[freckleface7]

(((((((((doodle))))))))))))) you are completely justified in feeling every single emotion you are feeling.
everything 7 said- Right ON! ( & beautifully said as well)
get it out! supressing it only makes it grow stronger, and you add resentment to the mix as well and it becomes so very toxic. we all love you here too much for you to do that so Please Don't.
be proactive. go to Al Anon w/ or w/out him as you plan.
you are the one steering your ship sister, go in the direction you know to be True.
(((((((doodle)))))))

rv: post that picure! do it Do it!

confession: pp is possibly going to DC in protest of the stupak ammendment & hell's bell's I am hopeful to go too, but...... while yes I trully honestly believe in fighting against it, but I also have a not-so-secret desire to get arrested- at least once in my life- for Civil Disobedience.

thank you all so much for the Lucky hugs, and I really Am ok.

[rogue]

((((doodle)))) ((((freck))))

And CH, I'm glad I've been home during the Lounge outage - I probably would have been like "Oh, FUCK!" if I were at work without it!

[girltrouble]

((((doodle)))) :/

[sevenseconds]

(((((doodle)))))

I'm down with expressing anger, and all emotions, negative and positive. (Sublimation/ finding a creative outlet/ is all fine and dandy too, but it takes a bit more centeredness than one can muster on a bad day) It's actually Zen-Master-like to roll with it, be in the moment and true to yourself, let it sweep through you without resistance, express. That way the incident leaves no unprocessed "karma" to weigh you down and the outbursts get less violent because they don't bring up old stuff we stuffed in. What are the roots of this whole "stuff it down and hold it in and it will go away" philosophy, ladies? Is it the puritan ethics? To me the "stuff it in" is a sure way to get oneself sick and, knock on wood, materialize a tumor from all that denial.

And of course, when you've had the freedom to express all you want, then it becomes easy to control/ diffuse when in the presence of children or someone you might traumatize. But when I'm in a grown up, "consensual" place with people who know me, I like blowing up. And knowing me, they also know in 5 minutes I'll have a big smile on my face and will be making hot chocolate and fried pancakes ... My 0.2 - that's mental health Italian style.
So go for it, doodle!

and ((((mama freck))))

[doodlebug]

confession: I realized yesterday afternoon that I'm still angry, and I'm really sick of all this bullshit that I'm supposed to keep my anger in check. I got tired of it when I was in the women's movement, like somehow I'm NOT supposed to be angry about hunger and homelessness in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, like I'm NOT supposed to be angry that women are being abused and raped and murdered every day just because they are women. Now I'm not supposed to express anger over perfectly justifiable anger-inducing situations in my personal and professional relationships, or regarding asshole corporations that try to screw me over?

confession: I'm still angry at, and unhappy with, Soulman, after our fight last Friday, and I decided last night that tonight I'm going to ask him to go to Al-Anon with me, because even though he's been through Alcoholics Anonymous......AA is all about the alcoholic (self-interest) and Al-Anon is all about friends and family and relationships. I'll go by myself, but I want him to come with me. And I don't know what to do, but we need to do something about our communication if this relationship is going to survive.

[culturehandy]

Confession: While The Lounge was down, I was wondering what I was going to do at work.

[culturehandy]

RV, Dooooooooooooooooooooooooo it!

((((((((((freck))))))))))

[anna k]

Rose, you are so bad.

(((freck)))

I'm jealous of people who have cats. I always wanted one growing up, but my dad hated cats. He said they crawled over everything, but I think it was resentment that cats are independent and warm up to an owner rather than being like a big friendly dog. He'd buy me stuff with cats on it (a poster, a stuffed cat), and I'd go, "When am I gonna get a real one?!" I had a adorable dog for ten years, but I've always liked cats more, and liked it whenever one would curl up to me.

[roseviolet]

I've been having trouble getting on Bust lately. Am I alone?

((((((((((((((((Freck)))))))))))))))))))))))))

CCGirl, I love my mommy, too. She kicks buckets of ass.


Confession: Last night I accepted the friend request from an ex. Now I'm thinking of posting a pic of Sheff just to point out that what I've got now is sooooooooooo much better than what I had then.

[freckleface7]

confession: today is the 2 year anniversary marking losing Lucky to cancer. I'm not really sad though.
I was about 2 weeks ago when as I posted, the grief just hit me all over again fresh, but today I feel kinda.. peaceful. the love is Still Here, there is just no doubt of that and I know more than ever, that being Lucky's Mama was trully one of the greatest gifts in my life bc look- I'm still learning from him.

today I honor the spirit of all loving beings.

[girltrouble]

((((zoya))))

aural, if it's an consolation, i'm thinking about getting a bunch of kitties tattooed on my arm.

[zoya]

.......oh fuck. I met this dude.

confession - the stuff we were talking about (albiet kinda drunk) was so on the same page........FUCK. I'm interested. no other way to say it. Just plain interested. And I can't wait to see him. which will be in..... I don't know when. months.

fuck.

[candycane_girl]

Ooooh, kitten, you're making me wish I could sleep in too! However, it's class at 8am and then work all day. Luckily I get to leave two hours early because we can't work more than 15 hours a week. Plus, we only have a few events left this semester so things are winding down and it's a lot more relaxed.

confession: I love my mommy. Yes, I sound like a little kiddie but still, I love her and I kind of wish she could come here this weekend. Unfortunately it's a costly trip (in terms of gas and usually she treats me to dinner and a grocery trip) and I have to spend this weekend writing an essay anyway. Oh well, before I know it I'll be back home! Just under a month till I go home for the holidays.

[kittenb]

Oh my god. All I want to do tomorrow is sleep in and then clean my aparment from top to bottom. However, I have to create an entire presentation for school, go to a training at my internship and then go to seminar at night. NO FUN!

[ketto]

Hah, I like the derail about cats and dogs this thread has taken. I'm a cat person, mostly because I've only ever had cats. I do feel intimidated by the amount of work dogs take too, but cats have such varying personalities. My mom's cat is like a little dog. Constantly meowing, following my mom around, sitting on people, begging for food. My cat has the "bitchy" look, but she slept with me almost every single night for the last 16 years and I'm the only one she'll cuddle with and let me pick up. My mom said she keeps getting confused when I come to visit. I feel so guilty leaving her there, she meows and scratches at my old bedroom door so my mom sleeps with her to calm her down. They both stick to me and my mom like glue outside, following us around the garden. They don't like to be alone. Oddly, neither of them has ever gone on the counters or scratched furniture. Either than some cat hair, they're pretty damn low maintenance. Except for Sam, who seems like he might have some mental issues...he's incredibly stupid which makes him cuter.

I used to think that I'd get a dog when I got a house, but that's looking less and less likely.

[girltrouble]

oh, now aural, don't take it personally.
btw, i didn't take it out of context: hate or no, i don't like my pets scratching/biting/whatever at guests, if i don't like them, i won't have them over. i don't like animals that attack unless someone is threatening me/breaking in my house. period.

to you, a cat is less work, and to me a dog is less work. but it seems our reasons are the same, but which one suits us is different.

as for taking the dog out at 5/6/7am, why? simply put them on a water/feed schedule, and they won't have to go till you choose. [shrug] that's basic house training.

till the puppy monster, none of my dogs had dog toys. she had them because she lived with mr. t, and she couldn't resist buying them.

none of my dogs was ever passive-aggressive, the converse was true of all the cats i've known, save one. so dogs come out waaaaaaay better in my book. cats have easily destroyed 5x as much of my stuff as dogs, and i'm probably being kind.

sounds like you had a dumb dog. sorry. the dogs i've had were smart as a whip, listened, and were awesome companions. perhaps i'm lucky, but that's why i like dogs, my experiences with them have been far, far better than the ones with cats.

cats are fine, but dogs, dogs i love. i just get them better.

[treehugger]

ap,

you've described exactly all the reasons why I have a cat as opposed to a dog. I used to have a dog, and I don't regret that and the unconditional love is nice, but it didn't outweigh the having to get bundled up at 5:00 AM in the middle of winter when it's -20, to walk her. I can deal with Mojo in my pjs. He curls up next to my tummy when I sleep.

That said, I do think a dog's unconditional love is beautiful too.

[auralpoison]

...exactly the reason i don't like cats. if you haven't got a job, motherfucker, you had best not fuck with my shit. anytime i had a cat it would make a bee line to whatever i loved, and would lovingly destroy it the second i stepped out the door.

You took that bit out of context. He peed on her shit because he hated her, there was nothing passive aggressive about it. He went for blood. And he was RIGHT.

to my mind dogs are much less work:
no litter stinking up a whole room, no changing the litter box, no cleaning up around the litter box, no shooing them off of counters and tables. no hair in my food, no furballs and cat puke, no scratched furniture, no cat piss smell, no running around playing at 3am, waking me up, no waking me up when they need to be fed.

I'd rather have minor kitty litter than have to go out at three motherfuckin' am in the freezing cold to let some dog take twenty-five minutes to decide where to dump his load & then have to carry his shit around until I got to a receptacle.

I didn't need to shoo my cats off things as they knew where not to be, a fingerful of catlax a week meant no hurl/hairballs, one good dip in a cold shower for five minutes/trimming nails/berber carpet stopped any scratching mess, being on top of the box meant no cat piss smell, they slept when I did, so nobody woke my ass up, UNLIKE THE DOG. I could deal with the cat naked, but the dog required I get up & get dressed to take him out. At SIX AM, three hours after I let him out earlier.

However, there was plenty of dog hair in my food & on my clothes, not to mention drool. He was constantly underfoot & I was always tripping over bones, squeaky toys, etc. Not to mention if I *didn't* wake up when he needed to go out (Talk about passive aggressive!), he shit & pissed all over the living room anyways. And the barking! Sometimes he needed to just go out & bark, which also required me to be dressed & put him on the leash & go out.

sorry, but... fuck that. all the stuff you talk about with cats telling you when they need something, dogs do that too, but without all the passive aggressive bullshit.

There was way less passive aggressive bullshit with my cats than with the dog. Period.

perhaps i've been lucky to pick the right breeds, but the dogs i've known have all been very low maintenance, with the exception of the puppy monster, but she had some pretty serious internal problems that we didn't know about until just before she was put down. even so, she was so smart. we thought she wanted to eat mr. t's chickens, tell we figured out, she wanted to herd them. we'd just say her name, nod in a direction and she'd herd. not a lick of training. dogs don't balk at being trained. give em some food, they get the message, and it's done. no fuss, no muss.

My cats did not balk at being trained. They knew what was what. Monk lived peaceably with my parrot for several years, they both lived with the dog just fine even when the dog snapped at them because he was a moron.

[girltrouble]

if I don't pay attention to him...he does all the stuff he knows he's not supposed to do- chew the plants, chew the drawstring off the garbage bags, scratch the rug, threaten to jump on top of the bookcases- he's got a whole routine, and he won't quit until he gets what he wants.

He was constantly peeing on my mom's stuff. And he was FIXED ... He used to hide under furniture so he could swipe at her ankles.

...exactly the reason i don't like cats. if you haven't got a job, motherfucker, you had best not fuck with my shit. anytime i had a cat it would make a bee line to whatever i loved, and would lovingly destroy it the second i stepped out the door.

to my mind dogs are much less work:
no litter stinking up a whole room, no changing the litter box, no cleaning up around the litter box, no shooing them off of counters and tables. no hair in my food, no furballs and cat puke, no scratched furniture, no cat piss smell, no running around playing at 3am, waking me up, no waking me up when they need to be fed.

sorry, but... fuck that. all the stuff you talk about with cats telling you when they need something, dogs do that too, but without all the passive aggressive bullshit.

perhaps i've been lucky to pick the right breeds, but the dogs i've known have all been very low maintenance, with the exception of the puppy monster, but she had some pretty serious internal problems that we didn't know about until just before she was put down. even so, she was so smart. we thought she wanted to eat mr. t's chickens, tell we figured out, she wanted to herd them. we'd just say her name, nod in a direction and she'd herd. not a lick of training. dogs don't balk at being trained. give em some food, they get the message, and it's done. no fuss, no muss.

[candycane_girl]

My dog almost bit me once because I kind of interfered with him while he was trying to eat some cheese but it was really weird. I was upset but I think he also scared himself because he ran away from me and when I went near him he was shaking like a leaf. It hasn't happened since but I should have also known better.

I remember seeing in the summer that some dogs have the same intelligence as a human 3 year old and I think that is totally true. T definitely knows how to manipulate all of us. I remember I used to feed him once I came home from school in the afternoon. He would always jump up and bark and run down the stairs before I even had my shoes off because he was really hungry. So I would feed him and figure that's that. Then he started pulling the same "I'm so hungry" act when my mom would come home about an hour later. She usually figured that I had forgotten to feed him so she would feed him again! Eventually we caught on but it's still kind of funny to think that we got tricked by a dog.

Anyway, confession: I have an asshole professor and I think he has a complex because he doesn't have a PhD like all the other REAL professors. See the academia thread for more details. Blah.