44. Playful Adults

ya know...on my iphone i've come across a program that states that children laugh likes 400 times a day and adults about 0 - 80. That struck me. Being in the field of psychology I wonder why this is so? I've read numerous texts and transcripts but someone that truly speaks to it is a Dr. Romanyshyn from Pacifica. He tells stories that adults must take the time to play. Even my own favorite writers, Jung wrote about his own playfulness and sand tray work when depressed. Have adults forgotten how to play? We've all heared the phrase,

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

so Dr. Romanyshyn speaks much about taking the time to play. Letting our imagination run free and allow the interacion of our imaginations to our surrounding worlds. He will meet random people and tell them that he is an architect, or sculptor or nuclear physicist! I love it....until you get caught in a random conversation with someone who actually is a physicist....doh. This is why I find it fun to randomly play with strangers...tell them different things and enjoy life..all the while studying the reaction to various respones...."I'm a pole dancing stripper....i'm a pillow stuffer...i'm a hair fabricator..." it's amazing. Take the time to play in life...with kids...with games...with sand...with others...learn to laugh, love and enjoy the time spent in your imagination. Sure it may be lying...but that says that a 5 year old claiming to be an astronaut therefore has problems...learn to play...learn to laugh...be happy.

43. Stuffed Sandwich

Isn't amazing how we can all randomly find these connections to things and places around us. Just think about it...how many times have you really had an "ah-huh" moment when you knew you were exactly where you needed to be when you needed to be there. It's amazing...my friend gail told me about a place in san gabrield called stuffed sandwich around my bday and told me that since i like beer that that was the place to go. SO I went a few weeks later (late july) and really really enjoyed it. it was awesome. Then here i am in october moving 1 block away from the place and revisiting it again...damn good times. So i walk in with "E" and as i'm thinking about what to get sam the owner walks out. He has a massive hunched back which automatically made me want to sit up straight from fear of having the issue later in life too. He starts ragging on me and telling me about how I know nothing about beers and would joke around about not having the polish sandwich because "you're too wimpy" PSYCH!SENSE tells me that this guy has some sort of "i have to be better than you" complex in his own restaurant! for reals...i had this inklings that he needed to feel in the "i'm better than you" position. Seemed interesting.....so i argue with him back and forth and generally enjoy his company. It's great...he's funny...puts nicknames of people and laughs with others as regulars bite back at him. All fun times. Just interesting ey? it's so interesting to think that the first thing he does when he meets someone is take the crap outta them. why? showing welcome? showing dominance? what is he doing?

42. The Crest

So there I was on a late thursday night with absolutely nothign to do. I thought I was tired...but no...no no no I was not...instead I was craving something. Do you guys ever get those random cravings...cravings for what? ya know...cravings for anything. I found myself at this local bar called the crest which have 8 dollar steak dinners. I immediately walk in and the bar tender starts screaming at the 3 people that were in there, "HEY IT"S MY B-DAY" now of course being the random social butterfly that I am i randomly sat there and said, "let me buy you a drink" He introdcues himself to me and shakes my hand but immediately twists it to have his on top of mine...my psych! mind tells me...""dude...he needs to feel empowered and above me"" man..it stinks to have my psych!sense always tingling. So he continues screaming all night and for some reason i really couldn't figure out why he would need to like feel above me...greater than me...body language would suggest that his hand on top of mine means his need to feel better than me. Oh my...

So i'm sitting there having a randomly stella and 2 couples walk in. two white couples (i only put that down because i live in an asian community and it threw me off) they start yelling screaming and taking drinks...one of the two gals puts her head on the bar and look kinda green as she starts to hurl all over the bar and the other gal and two guys are simply laughing...interesting times...they end up buying me a random jaeger bomb and introducing themselves simply as "the regulars" Good times in san gabriel..good times.

41. Moving

Isn't moving to a new place exciting? I mean it can be...I have found myself enjoying the prospect of new locations and trying out new places but lately i have been able to really explore my new surroundings. The greatest part of all this is learning about new foods, restaurants and people. How amazing is it to study the random people that cross your path and move around you. I have been to many new restaurants and new places to try and learn. For instance...just in my area i've seen and tried new foods like: MUNG BEAN (yeah...i know WTF!?), duck tongue, pig intestine and aztec mochas. I've had the chance to hang out in new bars and lounges which I will be sure to put down on this thing soon enough.

40. Blog update

Where have I been? well...when my last blog site died and destroyed my blogs on it...man..i was pissed. it was as if losing the first edition novel of my life...so much has changed...hearing stories at numerous clinics, private offices and public places. Meeting people and passing by others daily. I have lived with armenians, mexicans, iraqis (which funny enough reminded me of my old neighborhood), and now asians. Quite the diversity. My latest endeavor is in the city of San Gabriel. That's right I now live here in san gabriel having my motorcycle hit and knocked over and also walking out to the enchanting scent of asian food daily. Good times? I'm meeting new people and soon enough will be adding my stories of them as well.

39. The New Blog

I've had another blog site for years...I MEAN YEARS! unfortunately it crapped out on me and suddenly the site was gone!!!! WTF!?!?! So the only ones I could put onto this guy were the ones that were kinda like...uh random unedited things that I simply would type out before posting. Anyways...welcome to the new site of "psycho-babbo" it is a stolen identity and name from someone else but it was also my own...so is it really stealing? well...that was confusing...anyways...stay tuned ladies and gentlemen...stay tuned

38. I'm the rebound?

So as I've been making my rounds with the plethora of both 4 year old Rx addicts and 88 year old pyromaniacs...i've found myself in the presence of those that have had a loooooong history of mental disorder. Some longer than I've been alive have been in the mental health system for so long that I KNOW they could create licensing exams for us mental health peeps...I know in fact that many of them can read right through some of their own therapists...so interesting. Anyways, as i'm making my rounds (like i said earlier) i've found a teenager that tells me, "hey andrew...you're my third therapist in like..3 years." and of course my response is somewhere around, "so how does that make you feel."....his response was, "well...so far...you're not that good...my last therapist in the two sessions we initially had knew who I was, my life and everything...he was so great...he made me feel so good, he challenged me, he pushed me, he motivated me..."blah blah blah blah..So feelign a bit insulted I ask him, "oh...then why did it end?" and his response, "well it was time I moved on from him....it was just time...now here you are andrew and i think my last therapist was way better."Damn jerk off little prick...ugh! haha..i'm the rebound...ofcourse my thoughts are just running around right now..."was he better at diagnosing you? could he make you feel like I can? can't you just try and like me? why is it so quiet in session maybe i should break the ice..." hahhahahah i'm such the rebound...it's like going on an awkward first date as they tell you all about their last b/f and how you'll never be as good as they were...hahah....I think I should start a support group for therapists that are just the rebound therapists...

37. Real psychotherapy

Soo...I have a new job. "what!?!?!....you andrew...new job?" Yes everyone that is right...new job. Well..to be specific...same position (psychotherapist) but new clinic. (Although this blog seems very uh...stressful and tiring, readers please note that I wrote this whole thing smiling because as I look back on my new position- it's all going to be okay.)Sooo...i've been there for about...hmm...in total. 5 days including today. Yeah...in 5 days i've had the clinic drop 26 patients on me...train me on 10 hours of department of mental health paperwork bullcrap...which quite honestly has to be the crappiest crap that has ever crapped...been yelled at by a supervisor...been told that my patient notes suck...and worse of all...had 3 patients commit suicide on me already!!! hahha...ya know. Sometimes those decisions you make...well...aren't always the best decisions. I'm working with them all..children (my youngest is 4)...WHY THE HELL DOES A 4 YEAR OLD NEED THERAPY AND MEDS???!!? my oldest patient is 68 and he has had schizophrenia for about..uh...40 something years...man....that's a long time. He takes more medications than I have fingers...geez...The irony? Those three patients that committed suicide..yeah...apparently they told me that I was the best therapist, funniest and most personable one they've ever met or had, right after the 1st session with me. WTF!?!?! So i took that as good and bad. Good because at least I know i build rapport well...bad because well..maybe i cheered them up so much that they were able to have the energy and courage enough to off themselves. WTF!!?!? sigh...It's been an interesting time for change...an interesting period in life right now...lots of changes...lots of ...hmm...different experiences and such. These curve balls that life throws are so very very interesting. I have an office and even a window but guess what? I don't use it...i'm supposed to be out in their homes, or school, or psychiatric hospitals doing...well..I don't know...whatever I want...to be specific my supervisor tells me, "You can do any orientation and theoretical intervention you want Andrew..play therapy, narrative, sandplay, cognitive behavioral...anything...just make sure that when you write patient notes you don't put any of that stuff down"hahah...geez...good times.

36. Old guys rule

So last night I head out to Riverside to hang out with a really old friend of mine. We do the usual stuff...eat, drink and basically chill out. It was really nice to actually go out and...well...take a break from all the crap that's happened lately...no need to get into that. In response to my last blog about old men in gyms his response was, "well dude, old guys also walk around because well...they don't give a damn either..." I mean i hear him..i'm sure no one is going to up to them and say, "hey pops put the elephant trunk away ya know.."So anyways...we get up this morning and go to the driving range...now mind you, i've never ever done that before and thought...psh...no problem. Golf is hard.Dammit..I could barely get the ball spitting distance let alone 200 yards like my bud..well anyways...in the end this old man walks up..sets his feet...tests his stick and slams the hell outta it...holy crap I mean one after the other it was simply perfect....SIMPLY PERFECT! So he looks over at my me and my bud and says, "let me give you some tips."HA! this guy starts telling us how we're too stiff...to stuck...trying to over power it...trying to muscle it too much and all kinds of stuff...we're not relaxing enough, we're comparing oursevles to others, we're trying to outswing the neighbor...in the end he destroyed our hopes of golf...the sense I got?Learn to work your stick and you'll hit it far...hehe...damn old men using their sticks well.Old Guys Rule

35. Letting it all hang out

Allow me to give some credit to a co-worker of mine that helped me formulate this thought.So...I've spent soooo much time in the gym lately...running, weights, taking up basketball, swimming...well really anything. I've found it to be the only way to deal with stuff going on. Anyways, as i've spent more time there I came to an interesting observation. As I shower and change back into regular clothes I find myself walking from the shower to my locker in the gym wearing a towel. WHY? I mean i've been stripping and showering with hundreds of guys in the Marine Corps so why bother? Well I do it because although I may be used to it...others may not be. I have to respect their own privacy and their feelings as well (which in itself is a debatable thing...) Anyways...WHY THE HELL DO OLD, SAGGY MEN WALK AROUND NUDE?!?!!??!and it's not that they're doing it...but they're doing it because they walk around with the air of..."Check me out gents...i still got it"....i can only cringe sometimes...man...I mean they're in great shape and hey more power to them since I can only pray i can look good walking around naked at age 98...haha...Man do they got balls.....hahahahahah literally.