Well it’s been quite a day. I managed to break off a part of the lid on my washing machine and – believe it or not – the piece fell down between the what do you call it..the one that spins around and the actual..never mind, this is not my first language and I can’t explain. I might do a little “Repairing washing machine” Youtube video tomorrow. Something tells me not to be a fool, though. I am not a handyman although I actually enjoy when stuff breaks. I like having a screwdriver in my hand. Don’t read stuff into that.
By the way, the machine on the image is not mine. I wish! Mine is the type that opens on top. I really really encourage you to stay away from those. The lid breaks way too easily.
Anyway. Quite a day. Besides from having seen I believe seven episodes of Criminal Minds today, it’s been quite an emotional day. A rollercoaster sort of day. Landslide. Volcano. Ashes. Ups and downs. You know what I mean. At this time of night I always get struck by a calm, though. It’s right now past midnight here in Denmark and I so enjoy the silence and the darkness. My mind is tired and relaxed. It’s my favorite time of day.
Speaking of Criminal Minds, I am almost through with season one and I hear that Agent Gideon is not in the next ones? I know I am hopelessly behind.. Kurt says there are 6-7 seasons!? I don’t know if I will survive not seeing Gideon. What an awesome guy. I know he’s not real..duh..but still, he’s charming, articulate, a deep thinker and highly intelligent. My kinda guy. The guy inside of Gideon is Mandy Patinkin, a Shakespearean actor. I hadn’t really heard of him until I discovered him on this show but Kurt says he’s been around for ages and is a great guy. So I might just look up more stuff with him. He’s definitely great in Criminal Minds.
I better call it a night. My eyes are starting to struggle..
I just stumbled across some info online to help determine if people – that would be me – have seasonal affective disorder. It’s a form of depression that shows up when the days are cold, dark and short ; it’s thought to affect about 20% of people in the US! Now imagine the numbers worldwide..
The signs of SAD are sadness, hopelessness, being sleepy and exhausted most of the time (sleep disturbances), irritability, anger, increased appetite (75% of people suffering from SAD gain weight during the winter), carb cravings, difficulty with concentration and a loss of interest in sex.
So I went through the list and recognized all the symptoms in myself. It didn’t come as a great surprise because I have periods of depression all year through but winter always hits me like a ton of bricks; I start to feel aggressive, sad and very hungry! And my sleep pattern is messed up. So there ya have it, people. During the winter I just wanna curl up, sit in front of the TV with a bowl of potato chips, handkerchiefs by my side (in case of uncontrolled crying) and some sort of weapon to fight off anyone who wants intimacy. How about you? Do you have any of the signs of SAD?
I recognized all the signs within myself and it’s not really a great surprise. I suffer from depression all year long for different periods of time. Winter just always seems to hit me BIGTIME; I just wanna curl up with a bowl of potato chips (anything fat will do), handkerchiefs by my side in case of hysterical crying – and a weapon to fight off anyone wanting intimacy.
Ok Youtube is seriously starting to bug me. When I want to watch my own recently uploaded videos, I get an error message and apparently it happens to a lot of viewers out there cos I’ve seen plenty of forums where this is discussed. Everybody agrees it’s a problem with Youtube’s server.. Grrrrrr….
We all need friends, somebody to confide in about our ups and downs and someone to mirror ourselves in so we may recognize that we are in fact all in the same stupid boat. I have never been much of a friend keeper myself. It has been quite hard for me to find friends in the first place and once I get them, I am not usually the one to stay in contact over a long period of time. I have that mentality where I really don’t want to bother people and I think it might disturb their life if I call unexpectedly! And don’t even get me started on the subject of picking up the phone – that in itself is a struggle.
Anyway, if you have way too many friends there are three very successful ways of losing some of them and I’m going to write them down on a list for you right now – that’s how great a friend I am!
Number one. If a person shares a secret with you and asks you to please let it remain a secret, go right ahead and pick up the phone and spread the news as soon as they are gone. With a little luck the secret will be all over town and quite possibly on TV before the day is over. If you want to be a bad friend or no friend at all, do not keep secrets.
Number two. State your honest opinion all the time no matter who gets hurt. I once had a friend who did this and we are no longer friends because very few people are interested in knowing your opinion constantly: that dress is ugly, don’t you think you weigh too much, I don’t like your boyfriend, you need a haircut, you should be more understanding etc. etc. It’s very hard to be friends with somebody who’s constantly bringing you down and questioning everything you do. So if you want to lose a friend, this is a really good strategy.
Number three. They say that people who have confidence do not need to brag about themselves. It’s hard to be around a person who constantly feel the need to show off their latest whatever, to tell you how much things cost and how they could have afforded two if they wanted to. You really want to get rid of your friend? Do not keep your feet on the ground – fly high and brag every chance you get.
These were of course only three ways in which you can lose a friend and there are many more; I didn’t even mention the fact that you can sleep with your friend’s girlfriend/boyfriend because that’s a whole other blog entry..if you go about it that way, you’re likely to hurt a lot of people whereas if you use one of the three techniques I mentioned, you will just annoy the hell out of people and they will want to stay out of contact with you.
Remember we are not looking for ways to hurt people. We’re looking for ways to dump them..(haha).
As some of you might know, I am unable to watch TV at my place. Well, not unable as in being blind but unable because of this new fancy digital TV thing I hear so much about. I can’t quite get my head around it but although I often say I don’t miss watching television, I must admit that I sometimes wish I could just switch it on and drift off into this awesome world of entertainment.
Like tonight, I fell over a cool website: DirectTV. Here you can order DirectTV Satellite Television, over 150 channels in a package! Boy. To be able to just lay down on the couch with a bag of crisps, a huge bottle of Light Cola and zap through 150+ channels..totally spacing out. I could go for that right about now.
Anyway, I am not so fortunate. If you’re someone who – unlike me – has the ability to pay for your entertainment, go check out DirectTV. The site is well worth a visit if you’re looking for great, affordable TV packages.
This blog entry was brought to you by my friends at DirectTV.
Today I want to write a little bit about something that I call conversation starters. I’m actually writing this post because I suffer from social phobia which is a condition where you fearsocial contact – so trying to find ways to break the ice with strangers is something that I find quite useful and I thought it would be a good idea to make a list for others in the same situation and you can actually use this list whether you are going out on a first date, going to a family gathering or something else. In any kind of social situation this list is good.
First off, remember that all conversations have three phases:
a. Introductions b. Conversation c. Farewell
Introductions are usually quite easy. You shake hands and .. say your name. It’s a good idea to start things off with a quick smile as well – this shows that you are an open and friendly person which is always a good start for any conversation.
Next comes the general conversation. This is where I usually fall flat on my face because I simply cannot find anything to talk about and I fall into this trap: when the other person is trying very hard to get a conversation going with me by asking interesting questions, I am very busy inside my head thinking about the things I should be saying so I don’t hear what the other person is saying! It’s a common thing for people with social phobia – “I have to think of something to say or this person will think that I’m stupid”. While all these thoughts are going on inside your head, the other person is trying hard to get the conversation on track. Usually people will give up talking to you and your worst fears will come true: yes, you really are weird to talk to!
This is why a little list of starters might come in handy.
It’s a good idea to look at your surroundings. Can you find something there to talk about? Maybe you are both waiting in line for the toilet – a good thing to say would be “there’s a lot of people waiting here today, huh?”. That starts off the conversation was something you both have in common: waiting to pee!
Another thing to comment on could be the other person’s outfit. Find something you like and say “I really like your boots” or “that’s a beautiful coat, where did you buy it?” . These are great conversation starters and people always love when you say something nice about them 🙂
Of course there is always the old “how are you today?” – but only ask if you are really interested in knowing. Personally I hate when the lady at the supermarket asks me how I’m doing. I am probably the 500th person she asks that morning and she can’t possibly be interested in how I am doing. If you don’t want to know, don’t ask – but if you show a little bit of interest this is a good way to get a conversation going.
Does this seem a little odd to you? Making a list about what to say to a total stranger who might approach you? For people who are naturally outgoing this might seem a little odd. What’s so hard about making conversation? Well, there are some people to whom the social scene is terrifying and we need a little help breaking the ice.
If you want to get into a conversation that’s a little heavier, you could think about a current topic – maybe something you’ve seen on TV or – if you want to make it really heavy – get into politics! On a lighter note, how about mentioning a movie you just saw at the cinema?
Now if you are anything like me the problem is not only getting a conversation started but also keeping it flowing. This might be one of my biggest problems. If people ask me something I’m very likely to answer yes or no and thus the conversation ends very quickly. To keep the conversation flowing is something I am always struggling with and it’s not that I’m not interested in what people have to say – it’s the fact that my brain is working so hard while they are talking that I sometimes don’t really hear what they say and so I don’t know what to answer!
Now let’s say you walked into the local fast food place and you sit down and have a burger. You notice that there’s a family sitting at the table beside you and the kids are playing with the PlayStation that the restaurant has put in place. Now the dad turns to you and says:
– My kids love to come here because they can play on the PlayStation!
This is where I would totally freeze up! At my most intelligent and outgoing hour I might say “okay ” or “yeah it’s fun to play on the PlayStation ” which makes me sound like a total idiot , I know .
What could I say instead ? Well , I might ask if there are other places in town who have the same service for kids. Or I could play dumb – just to get the conversation going – and say “I don’t really know what you do on a PlayStation ..” and the dad would certainly inform me about it . Or I could let them in on a more personal note : “yes my son loves the PlayStation too”.
It’s very easy to sit at home and come up with answers but trust me when I’m in the actual situation , I sound like a total fool .
Another thing to remember is that just because people lean over towards you and make a comment like this , it doesn’t mean they are willing to go on for a half an hour about the origins of the PlayStation . You need to make it short and friendly and end it gracefully .
Getting away from the conversation in the fast food place could be saying “I am running late but it was so nice to meet you, enjoy your meal”.
Then smile.
That’s it. Short and friendly.
Little tips like these sometimes help me in social situations and like I said, you can use these tips in any social scenario. I hope you found them helpful as well.
My mom and son are sitting in front of the TV watching the Denmark–Swedenfootballgame. And I am sitting a little further away behind my laptop but listening to the game. I am not really a football – or any kind of sport – person but my nine year old son is in love with the game so I told him it’d be okay to go with me and watch the game with his grandma.
The last week has been really busy for me; I’ve been out of town and I’ve been jumping rope and playing the excellent game of badminton with my son. We are so bad it’s ridiculous but it’s a ton of fun! I guess I know what we will be doing in our summer vacation now. Practice makes perfect, that’s what they say, right?
Some big, exciting news too! Sue from The Sue & Steve Show (visit the link in our link bar on top of the page) has been kind enough to check out our podcast and she gave us some nice pointers which we will try our best to follow. I sure wish we had some good podcastingsoftware but it costs a bundle, it seems. I know there are free programs but I really want a pro one! Cos when you use pro software, you feel like a pro. I think. Anyway, when I get more time available I will be podcasting more and trying to improve things.
I will be back tomorrow with Moore
Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.
Hey peeps, I’ve been out of town for a few days and haven’t had time to update the blog but now I am back and have a bit of time to write a few thoughts down – before I fall off the chair from exhaustion.
I saw Barack Obama’s speech on TV today and I remain in awe of him. He is a born speaker, incredibly well spoken and a true leader. I am sure he will do great things for America and the rest of the world. Amazing man.
Another urgent thought: I really must get a tan. I wore short black trousers these past few days and my very bright and aware son said: “Mom you look like a chessboard, black and white”. I must get a tan, I must get a tan..
Not the most interesting of blog entries but don’t expect more from a pale white, Danish, extremely tired woman.
Thank you.
Quote of the Day: If one synchronised swimmer drowns, do all the rest have to drown too? –Steven Wright
Well this just speaks volumes about A. How bad my cell phone is at recording a video clip and B. How much of a project I consider cooking to be: It needs to be recorded! Geez.
Anyway, it was a leek/ham/onion pie being made tonight and I’m eating it right now. It’s actually quite good.
And the final result, ladies and gentlemen:
Not too shabby.
A little update: It also speaks volumes that Windows Live Writer has chosen to turn my video upside down for some reason?????? Ha ha ha..
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