assuming she's fine and I test negative or if I should just say we'll do virtual. It may have just been a reaction to going to the indoor pool on her part, as she's been that way after the pool a few times lately.

Hope your D stays feeling good LT. My sis and youngest niece caught some kind of stomach bug. My youngest four nieces and nephews are supposed to come for a visit next week before Christmas. I hope they don't bring those germs and keep those at home. I don't want them!

Kind of had a rough morning. We will see how the afternoon goes.