Over the years, when I’ve needed a lift or a charge or a jump, I’ve assigned myself homework. I’ve had all sorts of stupid assignments, from “engage with three people” to “find ten out-loud laughs.” Those assignments are per day, by the way. Not anything completely insane like per hour.
I’m just reasonably and partially insane, not completely insane.
Engaging with three people, for me, is not too difficult if I really focus on it. It usually means delivering Compliments or Well-Wishes (CoWWs). #AcronymAlert
Delivering CoWWs is actually really fun once you get over the initial paralyzing social anxiety. Once you realize the person is unlikely to totally go off on you, you can relax. And when you do say something nice to the person, you will usually see pretty quickly that others enjoy hearing nice things like compliments and well-wishes. Usually you get back a lot more than it took to get it out.
I was excited to hear Scott Adams talk with Dr. Drew about predictions for 2022.
I’m a big fan of Scott Adams. I’m probably a member of his cult since he’s most likely hypnotizing me with his daily ‘simultaneous sip’ of coercion.
Although, actually, I’m guessing it’s not the simultaneous sip that’s the hypnotizing act. It’s too obvious a move. Like swinging a coin on a chain in front of your face.
Nah. I think Scott Adams is hypnotizing us with a phrase or a motion. Like when he fixes his microphone.
Dr. Julie Osborn, a therapist specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), shares her experiences in the field and helps her listeners; addressing the issues they face and the situations they find themselves in. CBT is a short-term, goal-orientated psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem solving. Dr. Osborn teaches how cognitive behavioral therapy can be used everyday in our lifelong pursuit of happiness.
Do other people get annoyed with you because you act or react a certain way?Do you feel like you’re always messing up or losing relationships because of certain behaviors?Do you feel hopeless and stuck in an endless pattern of negative thoughts and automatic reactions?In this episode, Dr Julie h…
Do you struggle with negative feelings – anxiety, loneliness, depression, resentment, anger, fear?Do you wish you could just make them all go away?In this episode, Dr Julie shares with you a CBT technique that will empower you to reframe your thoughts and feelings in a positive way, bringing yo…
Do you feel exhausted trying to keep up with other people’s expectations of you?Do you feel like you’re constantly being judged?In this episode, Dr Julie looks at the insecurities and anxieties many of us feel in response to other’s perceived judgement of us. She explains some of the reasons these in…
Do you struggle to communicate your desires and preferences?Do you feel like people walk all over you and you are powerless to change it?In this episode, Dr Julie talks about what it means to be assertive in a healthy way, how it can benefit you and how to do it. Using the power of Cognitive Beh…
What is the difference between personality quirks and a personality disorder?Why do people have personality disorders?If you’re in a relationship with someone with a personality disorder, what is the best way to deal with that? In this episode, Dr Julie Osborn helps demystify personality disorders, ex…
In which Rob and actor/author/director Andrew McCarthy discuss their lives in and out of the Brat Pack, Andrew’s new memoir Brat: An ‘80s Story, directing young actors, showing up prepared, sobriety, and the undying legacy of Weekend At Bernie’s. Plus: Rob answers a question about getting through high school in the LoweDown Line. Got a question for Rob? Call our voicemail at (323) 570-4551. Your question could get featured on the show!
1246 EpisodesShareFollow77 minutes | May 20th 2021
Episode 1228 – Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones is, first and foremost, a storyteller. She realized at a young age that she could process her feelings and tell her own story through the fiction of songs. As she tells Marc, that same impulse prompted her to write a memoir in which she could present her life story through the narrative of her extended family of vaudevillians. Rickie Lee and Marc also talk about her formative and tumultuous relationship with Tom Waits and why it’s hard for her to reminisce about her early albums and the hits that made her a star. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
I was thinking about the EVERYTHING’S AMAZING annoyingness of Facebook when I wrote this cartoon. Luckily, just as I was feeling grouchy about how amazing everyone else’s life was, I got a link to a fabulously relevant podcast of NPR’s Hidden Brain, one of my top favorite pods. Click link to listen. And thank you to Hidden Brain. I feel like less of a loser because of you.
So I’m moving on to ‘Influence’ after I finish Tools of Titans. I’ve pretty much reached the point where I’ll do whatever Tim Ferris says to do. If Scott Adams seeks to eliminate decision making from his daily routine, I am seeking Tim Ferris to make my decisions for me.
Now hop on over to the Getting to Six podcast and listen to the wondrous wisdom and observations of Tim Kenney. He’s fascinating. And a really great guy.
We love him.
Then listen to Dr. Drew and Bob Forrest on This Life. Specifically go to Episode 37 where they talk about borderline personalities with Heather McDonald. It’s ridiculously interesting…and not just because I know all about borderline personality from real life.
So much cool stuff for a M…..oops….almost said the M Word.
As a pre-internet moody, introverted, impassioned wannabe writer, I lived for making lists.
I didn’t make ‘To Do’ lists because I thought they were annoying. First you make a ‘To Do’ list, then you don’t do the things on your “To Do” list, then you obsess (if you’re obsessive) about how to manage a list that is becoming increasingly irrelevant.
But I still loved lists. I made lists of everything and anything. Favorite this and that. Priorities. Wishes. Dreams. Everything I wanted or thought about or dreamed of ended up on a list.
Eventually, I made lists with arrows pointing everywhere. Lists and arrows evolved into charts and diagrams and graphs.
And yes, I fell in love with Excel. If you’re an Excel junkie too, I love you.
These days I still make lists of anything and everything. For me, there’s something about documenting a thought that makes the thought more likely to become an action or an event or an actual life occurrence.
And I find lists all over the place. In books, in purses, in baskets filled with books and magazines. The lists are at once both inspiring and validating. The lists prove that I’m not flighty or just a dreamy dreamer of dreams. I find lists with words and wishes that have now come true more than occasionally.
I think the biggest misconception about lists is that they have to have a theme or purpose. I wish more people realized that you can just list things for the sake of listing things.
So here’s today’s list:
[1] Giant brand Pink Grapefruit Flavored Sparkling Water Beverage in the skinny, tall 8-ounce plastic bottle. With a straw. It may be healthy. It may not be. I can’t tell. But it’s got no calories, no apparent sugar, and it’s SO DAMN PRETTY to look at. Really pleasing to the eye.
[2] My ballet barre. Because my ballet barre is amazing.
[3] Tom Rhodes’ podcast. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tom-rhodes-radio/id426881872?mt=2 Tom Rhodes is my favorite type of comedian interviewer. Funny and fun to listen to but he’s all about the interviewed subject, not about making his own jokes on their interview time. He’s curious and genuinely interested. His questions are good questions – short, to the point, not ridiculous or stupid or self-serving. And he’s got a great voice.
[4] Tuesday. I love Tuesdays. I’m good on Tuesdays, generally speaking.
[5] Thinly sliced onion. Because I’m still doing a good job of thinly slicing onion. No cut fingers! Yay.
[6] Weather coverage. So not interesting. At least not for me. Which doesn’t mean my heart doesn’t go out to those in the midst of weather. It does. I hope they’re okay. And I’m glad states are taking more precautions to prevent people from getting stuck in dangerous weather. I’d rather see states be safe than sorry. Tell everyone to stay home unless they’re performing emergency surgery. I’m all for preventative weather coverage for the sake of helping people avoid poor decision making regarding travel. But otherwise, I can’t watch weather coverage.
[7] Anger. I’m all for it. It’s healthy. Feel your anger. And don’t apologize for it. Just don’t hit anyone or yell at anyone. Hit a bag and yell at a pillow. Or the tv. Yell at the tv. Don’t hit it. Hitting the tv hurts.
[8] Dog grooming. I still can’t get anywhere close to my dog’s eyes with a scissor. She won’t let me. Looking for tricks but prepared to go to a groomer just for help in that area. I need a dog face groomer.
[9] Girls. I’m watching it. And reading reviews of it. And seeing too many references to Hannah’s character not knowing how she comes across. And not believing it. I firmly believe that annoying, offensive people – even if they’re smart, perceptive, talented and right some of the time – know they’re annoying and offensive. They just think that being annoying and offensive is justified. And it’s not.
[10] Chocolate chip sugar cookies. Mix chocolate chip cookie dough with sugar cookie cookie dough. Mix well. Make cookies. The mix of the two types of dough is amazing in terms of both texture and taste. Especially if you’re not a big chocolate person. Which I’m not.
