Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Get In The Car!: Monday snark....
Get In The Car!: Monday snark.... There's a name for folks like him. Jackass.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Moving day
I've moved-- my blog is now over at Wordpress.com, but you can reach it by typing www.bipolarlawyercook.com into your browser menu window. I hope you will join me there! I have set up a redirect tag on this site. If it doesn't work, please click on the link in this post. Thanks!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Site construction
I am working on site re-design and have turned off comments for the time being. If you need to reach me, I'm available at bipolarlawyercook at gmail dot com. Shouldn't be more than a day or two.
Are the words corporate and green antithetical?
There's an interesting article in the NYT about the purchase of Burt's Bees by Clorox, posing some interesting questions about whether to patronize green subdivisions of huge, business-as-usual corporations. There's also an interesting subsection of the article about the dangers of going into business with your close friend/life partner, and whether buyout money is sanitized if it's put to a good end. It hasn't changed my resolution to move toward smaller and greener on everything. My deep cynicism remains intact-- larger corporations' "green" branches are nothing but an effort to get my money. The moment they discover a "safer," cheaper, chemical, the natural brands will disappear. However, one of the people in the article poses a great question-- "if you wouldn't put it in your mouth, why would you put it on your skin?"
Sunday, January 6, 2008
BlogHer 2008 Conference
Alternately titled, Anyone need a kidney? I've got a nice, healthy female kidney for sale. I registered for the conference, and gasped in pain as I registered for a room at the conference hotel, the Westin St. Francis. The Better Half said I ought to spend the money to stay at the conference site, since I didn't want to miss the off hours socializing, but still! I know they got a reasonable rate, I can tell just looking at the hotel website, but, but, but... there's a Days Inn in the Castro, a half a mile away, totally walkable, that Kayak.com says would be half the price. Anyone else want to set up at an alternate, cheaper hotel and learn to stumble back from the Westin drunk after midnight? It'll be fun!
Bloggingversary? Blogiversary? Blog birthday?
Whatever you call it, today's it. A year ago, I decided that maybe I'd feel a little saner and a little more creatively fulfilled if I journaled out in the open. I expected the blogging forum to give me a visible product that would keep me accountable, and would make me stay interested in the project. One year and 562 posts later, it's been ever so much more.
I hoped but didn't really expect that I'd have some commenters. I thought I'd do more writing about being a lawyer than I did. I hoped that the blog would give me the inspiration to do some cooking projects. Well, I've mostly been documenting what I cook-- but that's been worth it, since it turns out, looking back, that I am a pretty good cook. I never thought I'd become a food blogger-- I just don't have enough clean dishes or a dishwasher to churn out regular food posts, and there are so many other things I wanted to write about. And I've written less about being a lawyer for a number of reasons-- first, I didn't want to get dooced, and while I would draft posts about things that happen, I never found a way to sanitize the posts and have them still make sense, or seem funny, or have a point. Second, though, I've been disenchanted with my workplace and my area of law, and I wanted this blog to be a mostly positive space. Better to leave my bitching to therapy. And third, I've become less interested in my lawyer career, and more interested in writing as my avocation-- so I got more interested in writing about other things.
I never set any goals or schedules for when I would post about what, and with the exception of NaBloPoMo, I rarely used memes. When I was feeling stuck I would either not post, or post a picture, or post a link to someone else. I need to come up with some creative ways to post something creative. But I'm also thinking that I'd like to make cooking a more consistent them this year, and am contemplating a series of posts about cooking tips & tricks, cooking basics, pantry staples, and my favorite pieces of kitchen equipment, assuming I can keep my act together. What would you like to see? More pictures? More cranky complaints about the legal system? Pictures of the back of the Better Half's head?
I also became completely obsessed with my digital camera, and got totally snap-happy. I started an account at FlickR, and a photo blog to document the changing of the seasons at Boston's Arnold Arboretum. Some of my FlickR contacts have been kind enough to stop by to visit here, and some of you have stopped by my photostream there as well. I also upgraded to a higher class of point and shoot camera-- who knows, maybe next year I will move on to a digital SLR.
On the writing front, I feel more sane this time around than I did last year. The writing has been cathartic, but more so the response! I never anticipated that so many of you would share your time, your thoughts, your experiences, your humor with me, and I'm a richer person because of it. So many of you have shared so much, both in comments and in private emails, that I learned something I've known but never before felt-- I'm not alone. And neither are you, as long as I can blog and visit your sites. Thank you.
I started reading Real Mental after seeing a post by LeahPeah about it over her site, and not too long afterward, volunteered to be a contributor. That has since evolved into a weekly post, which has been rewarding in many of the same ways as writing here. But while I hope that this blog is a place where everyone feels safe commenting their Truth, I know that Real Mental is a safe space to read, to comment, and to feel part of a community-- the writers there span the spectrum of mental illness, from caregivers to fellow patients (and often both). The Truths they have to share, and the eloquent way in which the Real Mental writers express themselves humble me, and make me thankful for the gifts that they share.
I've been contemplating some physical changes to the site for the past month or so, and may even move hosts. I haven't to this point had any ads on this site, since Blogger's a free host and I didn't need to pay for server costs, but some of the things I'd like to do with the site in the next year may come with a price tag, so we'll see.
I have some ideas what the future will bring, but this last year has shown me that the unexpected can be wonderful. I hope you'll continue to take the journey with me.
I hoped but didn't really expect that I'd have some commenters. I thought I'd do more writing about being a lawyer than I did. I hoped that the blog would give me the inspiration to do some cooking projects. Well, I've mostly been documenting what I cook-- but that's been worth it, since it turns out, looking back, that I am a pretty good cook. I never thought I'd become a food blogger-- I just don't have enough clean dishes or a dishwasher to churn out regular food posts, and there are so many other things I wanted to write about. And I've written less about being a lawyer for a number of reasons-- first, I didn't want to get dooced, and while I would draft posts about things that happen, I never found a way to sanitize the posts and have them still make sense, or seem funny, or have a point. Second, though, I've been disenchanted with my workplace and my area of law, and I wanted this blog to be a mostly positive space. Better to leave my bitching to therapy. And third, I've become less interested in my lawyer career, and more interested in writing as my avocation-- so I got more interested in writing about other things.
I never set any goals or schedules for when I would post about what, and with the exception of NaBloPoMo, I rarely used memes. When I was feeling stuck I would either not post, or post a picture, or post a link to someone else. I need to come up with some creative ways to post something creative. But I'm also thinking that I'd like to make cooking a more consistent them this year, and am contemplating a series of posts about cooking tips & tricks, cooking basics, pantry staples, and my favorite pieces of kitchen equipment, assuming I can keep my act together. What would you like to see? More pictures? More cranky complaints about the legal system? Pictures of the back of the Better Half's head?
I also became completely obsessed with my digital camera, and got totally snap-happy. I started an account at FlickR, and a photo blog to document the changing of the seasons at Boston's Arnold Arboretum. Some of my FlickR contacts have been kind enough to stop by to visit here, and some of you have stopped by my photostream there as well. I also upgraded to a higher class of point and shoot camera-- who knows, maybe next year I will move on to a digital SLR.
On the writing front, I feel more sane this time around than I did last year. The writing has been cathartic, but more so the response! I never anticipated that so many of you would share your time, your thoughts, your experiences, your humor with me, and I'm a richer person because of it. So many of you have shared so much, both in comments and in private emails, that I learned something I've known but never before felt-- I'm not alone. And neither are you, as long as I can blog and visit your sites. Thank you.
I started reading Real Mental after seeing a post by LeahPeah about it over her site, and not too long afterward, volunteered to be a contributor. That has since evolved into a weekly post, which has been rewarding in many of the same ways as writing here. But while I hope that this blog is a place where everyone feels safe commenting their Truth, I know that Real Mental is a safe space to read, to comment, and to feel part of a community-- the writers there span the spectrum of mental illness, from caregivers to fellow patients (and often both). The Truths they have to share, and the eloquent way in which the Real Mental writers express themselves humble me, and make me thankful for the gifts that they share.
I've been contemplating some physical changes to the site for the past month or so, and may even move hosts. I haven't to this point had any ads on this site, since Blogger's a free host and I didn't need to pay for server costs, but some of the things I'd like to do with the site in the next year may come with a price tag, so we'll see.
I have some ideas what the future will bring, but this last year has shown me that the unexpected can be wonderful. I hope you'll continue to take the journey with me.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Yays and Boos
Yays:
I just got an email back from an Etsy seller about a custom order for my BIL's wedding. It's going to be really affordable, and beautiful, and different from what everyone else is getting them.
It's sunny and over 30.
Mom seems to be coming down, bit by bit. The Abilify is slower than the Seroquel.
Boos:
My shrink forgot to call in my lithium refill. I left her a voice mail on her cell (small Yay that I have her number) and hope she'll get back to me today, since I will be out after tonight. At least she is a staff member at the nearest hospital, so my records will be in the computer if I have to go to the ER for an interim prescription.
I have a fierce withdrawal headache from titrating down on my Effexor, which was making me start to get manic.
I am still WICKED backed up from this damned lithium. Any and all tips for staying hydrated will be much appreciated. I'm already drinking 4-5 Britta pitchers a day. It's getting ridiculous-- I'm always in the bathroom to pee, but the rocklike bowels persist. (True sign of getting old-- one's regularity becomes a constant preoccupation.)
I just got an email back from an Etsy seller about a custom order for my BIL's wedding. It's going to be really affordable, and beautiful, and different from what everyone else is getting them.
It's sunny and over 30.
Mom seems to be coming down, bit by bit. The Abilify is slower than the Seroquel.
Boos:
My shrink forgot to call in my lithium refill. I left her a voice mail on her cell (small Yay that I have her number) and hope she'll get back to me today, since I will be out after tonight. At least she is a staff member at the nearest hospital, so my records will be in the computer if I have to go to the ER for an interim prescription.
I have a fierce withdrawal headache from titrating down on my Effexor, which was making me start to get manic.
I am still WICKED backed up from this damned lithium. Any and all tips for staying hydrated will be much appreciated. I'm already drinking 4-5 Britta pitchers a day. It's getting ridiculous-- I'm always in the bathroom to pee, but the rocklike bowels persist. (True sign of getting old-- one's regularity becomes a constant preoccupation.)
Friday, January 4, 2008
Brr
Four degrees in Boston yesterday. These little guys were huddled in the sunshine on my front steps.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
RDA of vitamin C
We had lunch at Charley's in Harvard Square after a museum visit, and the waitress brought the Better Half's "club soda with lime" with enough citrus to fight scurvy for the rest of the winter. And she kissed him on the head before picking up the check. Fortunately for her, she was over 70, so I didn't have to cut a b*tch.
I say a little prayer
God, please take any good karma I may have accrued by:
1) Taking my ever-complaining mother-in-law to cataract surgery today, and taking her to her follow-up tomorrow,
2) Continuing to talk med mal law to a friend of my SIL's with whom I've been emailing for THREE WEEKS, who STILL misspells my first name in EVERY SINGLE EMAIL, despite the fact that my first name appears in my primary email address, and
3) not rearending that asshole who failed to use his turn signal while driving home my BIL and fiancee from his mom's house,
and please, please, for the love of You, please, apply it to my Mom. I had to get all good cop, bad cop on her and tell her that I would call DMH unless she got up RIGHT THEN to read me the label for her antipsychotic, so that I could know whether she'd actually gone out to get it. I am too tired for this right now, and my job may be fuqking me around, so I REALLY don't want to go to California right now to drive her to doctor's appointments.
And, thanks for this red wine which makes me feel nice and floaty, and ALLOWS ME TO BLOG IN ALL CAPS. Also, I think I am entering a hypomanic phase, so if you could do something about that until my shrink calls in some more pills for me, I'd appreciate it. M'kay? Thanks.
Update: I love my shrink, who calls my cell and lets me have her cell number. She's awesome, and she still thinks I am funny. And Mom sounds better tonight in the way that only antipsychotics can effect. God is still the root cause of her problems right now, but the rest of her conversation is far more lucid and normal. Yay, Abilify and/or Seroquel! I'll refrain from reminding her that God left off plaguing individuals after he sent his Son to Earth to suffer for us, at least until she's fully lucid again. Sigh. The joys of a psychotic ordained minister for a Mom.
1) Taking my ever-complaining mother-in-law to cataract surgery today, and taking her to her follow-up tomorrow,
2) Continuing to talk med mal law to a friend of my SIL's with whom I've been emailing for THREE WEEKS, who STILL misspells my first name in EVERY SINGLE EMAIL, despite the fact that my first name appears in my primary email address, and
3) not rearending that asshole who failed to use his turn signal while driving home my BIL and fiancee from his mom's house,
and please, please, for the love of You, please, apply it to my Mom. I had to get all good cop, bad cop on her and tell her that I would call DMH unless she got up RIGHT THEN to read me the label for her antipsychotic, so that I could know whether she'd actually gone out to get it. I am too tired for this right now, and my job may be fuqking me around, so I REALLY don't want to go to California right now to drive her to doctor's appointments.
And, thanks for this red wine which makes me feel nice and floaty, and ALLOWS ME TO BLOG IN ALL CAPS. Also, I think I am entering a hypomanic phase, so if you could do something about that until my shrink calls in some more pills for me, I'd appreciate it. M'kay? Thanks.
Update: I love my shrink, who calls my cell and lets me have her cell number. She's awesome, and she still thinks I am funny. And Mom sounds better tonight in the way that only antipsychotics can effect. God is still the root cause of her problems right now, but the rest of her conversation is far more lucid and normal. Yay, Abilify and/or Seroquel! I'll refrain from reminding her that God left off plaguing individuals after he sent his Son to Earth to suffer for us, at least until she's fully lucid again. Sigh. The joys of a psychotic ordained minister for a Mom.
Getting good treatment
As a follow up to my post about being your own best health care advocate, here's a link to a post by Just Me at Master of Irony about getting good treatment, with the twist that Just Me is a healthcare worker, and has lots of insider tips about what to ask for and how. Just Me is bipolar, like me, and has a hard to manage form of the disease-- her site is a wonderful, honest, real exploration of the disease, and her writing is always insightful.
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