I've been tagged by Cammy Bean for the 7 More Things You Don't Need to Know About Me meme currently making the rounds, which seems like a good time to update the 8 Random Facts meme. So here goes:
1. I did get a Wii for Xmas and I have been kicking everyone's ass in bowling. I am the Wii Bowling Queen!
2. I have become slightly addicted to Daily Kos and the Huffington Post in the past few months.
3. I am currently exploring meditation and finding that "monkey mind" is a serious affliction for me. If I'm honest, I think it's gotten worse as a result of all my time online.
4. Every year I see the week between Christmas and New Year's as the time for me to take stock and prepare for a new year. I then expect myself to really hit the ground running on January 1 with all sorts of new projects, ideas, etc. Somehow it never works that way. So this year I'm honoring the cycle of the seasons and using the winter months to "get the ground ready" (as it were) for launching bigger things in the spring. Winter really is not my best time of the year, so I'm going to see what happens when I stop pressuring myself to "get stuff done."
5. My first job ever was as a nurse's aide in a nursing home. While other 16 year olds were serving Happy Meals, I was cleaning and feeding senior citizens in a fire trap that eventually burned down several years after I stopped working there. On certain shifts, patients were routinely over-medicated with Mellaril so that they would be quiet and leave the staff alone. After discussing this with a nurse, I began throwing away meds. I couldn't stand to see these poor men and women drooling and out of it because staff wanted to be able to watch TV for most of the shift.
6. I have played Dungeons and Dragons. Within the past year. And enjoyed it.
7. I have recently taken up knitting as a sort of meditational practice. Anyone interested in a scarf?
Now I'm tagging:
D&D?! That's so retro. And geeky. :)
Happy New Year!
Posted by: Cammy Bean | December 31, 2008 at 06:25 AM
I was just thinking what would be my first blog post of the New Year, & now I have it. Happy New year-thanks for your help over the last 12 months-I have really appreciated it.
Posted by: Sarah Stewart | December 31, 2008 at 09:16 AM
D&D now that is strong imaginative mojo.
A note on monkey mind- too many people try and fight monkey mind. That is not how you quiet a monkey it just creates greater activity and anxiousness. You must recognize monkey mind, embrace monkey mind, accept monkey mind, feed monkey mind, only when monkey mind has become your friend will you be able to quiet it.
Posted by: Eric Giles | December 31, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Re #6--4th edition? 3.5? My husband and I have been doing a bit of 3.5 lately, but he really wants to find a group where we can play 4. Yes, I am a geek, and darn proud of it!
Posted by: Christy Tucker | December 31, 2008 at 08:27 PM
Why am I not surprised that the D&D fact gets the most comment? :-) To answer your question, Christy, it was 3.5, although my husband has been trying to talk me into doing a campaign using 4.0. I told my husband about your comment, btw, and he loved it!
Eric, thank you for the advice about monkey mind. You're right that I have not made friends with it, so that might need to be one of my New Year's resolutions--to learn how to embrace, accept and feed it.
And Cammy and Sarah--Happy New Year to you, too! And thanks for all your support!
Posted by: Michele Martin | January 01, 2009 at 05:43 AM
Happy New Year, Michele! Your tag might bring me out of blog hibernation early. Funny, I have been considering exploring Zen and meditation more in the new year, and also have been thinking I need to tune back in to Daily Kos (though that might not synch well with meditation). It's cold down here in Carrboro today. Let me know when you have one of those scarves done! - Jeff
Posted by: Jeff Cobb | January 01, 2009 at 07:20 AM
Kia ora Michele.
I done been and gone an' done it before.
Happy New Year Michele!
Posted by: Ken Allan | January 02, 2009 at 03:06 AM