Lived Experience Forum

[CheerBear]

An ocean sunrise would be very beautiful @Mazarita, though definitely get why getting there in the morning isn't totally appealing! When I was younger we used to spend some holidays on an island around your way-ish (in your state at least) and the East side of it looking out to the ocean would have had some pretty awesome views I think 🙂

Kitten is very lovely and a welcome addition for everyone except our cranky Mouse cat who is not loving her at all. She's got an upset belly though which isn't fun. We're off to the vet to have her stitches from desexing removed so I'll hopefully be able to get some advice and treatment for it if we need to.

How's your day looking today?

[Mazarita]

Hope the vet goes well for kitten today, @CheerBear, and that there's no extra expense. I feel sorry for the mouse cat. I imagine it could be a case of sibling rivalry, even though mouse cat may be too old for that. Or else mouse cat is just set in their ways and doesn't like the new reality of having to factor in now the social presence of a new cat. It might feel like their life will never be the same. Wow, having written all that, I think I could have an alternative life as a cat psychologist. 

I have a long appointment with my GP today, for my first ever all-over skin check. I have barely ever worn sunscreen in my life, as I have bad allergic skin reactions to it. I also think it's horrible to wear, which probably explains why my trials of different brands of sunscreen have been very limited. In any case, good idea to have skin checks.

I saw my GP towards the end of last week too. This means I am relatively recently showered, hehe. Will be having another this morning, since my skin will be subject to close examination. 

Anything planned ahead for today with you, aside from the vet?

[CheerBear]

Haha with the cat psychologist @Mazarita. If there was a job like that I would love to have a go at it. I find everything about cat behaviour fascinating. I love watching their personalities come through with their body language. Mouse is only 2 and a half and told me that she doesn't like the idea of sharing me or her bed (my bed) or her blanket (my blanket) 😆 Mouse has my heart and I think I have hers and I think this is uncertainty and some naturally territorial behaviour. I've kept kitten away from my room (her zone) and that will hopefully help a bit. Kitten will learn who is boss eventually.

Good stuff with the showering and getting to your appointments. Hope the skin check goes OK. That sucks with the sunscreen 😏 We were out for a few hours in the sun yesterday and I forgot sunscreen. My nose and cheeks are feeling it today. The sun has such a bite, it would be hard not being able to wear sunscreen in it.

Not much planned for me/us today. I've been feeling flat, tired and a bit off in general. It's made it hard to get out and about or do much over the last week. I probably should start looking at what the kids need and what else is left of Bigs list to start back at school soon. Maybe I can do that today.

[Mazarita]

Hugs for the flat and tired, @CheerBear (I kind of read it at first as you have a flat tyre!) Hope those feelings improve very soon, today even! School prep sounds like a useful thing to do today. Have you been crafting much lately? I'm thinking it's probably been too hot.

[CheerBear]

I haven't been crafting much (at all) @Mazarita. It has been a bit hot which makes craft with yarn not as fun, as you'd expect. I think that flat tyre 😉😆 is playing into that too a bit. I seem to be having a bit of the opposite feelings to you in that way at the moment. Maybe when the kids go back to school I'll find my happy place with it more easily.

How did the piece for the magazine go? Have you finished writing it?

[Mazarita]

@CheerBear, hope the heatwave eases up soon across the country, especially for @Exoplanet! It's really not as bad here, being so close to the ocean, but I'm still finding this summer much more difficult than usual and am spending huge swathes of time inside with the aircon and fan both going. Never used the aircon so much before, usually only occasionally. Very grateful for it this year, though also feel a bit guilty about it because of the environmental impact. I would be pretty much unable to do a thing though if I didn't have it on a lot this summer.

When do the kids return to school? Hoping your bounce returns even before then. 

The journal article is finished, awaiting publication in about a week. To answer your earlier question too, I'm feeling great about how inspired and productive I am at the moment (perhaps too great), even if it's exhausting me. I know it won't last forever, but it's a great start to my creative year.

[CheerBear]

The heat wave has been quite amazing @Mazarita. We have been lucky here as we have a breeze that has kept temps to relatively OK with the occasional big temp, though it is very much summer here too! It's been very humid at times which few people here cope with! Not far away (half an hour drive) the temps have been surprisingly different often as the breeze hasn't reached that far. Where we sometimes stay has been very hot too.

I'm glad you have your air conditioner, even though it doesn't feel great to use in a way. The idea of not being able to do much if you didn't use it makes it very worth using!

Awesome to hear you made the deadline for your article and that you're still feeling great about it all. The 'maybe too great' could feel maybe a bit tricky at times. I feel for you with the need you have to watch the ups as well as the downs like you do. You sound so on to it while being able to ride along with it though. Maybe that's a kind of balance you can feel proud of 😊

Kids are back in just under two weeks. Some xmas holidays and any holidays really, have been a struggle for me with the constant of them but this one has been OK in that way so far, despite the ugh-ness I've had at times. I won't be too sad when they return to school though!

[Mazarita]

@CheerBear, I think one of the keys to making the deadline for the article, is that there was no deadline. I approached the journal editor about it a couple of months ago. If it didn't happen at all, it wouldn't have been a big deal to him. He's a cool guy, a friend over the net.

I do have a deadline on my major video-making project at the moment though. Fortunately I am running weeks ahead of the closing date. I planned it that way so I didn't fall into the overwhelm and following depression I felt about the 'failed' project at the end of last year.

You might be amazed at the long list of projects I have going at the moment! I'm juggling a few at once, and I have others mapped out for months ahead!

Thanks for thinking I might have some balance in finding a way to ride the ups and downs, while being aware of them. It's hard for me to think there's much balance in my life while in this time of manic creative energy and so little sleep. But it's true that there is some centred point inside me that is keeping me sane. I've never seemed very insane to most people, even when I kind of was! It's something that mostly goes on inside me, though my GP did say I was talking faster than usual last week. The outward manifestations are rarely all that obvious though, as far as I'm aware.

[greenpea]

@eth Goodness who is looking at the pants!!!!!!!

[greenpea]

@Mazarita@CheerBear Morning ladies. So good to see you here Mazzy 😄

Good morning also to @eth@TAB@Adge@outlander@Exoplanet wishing everyone a fabulous day 🙂 xxxx