Couch 250: An August Couch

I just need to rant.

H's boss is seriously mental. The wife told the company (7 employees total) that they are no longer to tell the boss bad news or anything negative. Today, the boss says that employees are not allowed to schedule meetings with each other. And in their morning meeting, they must now raise their hands if they wish to speak, but even then they might not be allowed. The company runs med spas. Instead of the professional site H built him, he now wants his website and marketing to look and sound like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde... Also, H developed a list of SEO marketing terms that are and aren't allowed in ads. The boss wants H to give up the list so he can give it away for free... There's even more idiotic and insane ideas that are also illegal and unethical. I've been trying to get H to look for another job for months now, but he keeps making excuses. He is overworked (12 hr + days plus weekends) and unpaid here.

Yikes, Scarlet.

H's boss sounds like a complete posterior.

What does the boss' wife have to do with anything?

My boss has offered me an out for the murder mystery workshop on Saturday, and I don't know what to do.

"I am giving you permission to take care of yourself."

I don't want my grief to affect my work.
Apparently they don't feel that I can leave the room without causing concern among the kids.

They may be upset by the sense that they have done something wrong.

It's nice your boss is giving you that option. Do you want to go on Saturday? And how will it affect your mental well-being? Put yourself first. Sometimes putting yourself first helps others more. Like the concept of filling your cup before you fill others. It's okay to have needs.

Thanks, Scarlet.

I'm not overly comfortable with it, and yet it's my job.
I am hoping to have a conversation with my contact at the helpline tomorrow.

"We don't think that you are incapable of doing your job" my boss said "but we need facilitators who can hold the space, and I am not saying that you can't, but it may be difficult for you given the circumstances."

I think it's OK for you to choose to take care of yourself here, Lost. To take the out that was offered.

Thanks LT,

Just wondering how the heck to explain it.
Didn't have the chance when my mother got in from work today, and she's meant to be taking me.

The timing was weird because she found out today that a studio space she was considering moving into has been let to somebody else.

The other thing is that I usually write a blog about the workshops, for which I kind of need to be there...

Boy, this medical weight loss program through my work must be pretty popular. I finally got scheduled for my first dr appointment, and it's not until Nov 1! And I don't see the dietician until December. Well, I'm sure the time will pass quickly. In the mean time I'm trying to get back to walking every day.

Lost, what yoga videos do you like? I am looking for some good ones that are short enough to do on rushed mornings.

Hey WFS,

Thanks for asking.
It's hard to field that question because I tend to go by what I feel I need rather than the teacher.

The most important things for me are my motivation and what my body will allow me to do.

Most of the time I use yoga somatically.

I know you didn't ask me, but Adrienne is the darling of YouTube yoga. I like her and she has a million videos to choose from, including morning yoga and short yoga and yoga for anything you can think of. However, I am fat and old and there's not much allowance for my kind of body in her practice. She will highlight only doing what feels right for your body, but I can find it a bit dispiriting.

I'm going to go against the grain, Lost, and suggest that you face your trigger head on. I have a feeling that you're stronger than you think you are and can deal with it. And if you can't and need to leave the room for a bit, I'm sure these kids can deal with it. I'm the queen of avoidance though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Thanks, NP.

Have to say that despite my two hour conversation with the helpline this afternoon, my work ethic is close to winning out here.

I don't want to go through it again, but it would be weird if I wasn't there.

My mom decided to ride out Milton together with my dog in her apartment in Florida. They live in apartment building in a place way above sea level. She apparently took part in a community room "countdown" like for new year's eve for landfall. Her area is not flooded, and by now she has power again and the sewage plant is working. Water was always okay.

I do not understand her staying still... a huge storm that might have flooded her whole area for days or worse just went randomly a few miles South so it didn't bother her as much... I'm glad the people were very stick together kind of guys. They seem to have a text system in place for each other, the whole building is working together even though there's no big problems.

When I was little, a big hurricane (Fran? Gloria? Don’t remember) hit the East Coast. To get people on the Jersey Shore to evacuate, police were going door to door, and if told the homeowner was planning to stay, bluntly asking for the name and address of their next of kin.

It seems a pretty common human impulse, to deal with imminent danger by ignoring it. Of course, I’ve gone for miles-long walks voluntarily through the eyes of two hurricanes and -15F weather with no ill effects, so I may biased.

HFC! Hair of the stopdog!

Ya know, y'all wouldnt be so cavalier about things if that woulda been a 2 by 4 flew into Anderson Cooper last night. Missed it by that much, as Get Smart used to say!

ETA - Man, i was exhausted for a good 24 hours after i stopped working yesterday. But i was really pushing it. Altho not to the point where i was wetting myself, as usually happens on the last day of a house move! I guess i will know that i am getting old if my physical recovery time exceeds 24 hours. Altho usually i am okay after a nap and a good nights sleep. So i ended up taking it easy today. Watched Law and Orders tonight. Ba-bom!

The dancer spawn moved to Florida to dance, and was at the edge of the stupid hurricane. After Helene I gently suggested that folks here were a little worried because we don't have those things. This time he texted me the day he and his roommate went hurricane shopping (water and snacks), and the day of when they were all holed up in their apartment to prepare, AND the morning after to let me know they were fine but had lost power. And he texted his grandmother too, without being reminded. So. He's a good egg.

I use a couple of her shorter videos but sometimes I think...wait...I don't think my body does that any more!

I find Benji pretty inspiring, though. I can lie down with my eyes closed, yawn, and look around to see what's going on with the best of them.
(Benji is the dog, for those who may not know.)

Thanks comrade!

I often think that with Adriene, WFS!

If modifications exist, I wonder why she doesn't offer them.

Couch Workout Club day 71-72

Yesterday I was delighted to find that the 10-minute yoga video offered in this month's 10before10 self care challenge by the bereavement charity who have been so helpful to me was accessible.

Today I had an optician's appointment, and then walked around town.

Some Dr. T dry humor for you from earlier this week:

We were talking some about the "love stuff" from a couple years ago, where I'd said I loved him (platonically) and he seemed accepting at first, then got all weird about it. At the time, he said I was the first client to have said that to him.

Yesterday, I said something like, "With my being the first person to have said that to you. Well, not the first 'person.' I assume, if nothing else, at least your wife has said it to you."

Dr. T: "It's an arranged marriage. We're still working our way there."

LT - That is effin hilarious!!! I guess the 14 yr itch is twice as bad as the 7 yr itch! I never even made it to 3 years so IDK!

Yeah, he can be pretty funny. Think he's been married like 20 years maybe--21-year-itch? He said at one point recently that he realized he's nearly been either dating or married to his spouse for half his life (he's 54).

Today has been a day, but I ultimately decided that I'm no good to anyone if I'm only halfway present at tomorrow's workshop.

Hopefully now I have made the decision, my system can settle.

Hugs, Lost. Sounds like you're doing the right thing for you. I hope you can have a peaceful day.

Saw my GP today for usual follow up. Apparently my A1C is in the pre-diabetic range and he wants to put me on metformin now as a preventative to keep me from getting full-blown diabetes. Not that I want another pill, but becoming diabetic is pretty scary because of the complications that can happen so this may just be the push I need to work this weight loss program I'm getting ready to start to the fullest. I don't have to wait for the first appointment either. I think I've been scared straight I already went for a walk today. It is time for Artie to break the sugar addiction again. I've done it before, I can do it again. This time though it has to be forever. No more excuses.