La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
Nothing to do with today’s topic, but the photo is of the scoop of goat cheese ice cream with apricot with a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream (sugar-free). Out of this world. And now for what’s on my mind. When our friends’ gifted daughter was growing up, she would most nights when she was supposed to be sleeping walk into the living room and say, “Mum, I’ve been thinking.” Her loving, adoring, and supportive mother would say, “Well, stop thinking and go to sleep.” I’ve lost plenty of sleep in my lifetime because I’ve been thinking. During a dream last night, I finally had it and told my brain to shut up. I said it out loud. San Geraldo, thankfully, slept through it. What am I thinking about?
It’s time to pay Spanish taxes. It’s not a problem, but we both stew. San Geraldo likes to believe we’re independently wealthy. That ship has sailed.
I want to start looking at options for my trip to New York in January. I’m hoping to find a good deal. I can never get the best deals because I never book the cheapest airfare. At minimum, I want economy plus, but I usually spring for business class. Still, traveling in January is a fraction of the cost of traveling in summer — although The Kid Brother prefers when I visit in summer. “It’s cold in January!” We’d like to get back to Norway. Can’t we prefer someplace cheaper to travel?
Back to The Kid Brother: We still haven’t had a video call. I phoned his office again last week and he was supposed to go back in with his mobile so they could get WhatsApp to work. He says it’s still in “Japanese.” When I spoke to him last week, he was on a tirade about how they were supposed to take him grocery shopping that day and they didn’t. I asked questions (like “did they just not show up?”) but I got no answers. All he kept saying was he was going to really give it to them and they were in trouble. And he had “no food in the house.”
We got temporarily disconnected, so I phoned the office. The assistant manager told me he was not happy with her because he had to have his annual blood work done that day and he wasn’t in the mood for some reason. Then, they were in the waiting room quite a while. I told her he felt it was “grocery shopping day” and she groaned. Of course, he would never tell her that directly. I then was able to reconnect with him and told him I heard he had had blood work done that day. He said, “On a Tuesday?!? I had things to do!” I then talked about how great it was that he had it done. He said, “I know! I know!”
My mother had told me years ago that when The Kid Brother turns 65 he will have to move out of his apartment into some kind of retirement facility. He’ll be 65 next year and I have been stewing and fretting. It turns out it’s not true that he has to move. He can stay as long as he can take care of himself. His roommate (and best buddy) is already retired for health reasons.
What a relief. Of course, I have been “thinking” too much about my own health and have a hard time turning off my brain when I go to bed. That’s why I yelled “shut up” during the night. I wish I had a switch (of the on/off variety, not of the corporal punishment variety). When I was a kid I thought it was called “corporal” punishment because it was how they punished corporals. It’s called “corporal” from the Latin word, “corpus,” for body. Thinking!
Nada que ver con el tema de hoy, pero la foto es de la bola de helado de queso de cabra (con albaricoque) con una bola de helado de chocolate negro (sin azúcar). Fuera de este mundo. Cuando la hija superdotada de nuestros amigos estaba creciendo, la mayoría de las noches, cuando se suponía que debía estar durmiendo, entraba a la sala de estar y decía: “Mamá, he estado pensando”. Su amorosa, adoradora, y comprensiva madre decía: “Bueno, deja de pensar y vete a dormir”. He perdido muchas horas de sueño en mi vida porque he estado pensando. Anoche durante un sueño, finalmente lo tuve y le dije a mi cerebro que se callara. Lo dije en voz alta. San Geraldo, afortunadamente, durmió. ¿En qué estoy pensando?
Es hora de pagar los impuestos españoles. No es un problema, pero ambos nos enojamos. A San Geraldo le gusta creer que somos ricos de forma independiente. Ese barco ha zarpado.
Quiero empezar a mirar opciones para mi viaje a Nueva York en enero. Espero encontrar un buen trato. Nunca puedo conseguir las mejores ofertas porque nunca reservo el billete de avión más barato. Como mínimo, quiero economía plus, pero normalmente prefiero la clase ejecutiva. Aún así, viajar en enero es una fracción del costo de viajar en verano, aunque El Hermanito prefiere cuando lo visito en verano. “¡Hace frío en enero!” Nos gustaría volver a Noruega. ¿No podemos preferir un lugar más barato para viajar?
De vuelta a El Hermanito: Todavía no hemos tenido una videollamada. Llamé de nuevo a su oficina la semana pasada y se suponía que debía volver a entrar con su móvil para que pusieran en funcionamiento WhatsApp. Dice que todavía está en “japonés”. Cuando hablé con él la semana pasada, estaba despotricando sobre cómo se suponía que lo llevarían de compras ese día y no lo hicieron. Hice preguntas (como “¿simplemente no aparecieron?”) pero no obtuve respuestas. Todo lo que seguía diciendo era que realmente se lo iba a dar y estaban en problemas. Y “no tenía comida en la casa”.
Nos desconectaron temporalmente, así que llamé a la oficina. El subgerente me dijo que no estaba contento con ella porque ese día tenía que hacerse su análisis de sangre anual y no estaba de humor por alguna razón. Luego, estuvieron en la sala de espera un buen rato. Le dije que sentía que era “el día de hacer compras” y ella gimió. Por supuesto, él nunca se lo diría directamente. Luego pude volver a conectarme con él y le dije que había oído que le habían hecho análisis de sangre ese día. Él dijo: “¿¡¿Un martes?!? ¡Tenia cosas que hacer!” Luego hablé de lo fantástico que era que lo hubiera hecho. Él dijo: “¡Yo lo sé! ¡Yo lo sé!”
Mi madre me había dicho hace años que cuando The Kid Brother cumpliera 65 años tendría que mudarse de su apartamento a algún tipo de centro de retiro. Cumplirá 65 años el año que viene y he estado furioso y preocupado. Resulta que no es cierto que tenga que mudarse. Puede quedarse mientras pueda cuidar de sí mismo. Su compañero de cuarto (y mejor amigo) ya está jubilado por motivos de salud.
Qué alivio. Por supuesto, he estado “pensando” demasiado en mi propia salud y me cuesta apagar mi cerebro cuando me voy a la cama. Por eso grité “cállate” durante la noche. Ojalá tuviera un interruptor (del tipo encendido/apagado, no del tipo castigo corporal). Cuando era niño pensaba que se llamaba castigo “corporal” porque así castigaban a los corporales. Se llama “corporal” de la palabra latina “corpus”, que significa cuerpo. ¡Pensamiento!
I don’t think I have ever had goat milk ice cream! Your KB is lucky to have you. I know that you must worry a lot about him considering you are on the other side of the ocean. For the last 20 years of my career in teaching, I taught gifted kids. I loved it. I loved how their minds worked and that they were constantly “thinking”. I can remember many a time calling on a student and the first words uttered were…”I’ve been thinking….”
Michael:
The ice cream was a first for me and so delicious. Especially nice with a flavor purely sweet along with it. Our friends’ daughter is about to graduate from college. She’s still gifted and she’s still thinking. I have spent my brother’s entire life worrying about him but enjoying him, too. And his life is so much better than I expected it would be.
Checked flights to CT recently for my niece’s wedding …economy now means NO carry-ons! That’s an extra $80. And no seat selection and no…Soon they will be charging to use the restroom and the seat belts. And the thought of flying leaves me lacking enthusiasm. I will stay home and send the newly weds what I would have spent on a flight.
Frank D:
If I have any option other than flying, I’l take it. Train travel here in Spain is wonderful.
Yes. Of course you are fretting. Our dreams are nagging reminders of the things we worry about all the time but manage to keep somewhat at bay in our waking hours. As soon as we’re asleep though, those things burst out of their boxes and say, “Come on, let’s play!”
Ugh.
It can’t be easy, trying to take care of your brother from such a distance. I love that though- “On a Tuesday?!? I had things to do!”
Ay-yi-yi. Your brother reminds me a tiny bit of Tom.
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
I hadn’t thought about that but, yes, Tom and my brother do have a lot in common — although my brother can be sweet, kind, and funny.
As could Tom before he began having strokes. He was diagnosed with autism late in life which pleased him to no end because it explained so much.
Ms. Moon:
So many people don’t have an understanding (of their autism) until late in life. How tragic about Tom’s strokes.
You really have to stop all this thinking! Boud says. Do as I say, not so much as I do. It must be a worry with kb far away, but I’m glad you were able to get things a bit clearer. It sounds as if any change in his schedule really throws him. You’re a good brother.
Boud:
The Kid Brother does not take well to change of ANY kind. I do not take well to turning off the brain for a rest.
If you can find the secret to turning off over-thinking brains and stopping endless worry, then bottle and sell it — then you and SG truly WILL be independently wealthy! I’ll buy a bottle for sure!
Debra:
I remember lying in bed when I was a kid and wishing I could turn off my thoughts. Maybe the solution is bleach?
I imagine KB would be happy with that ice cream! Jx
Jon:
Oh, you’d be surprised. When KB was 12 my mother told him chocolate was bad for his skin. He hasn’t had chocolate since. As for the other ice cream, he would say, “Too much sugar!” (Thanks, mother, for that, too.)
Funny — I had the same thought about corporal punishment when I was young. I thought it was a military thing. I think it came from watching Gomer Pyle.
I know it’s hard to turn off the brain. I have similar problems sometimes. I’d give you advice if I knew how to do it myself!
It’s a huge relief to know the Kid Brother can stay put, though.
Steve:
You can imagine how relieved I felt when I was told he wouldn’t have to move. I was dreading that conversation — and that change for him.
Glad for Chuck that he can stay where he is. Change is hard, especially as we get older. Wish I could turn off my brain. I might get more sleep.
cmagidgreen:
I still thrive on change. Chuck hates it.
I’m not polite like you with “Shut up!”. I let out a frustrated “Goddammit!” when the brain plagues me with thoughts I don’t want to think about. If you find the cure, sign me up for a bottle as well.
Shirley:
Oh, I’m sure you’re more polite than I if “goddammit“ is what comes to mind. My frustration is usually expressed with a number of F bombs included.
I don’t yell “Shut up” when trying to sleep, but I do know about stress; dealing with my father’s estate, while not very complicated. has some issues because of the 3,000 mile difference between my attorney and me. The time differences make calls heavily scheduled, and sometimes I get letters that have me stew. So I do this:
Breathe in and think ‘peace’
Breathe out and think ‘ful.
Peace.Ful.
It works most of the time.
Think Peaceful, Mitchell, it may work.
Bob:
I had a different F word for the end of that exhale! But, great advice. We did my mother’s estate from across the ocean. And her estate turned out to be a major headache. Not being right there makes everything so much more complicated. Hope it all comes together quickly.
You should live on another continent! As John Goodman said in “The Big Lebowski,” it’s “a world of pain”!
Steve:
One of these days, I’ll watch The Big Lebowski — alone.
Thinking you say, oh that is not good.
larrymuffin:
Thinking is better than not thinking, but it can cause so much stress.
I agree!
I like Bob’s suggestion. Next time I’m thinking, I’m going to try it (but, I will wait until I’m thinking in bed 😉
So glad to know that Chuck won’t have to move!
That goat cheese w/apricot ice cream looks amazing! Does it taste in any way different than cow milk ice cream?
Judy C:
The goat’s cheese ice cream had the distinctive flavor of goat’s cheese, but with the addition of the apricots was so refreshing and delicious. Remember it’s goat’s CHEESE and not just goat’s MILK, so definitely a flavor difference from cow’s milk. I’m going to try Bob’s advice, too, but I’ll have to remember to finish with FUL and not some other FU word.
Oh, I know what you mean. It doesn’t matter if you’ve drawn all the shades, turned off all the lights, and retired early, if the brain doesn’t want you to sleep, you won’t, and it doesn’t care that you have to get up in the morning.
Kirk:
And I’ve been falling to sleep easily lately only to have my wired brain in my dreams.
You’ve been thinking???? That would explain the beads of sweat.
And just looking at that ice cream, my underwear got tighter.
Mistress Borghese:
Smart ass! I had no idea ice cream was one of your turn-ons.
I usually sleep well, and fast, unless my brain is engaged and I need to distract it. Jay struggles with sleep often. Most of what we worry about already has happened, or never will happen.
I’ve been sleeping a lot lately. The dreams can be exhausting.
My first reaction to anyone saying “I’ve been thinking ” is “Did it hurt?” I usually just talk to myself when this thinking thing happens. I’ve bored myself into a coma in no time at all.
Hugd, Scoot. See? Boring.
Deedles:
I wish I could bore myself into a coma. I find myself much too fascinating. “Did it hurt?” is the BEST response. I’ll have to use that on someone.
Have you ever kept a dream journal, Mitchell? I used to solve chemistry and physics problems in university when I dreamed at night — I even kept paper and pen by my bed and there were several mornings that I’d wake up to scrawled solutions done while I was asleep (I even built a 3-D model of a complex organic compound that stumped me during the day).
Now when I go through an active dreaming phase, I still write out as much as I can remember of the dream upon waking. Then I look for recurring patterns, numbers or symbols and try to figure out what they mean to me. For example, whenever I dream about a bear, I know there’s something I need to face head-on that I’ve been avoiding or putting off. When I do, the bear dreams go away.
Over-thinking and worrying has always reminded me of George Carlin’s line, “Swallowing excess saliva causes cancer”.
Tundra Bunny:
I tried a few times to keep a dream journey but I was such a terrible sleeper that it only ensure I’d be awake for the rest of the night. It’s fascinating that by doing so you’ve been able to better understand symbols and themes. My first thought when I read that George Carlin line was: Does it really?!?
My brain never shuts up and keeps me awake. I take OTC sleep meds and listen to white noise or rain sounds or “sleep time” music on earphones every night to give me something to focus on and fall asleep to. It still takes awhile. And if I wake up in the middle of the night, so does my brain. It’s awful.
Sassybear:
I’m usually not bad anymore. It used to be a nightly problem. I, too, had a white noise machine that I couldn’t live without.
I hadn’t realized your brother is turning 65yo! It is a good thing regardless of the challenges.
Urspo:
It still surprises me that he’s this age.