2010 November

Can’t Fight the Feeling

November 30, 2010 By The Well Read Hostess 7 Comments

The local public radio station features a weekly program called Voices in the Family. At first, uh, listen, it’s not exactly an attention-grabber. Dr. Dan Gottlieb, the host of the show, is soft-spoken, and and kind of seventies melllloooowww. But you know what they say about books, and judging them by their covers.

Dan calls ‘em like he sees ‘em, and most of the time, he takes a pretty no nonsense line on all things psychological. I don’t often listen to the show, mostly because I’m not anywhere listening to the radio when it’s on, but periodically I catch a bit of him, like yesterday, when he was being interviewed for a segment on “soft addictions.”

Soft addictions are those kind of socially acceptable activities that can, if we allow them to take the place of actively living our lives and engaging in meaningful other activities like having relationships and doing stuff, take over and make us zombie mutant boring drone people who ignore our children to play World of Warcraft or shop online obsessively or sacrifice valuable sleep eight days a week in order to be at the gym by 5 a.m. for that all important time on the elliptical. That’s the scientific description. Or something like that. As Dr. Dan Gottlieb described yesterday, and I’m sure I’m getting this at least 2.6% correct, we tend to become addicted to our predominant emotion. So if we’re naturally risk taking people by temperament, we can easily become addicted to risk taking behaviors. If we’re temperamentally susceptible to needing attention from people, we become addicted to attention-seeking behaviors. If we’re naturally morose, we become addicted to moping around, etc…

Which makes sense. Does it not?

But what does that mean about the addiction to addiction? Because I think that’s what I have.

Which would explain the vast amount of sugar free, fat free chocolate pudding in my refrigerator at the moment.

And possibly also why I periodically have to remove the game “Bejeweled Blitz” from my computer.

Don’t judge me.

I’m soft.

Filed Under: Facts of Life, I Just Make Most of This Up, Keeping it Real Tagged With: Dr. Dan Gottlieb, jello pudding, soft addictions, Voices in the Family

Once Removed

November 24, 2010 By The Well Read Hostess 4 Comments

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, this year we’re spending it at the beach. I even like to host the holiday for big crowds at my house. It represents everything good about home and family and makes me feel all snuggly and warm. I know. Kind of sick-making, but there it is.

I lost my voice four days ago and still haven’t found it; since then I’ve been trapped in involuntary time out. Part of that time was spent on a leadership/camping weekend with a bunch of teenagers. I was in a group with ten kids, well, nine if you don’t include me. It was bizarre not to be able to speak up as much as I normally would have. Especially when I was standing on the 12 inch diameter top of a 40 foot telephone pole preparing to jump off it; I had lots of things I’d have liked to yell then, but couldn’t. I’m getting used to it, though. This quiet time. I find that I am more comfortable than I’d expected being once removed from the action by virtue of my non-verbal participation.

I can’t imagine why anyone would want to have anything to do with a day called “Black Friday.” My plan for that day involves leftover carbohydrates, sweatpants, and as much of a couch as I can finagle. I have two kids, I get the whole Christmasapalooza thing and the need for bargain shopping. My kids birthdays are right before and after Christmas even, so I’m especially sensitive to the money money money spend spend spend aspect of it all. But damn. If I should find myself standing in line at 4 a.m. with about 50 other people because it’s the latest thing and I must have it, it had damn well better be world peace, eternal salvation, good will toward all, or clean water and healthy food for the planet I’m waiting for. Or at least a kiss with tongue from George Clooney.

Gobble gobble.

Filed Under: Facts of Life, Holidays, Home is Where the Mess Is

If A Me Falls In the Forest

November 19, 2010 By The Well Read Hostess 5 Comments

I do not go gently into that good…

afternoon, actually.

I’m going camping. Sort of. I’m going to a camp, for a few days, with a bunch of high school students. It’s a work thing. I’ve been before, so I mostly know what to expect and, therefore, know what to bring with me. Hence, I’m packing many pairs of comfortable shoes, extra socks, and earplugs to banish the sounds of cabin mates snoring.

But there’s the matter of snacks. I don’t recall being madly truly deeply in love with the dining hall food. In the understatement of the year. So even though I know that I’m bringing an extra pillow and a pair of gloves, I can’t stop thinking about the foooooood issue.

Ryvita Fruit and Seed crunchy crackers. So good. SO good they require a capital SO.

Cocoa almonds. Not exactly chocolate covered, but close enough.

Ah Crystal Light. There’s only so much plain water I can drink. We used to mix this with straight booze in high school, college, graduate school, never that’s gross, who would ever do that. For shame.

Critical that this be of the peanut butter ilk.

These are incredible. And, bonus, they ensure that people leave you alone because, HELLO, gorgonzola breath!

Petit Ecolier. Little Schoolboy. Sounds kind of naughty. In a good way.

If I bring all this I’m going to be beset by rabid squirrels or hedgehogs, aren’t I.

What I’d really like to bring is this:

But I don’t think I’m going to be able to pull that off.

The Gladness of Nature

by William Cullen Bryant

Is this a time to be cloudy and sad,
When our mother Nature laughs around;
When even the deep blue heavens look glad,
And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground?

There are notes of joy from the hang-bird and wren,
And the gossip of swallows through all the sky;
The ground-squirrel gaily chirps by his den,
And the wilding bee hums merrily by.

The clouds are at play in the azure space,
And their shadows at play on the bright green vale,
And here they stretch to the frolic chase,
And there they roll on the easy gale.

There’s a dance of leaves in that aspen bower,
There’s a titter of winds in that beechen tree,
There’s a smile on the fruit, and a smile on the flower,
And a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea.

And look at the broad-faced sun, how he smiles
On the dewy earth that smiles in his ray,
On the leaping waters and gay young isles;
Ay, look, and he’ll smile thy gloom away.

Filed Under: Back to Nature, I Just Make Most of This Up, Mama Like