Monday,
12-30-13 @ 7:50 am
Good
morning. We have been up for a while,
but am just getting to the point of knowing that I would like to write. We had had a bad night. I don’t think it started that way just a
quick turn of events. *Sigh*
I think we
left off that we’d been writing and then Rich got done with his work, and then
I think we had printed something out of the mind map (mm) that we wanted to
look at, and then we fell asleep until Rich came home. Apparently he stopped over at the pharmacy
and at his mother’s to take care of that.
I think somewhere in here too – maybe though after dinner – that we
started the dishwasher and cleaned-up MOST of the kitchen, but there were some
dishes left over that didn’t fit in the dishwasher.
Anyway after
Rich came home we split our time between watching the Bears – Packers game with
him and reviewing what we’d printed.
Bears were unfortunately not up to taking on the Packers. We lost.
At halftime we pulled together dinner, which was a NO-COOKING dinner
Hehehe. Rich had been working on the
piece parts in front of the TV – so we figured we could manage. We had a double shrimp tray left over from
the holidays, and he’d gotten chips, and there was a cracker/cheese/sausage
tray left. Parts of it weren’t as good,
but we had an extra roll of hard salami and a new brick of cheese, plus Rich
augmented with the Triscuits he keeps in the cupboard. I stuck to the shrimp and chips, but there
was plenty! Neither of us was able to
finish anything, but we gave it a good try J
I think
after dinner we must have gone back to the little computer and I know the game
was over and something else might have happened, not sure, but know we went on
to watching the other 7 pm football game.
Actually, now that I think of it there was some extra time in there too
because I knew that Rich had turned it over to CSI, but I think we fell asleep
then, and we got up because Rich was going to take a shower and so made sure we
got to bed and the football game was still on.
He gave my legs a good massage when he got out, but by then we were
pretty much out of it. We had taken a
couple extra stress medicines to calm down and so had gotten drowsy.
We had been
overwhelmed. This morning we got up –
not sure when … we used the bathroom and then laid down on the couch. First Missy wanted to be petted, and then
that lead to petting Chief. After that
we figured we were not going to fall asleep so we got up and made coffee, and
then Rich’s alarm went off – it was 6 am.
Just been in and out of things since – we had a little meeting with Rich
this morning on money. We wanted to make
sure the petty cash account was covered and we felt the need to go over a
couple of expenses that were “extras.” I
wasn’t sure if I could get compensation for them back because they came to
about $500, which seems like a lot of money.
Basically, there were five items.
1) Angels ($115), 2) gas for car ($130), 3) Herbalife ($90), 4) Dropbox
(personal and Rich’s business) ($100), and 5) the sheers for the bedroom ($65). They’d all been covered, but that’s a
significant amount out of our account.
The angels I figured were household, Rich used to cover the gas in my
car, I figured we should be reimbursed for his business expense, taking care of
food is usually on him – since I take care of land rent, electric, gas,
furniture payment, and cable, AND the sheers were supposed to be part of my
Christmas gift.
Ok, ok … it
could work the other way too where all those things I’d made choices about
first, so they’d be under my responsibility.
So, we went in the approach that maybe we could split the costs
50-50. Unfortunately, Rich said that I
had more money expendable then him and he couldn’t do anything to compensate
the charge. But, he did remind me of a new
bill I’d made yesterday and that had gone on his account – PLUS the fabric. I know he is right … And, I think all those
expenses were justified, so can’t do much but eat the cost. I know that he’s trying hard to keep up with
his end, but again must always come up with the Ex’s $3000 before he can bring
anything into the family. PLUS, he’s
still behind in his business expenses – THOUGH I was happy to hear he’s working
on bringing down the debt. I think he
has to reevaluate that situation to see exactly what he owes, but it is
primarily one company who was doing work for him. The other 3-4 companies are basically
paid. Not sure why the one had gotten
ahead of him, but thinking having to come up with the extra $36,000 a year is
taking a toll on him. I don’t know how
long he’s going to be able to keep it up.
We did have
one vacation this year, but it was up to my mothers and she gave me the hotel
for my birthday present and covered most the meals.
Main thing
is that we did buy a house this year, and though only $52,000 that was covered
without going into regular costs … the extras can add on like needing a lawn
mower, carpet cleaner, or furniture. Ok,
enough of that.
We’re
thinking we’re in a money figuring mood?
It’s one of those things that come up I guess toward the beginning of a
New Year. Just want to finalize the old
year and get a good sight on the new one.
Have to
readjust our thinking here. Just caught
up with our morning medicine and had taken just one extra on the anxiety medicine. We don’t want to be tired, but we also don’t
want to be unable to function. Plus, we
finished the holiday mashed potatoes and THAT was a full bowl … Maybe leading
me to feelings of grogginess more than anything. *sigh* Why is it that we NEVER seem to
learn?!
Ok … this is
where we have to start from again. We’re
having trouble being clear so we’re going to need really concentrating. I figure this last plex image is where we
should start, and then the next thing that came to mind is the “Next Action
Reminders.” That’s the part that we left
off on that categorizes areas of things we have to be doing.
This next
plex is most of the breakdown the Next Action Reminders.
Now we have
to stop and try to figure out what’s happening.
We’ve been in a pretty kissy mood with Rich. Every time he passes by or there is an
opportunity of us passing by we reach out for a smooch. WooLaLa!!! Maybe this is a good level of stress
medication … J
Ok, you …
get a grip on it!
We’ve got to
focus. Where were we? I think we have been trying to as a long
range goal figure out how we’re going to be more organized for the next
year. We’re a long ways from that … I think
the first part though was that we wanted to check-in to our last system,
because idealistically, we want to do mostly what we’d started there. We’re saying this blindly, because we don’t
know really where we left off. I know
that we were pretty much into things, and then Thom was coming home, and then
that worked into the holidays, and now we are here pre-NYE.
I have to
say upfront there is always this desire to think through the I Ching because
this was something that we’d put so much energy into at one point. I know it’s a long shot, and probably we’ll
never have enough time to do it the way we’d done it back in 1987 – WOW … that’s
already 27 years ago? OMG … that was a
long time ago. Basically, what we’d done
was asked questions and then looked through materials from the I Ching to see
which way the divinity was pointing, and through the reading “scripture,” we
tried to figure the answer to our question, or rephrase thoughts to be pondered
next that would better situate the thought we were trying to get to.
Aha! Done!
We just downloaded an app – unfortunately I think it charged $4.99 to
Rich’s account. That wasn’t a good part,
but after it’s purchased it’s ours. They
had a free version, but it held out information that you really needed to use
the oracle. The app is now on our phone,
and it has a “send” feature to Facebook.
This was the first item …
"I would like to use the I Ching in 2014"
followed by this ….
“[Containment of Potential]
This points to the containment of great power -- power that increases as it is wisely stewarded. Like a river which has been dammed, or a cooking pot with the lid on, holding and containing power produces enormous potential. During normal times, daily ritual and habit help keep life ordered and serene; but in times of great opportunity, the force of a powerful personality is required. Focused attention is required to channel this great potential and achieve supreme success. With regard to what is on your mind, you have considerable reserves of energy and support to draw upon. This is the right time to nurture creativity by collecting and organizing your good ideas and plans. In this way, even great and difficult undertakings can be successful. A hidden source of power for the great is the study of the past. The lives of wise and successful men and women are like treasures buried in the earth. Great good fortune comes to those who unearth these valuable treasures by applying the lessons of the ages to current events.”
We’re delighted
with the message. It seems like a major
yes as to internal thoughts on using the I Ching. In our mind one of the most
important things in life is the sense of “progressing.” I think the I Ching can act as a guide, but
that it does required the focused attention.
I think we have to set some limits here.
The first one is in its daily usage.
After just a few moments of thought, we’d like to try sticking to no
more than three times a day. To us this
means either three separate times, or a combination equaling UP to three, but
individually, it would be spread between morning, afternoon, and evening. I liked that it stated that it was “the right
time to nurture creativity by collecting and organizing your [our] good ideas
and plans.” And, is often the case the reading seems to be written EXACTLY for
the statement we wrote in wanting to use the I Ching. We are reading the usage of the oracle a
little differently though in that before we were asking questions (but not
yes/no questions), and this time it points to statements or decisions. I think we’ll discover more about that as we
go along, but for now it just feels the right thing to do … more conclusive
than open questions to MAKE the decisions.
First make the decision and then see the result J
Oh, and one more
thing … we left the sites “calling card” on our profile FB message board, but
we hid the actual quote that we took from above. It is obviously not THAT private, because we
are including it here on our blog, but with up to possibly three a day, it
would feel overbearing I believe to the regular 500 some people who might get
my posts. I also thought it would be
very useful to have it on FB, because it goes along with a flow of my everyday
thoughts, but more on the personal side so that I could make statements without
having to consider – directing people from my more normal posts. I think in general, to people who don’t
understand the I Ching, it could be a “goofy” thing to do like reading your
horoscope. I think the practice has been
taken in that direction, but I also believe the practice has been around for
thousands of years and has stood the test of time. We’ve got a handful of books if we ever
wanted to take it more deeply as to others’ translations, but for the everyday
use … I think it has a very high rating like 4.8 with over three hundred people
weighing in. BTW the version we are us
is from Paul O’Brien’s.
Ok, moving on
from there. We might want to go back to
some of our thoughts on scheduling ourselves to be accomplishing, but a BIG
obstacle there is that we don’t generally keep up with scheduling ourselves
because we want to add other things to our life as they come up. This will also touch basis on what we do for
domestic Goddessing and weight/exercise.
I’m more eager to go and update the next action reminders than think of
schedules, but maybe all that goes together.
There is a “scheduling” feature of our MM. Basically, we’ve used David Allen’s model of “Getting
Things Done.” But, we’ve veered from its
daily practice. Maybe there is something
that we were supposed to do when we got up as to checking in with what we’ve
outlined?
Hmm, have to
check where we were writing a few moments ago.
It’s now 12:22 pm and we’re coming out of a frustrating fog. We tried to sync the two calendars – Google with
the MM, but we couldn’t make it work. We’ve
checked with someone from the MM and he was useless. We know what is supposed to happen and we
checked all our securities (passwords) and it should be going through, but it
isn’t. We even read the manual. You know when all else fails? Nothing.
We are now even more frustrated, because we were going to use one of
those systems, we’d like for them to work together.
SHOOT SHOOT …
now its even worse. We tried to get at
least the Outlook file to sync and it’s in a long task program – now up to 12
more minutes. I think what it is doing
is syncing the folders that we have saved on aol – which includes years of
emails for the Google and the Groups. That’s
the only thing I can imagine taking up this much time. It started adding just a minute or two, but
now 13 minutes, and mos likely going to keep climbing, at least it hasn’t
stopped yet. UmHmm. Now it’s at 14 minutes. It’s completed 6 of 8
tasks to do with both my email accounts and a third I had forgotten about and
my Internet calendar subscriptions that’s why I keep going – 15 minutes. WRONG direction! The best possibility is I have duplicates of
the Google searches … the worst is if it just erases all them. Nothing to do … either wait or cancel all
synching. 16 minutes. Maybe we better turn away? That be the right thing to do, hmm?
Hard to tell
what to do next. We’re a long ways from
confirming anything being coordinated enough to use. The Google one has the most hope, but is not
coordinating with the MM. It does
coordinate on my phone, and on a second calendar on my Outlook, but on Outlook,
it is saying that it is read only. What
a bunch of smunch. Maybe it would be
better if I could clarify what I would really like to use any of it for.
Hmm, another
little break … It’s now 3:30 pm. We’ve
been off the phone for about 20-30 minutes, but we’d had a long call with my
Mother. She called because she had
gotten her Christmas gift, AND she liked it!
She didn’t know what to do with it, but she did very well with the brief
lessons. We started with turning it on
and showing her how to slide the lock.
Then we went through lots of stuff – and really hit it hard about
getting to the books section. I guessed
right in that she didn’t have wi-fi. I
hadn’t realized though she didn’t even have wi-fi for the laptop. We’ll talk to her about that later down the
line. I think when we added it to our
set-up it only cost like $2.50 per month.
She could now use it for both laptop and kindle … we tried to insinuate
that she could be online ANYwhere in her home… It’s true Hehehe. It’s inviting. We said something about “smartphones” and we
couldn’t come up with the right way of explaining it and fell to – well, you
don’t know what it is, but most likely all your kids do.
Anyway … she was
getting around pretty good … we knew part of the focus was that she had to get
used to finding the “home” button no matter where she was and return home. Also she had known the part of getting really
frustrated and just turning off and on the Kindle. She had a good learning attitude throughout so
it was kind of fun. It reminded me of the training we used to do with the
staff, but my mother was more bent on learning.
I could tell too toward the end I would just have to let her go, because
she wanted to go play. We did talk about
getting books and music on the thing through the Internet through both Amazon
and Rhapsody. Oh, and she happened
across “Fruit Ninja.” So we explained that one too J
I know she’s not big on games, but I hope she goes back to it. It’s a good way to learn sliding around on the
top.
I think the best
part was that she just seemed excited to see one and to have one in her
hands. Its not something she would
accept by asking … just had to go do it.
Think that got done today J
I’m not sure we’re
up to doing too much more without a break.
Rich took a long nap this afternoon and now he’s on his computer looking
up Medicaid. We’ll see how far he gets
without using help. He’s real good about
getting on the phone to call people that can explain stuff to him. He’s not afraid to ask and usually catches on
very quickly. Thinking we’re going to
turn down the TV a bit and slip into a cuddle … hmm, bed or couch? Maybe couch that’s SORTA like not sleeping
for real ;)
Tuesday,
December 31, 2013 @ 3:14 pm
Hi hi … just
us. Not sure all what’s happened since
the last time to this. I guess we were last talking about our Mother calling
because of receiving her Kindle. Have
gone probably about 24 hours since then.
Do I remember anything of last night?
Think I was laying down early because I remember playing with Rich some
covering up games with the big white comforter.
And, then that sooner or later led to dinner. I think we had like sausage and noodles with
gravy. Then what? Think we watched some TV with Rich … Remember
Mike and Molly and probably some Big Bang.
Think Rich got an hour Plus massage last night and then we might have
gone to bed.
This
morning? What do I remember. I think we were sitting in the sitting room
with Rich and remember him asking if we could cancel our appointment with Dr.
Marvin. He barely ever does that, but he’d
promised Bob to be at his party tonight.
I think Bob’s inviting mostly family to drop by, but he’s Rich’s best
friend. I think we have a couple more
hours before we go there. We will have
to jump in the shower in about an hour.
Not sure what to wear … Rich wants us to dress up? YEEKS!
We did work with
Dr. Marvin today in that although we canceled our appointment, we still
discussed through email the pre-transcript to his podcast. I then put a copy in the Group’s page and
left a short note. I’ve been so out of
touch with the group lately. I had
gotten lost in things going back and forth whether to get a new site. Not sure how all that worked between Jazz and
the guys. We’ll see. We’re hoping that by Thursday, we can go over
the pragmatic aspects and then by Tuesday’s appointment we can record. Then Jim will edit, it will be put out
another transcript made, and then that will be the end. This seems to be dragging out a bit, so I
hope we can come to a conclusion. I
think we’re going to need getting back to regular appointments.
1rst Reading:
Having the best relationship with Rich this year
[Following] - Present
Following brings supreme success. You may not be able to change the direction of the wind, but by frequently adjusting your sails, you can arrive at your destination and realize a joy that moves others to follow.
Those who would acquire a following must speak the language of their followers. Those who would be loved must become the imagined lover of their beloved. Those who would prosper must bend with the pressures of the world. In matters of principle, stand firm; in matters of style and taste, swim with the current. If guile or self-aggrandizement enters the equation, resistance will be what follows. Focus on the common good in order to remain unharmed.
In the affairs of humanity, change is constant, and old ideas are continually discarded in favor of new ones. Only by being adaptable to the demands of the time can a great leader emerge. Only by adjusting to changing circumstances can one prosper in the world of commerce. Remain flexible, and you will gain the confidence of those around you. Bend and you shall not break.
Activity and rest in good balance will not only serve the situation well, but will maintain a state of healthy energy, minimizing internal and external resistance to your goals.
Changing Line 2 –
Choose your associates carefully. If you have incompetent people around you, the time may have come to dismiss them, or at least distance yourself from them. At the same time, be wary of associating only with the strong and powerful. The moon shines brightly in a sea of small stars, but vanishes with the rising of a single sun.
[Joy] - Future
A joy that is shared suggests a group of friends playing, or a carefree young girl singing to herself while engaged in her work. Happiness is rising within, and spreading out into the world! Joy comes into the world through gentle means, but springs from a solid inner base. The power of pure joy should not be underestimated. The enjoyment of learning and discovery, for example, has been the source of much progress. Accordingly, that which brings joy into the world is a source of considerable power. If happiness is supported by personal stability, it will in time wear down the stiffest barrier and win over the hardest heart. True joy is a beacon in the world, and though it is, indeed, rare, its presence is an indication of great good fortune, both now and in the future. How could it be otherwise?
2nd Reading:
Summarize the ending of 2013
[Extended Family]
A family that thrives is one where healthy interdependence is supported. Respect for different roles is essential, especially between a wife and a husband whose joint authority is critical; however, strong and harmonious kinship is dependent upon every member of the clan. Trust, shared responsibilities, and good communication are essential. Each member must be encouraged to find his or her position and appropriate contribution. The functional family is a team that symbolizes the ideal of human interdependence, and has long provided a firm foundation for society. The healthy family is an embryo of society and the native soil in which ethical values take root and grow. Fertilize this soil, and the whole of society benefits. The forces that bind a family are the feminine and masculine balanced -- nurturing and receptivity combined with leadership and responsibility. In other words, good parenting. Their words should be consistent, have meaning and power. Siblings' relationships between themselves and the parents carry variations of the feminine and masculine also. Relationships in all kinds of teams are improved through cultivation of the receptive/responsible, yin/yang balance. Learn to listen and receive advice and aid from others, and be willing to assume an appropriate role in any group you are a part of or join. A good team player is supremely valuable to others.
[Creative Power]
The air is ripe with imagination, inspiration and energy. The dragon is an ancient symbol of an electrically charged, dynamic, arousing force that bodes well for creative initiative. If your goals are in alignment with the greater good, and you assert yourself in a positive way, your actions will meet with success. This is a good time to exercise leadership, because you can be strong now. But be forewarned: success turns to failure when strength turns to arrogance. This hexagram is one of the most auspicious in the Book of Changes. In effect, whoever draws this hexagram is assured success by following the six stages of its lines. By being sensitive to conditions and doing things in the right order, one develops greater influence. Time itself becomes the means to make real what is potent. Believe in your dreams and persevere, and everything around you will flourish. Call upon creative power and let it work through you. Stay focused on your goals; do not let yourself be distracted, or you may lose the power available to you now. And remember that when taking action, success requires good timing.
3rd Reading:
I would like to make the most of 2014
[Endurance]
Endurance is fostered when inner constancy is coupled with external flexibility. Long-distance runners must adapt readily to changing conditions, while maintaining an inner determination and strength of purpose. Two trees growing near each other adapt to enhance each other's survival. A strong image of durability is a stable marriage of intimate partners striking a dynamic balance between involvement in the outside world and nourishment in the home. True endurance is not based on rigidity, for endurance implies movement, not immobilization. Only by adapting to change can we stay in the race, but only by deepening our sense of purpose can we develop the fortitude to win it. Continuity is achieved through movement, not by keeping still. That which has ceased to grow is close to death. Stay active, but allow yourself time to stay in touch with your innermost thoughts and feelings.
Hmm, trying
not to feel intimidated by all that … It is a lot of thoughts to put
together. We’d decided previously no
more than three readings a day. So this
is us for now. I would like to write
more about it when we are traveling in to Bob’s. By then we’ll have the business of “getting
ready,” over. Thinking now would be a
good time to take our shower. Maybe stop
in the back room to see what clothes we might wear … Drat, DRAT!
We’re
back. It’s now about 4:37 pm. We’ve got just under and hour until we
go. My hair is still wet, but we’re
dressed. Had to disappoint Rich though …
he wanted us dressed up, but we thought it too cold and snowy to wear one of
our sheer dresses – W/O Boots! We couldn’t
find our one dress pants, but they were sheer too and would drag in the snow
because they are long. Instead, we
settled for good jeans and a shirt/sweater combination. It’s bordering on uncomfortable, but it will
have to do. There’s no doubt being a
larger person can’t lead to those kinds of feelings. It is better dressed then how we dressed – in
sweats over the holidays *sigh*.
That’s
enough of that.
Rich is
watching an old sci-fi type show in the background. Somehow people are getting chased and are
either running or hiding. That’s all I’ve
really picked-up. He said as soon as it
ends, he will shovel some snow and then come in and get dressed a little
more. He’s in a picture t-shirt, so we’re
thinking at the moment we’re better dressed then him J
We’re
thinking that Bob and Linda don’t serve bottled water. Maybe I should put some in the backpack. We’ll carry the chromebook and phone too for
the hotspot. Rich thinks we should take
a nap now, but we’re not for that idea.
Not that we aren’t tired, just that we’d rather write. I’d like to finally post before we go. Then I can review in the car. That’s better than doing too much
reading. If we sleep at all it will be
before midnight ON THEIR COUCH, OR on the ride home. It’s just that the conversation between Rich
and Bob is always fishing and when Linda is added it is about school days –
they all went to the same high school. I
don’t know anyone and can do a couple hours of it, but by then I get a little
tired – plus we’ll be sipping on wine. I
feel like the “Kid” there. I think Linda
is actually the oldest by a year, and then Bob and Rich, and then me 8 years
later. Sometimes a decade makes a
difference. I do like Linda though and
we look forward to trying to swing the conversation to “relationships.” That’s Bob’s nemesis. BLAH!
I will always be more interested in her family and self and how they are
all doing then in hearing about one particular lake or another.
I don’t hear
an ending to Rich’s movie. I can hear
the snow plows out on our little road and am thinking we’re going to be snowed
in. We’ve got 40 minutes for him to
finish the movie, shovel, and get dressed.
Don’t see it happening. I think
we have a few things to put together.
Now …
Chromebook
Phone
4 bottles of
water
Medicine
Scarf
Ann!
Oh yes ... almost forgot to mention it, but Rich and Us DID have our big money meeting. He works on a yearly budget, and had ours completed for discussion. I'm not so sure I like the turn of events in that we ended up with $1,350 of our $1,450 going out to expenses. It didn't include gas, but did include our car ... I'm not sure where the difference is. I see only $100 left over and Rich says we have $150 left over ... So that means I get $150 to spend for the month - though I think that includes periodic gas and $58 a month on parking for Dr. Marvin's AND it doesn't include medical which we HOPE is down this year because we're getting Medicare on March 1rst. We'll have to see. I've always been proud to cover my expenses, just doesn't seem like there is much extra. More talk on this later. But, for now it's time to go. Happy NEW YEAR!
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