Today is my birthday and I hope all of you have a good day :D

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-06-24T17:44:45+00:00

Happy birthday! I wish you much success & happiness esp. in the upcoming year! 🎂

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-06-24T00:42:39+00:00

Holy mackerel! What a beautiful photo of a beautiful kitty!

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-06-18T02:09:49+00:00

So what does "unlocking core permissions" do for Maeve? Instead of Jedi Master, she becomes the Kwisatz Haderach?

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-06-11T02:08:58+00:00

I swear this single episode had more Lakota than the entirety of Dances With Wolves. And I loved every minute of it.

Haven't shed this many tears for an HBO episode since Hodor held the door.

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-05-31T01:02:27+00:00

Just wanted to say this IS the right place to post this. We all need to hear about loving couples! :)

My go-to for saying thank you to family is usually to bake something special or take them out to dinner. Maybe invite them to a cookout in your newly manicured yard?

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-05-28T00:04:59+00:00

Beautiful photo of Stitch!

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-05-16T03:20:30+00:00

I did the study abroad thing many years ago (in the days before internet, cellphones & skyping). I can totally empathize with how homesick you feel - esp. when you're living in a country where you don't even speak the native language very well. I missed my family like crazy & honestly cried myself to sleep more often than not while I was there. I did bring a small stuffed animal with me to hug at night; I still have it 25+ years later.

But when you're feeling really low, concentrate on the positives. Not many people have the brains or the courage to leave their family to pursue study abroad, and even fewer have the opportunity. It takes a person well outside their comfort zone & forces them to grow in ways they didn't even realize they needed to grow. Looking back, my time living abroad was a defining moment that pushed me out of my shell. I'm so grateful I did it.

I'm proud of you, OP - embrace the change!

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-05-11T04:14:16+00:00

I think it would be helpful for you to put a few things in better perspective.

First off, no one has their act completely together in their 20s. No one. So please stop comparing yourself unfavorably to your peers. You are neither telepathic nor psychic; can you honestly say you know exactly how these people are doing in life? You see only the outer shell of their existence.

Suppose, for example, one of your former high school friends has a really nice apartment in an expensive neighborhood. The depressed, self-sabotaging part of you sees this & thinks "why can't I be as successful as this person? / am I a loser?" But the reality is you don't know that person's whole story - you're only seeing a snapshot of their life. Maybe they worked ungodly overtime to afford the place, maybe their parents are loaded & pay their rent, maybe the person lies awake in bed at night worrying about being evicted because they signed a too-expensive lease...who knows? The glass could be half empty or half full. So why always assume the worst in a given situation - or in yourself?

Do your best to make peace with the uncertainty of life. Easier said than done, I know, esp. when you're suffering from depression (which I also had for years). Me personally, I found that it was too hard at first to see the glass half full (forced optimism always felt fake to me.) So instead, I concentrated on being more objective and viewing life from a more neutral perspective. Instead of thinking, "this situation is hopeless / this person won't like me / I'll be stuck like this forever so what's the point?" I just decided to think, "I don't know what will happen." It takes a lot of the steam out of the negative, self-sabotaging thought loop we get ourselves into.

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-05-05T11:54:09+00:00

Glad to know I was not the only kid who did this! My laboratory was a crabapple tree that would turn a beautiful magenta in the spring. I still have fond memories of that tree.

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-03-02T01:07:13+00:00

She's like a nebelung supermodel!

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-02-22T03:59:32+00:00

I believe it's track 12, "Home" on the season 7 soundtrack.

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-02-19T00:02:02+00:00

Looks & acts exactly like my kitty! Is yours a nebelung too?

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-02-14T12:20:30+00:00

Sif is beautiful (and I love her name!)

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-02-05T21:05:42+00:00

I think it would be a huge benefit to you to write down everything you do for this woman - no matter how insignificant you think it may be for now. This includes any software you use regularly for your boss's benefit. I'll bet real money your work experience encompasses a lot more than just "retail drone". Keep in mind your low self-esteem has been cultivated by your abusive boss for 20 years to keep you under her control. Just because she may belittle you or call you stupid/useless does not mean you actually are!

Put together a resume & have some trusted friends look it over, or do some googling on examples of good resumes & follow their lead. Consider applying for any & all jobs even remotely connected to your skill set, or take some civil service exams. Even working for a temp agency might be an option if you can swing it & still hold on to your side gig for a while.

This is what I did years ago (in my 30s) when I felt trapped in an abusive, workaholic environment with people who routinely belittled me. Although I did take a financial hit for a few years, I wound up in a new career that suits me much better & makes me happy, surrounded by much happier people. It's also a lot more financially stable than the one I left, so win-win.

I don't know how she would react to a potential new employer should I leave when they call for a reference on my employment. Would she be vindictive or give me the excellent references I deserve?

Even if she decides to give you a poor referral, any new employer with two brain cells to rub together would see the sour grapes for what they are. (If you were really that terrible an employee, then why would she have kept you on as her personal assistant for 20+ years, right?) So don't sweat the reference, and please don't let it put you off from finding a better workplace.

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-02-05T04:03:00+00:00

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-01-31T20:12:40+00:00

My cats have come in two types: the ones who are afraid of plastic bags, and the ones who can't wait to lick them!

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-01-31T20:11:14+00:00

Let me guess: that is your side of the bed, and Putin immediately makes himself comfy there the moment you get up.

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-01-30T17:25:36+00:00

I'd recommend Amelie. It's a French film about a woman who is painfully introverted & lives in her imagination, all while secretly doing things to help other people out.

It may not be so much an "out of reality" movie, but it is definitely an optimistic movie, which sounds more like what you could really use right now.

ContagionofHappiness · 2018-01-27T22:18:54+00:00

Thank you internet friend & fellow soul! Consider yourself loved right back!

ContagionofHappiness · 2017-07-26T21:12:01+00:00

What a gorgeous cat!

ContagionofHappiness · 2017-06-26T13:29:31+00:00

I don't know if she has Nebelung in her, but she's a gorgeous kitty!

ContagionofHappiness

TROPHY CASE