I guess in my little world there isn’t room for anyone that feels you offend.

Happy New Year and Happy Anniversary (I almost spelled it in french, LOL)

Melissas last blog post..Do You Ever Confuse Yourself

I loved the article in the New York Times! Congratulations.

And I also went asleep at 10pm. Zurich was so busy during the day, really “end of the year”-mood. It summed up a little bit 2008 for me, so much change, so much happened! And then in the evening it snowed in Zurich, and everything was so quite and peaceful just the last couple of hours before midnight. I watched the snow on the roof tops of Zurich just before I went to sleep and knew that 2009 is going to be a good year.

My best wishes for you, your gentleman-friend, Selma, and your business for 2009!

Love, Sandra

Thanks @EVA!

Yes, my parents were over the moon.

My gentleman friend’s parents don’t read that kind of “east coast liberal” publication, and don’t really even know what it is, so they didn’t have enough context to be impressed … but they got the general idea that it’s something to be happy about and were happy for me, which is what counts.

And yeah, Oregon is all about cheese. One of the many temptations that brought us here.

Thanks for the congratulations!

How wonderful for you and for Selma! And how cool for your parents (and their friends) to read it! A great kind of validation in a way that is relevant to them. Congratulations! (Did your gentleman friend’s family see it too?)

Mmmmmm the cheese sounds yummy. I like Willamette Valley wines. They make cheese there too?
But of course, wine and cheese are such a perfect combination!

EVAs last blog post..FLOURISH!!!!!!!! – My Word for 2009

@Amanda – Thanks for all the sweet wishes.

@Joely – You’re so right! And I’m sorry that you’ve gotten mean emails. That sucks and it’s horribly unfair and everyone in the world should know how marvelous you are. I guess in the meantime I’ll have to just keep telling them.

@Wormy – I adore you, my dear. And your blog too! Come here every day!

@Gina – Loved the check-in. Now I also want to hold Thanksgiving Baby Peanut. How cute is that?

And Selma is so not going to get you. The genius of Selma is that she’s completely internalized the thing that’s so hard for the rest of us – unconditional love and acceptance.

She’s sure, as I am, that you’ve been processing and percolating and subconsciously working on whatever needs to be worked on, and that it will all be fine. Talk to you tomorrow!

And thanks for the hugs. Hugs are lovely!

Joely Blacks last blog post..In which I probably get hate-mail for being snarky

And the NYT article was pretty darn amazing – I think we’re all doing a little dance of excited joy for you. YAY!!!

Wormys last blog post..Old Year Edition

–Spending a week visiting my parents. Because they are my parents and they love me so damn much. (inclusive of going to the movies 4 times and hitting a winner for all three of us every time. Which is way harder to pull off than you might think.)

–Reading 6 novels since 12/22. I love reading.

–Having a kitchen that’s been ultra-scrubbed down and freshly redocorated for the new year. Including going through all my foodstuffs and putting together a hefty bag of stuff for the food pantry so I can switch to a different, more raw foods way of eating.

–Getting a picture from dear friends with their cute little 2 year old daughter and their brand new Thanksgiving baby girl. Reflecting that neither of these children would exist if I hadn’t introduced these two cool human beings I call friends.

Sucky

–Feeling really lonely at home now that the vacation with the parents is over. Because I lost my little dog this year and the apt. feels empty without him.

–That my dear friends and their two dear children live all the way in Weisbaden, Germany now. That I want to hold Thanksgiving Baby in my arms while she’s still a peanut and I can’t.

–That I have prune hands from scrubbing the kitchen down.

–That I am behind on my blog work and Selma is going to get me.

P.S. — Havi, my fave Indian dish ever is Aloo Gobi, aka spicy cauliflower/potato bliss. Dang, now I want it for dinner.

Ginas last blog post..Book Review: Kop by Warren Hammond

Thanks for celebrating with me. I just came back from a long walk tromping through the snow (yes, tromping!) with my brother … and what fun to see everyone here. Love it.

@Andrew – Oh, good. I’m so glad someone appreciates my Philosophy of Desks! Awesome.

And thanks for the sympathy. For me it’s actually (finally, after enough years of working on that pattern, not about wanting people to like me. I like to think I’m mostly over that.

For me it’s about wanting this blog to be a safe, cozy space where people can show up with their stuff.

But I also need it to be safe and cozy for me, which means that I can’t censor myself and my voice. My humor is a part of this space, which means that some people are always going to get hurt.

And at the same time, when people are legitimately feeling hurt, you can’t not meet that hurt with love, you know?

@Ankesh – Thanks, my dear!

@Deb, Victoria – Hooray, I love it when other people check in too. Hugs to both of you. And no worries, there’s no wrong way to do the Friday Chicken. :)

@Alisha – yes, Facebook is a crazy place.

I also have that feeling you describe – how did all these people turn into parents and grown-ups? I don’t have an adult lifestyle either, which suits me fine, but it is rather odd.

Good for you for living your happy hound life!

@Joely – Hugs for the hard. And for the good. Parsnip and cumin soup sounds lovely. And I’m glad you saw your grandmother again.

And – since I was unclear with this apparently – will just add/clarify that people don’t write me mean emails. They write me sad, disappointed, hurting emails.

Which is very different, for me at least.

And every time I’ve stopped and taken time to meet someone’s hurt, we heal something. We end up resolving it in a way that’s good for everyone.

I’m not suggesting AT ALL that this is what you should do. This way is hard, it’s only for certain situations and it’s definitely not for everyone, but right now it’s part of my path. A better compromise will be found, for sure, but I’m not planning on ignoring them.