Doing Orright

It's been a strange, sad week. Like everything is built on sand and liable to change at any moment. Friends have lost loved ones; there were redundancies at work today. Everyone has a story of something awful happening. Honestly, what the hell is going on with the world right now, eh?

But everyone is being very philosophical. At least we're alive! What more can you ask. We're doing orright. 

We've had minor bummer in that our landlord has sold our house and so we're searching for somewhere new to live again. I had a bit of strop when it happened but dudes... perspective. I choose to see this as an opportunity to stickybeak in other folks' houses and mock their taste in decor!

Gareth says every time he goes trudging up a Scottish hill he always thinks about how long the hills have been there, how many people have slogged up before him and how many summers his legs have left. It's a bittersweet feeling that makes you think carefully about what you do with your time and words and dreams.

The Mothership is getting married today. Just her and her fella Ray, down by a lake with a celebrant and a couple of witnesses. I know she wouldn't mind me mentioning it because she totally loves the spotlight. I can't help bawling as I type this; I'm so bloody happy for her that she's found someone to love who loves and respects her right back, in all her nutty lovely Mothershipness. Now there's a lady who knows how to bounce back and savour the hell out of every moment. Love you Ma.

Comments

[1 · Posted by anji · February 26, 2009 at 11:24 PM]

It's really too bad about having to move (again)... I've calculated that I've lived in 21 homes in 30 years.... five places in one year alone! And, I'm even living away from home working 13 hours from my house... oi, maybe I should count those times too?? haha, there's been quite a bunch.

Hope you've purged stuff... if not, now is a good time! You will find something better, something cooler... something that you can live at for many years!

And congratulations to your mom! Sounds like a beautiful event :)

[2 · Posted by rand(om) bites · February 26, 2009 at 11:26 PM]

Oh hon, you're right, it is all about perspective. We all have sh*tty things happen and some worse than others, but it's how we deal with our lot in life that makes all the difference.

It sucks moving but it's fun looking. Hope you find something soon. I love setting up a new house - not the actual moving part though.

How cool about the Mothership! So sweet - congratulations :-)

[3 · Posted by lee (getting fit) · February 26, 2009 at 11:44 PM]

"It's a bittersweet feeling that makes you think carefully about what you do with your time and words and dreams."

I loved this. ~ Thanks ~

[4 · Posted by Lynda · February 26, 2009 at 11:51 PM]

CONGRATULATIONS to the Mothership!!!! How lovely for her :)

[5 · Posted by Heather J · February 27, 2009 at 12:04 AM]

Thanks for making me tear up. On that sad note, I was pretty happy about trying to sell our house, until I watched the Oprah featuring tent cities. People living in tents due to job loss. Makes me scared to upgrade.
Congrats to your Mom, though!!!

[6 · Posted by Peita · February 27, 2009 at 12:17 AM]

Hi Shauna! A big congrat's to your mum - I wish her all the happiness in the world! I bet you are looking forward to your visit and celebrating with her in person. Pete :-)

[7 · Posted by Kek · February 27, 2009 at 01:03 AM]

Everyone's entitled to a bit of a strop now and then. Get it OUT, I say! :o)

At least you can see the bright side, and also appreciate all the fab things about your life.

[8 · Posted by Kitteh · February 27, 2009 at 01:08 AM]

congratulations to The Mothership! :)
I really like how Dr.G looks at things... I don't know if I'd be philisophical whilst dragging my arse up a big hill - I'd be too busy cursing my brilliant idea of dragging myself up a big hill!
Good luck with the house hunting and laughing at others peoples home decor set-up. LOL

[9 · Posted by Tracey from Melbourne · February 27, 2009 at 01:54 AM]

Congratulations to the Mothership on her wedding today. Does this mean that both you and your mum are married to Scottish blokes?

[10 · Posted by Diana (Soap & Chocolate) · February 27, 2009 at 02:13 AM]

Way to keep perspective! We've gotten salary cuts at my job, but hey, I still have one. That's 100% more than a whole lot of people have right now.

Congratulations to the Mothership!!!

[11 · Posted by Misty · February 27, 2009 at 02:50 AM]

Congratulations to the Mothership!

[12 · Posted by LBTEPA · February 27, 2009 at 03:24 AM]

Very best wishes to the Mothership bride!

[13 · Posted by Elizabeth · February 27, 2009 at 03:34 AM]

Huge Congratulations to The Mothership and Ray!

I love looking at rentals for the exact same reason - that closed-up musty house smell (even if it's been empty for 2 days!), imagining where your furniture will go, and mocking the decor ;)

[14 · Posted by Nessajane · February 27, 2009 at 03:39 AM]

Is it hard to buy a house in Scotland Shauna?? Do most people rent??

Congrats to your mum.

[15 · Posted by M. · February 27, 2009 at 03:53 AM]

Woohoo for your mother!

Crap about the other things.

Actually, I'm proud to report that despite feelings of impending doom, I believe I rocked an exam today in the subject of biophysical chemistry. Or biochemical physics. I don't even know the name of the course I'm enrolled in, but I think it's going well... :)

And usually bad things happening is like being sick. When the good things happen, even if they're not truly spectacular, it's like those first few days that you really feel 100% after a nasty bug. You're so boggled by how awesome it is to be healthy, everything is 10x's more amazing than it would have been if you hadn't gotten sick in the first place.

[16 · Posted by Laylaaa. · February 27, 2009 at 03:55 AM]

Ayeee mates,as a 14 year old female I just got finished with reading the book Diet Girl,and now i'm really into reading Shaunas' blog.=)
It really inspires me,and although at a healthy 100 pounds,i'm a stickler for eating right.
^_^
Anyways now,Shauna is my HERO.

[17 · Posted by Mrs Lard · February 27, 2009 at 08:05 AM]

Oh, Shauna - just when you were so so happy about your wee Scottish house with a garden. I guess it's just a chance to find something even MORE gorgeous. Dr G sounds very philosophical.

Yes,yes, yes these are challenging times, indeed. So glad you ended up with some happy news - the Mothership's nuptials.

Wishing her and Ray much, much happiness.

Good luck with the househunting.

Big kiss. xxxxxxxxxx

[18 · Posted by dietgirl · February 27, 2009 at 09:29 AM]

cheers guys... feeling less morbid today!

Tracey - she's married a true blue Aussie :)

Laylaaa - lovely to meet ya!

NJ - we would LOVE to buy and were all set to do so when our savings bank collapsed last october. we have our money back now, but the economy has gone bonkers and the mortgage deals available now are incredibly shite and require you to have a 25% deposit whereas before it was 10%. we don't have enough dosh to buy so we have to keep renting and saving. BORRRRRRRRING!

[19 · Posted by Jen · February 27, 2009 at 11:01 AM]

Happy house hunting. I hope you find a place you love even more than the one you have now. Congrats to the Mothership and her guy! I saw on WNP that you're visiting Oz soon-- safe travels!

[20 · Posted by ani pesto · February 27, 2009 at 11:04 AM]

Big congrats to the Mothership.
I'm so sorry about all the less pleasant happenings of the week.

Good luck with your house hunt. I've actually still got my li'l old flat in Edinburgh (so hard to let go) if it weren't such a pokey wee hole I'd have loved to rent it to you.

[21 · Posted by CatsPuke · February 27, 2009 at 11:37 AM]

Congratulations Mothership!

Bummer on the house though, you've only just moved in recently haven't you? That's sucky. And so is the job situation. x

[22 · Posted by psychsarah · February 27, 2009 at 02:21 PM]

Oh man-I feel for ya with the moving dilemma! One year we moved three times, all because of other people's crap (i.e., landlord divorced and wanted to live in our, well I guess, his house, the univesity bought our building and wanted to use it for dorms...) Anyway, I think it's fabulous that you're looking at the good stuff, like your mom's wedding (huge congrats to her and her husband!), and being philosophical. I got a little verklempt reading this post because all the good stuff in my life flashed before my eyes and I felt an overwhelming urge to hug you and my husband, and my parents, and my brother, aunts, cousins, friends, pets... there I go tearing up again!! Thanks for the reminder to appreciate the good stuff. And good luck finding a new place to live-seeing bizarro wallpaper and random toilets was the funniest part of looking for our most recent home. It should make for good blogging fodder!!

[23 · Posted by Laura Red · February 27, 2009 at 03:14 PM]

Yay! Congrats to the Mothership! It's nice to hear she found someone that gives her the respect that she deserves.

That sucks that you're forced to move. Hey! If you ever get any wild ideas and decide to move to Cleveland Ohio, USA there's landlords here practically throwing houses at people! LOL ;-D

That would have to be a pretty wild idea, though...one that would probably be arrived to by means of hallucinogenic drugs and/or natural catastrophe...

[24 · Posted by Meg · February 27, 2009 at 03:54 PM]

Congratulations to your Mum!
It's definitely hard times out there, and out here too. I'm glad that it sounds like you've got some good perspective on it, I'm working on getting some better perspective on it myself.
I hope you find an amazing new place!

[25 · Posted by KateG · February 27, 2009 at 04:41 PM]

I like Gareth's thought about the hills. Sometimes when I was really tired in grad school from studying and working, I liked to think about my grandparents' generation slogging through the Depression, and my great-uncle having 4 kids and working a day job in an office and a night job in a sugar factory during WWII. It doesn't necessarily make my problems any easier, but it gives me hope I will get through too! Great-uncle is now 94.

That's too bad about your place - I had a similar problem where I thought I had saved plenty for a down payment only to be told it was now not enough.

And in the meanwhile, hurray for the Mothership!

[26 · Posted by DonnaLynn in Hawaii · February 27, 2009 at 08:52 PM]

Things will start to look up soon.

[27 · Posted by Isabelle · February 27, 2009 at 09:37 PM]

Oh, happy wedding, Mothership! (Is she going to have three celebrations, or just the one?)

Sorry about your house thing. I admire your philosophical approach. In fact, I admire everything about you.

[28 · Posted by Denise · February 27, 2009 at 10:09 PM]

Best wishes to Shauna's mum on the splendid news - true love triumphs again!

About the housing situation, I've a lovely rental here that you can have for nearly nothing (since that's what we're getting right now - nothing) but it would be a rotten commute to work.

[29 · Posted by Laylaaa. · February 28, 2009 at 04:05 AM]

Best of luck to your mother Shauna!
Nice to meet all you guys as well.:D

[30 · Posted by canknitian · February 28, 2009 at 01:31 PM]

Congratulations again to the Mothership! Mums deserve the very best and I'm so glad your Mum has found her Ray!

Big hug!

[31 · Posted by Wendy · February 28, 2009 at 01:33 PM]

Aaaw, you brought a tear to my eye with that post!

Congratulations to the Mothership!

[32 · Posted by Andrea · February 28, 2009 at 04:49 PM]

Congratulations Mothership!

It's a silver lining, huh? Maybe some hillwalking will help your blues....

[33 · Posted by Loth · February 28, 2009 at 08:45 PM]

Bummer on the housing front, hope that sorts itself out soon. But congratulations to the Mothership from one of her Scottish fan base!

[34 · Posted by Kathrin · February 28, 2009 at 09:50 PM]

Hey Shauna,
Congrats to your Mum - from what you said about your childhood in your book, she definitely deserves to find someone who loves her unconditionally.

Interesting Gareth's thoughts on hills. I work at a university with an awful lot of stairs, and often trudge from one end of campus (lower campus) to the other (upper campus). I have to say, my own thoughts are usually, "how many more bloody stairs are there!"

If you don't mind me asking - what is your day job now? (No company names needed - just your general occupation!) I know in your book you were originally in Web design in Australia, and then when you first moved to Scotland it was a lot of temp work.

Kathrin

[35 · Posted by Stacy · March 01, 2009 at 03:08 AM]

Best wishes to the Mothership & Ray!

[36 · Posted by Rosemary Grace · March 01, 2009 at 03:49 AM]

Congratulations Mothership!

[37 · Posted by ganching · March 01, 2009 at 10:07 AM]

Congratulations to your mum!

[38 · Posted by ganching · March 01, 2009 at 10:07 AM]

Congratulations to your mum!

[39 · Posted by PastaQueen · March 01, 2009 at 03:26 PM]

Congrats to the Mothership! Happy to hear she is installing a new "Ray" beam on her ship. (OK, that was lame, but I was trying to figure out what Ray's nickname will be since the Mothership is such a clever one.)

[40 · Posted by JanetM97 · March 01, 2009 at 04:11 PM]

Sorry about your having to move, but yeah for your perspective! A good attitude makes all the difference in pretty much everything, eh? (plus moving always gets me to get rid of at least some of the cr*ap) ;)

Congratulations to your mothership! :)

[41 · Posted by Marla · March 01, 2009 at 07:01 PM]

My goodness, so much in one short post! Best wishes to the Mothership, that wild woman--ain't love grand?

And sorry about your house, didn't you just move in there three days ago?? Seems like it. I'm not sure I could achieve your calm without chemical aid.

[42 · Posted by dietgirl · March 01, 2009 at 08:02 PM]

hehe nice one PQ :)

Thanks for the comments guys, M'ship will no doubt be chuffed to bits!

Kathrin - I have similar murderous thoughts on stairs! My day job is in web marketing. It's totally thrilling stuff :P

[43 · Posted by Cal · March 02, 2009 at 01:12 PM]

Oh wow. Congratulations to the Mothership indeed.

[44 · Posted by Mimi · March 02, 2009 at 09:32 PM]

I've heard so much about this blog, but only just now started to read it. You are an amazing example of balanced, healthy living--despite the world's best attempts to send us flying.

Best of luck with all the changes in your life.

Now, I'm going to explore your blog some more!

- Mimi

[45 · Posted by Kathrin · March 03, 2009 at 05:52 AM]

Shauna - I work as a researcher in tax law. Believe me, web marketing does sound thrilling compared to my day job! :) Last year for my birthday my Mum gave me a teddy bear wearing a T-shirt saying "I <3 Tax Law" ... Even amongst the tax professors I'm considered a geek!