My grandpa died last Saturday. His funeral is today, and I am giving him a tribute on behalf of all the grandkids. I wanted to share it on my blog because I really like how it turned out. (We pronounced Papa Pawpaw.) Reflections Papa Wayne was ornery and gruff, but he was also exceedingly generous. …
Surviving mania
When you are manic, your mind bounds from one thing to another. To another. To another. Never-endingly. It is impossible to focus your thoughts. Your mind races; its RPM well beyond anything safe. Having coherent thoughts is impossible. So, you try writing them down. Yes. That will solve it. You will write down all your …
Bipolar birthday
This week marks the seventh anniversary of my bipolar diagnosis. I consider August 21st my bipolar birthday because it is the first night I went without sleep, which caused the storm that followed. (You can find a more detailed account of that story here.) Some people find it odd that I celebrate my bipolar birthday, …
A confession and a rant
I am a picky eater. Let me rephrase and reemphasize: I am a VERY picky eater. I do not mind being a picky eater. I eat what I like, and I like what I eat. What does bother me are other people’s inane reactions to finding out I am picky. For some reason, this is …
Superstitious or obsessive compulsive?
I am the most superstitious person I know. Not a little stitious, SUPERstitious. (If you know from whence that play on words was ripped off, we can be friends.) My superstitious nature first manifested itself in the arena of sports. When I was in high school, I would try to eat the same thing before …
Depression and the pity-party problem
Depression is an unfortunate reality for people with bipolar disorder. I mean, bipolar disorder used to be known as manic-depressive illness. The terms are largely irrelevant, though the original nomenclature was definitely more helpful and descriptive. No matter what you call it, the depressive side of the illness is the pits. I am lucky in …
The faux book club
Last month, my best friend, who has this brilliant book blog, had the brilliant idea to start what she has dubbed a faux bookclub (I think faux may need to be italicized ‘cause it’s French, which means it’s fancy). What the heck is a faux bookclub?? I’m glad you asked. The top definition of faux is …
He said she said…or social triangles
My small town founded a high school my freshman year. Before the high school was started, our town’s middle school fed into a bigger town’s public high school. Now, when I was in seventh and eighth grade, I was pretty close to three other girls. Two of the girls had parents who worked for the …
Adventure is out there!
My idea of adventure is the adrenaline rush I get when I sit down on a toilet that still has the seat up. The fear of falling into the toilet in that split second is enough for a sizable adrenaline rush. Anything more than that is too much. Similarly, leaving my apartment for work is …
The hills are alive
If you are cool, you already know what this post is going to be about. I read this fascinating book a few years ago by Oliver Sacks called Musicophilia. It’s a sizable book full of odd-ball stories revolving around people’s love for music. -philia means “love for” in Latin. I read it well after I …
Between Two Poles 