Fifteen Minutes of Scrawl

The other day, I was chatting with my therapist and she brought up the idea of miscellaneous emotions and memories drawer (I had called it a junk drawer, but she said that was too negative). Basically, the idea is that we all contain multitudes, but not all are useful at every moment. So, they all sit together in a drawer and we pull out what is needed in the moment. Here are 15 things in my miscellaneous emotions and memories drawer about my dad. My dad was intelligent and encouraged my curiosity  He fell asleep sitting up in a dining room chair while we spent time together His early retirement would've been seen as a blessing to many My dad struggled much more after he no longer had to show up and be accountable He loved art--especially outsider art His pieces he made while in a care home could be considered outsider art--as far as I understand the term at least My brother looks more like him than I do He disconnected from most of his family His sister has been the one helpi...

Time for family drama?  Marissa, I love dogs, but I think it's kind of a wild time to get a puppy I'm kind of confused as to how Marissa has two jobs, two homes, and two kids and manages it all Catie, you don't want Josh and like that's fine, but let him go I'm glad that, for once, Catie seems to be listening to Josh Yeah, Josh, THE SIGNS HAVE BEEN THERE! Debby, as someone who doesn't cook much either, I have some sympathy, but you had to know you had to remove the shrimp heads Well I guess Mido finally said he loves Debby Thomas, if there is a budget you have to tell Paula Also, yeah, a big rug that can be outdoors is probably gonna be like $70 Paula, just put one of the kids on that camping bed Thomas, can you not do yoga on the balcony? But, yeah, Thomas, you two do not appreciate life in the same way...which means you may not be compatible Ashia, maybe folks who are married actually have a good perspective on what makes a good marriage Huh Mido did something...

I saw a series of posts started by someone with the handle clubjuggle challenging folks to "[b]ring a musical act into the office". They then started with "Fleetwood MacBook". I thought this (and the other entries "A Perfect Circle back on this," "RE:M," and "Pearl Paper Jam") was amazing so I decided to also attempt the challenge. Enjoy my 15 attempts below. Bre akroom Oasis Earth, Wind & Firing Green Sick Day The White-Out Stripes HR's Paramore Policy Rage Against the Copy Machine Talking Department Heads The Who: An Office Org Chart The Office Doors Jefferson Company Airplane Yes Men Peter, Paul and Mary: The Summer Interns Phishing Attempt Black Sabbath: The Policy on Personal Days Insurance Now Covers Dr. Dre (Prompt by me/clubjuggle) Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Here are some short pieces based on things that have happened in my life recently.  Caffeine? I haven't had a full cup of coffee yet today, but I feel energy coursing through my veins. Or is that anxiety?  I used to say that my anxiety felt like poison pumping through my veins and then my doctor was like, "No, girl, that's adrenaline." Adrenaline of course makes more sense as if I'd had that much actual poison pumping through my veins, I would not be here. Also, anxiety is your body's way of telling you that you aren't safe and need to be on alert--so adrenaline makes sense as it'll help you bolt away from danger. But for this morning on a day off (for what it's worth, I wrote this on Friday), I don't need to have this much energy teeming just under my skin. I have valid reasons to be anxious including that over the past two weeks or so my mom had (planned) surgery and I've had three friends in the hospital (including ICU and ER). The logic...

Since my friends and I go to Galena, IL (nearly) every year (and head there today), I decided to look up some facts about it (most directly from the Wiki page "Galena, Illinois" )!  Apparently, the reason it has fabulous hills, valleys, bluffs, and exposed rock is because it wasn't covered in glaciers ages ago It's named for galena (the natural form of lead sulfide) which was also mined by indigenous peoples to use in burial rituals Before a large rush for mining galena, Galena's population was ~200 Then, in roughly 1828, Galena had a similar population to Chicago (~10,000) due to said rush But also in 1828, there was a huge flood which allowed steamboats to go down Galena's streets Elihu Benjamin Washburne, who was a prominent Galena lawyer, later served in Congress during the Civil War, and then as Secretary of State and Minister to France for Ulysses S. Grant when he was president The DeSoto House Hotel in Galena's downtown is the oldest operating hotel...

Here are two short pieces based on things that have happened in my life recently (or even today).  Assemble The other day, and even tonight, I had one of my friends over to help with my new condo. The first saw me anxiously looking as she unpacked the pieces of my new desk chair and kindly offered to just assemble it on her own if that would be helpful. At first I declined, but as she kept unpacking and I found myself unsure how to help, I took her up on it.  It was so peaceful and lovely for us to just be in the same room each doing our own kind of work. I was trying to finish up some computer tasks for work because I was about to take three days off and I didn't want to leave my team in the lurch. She methodically and deftly assembled my desk chair enjoying--or so she said--having a break from computer work.  In the end I had an actual comfortable chair to sit in that could hold my weight and shape well. She had to go, but I thanked her. Tonight, a different friend came...