Dentist vs Shrink

 This evening I had a dentist appointment followed by a session with the shrink. 

I think I prefer the dentist. 

It's over in ten minutes. You go away feeling all clean. I've been seeing my dentist for well over 15 years - so we know each other. It's a functional, transactional relationship.

I walk into the dentists office at 5.30, I say hello to the nurse, have my teeth checked, pay up and leave. The waiting room is a utilitarian space with prefabricated chairs and signs in Greek (I go to a Greek Dentist in a Greek medical practice. It was near the place I was living at years ago.)

And I only see him every six months. 

I see the shrink every three weeks. 

The shrink and the dentist charge about the same.

The shrinks office is in an old building on a major road. It has the pokiest set of stairs I've ever had the misfortune to climb. The music, coming from the tinny radio was not so subtle. D-Ream's Things Can Only Get Better... It's a song that takes me back to dodgy pub nights in London in the nineties, a pint in one hand, cigarette in the other, dancing away the evenings and ending up with inappropriate men - what you're supposed to do in your mid-twenties. 

And the dentist doesn't stir up all sorts of emotional shite, stuff which I've been with thinking about over the next few weeks - like what gives me a sense of achievement, and what do I do for pleasure.

She found the fact that I think I'm a bit of a failure at life a little harsh - but I will try. Even if achieving something means making my bed every morning, or hoovering once a week. 

She's trying to reframe my thoughts. Hmph.

More on this when I've processed things more, but for the moment, I'm going to err on the side of the dentist for being the more pleasurable appointment. You know what you're going to get. He hurts less - and its over quicker. 

Today's song: 

Little Things from Today

 I find there are two kinds of anniversary day.

There are those that you dwell on. And those you try not to dwell on. 

My father would have turned 82 today. He died 27 years ago - so there is a lot of water under the bridge, but I still remember that today is my father's birthday. Its good in one respect because I then remember a couple of friends who have a birthday today - and I've wished them happy birthday accordingly. 

But other than the nod to Dad's birthday, it was an ordinary day. 

I'm still thinking about the trip to Paris, translating everything in my head in my schoolgirl/Duolingo French. My old French teacher would be very proud. I've got the past perfect, past imperfect and conditional down - the future tense not so much. But the daily 20 minutes of French lessons are bearing fruit. I just have to work on the vocabulary, which is getting better by the day. 

Other things from today. 

I've discovered Turtle Chips. I don't know where they come from. They don't contain any turtles. The churros flavour are amazing - all light cinnamon and chocolate. A bit too yummy. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

Lucifer is still being a sook. He's jumping up onto my shoulders a lot - ever since I last left him with Blarney. He's also got this great habit of coming into my online meetings, walking onto the laptop and shutting down the machine. It's most annoying. Today, as I was trying to talk to a colleague, upset about the decision to euthanise her own pet, he jumped up on  me, showed them his bum, made me contort my neck in all sorts of ways that aren't chiropractor endorsed. Thankfully, it put a smile on my colleague's face. Putting down a beloved pet is never easy. 

And that's about as exciting as it got today. 

Right, to bed. I've got a tradie coming over first thing. 

Today's song:

Booking

France is not too far away. 

I look at the list. 

• Airline ticked booked and paid for
• Writer's retreat booked and half-paid for. 
• Travel insurance bought
• Itinerary before and after the Writer's retreat is underway. 
• The two nights before the retreat are booked in Paris

Decisions have been made. 

We get back to Paris on the 15th of October, after five days in Provence. (Yeah, hard life) I'll need to book a room in Paris for that night. 

The next job here is to get into contact with Reindert. He lives in Colorado, but is originally from the Netherlands, where his aging parents still live. We're looking to meet up in Paris after the retreat.  The plan is to meet up, grab a hire car and have a bit of a drive around Normandy and Brittany for a few days before I make my way home - a 31-hour journey from Charles de Gaulle, to Helsinki, to Hong Kong, to Sydney then on to Melbourne - that last leg was not what I ordered...

Then there's the London bit to get organised. I've got it in my head I want to spend the first night in a hotel - bomb myself out on a sleeping tablet and hopefully meet a friend for lunch the following day in the centre of the city. There's another friend who's already offered me a bed for a couple of nights just out of the M25. And there's another mate who I'd love to catch up with in deepest, darkest Essex.

On the 4th of October, I'll make my way to Paris, taking the Eurostar - something I've always wanted to do. I've booked a room at the hotel in which we're staying for the retreat - but this is a single room, on the retreat I'll be sharing with a mate. 

Things are falling into place. 

It's the organising which is exciting. 

My feelings about going back to London are a little more difficult to un pack. But that's a topic for another post on another day. 

Today's song:

Sunday Stealing Questions

I started writing this from a friend's kitchen table in Adelaide. We're here working on a website for our masonic lodge. It's fun. 

We're also being overseen by a one-eyed black cat named Wink. 

Life is pretty good, but I also need to get this one before hopping on a plane back to Melbourne where I have my own stroppy black cat to make sure I'm doing the write thing. 

Questions have come, as always, from Bev at Sunday Stealing. 

1. What are your plans for June?

I've got a couple of theatre performances to go to. I'm also wanting to 

2. Your mid-year resolutions or goals?

Not really. I just want to get through winter.

3. Are you good at taking care of plants

Not really. I can keep the cat grass alive, but that’s about the only plant that I have in my flat. That and the in the mold in the bathroom.

4. What makes you feel nourished?

Music, Reading, theatre, friends, good sex. 

5. Which animals do you see most in your area?

There are a lot of small yappy dogs that inhabit the street of Richmond. As well as a lot of greyhounds that have been re-housed.

6. Books on your summer reading list?

The next book on my list is The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. I have to get this ready to book read by the 21st for book group. It's my book. 

7. Projects you want to tackle this summer?

Summer is a long way away. It’ currently winter. My project is to up my weights with my trainer.

8. Do you have weddings, graduations, summer celebrations?

Nope.

9. Which summer snacks are you excited to enjoy again?

It’s winter here, so I’m looking forward to eating lots of pumpkin soup and stews. I love winter food.

10. How much time do you like to take for vacations?

Not that much. However, I am going to France and England in October for three weeks.

11. How much has changed since last summer?

Summer only feels like it ended about a month ago. I haven’t really thought about this.

12. Something that would be out of character for you?

Voting for a Conservative political party (In Australia, that's the Liberal/National Party - in America, that would be like voting Republican). It wouldn’t happen.

13. What do you miss about winter?

I am currently standing here at Melbourne Airport, waiting for a bus to take me to where my car is parked. It is about 11°. This is winter. I don’t use it at all. Mind you. I was in Adelaide where it was about 10° warmer.

14. Your favorite free / cost effective ways to have fun?

Go to the park and talk to the dogs running around. That or just go for a walk. 

15. Who do you trust most to house & pet sit?

I am very lucky. I have a lot of friends who I trust with my house in my cat. Jay looked after Lucifer this weekend.

Today's song: 

Semantics

Joys of being a writer - Part 367

Nobody agrees with what you're writing. Ever. 

Everybody has a different opinion. 

And my weekend is being spent massaging all sorts of views and opinions and making up content which is going to make a society with secrets appealing.

Is this an impossible task? 

Possibly.

Can we drag the and order of ancient and accepted freemasons into the 21st century without making the whole thing sound anachronistic, archaic and strange? 

Possibly. 

Can we integrate all of the opinions at hand an come up with a cohesive copy. 

Maybe. 

Will I end up braining a couple of members of the committee. 

Yeah... nah... we'll see. 

Am I getting fed and watered. 

Yes. 

Am I being paid for this weekend's work. 

Yes, and at professional rates, because I'm nobody bitch and I'm worth it. 

Is my cat being looked after. 

Yes. 

What else? 

Adelaide is about ten degrees warmer than Melbourne at the moment. 

As I have a glass of wine in my hand and a one eye-ed cat to pat and I'm about to be fed, I'll leave it at that. Just don't tell Lucifer about the cat...

Today's song: 

Another Day, Another Airport

 Poor Lucifer is going to wonder who his Mum really is. 

It's back to the airport tomorrow morning, this time, to Adelaide for whistlestop visit. 

For a change, I'm not seeing family or friends, other than the one who's putting me up for the night. 

We have a weekend of preparing a new website for the Masons (Or if I'm going to be very specific, Freemasonry for Men and Women - Le Droit Humain).

We have a website at the moment, but it's about as useful as tits on a bull. It's not search engine optimised, filled with old information and is as appealing as a half-flooded op shop. Three of us are putting our heads together to write and design this. I might get to use some of my website designing skills to do a mockup of the new site - I think they've brought me in for my writing and IT skills. 

To be honest, anything will be better than what we have now. If you try and search for our website it's found about ten pages in after the Church of Satan - not that we have anything to do with them.

I also get to spend some time with my friend who moved to Adelaide two years ago, her kids and her two wonderful black cats. 

Lucifer will have his needs serviced by Jay, who's popping in to feed him either end of the day I'm away. It's less traumatic for him staying at home - and he's good for the night people dropping in on hime. 

I'm just a bit used to the airport now. I've got the run down pat. Even packing is easy - although I hadn't taken into account that Adelaide is going to be about five degrees warmer than Melbourne. I'm rethinking my wardrobe as I write. 

It's only for a day. I doubt I'll be able to get a pasty and some fruchocs before catching the plane back on Sunday evening. 

That this trip is funded by the Masons, even better. 

Today's song: 

Push It

 It's the last time I post a photo of my new trainer on Facebook. 

I just wanted to say thank you for letting me test my boundaries on a night when Jay was off doing something with her football club. When Jay's away I get to do some more challenging stuff, and Twelve, as we call him, was happy to oblige.

Tonight was heavy night.

I asked if I could do some chest presses - and not with dicky weights. Part of this was egged on by my old P.E. teacher who lives in Darwin. A sprightly septuagenarian, she's still pushing weights, and was very proud of her bench pressing 35 kgs. 

35 kilos is about the same weight as an adult labrador. 

I've not tested myself on the bench press for a while. 

We started out with a 20 kilo bar. 12 reps. Too easy. 

Then another 10 kilos was added to the bar. 12 reps. Sure, it was a bit heavier, but I could do it. 

The question I get asked is how many more could you do? I said five or six. 

Finally, that extra five kilos was added. And yeah, it feels like you're pushing a labrador off your belly, but I got out a further two sets of ten reps. 

That will do.

One of the great things about getting a new trainer is adapting to the way they train you. Where Cleo keeps us moving, Twelve is more about heavier weights and form. 

The benchmark has been set - it's onwards and upwards from here. 

And a number of heavy sets for a an aging chick is not a bad thing at all. They recommend women keep up with strength training. It staves off arthritis, and keeps your bone density and mobility, ups your metabolism and stops your muscles from weaking. 

I've got no intention of stopping weight training. 

Today's song: