"In winter you must have been barely alive"

So. I feel like life is slowly on the uptick. Here's the (veggie)beef.

* I started going to therapy--frankly because Fernando wanted me to. But that's cool, I think therapy can be good for anyone, if you like your therapist. I think she's lovely. She's very empathetic, but also very professional. And laughs a lot. So far she's just gotten background info from me, so talking about my childhood and family and such. Which has only reinforced in my mind that I had a good childhood for the most part, and love my family a ton.

* I had one job interview a few weeks back, through a friend. I have another one next week--a second interview, actually. Spring's coming which means my job is going to go crazy soon (taking in donated goods during spring cleaning / moving season. You can imagine.)

* And I finally figured out the plot of my novella!

A lot of TV shows are ending, which either means time to pick up some new(old) ones, or time to watch less TV and work on my book.  ;-)  ...Or clean my home.  >:-(

And overall winter is lifting, and my spirits have lifted along with it. And I love the symbolism inherent in spring--life after death, renewing ourselves.

"People are like flowers, they blossom in the sun." 

- Jane Siberry

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Song of the Day: My friends Vidal and Onthatmidnightstreet are having a baby. And some of the reactions they've been having reminded me of this song from Carousel. (And who knew the cutie from Foyle's War and Downton Abbey could sing!)

More random reading lists

Oh look! The books I brought with me to Nanaimo back in 2012.

Read
Mother Night - read before I left - enjoyed
The English Patient - loved it
My Lucky Star - Wodehouse with gays - right for the depression I was in!
Indiscretion - very Heyer-Austenian writer, so enjoyed
Starfish - too dark for my mood, but very good hard sci fi about ocean floor sh*t
Rumpole a la carte - always enjoy Rumpole
The Name of the Wind - not quite for me, but most fantasy readers enjoy it


Tried to Read but Rejected
- Time Traveler's Wife
- The Halifax Connection
- Wild Swans - don't think I even tried to read it. Just decided it was too depressing for my state of mind, and left it behind.
- Millionaire
- Objets perdues
- Un gout de bonheur
- Saga
- Orlando


Sped-red
- Light Fantastic by Pratchett -- not good
- The New Yorkers by Schine -- once I realized a dog would die... 


Left in Nanaimo Unread (I think... )
-Rules of Prey
-maybe the Rendells
- Serial Killers Club


Read Since
- the Sharon Shinn book

--> So out of 40 books I managed to read or eliminate half. Pretty lame. The rest I brought home!

Pretty sure I read or read-rejected a few of these before leaving

Wherever you are, there's your toe

Last night I finally caught up with my friend Vidal. We went to our favorite convo spot (Chenoy's Deli, open all night) and had a 5 hour session. He told me such a good story about mindfulness.

Earlier this year he went a silent retreat in Thailand (?I think)--no talking for the week. Just meditating, and listening to teachers.

At the end of the first full day he was walking the dusty trail back to his room, with just a head lamp to light the way. He was thinking about how great the day had gone--how good he was at this! Self-congratulatory pats on the back about how easily he'd taken to meditating, how great he was at this mindfulness stuff.

At which point he slammed his toe into a root. Gushing blood. Splinters he was still picking out of his toe for the remainder of the week. His trip would have ended then and there had it not been for a fellow retreat-er who gave him antiseptic powder. (This is a *thing* -- a thing you need in humid climates. Liquid antiseptic doesn't work well.)

Vidal and I both struggle with remembering our meditative practice. What I love about this story (besides the inherent Pride Goeth Before the Fall humor) is what a great reminder-analogy it is. How many roots am I mentally/spiritually slamming my toes into, and injuring myself, every day? Because I forget to grab just a few minutes of meditation, or practice a few minutes of mindfulness? By too much worry about the future, too much focus on the past, what kind of injury am I doing to myself?

P.S. Nice post-script to the story. The Swiss Guy who gave Vidal the powder was this free-spirited uber traveler, who found the silent retreat very inhibiting of his Le Free Spirit. He felt so much better when (at the end of the retreat) Vidal thanked him for saving his whole experience.

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SONG OF THE DAY

Nettles covering Bob Seger. Best song about being young.