Done yesterday (20110609 Th)

[mdlbear]

0609 Th
  * awake 6ish; snuggle
  * up 6:30; W=198.4; drugs, nose, teeth; laundry, dishes, light
  * Self-Compassion: The Most Important Life Skill? (haikujaguar)
    " Where self-compassion is a way of relating to your self -- especially
      when times are tough -- self-esteem is a measure of yourself against
      others. In order to keep self-esteem high, you have to convince yourself
      you are better (or, preferably, the best), either by denying your faults
      and pains or by putting others down, and usually both.  
  * productive at work; almost all bug-chasing, though.
  @ Career Opportunities at Ricoh EWS
  * post Thankful Thursday
  * buy:  9V batteries
  * buy:  bulb for freezer.  Weird, mid-size base; 18W?  22?  25T18N
  @ rowanf: I had no idea google thinks I'm a 30ish male (must be WoW?)
  * dinner:  Red Lobster.  Short drive afterward (to Winchester).
  ' (meta) I'm pretty sure the Critic's name is Waldorf (from the muppet)
    the Driving Instructor is different, and concerned about safety
  @ watch out for low-flying bears
  @ Clays Beneath the Skies by haikujaguar
  * bath, bed ~11:30

Another busy day at work, almost entirely bug-chasing.

By the way, Ricoh EWS, the company I work for, is hiring. See Career Opportunities at Ricoh EWS. We're located in San Jose, conveniently close to the airport.

Lunchtime was taken up by a somewhat unsatisfactory shopping trip; at least Lowes is big enough that I got a little walking in. I found their store layout to be confusing (why are lightbulbs, lighting, and electrical so widely separated?), and the automated checkout process highly annoying.

I finally got what appears to have been the last of the bugs chased down by around 6pm, at which point I came home to find Colleen waiting on the porch on her scooter. We went out for dinner at Red Lobster.

I have identified a couple more of the voices in my head: the Critic (whose name appears to be Waldorf, after one of the two annoying critics in the Muppet Show), and the Driving Instructor (whose name is probably not Statler). The DI's criticisms are always constructive and concerned with safety (not just on the road). The Critic is the one I have to talk back to.

A pretty good day, on the whole.

Watch out for low-flying bears.

Comments

[judifilksign.livejournal.com]

My darling husband said that he knows the retail reason why lightbulbs, lighting and electrical are so widely separated.

Lighting is a high margin item, and visually grabbing, so they want it in prime space. Lightbulbs and electrical bits are utilitarian, so people tend to go in, get them, and leave, so they don't need to be in prime space.

Other things such as cabinetry, carpeting and wall paint also need to be in prime space, and seasonal items, so the bits that would rationally go together aren't.

I also feel that they are hoping that if you trek through the store looking for the fiddles and bits, then you might see something else that you forgot you needed, and get that, too.

[mdlbear]

That's probably true, though Home Depot seems to do a better job. Lighting is all the way in the back, so that you have to walk through either electrical or lightbulbs on the way to or from.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

I would be thinking what the critic's end game is; what *positive* result could the critic being aiming to achieve? I found that by framing a voice as having a positive end goal that they might be charging towards in a manner that I didn't enjoy, I could reframe how I heard their comments.

[mdlbear]

That makes sense. In my case, the reframing usually seems to come from another voice ("talking back" to myself). E.g.,

Critic: Stupid bear!
Susie: Yes, that was a pretty stupid thing to do. Next time try...

... which is reframing it from a comment about me to a comment about what I did, with a suggestion for improvement. The two-voice thing seems to work for me.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

In the long run I found I could generally get one voice in particular to switch from Don't do that, idiot to Um, y'know... by pointing out it was more productive than putting me on the defensive(I don't like even my own voices calling me an idiot;-)

[mdlbear]

I should sit down and have a talk with Waldorf, now that we've been introduced.