No, that’s an understatement … it’s been a BITCH of a week!
Our server installation has been a nightmare. 3 Days later and we can finally do some work again but there are so many unresolved issues that we have to contend with that I’ve no idea when we’ll be 100% operational again. Unfortunately, it turns out that the company who sold us the Small Business Server doesn’t *really* know what they’re doing. We’re still sitting with a few machines (the Macs) unable to connect to Exchange, IIS Web Services ain’t happening blah blah fishpaste.
So much money, so much time and I’m seriously hacked about the whole thing. We’re all so behind on work now – it’s going to be a pretty shit weekend trying to catch up.
The alarm system is borked and keeps going off randomly. ADT wants me to evacuate the premises, lock everything up and then stand very, very still to test the alarm. This was after I simply asked them to send a technician. Apparently that’s a fail in their books. No … I have to perform the evaluation and fix myself. Jeez! EVENTUALLY I managed to convey to the chickie on the phone that I don’t have time for that crap and I just want a bloody technician!
We’ve lost a phone line somewhere in the whole office re-vamp AND my home line has died. Yay … we get to rely on Telkom to come fix!
Son#1 is struggling like no-one’s business over in the UK. He got fired from one job, is earning peanuts on the other and basically doesn’t have enough money to survive. i’m getting such sad messages from him, it breaks my heart. Fuck.
My sore back has set me back big time – I had to rest the whole of yesterday AND I had a damn tummy bug on top of that so I’ve been thoroughly miserable. Neither the chiropractor nor my GP knows what’s wrong with my back so I just have to keep on taking meds until it decides not to feel like I’m being impaled in my right lung. Great.
*grumble*
Mmk, I’m finished moaning. Fingers crossed that things start getting better. Fast.
Hmmm … ja … so I obviously haven’t written anything in a while.
Here’s some inside info: if I’m quiet for a long time, you KNOW something’s wrong.
At first, that was because I was in a my-life-is-so-excrutiatingly-dull-there’s-nothing-worthwhile-to-write-about phase. And I’m not exaggerating. My day-to-day existence suddenly appeared to be SO stale and monotonous that I couldn’t even bring myself to write about it. It seemed utterly pointless. There was just NOTHING going on and yes, I was in a total rut. Again. Hey, it happens you know? Well, to me at least. Meh.
So then, last week events took a drastic about turn. For the worse. And in the last week, I’ve been so wrapped up in the new drama happening, and trying to keep my head above water, that I simply haven’t had the energy to write anything. It’s been a heartbreaking and tearful few days, a massive test of my resolve.
So my life has gone from one extreme to the other in a very short space of time!
The Drama?
Well, it’s Son#1 related. And it’s ugly. It’s resulted in him moving out of home. But that’s not where it’s going to end. There’s going to be a LOT more crap to deal with before this show plays out … I may write more about this, to vent. Or not. Although I have plenty to say on the matter, I’m a little hesitant to share my feelings because any posts about the issue could very well add fuel to the fire at this stage. And SHIT, that sucks.
I feel a bit censored and I’m really not sure how to best deal with it. You know Son#1 reads my blog (so does the X btw), and he seriously takes me to task if I write stuff he doesn’t like. That shouldn’t bother me. Or should it? This is my outlet, but it’s public … I don’t to hurt anyone but at the same time I don’t want to feel like my freedom has been curtailed in any way, especially since him laying into me (about more than just this blog) is partly to blame for the current drama.
My youngest Burmese, Rocky (aka the Noonoo) has, for the past couple of weeks, been totally over-grooming himself and tugging out his own fur.
Poor thing looks mangy! I was hoping it would clear up by itself but it didn’t, so I whisked him off to the vet this morning.
Mr Vetman confirmed what everyone had been telling me – mah kitteh is stressed 🙁
BUT … it could also just be heat stress (Rescue Remedy did nothing to help), and not real “psychological damage” (sheesh, MORE freakin’ drama to deal with?) and prescribed something to de-stress him. Um, it’s a cat contraceptive but apparently it does the trick! And who am *I* to argue?
So anyway, The Noonoo is now, as far as I’m concerned, as high as a kite! Kitteh hasn’t left my side all day and if he’s not meowing for my attention, he’s collapsed into a heap on the table next to me.
Awwwwe … poor little thing!
(um, no dirty jokes from you guys with your minds in the gutter heh)
Indeed a bold statement; you’re probably picturing a kind of hard mental sledgehammer which is strong enough to crack firm stress into little pieces. But actually, I’m referring to something very, very soft. So soft that it melts stress instantly like butter near a hot stove. Here it is: watching an infant laugh.
This is because the very structure of the infant face causes adults to bond with babies. Researchers did an experiment and showed pictures of both baby and adult faces to people using advanced technology to examine the effects on their brains. The monitors showed that the baby faces activated the part of the brain which is associated with rewarding (happy and positive) emotions, while the adult faces did not.
So, babies faces in general make us feel good, not to mention when they laugh their little heads off. You parents out there especially, know exactly what I mean. Remember coming home all tight and frustrated after a difficult day at work; but the minute you saw little Junior, your positive emotions took over while the negative ones just disappeared.
Here is a deep thought to ponder: when we look at a baby, we see ourselves. This is because we too were all once innocent children uncomprehending of the evils which are part of the reality of our world. Then, as we got older we’ve adapted to the real world and as a result a general feeling of stress takes over unless we are successful in preserving our positive selves.
Ultimately, this baby-like blissfulness is the state that we all aspire to, whether we know it or not. We know deep down inside that “we’ve lost it” and therefore we adults easily connect with babies who haven’t lost it.
This brings me back to the title: watching babies laugh with delight is the strongest stress buster because it puts us in touch with the foundation of our own minds – before we’ve learned to be so stressful. And thanks to technology, it is quick and readily available to you and me any time we need it. Just make a video of a few babies laughing and watch it at least once a day.
