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Tonite's diary is NOT about SOTU, so if you need a break for a few minutes, follow me below the dingledoodlesquiggliedividergnocchithingie fold...
I'm a firm believer in pre-emptive panicking. My theory is that if I panic early, days or weeks before any event in question (a) I'll get it out of my system; and (b) it'll function like an umbrella on a sunny day, and ward off problems. Seems to work, and the event never seems to go as badly as my pre-panic imagines.
Mr. Brillig was out of town last week, Monday to Monday, a business trip followed by some much-needed vacation to see friends on the Left Coast. This was the longest he's been away since K2 came home, and to say I was nervous about how the week would go is an understatement.
I'd love to say that the week went off without a hitch, that the K's and the dog were on their best behaviors, that the weather was sunny and that my every txt to Mr. Brillig was "things are great!" but we've got too many falsehoods and lies of omission going on in the Republican circus Primary Warz for me to want to add to them :-). Among other things, K1 was sick, K2 lost his lunchbox, it snowed several times, and our basement freezer decided to give up the ghost - discovered when I arrived home with two bags of frozen goods to put in!
The freezer tipped me over into the self-pity realm of This Week Totally Blows. Then,the various people in my life who know me best staged an unplanned, uncoordinated intervention- another way for saying they all told me variations of exactly the same thing and I actually listened. Here's the lesson valuable that's made what feels like a permanent impression on my cynical nature:
It's not what actually happens but how you look at it that decides whether something's gone well or not. Point of view is everything. A crisis is simply an opportunity to show that one is capable of handling the situation, because face it... when a crisis happens, we do. Maybe not perfectly, but we muddle through it and carry on. Remembering that we get through it is more important than chalking up a #fail.
Let me give you a couple of examples of how my POV changed how I felt:
Freezer died. I had 7 cubic feet of still-frozen-but-barely food and less than half that space available in our upstairs freezer. Yes, I panicked. But when I got my head out of that mode and looked at it as an opportunity to show I could handle a crisis, I remembered that it was 18°F outside, and that most of the frozen goods could be put in a cooler outside. This eliminated needing to buy a replacement freezer spur of the moment, and gave me an opportunity to eat creatively & entirely out of the freezer for two days. By the time it warmed up outside and Mother Nature's Freezer went away, I was down to a single bag that friends of mine are holding til we have space for it, or eating if they need broccoli or peas :-).
Morning schedule getting the K's to school. We run a tight ship in the mornings, one that functions best when two parents are around to shepherd tired children through their morning routine. When ONE tired, not-yet-caffeinated parent attempts this, it's not a pretty sight. However - it was a chance to find several new strategies out of necessity that everyone decided should become the New Routine.
Saturday evening I was racing the kids out of the house to meet friends at a concert (Peter Mayer, with guest percussionist Matt Meyers) and we were a bit frazzled. I got them outside, closed the door, reached for the keys that are always in my pocket... and they weren't there. While swapping jackets to shovel snow, I'd left them on the kitchen table. I think this would have qualified as a panickable moment, but my new-found confidence kept me calm. I called Mr. Brillig to find out a phone number for the people who have our spare set of keys. He called, they weren't home. I calmly dialed the police, had them send the fire department, and kept the nice men with crowbars from breaking a window by directing them to the basement door, which was easier to secure afterwards. FWIW - we DID make the concert, and it was excellent!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not letting Mr. Brillig go away any time soon... at least until we get the new freezer downstairs, and replace all of the ceiling light bulbs. When he does travel again, for business or pleasure, I'll be thinking this:
Top Comments for January 24th!
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From lineatus:
In smash artist's diary about Mitt's pay and tax rate, there's some discussion about how much he makes per day. billmosby points out a problem with doing the math...
From Wee Mama:
A new financial unit: The Romney-day and its application to common daily situations, courtesy of Korkenzieher.
From Bent Liberal:
navajo posted a cool time-lapse video with a socially redeeming message in last night's Overnight News Digest.
From Orinoco:
bubbanomics starts a long series of pastafarian punning in plf15's Why this is the best the GOP can do diary.
From Yours Truly,brillig:
In Laura Clawson's Mitt Salary and Tax Calculator diary, mimi says Romney worked less than a day to make what she makes. Meteor Blades nails the response without needing more than the subject line.
Top Mojo for yesterday, January 23rd, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic!
1) As a member of Aden's Campaign staff... by Arkieboy — 134
2) hope this goes straight from your blog to by bubbanomics — 127
3) I have run campaigns in the rural south by The Southern Dem — 114
4) The very rich, the very religious, the very racist by aufklaerer — 107
5) Yes and this isn't just dirty politics by The Southern Dem — 104
6) To know what you want to say by Horace Boothroyd III — 103
7) A) That's a Hate Crime by Vyan — 97
8) Another great moment in GOP fail. by Dragon5616 — 92
9) This has lit a fuse under me by Blue Boy Red State — 91
10) Horrific; heartbreaking by fcvaguy — 90
11) agreed completely. by mallyroyal — 83
12) ! by bubbanomics — 83
13) happee moondai by Debbie in ME — 82
14) In the pouring rain... by jpmassar — 81
15) Brian Williams is texting Obama right now: by weatherdude — 81
16) Hate is a powerful drug.... by MartyM — 80
17) Tin-foil tripped the alarm? n/t by angry marmot — 78
18) Republican Obit by jsfox — 75
19) I don't expect by joanneleon — 70
20) Quibble by blue aardvark — 70
21) I Have Even More Respect For Her by webranding — 69
22) I come here just to see the HA HA HA by voracious — 68
23) My notice is in by Wisper — 65
24) Happy Moonday, T-Dub, et al! by NormAl1792 — 63
25) It's so bizarre - by Jensequitur — 63
26) Aphasia stinks by Diogenes2008 — 62
27) Completely sick. by HugoDog — 62
28) I can't see how somebody with these kinds of by confitesprit — 62
29) How could he be a worse candidate? by anastasia p — 62
30) we's ok for a moondai by Debbie in ME — 61
31) Every single Koch funded candidate should be under by ontheleftcoast — 61
Top Pictures for yesterday, January 23rd. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!