tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post8628186636241117194..comments2024-02-23T02:03:23.020-07:00Comments on The Eco Cat Lady Speaks: How the Other Half LivesEcoCatLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-87983318810706644812012-06-13T07:46:42.490-06:002012-06-13T07:46:42.490-06:00Well I agree with you. And a particularly valuable...Well I agree with you. And a particularly valuable point is seeing ourselves as broken and needing to be fixed. <br /><br />I call myself a person who has trouble functioning as an adult, and seek help for things I feel are important enough to work in, but definitely embrace my boldness - because why should I function as an adult? Who's construct is that? Baaah whatever :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-2710957456371638252012-06-11T00:59:30.631-06:002012-06-11T00:59:30.631-06:00Hmmmm... I don't know if I'd call it "...Hmmmm... I don't know if I'd call it "strength of character." In some ways the poor fellow was just a very convenient target for all of my pent up rage. <br /><br />You know, as a person with significant childhood "issues" I've sort of spent a lifetime waiting for the moment when I'd be "all better." And I'm coming to the conclusion that it's a mythical concept. I mean, I used to see it like I was "broken" and I needed to be "fixed." But the older I get the more I think that those are just idiotic constructs that really only serve as both excuses and traps for me.<br /><br />As CatMan always points out, life doesn't work that way. You just have to take it one moment at a time and the only thing you can do is deal with the decisions that are right in front of you. And at each moment you can either choose to be real... to accept and acknowledge all of the emotional "stuff" that's going on inside of you at the moment, or you can choose escape (whatever your chosen method of escape may be.) <br /><br />There are many, MANY times when escape seems like the attractive option, but I think I'm finally getting to the point where I can at least see that momentary escape really only gets you in deeper. I'm also coming to the realization that the childhood stuff and "uncomfortable emotions" never really go away, and that making them go away isn't really the goal. You can't chop off a chunk of emotions any more than you can surgically remove a vital organ and expect to function.<br /><br />It's still a challenge for me. But slowly I'm learning how to feel everything I feel without having to freak out about it.EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-7076753097972893442012-06-10T20:21:06.767-06:002012-06-10T20:21:06.767-06:00I am right in the process of learning not to fill ...I am right in the process of learning not to fill voids with 'stuff'. It's very hard. I grew up with one spendthrift parent and one incredibly tight parent and now which style would I choose to take on as a girl who just wants to have fun eh?<br /><br />For me, the challenge and process of changing my ways requires professionals, patient partners, sometimes medication and always self reflection (which can be mistaken for self absorption). I am nowhere near mended. I can't trust myself to get a credit card but after 4 years of a hard slog I have learned to live within my means. I am just now weeks into learning how to save. <br /><br />I'm glad I never had a beerman though. I wouldn't have come out only $4,000 in debt you clearly have great strength of character!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-89115850732496954612011-11-11T12:26:50.133-07:002011-11-11T12:26:50.133-07:00Janeen - Oh the dreaded twang factor! I think twan...Janeen - Oh the dreaded twang factor! I think twang is sort of like garlic, a little goes a long way! Have you ever heard of Pandora? It's an internet radio thing, only you basically build your own radio station. You tell it a few songs or artists that you like and it just starts playing songs that it thinks you will enjoy. You rate them as you go and it builds the play list accordingly. Well... apparently my diverse taste in music included one too many pedal steel guitars because pretty soon it had me down in Texas with a broke truck and a sweetheart who done left me. Sigh.<br /><br />Mary - To be honest, I have never see the Little Mermaid, so I fear part of the joke was lost on me. I still loved the graphic though!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-49109745116907995012011-11-10T12:36:05.983-07:002011-11-10T12:36:05.983-07:00Laughed so hard when I saw the Little Mermaid clip...Laughed so hard when I saw the Little Mermaid clip. Holy crud, how did I never think of it as hoarding? and "sanctioned by Disney" almost made me spit my water. That is priceless. And I don't mean in a save it for 50 years priceless kinda way. ;)Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16576182360963956966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-25677783877218612232011-11-09T10:36:04.419-07:002011-11-09T10:36:04.419-07:00LOL... Sunday night I was driving home and all I c...LOL... Sunday night I was driving home and all I could tune in on NPR was "Simply Folk" and it was pretty bluegrassy stuff. Don't get me wrong, I like some of it (Ricky Scaggs -- in moderation; Allison Krauss; Nickel Creek and their various offshoots), but there was a bit too much twang for my taste. It was either that or a bunch of bad country music... eventually I just turned off the radio.Janeennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-16024674736617109782011-11-08T12:33:41.278-07:002011-11-08T12:33:41.278-07:00Christine - It was trouble indeed... I remember th...Christine - It was trouble indeed... I remember the time he came home with a 6-pack of Pepsi. I reached for one and he nearly lost it. Apparently, that 6-pack wasn't intended for consumption because it had some stupid promotional BS printed on the cans... which made it a "collector's item." So nobody was allowed to drink it, or to remove the cans from the plastic rings because 50 years from now it would be "worth a fortune." Sigh.<br /><br />I'm over it... I'm OVER it... I'M OVER IT DAMMIT!!!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-38814329319460890842011-11-08T00:59:48.872-07:002011-11-08T00:59:48.872-07:00Yikes! A beer can collection. That's trouble, ...Yikes! A beer can collection. That's trouble, but you're right, it doesn't matter what it is, it's what it's covering up.<br />BTW, love the picture of the dog with his head in the ground. Great post!Christine@100things100dayshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11953484713771698921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-71566811219879810842011-11-07T18:41:43.248-07:002011-11-07T18:41:43.248-07:00Kristin - I love the comparison to our health care...Kristin - I love the comparison to our health care system. Because, gee... if everybody took care of themselves, and dealt with their emotional baggage, it would be sooo much harder to sell them stuff, drugs and medical procedures!<br /><br />JNU - Down with Stuff! I fear I'm not exactly landing on the minimalist end of the scale, but once you've lived with someone on the other end of the spectrum, it does make you reconsider how much you really need.<br /><br />Janeen - I've actually met both Allison Krauss and Allison Brown back when they were playing together... the school where I used to work hosted them in concert once. I fear I just don't have the bluegrass gene though... I was the fiddle player in the band and I could literally hear my classical violin teacher rolling over in her grave with every hideous rendition of the Orange Blossom Special that I squeaked out. <br /><br />I also could never master the singing style... the only way I got close was by feigning a southern drawl when I sang. I've now switched to jazz standards and torch songs, which is much more my style.EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-37724559159484321692011-11-07T12:21:41.337-07:002011-11-07T12:21:41.337-07:00Actually, a very compassionate look at the subject...Actually, a very compassionate look at the subject, and not too cranky.<br /><br />Problems always start with a guy in a band... haha!<br /><br />I wouldn't be too self-critical about your bluegrass skills. Once Allison Krauss came on the scene, it's all been pretty downhill from there.<br /><br />Ever heard Allison Brown?<br />http://compassrecords.com/alison-brown<br /><br />I heard her live once. She's an interesting person. She went to Harvard Business School and worked as an investment banker for awhile. She likes to joke that when she told her folks she was quitting the rat race to play banjo, they thought she was nuts. Now that the economy has imploded they think she's a genius! She makes it look easy. She used to back Allison Krauss and she has her own label now.Janeenhttp://pixiediaries.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-42393618918207221242011-11-07T09:25:43.804-07:002011-11-07T09:25:43.804-07:00Death by banjo sounds like fun thoughDeath by banjo sounds like fun thoughJ.N. Urbanskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15559313396686836048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-82601875229059657662011-11-07T09:25:17.338-07:002011-11-07T09:25:17.338-07:00Agreed. Stuff equals stuffed!Agreed. Stuff equals stuffed!J.N. Urbanskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15559313396686836048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-52241208637175644752011-11-06T23:45:14.890-07:002011-11-06T23:45:14.890-07:00I too find myself shocked and sometimes disgusted ...I too find myself shocked and sometimes disgusted to the way the "other half lives". I am criticized by others when I bring up the rampant consumerism in our society & families as being too extreme. Sometimes it's "just a phase" as far as "they're" concerned. It's our lifestyle actually.<br /><br />I think that most of us can relate to your story (whether it be a coworker, family member or friend rather than an ex). I think that we all know someone who is dealing with their issues in the "wrong way"/via avenues that are simply treating their symptoms rather than addressing the cause. Much like our traditional health care system actually. <br /><br />I commend you for coming out & addressing it, since "we" are clearly not "the other half". It takes all kinds I suppose...Kristin Overtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17919961850855072276noreply@blogger.com