five Friday things, but not "Friday Five" because I don't really do that

[mrissa]

1. I can't figure out whether I was supposed to clip this comic for Mom or whether Mom was supposed to clip it for Grandma.

2. We have a bathroom in the basement! There's one tiny fixture thing to be handled so it's just the way we want it--and, of course, cabinet drawers lined and pictures hung and all that--but hurrah for the new bathroom! We're talking to the same contractor about the rest of the basement work; we'll see whether that's the way we go with it. But it's really satisfying to have a pretty blue bathroom down there. I may be making people troop down to see it when they're at my house for quite some time now.

3. It is also really satisfying to be able to go about my morning routine with less expectation of a parade of contractors through my house. They are very good contractors, very considerate and polite and competent and punctual and all the things one would want of contractors. But they are still Not My People and they have been in My House, and it's nice to have a break from that.

4. The oaks in the backyard seem to have heard that we're nearing the end of our yard waste collection service for the year: the leaves are all falling today. Just boom, we're done hanging onto the tree now, buhbye. markgritter will have such a lovely surprise waiting for him when he gets home. If yard work can ever by its existence be truly surprising. But I honestly thought it was raining, and no, it was just the large number of leaves and twigs falling that made that noise.

5. I am filled with extremely good, general, unsolicited advice that nobody particularly wants to hear, and that people will misread as directed at them, unless it is directed at them, in which case they will misread it as directed at other people. It is not just one piece of good advice. I've got lots of 'em. So if you're feeling in need of advice, I guess today's the day to ask it of me. Otherwise I am mindfully practicing butting out. Mindful out-butting is a neglected spiritual practice these days, I feel. (Note: this should not be construed as advice that you should or should not butt out. Some of you can quite usefully butt in from time to time, and more power to your butting.)

Comments

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

I'll take some extremely good, general, unsolicited advice. I like nothing* so much as a fortunate cookie.

* Actually lots of things, but you know what I mean.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Consider the lilies.

Oh, all right, something that doesn't come from watching a bit of a Monty Python documentary last week? But is general, you understand, and not that I have watched you doing this problematically:

It's very important to keep disagreement and dislike separate. Someone who hates you can think your decisions are brilliant. Someone who loves you can think you are a wrongety wrong wronghead. Prefacing decisions with, "I know this won't make me popular," or, "You're going to hate me," is setting up the wrong framing.

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

"Consider the lilies" is actually very excellent specific-to-me advice right now, albeit in a non-specific kind of way. Thank you!

[guppiecat]

There's also: "Don't forget to stop and smell the roses (the top petally part, I mean (the middle part is thorny and can scratch your nose (the bottom part doesn't smell so good (especially if you fertilize traditionally))))"

[shana.livejournal.com]

Unless, of course, you're allergic to roses, in which case you should smell some other flower.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Or unless you're anosmic, in which case you should admire the soft texture of rose petals and the cool way their variety color naming is like a cultural history all by itself.

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I can't hear that first piece of advice without thinking of the "Consider the lilies of the goddamn field" bit in O Brother Where Art Thou.

[songwind.livejournal.com]

For me it was, "Blessed are the cheesemakers? What's so bloody special about cheesemakers?"

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

If I said that, p_roqueforti would be sad.

[ckd]

For me, it brought up Spock's line in "The Trouble with Tribbles".