First things first: Happy New Year!
This week was all about tying up loose ends and enjoying quiet times at home. I got boatloads of work done on my various projects, which was gratifying but not terribly exciting to talk about, at least not yet.
We had expected to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a fancy restaurant with an authentic Cyprian meal, but the government raised their restrictions due to the Omicron variant and all the restaurants we were considering ended up being closed. Waaahhhh!
So we stayed home. Robin cooked dinner; we wore silly hats and watched an old movie online. At midnight we toasted with champagne and Robin served flaming melon.
It’s probably just as well that we’ve been home; the car is still being repaired (it turns out the water pump broke), and it has been raining like crazy. I told Robin we must begin building an ark in the backyard.
We’ve had a couple of crazy incidents: Robin woke in the wee hours to the sound of rustling by the patio door. After shining a flashlight around he discovered an intruder: a Cyprus frog! Its binomial name is Pelophylax cypriensis, the Cyprus frog or Cyprus water frog, a creature native to Cyprus.
Robin opened the door and gently ushered him outside without too much fuss.
Another evening Robin had left the back door ajar so the cats could come and go… Apparently a feral cat sneaked inside, no doubt seeking food and warmth. Well, the two resident cats took offense and snarled, thereby alerting Robin, who looked up to witness the invader trying to escape, but instead accidentally slamming the door shut and locking himself inside!
A merry chase ensued throughout the kitchen and living room with Robin and the two resident cats in merry pursuit of this frantic, crazed black cat who had nowhere to hide. Robin reopened the back door and eventually managed to shoo the feral cat outside, but the resident cats were slightly traumatized, and they growled and fussed for a couple of hours long after the danger had passed.
Max, who is a big baby, has taken to cuddling with Robin in bed at night… he crawls under the covers like a human would, and stays there for hours. I’ve never seen anything like it!
Should I be jealous that he’s sleeping with somebody else?
Robin has been applying for house sits for the coming year. We have booked an upcoming sit in France, followed by three sits in the UK that follow after the Eranos conference that I’ve spent 1-1/2 years trying to get to. My hopes are that it will be magickal to walk the grounds where Jung walked and held court.
My proposal to speak at the BAPT conference this spring was just accepted, so at some point I’ll have to start developing it. The topic is a bit tricky, so I have to work a little bit on getting it over the fence so attendees understand it. Wish me luck!
Unfortunately, my article for Psychological Perspectives didn’t get published in 2021 after all… I’m not sure what happened there. It will be in the next issue regardless—I just don’t know whether they will backdate it to 2021 or date it to 2022. I guess we’ll have to work a little harder in the coming year to get the journal onto a regular schedule again.
I’m heartbroken that I missed out on attending the Philemon Foundation webinar with Peter Forshaw on the topic of alchemy. I fully expected to attend, but they never issued any announcement that I saw—and after checking around with some friends I learned they didn’t see an announcement either and also missed out, to their great disappointment likewise. If you or anybody you know happened to record a bootleg video of the session, we would be thrilled to view a copy and will happily donate the session fee to the Foundation in return. Operators are standing by to take your call!
Resolutions and words—did I make any for 2022? Do I have any?
Last year my word for the year was “published.” And I feel I made good on that promise, because I published several times in a wide variety of academic and non-academic publications. Apparently I succeeded with that focus!
I know my coach thinks VISIBILITY should be my word for this new year. That’s been a chronic problem for me over many decades… In fact, these weekly emails over the past year are the result of his passionate encouragement. So maybe I’ll try visibility on for size and see whether I can relax into that idea. I’ve already gotten more active on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, plus I have a few other ideas up my sleeve.
Resolutions? Obviously to avoid COVID—but to continue having fun sightseeing and cuddling creatures. Surmount a few of my sticky tech challenges… Read more. Learn more. Crochet more. (I’ve taken to crocheting when I watch computer videos; otherwise I either fall asleep or get distracted by email.)
I think that list is adequately ambitious for the time being… I have a few ideas (I always have ideas), but I don’t need to push the needle further than it’s ready to move right now. Unlike the multitudes of people who are mostly sheltering at home, I am lucky to travel and see the world, which I do not take for granted. Accordingly, I am not hankering for improvement (although I could stand to lose a little weight).
How about you? Did you identify a word (or words) for this new year? What are you resolved about in the months to come? I’m curious!
Send an email to vj@typeinsights.com and let me know. I’d love to see what variety of responses I get back.
I might even report on them in my next blog post—you never know!
Until next time, ciao!
warmly, -Dr. Vicky Jo