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 … JOk, 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] - PresentFollowing 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] - FutureA 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 thegreater 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 …
ChromebookPhone4 bottles of waterMedicineScarfAnn!
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