My passions run deep...from politics to sex, cooking to health care I have opinions. I talk about living with a mental illness & a physically debilitating disorder. Free speech is critical it is our DUTY to uphold its principles. Regardless of the Republicans' views on the subject. I love art. So, I am always on the lookout for fun, frivolous and visually challenging art to view. Anyone can look at a bowl of fruit. It takes an appreciative eye to see beauty in the whimsical.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Sunday, October 28, 2007

My polictics may not be yours but can't we stop the war anyway??


GO
HERE AND BUY THIS T-SHIRT! THEN, WEAR IT
TO PROVE THAT FREE SPEECH ISN'T QUITE DEAD - YET...




Our Anti-War Shirts are IllegalOur anti-war shirts featuring names of 3,734 fallen U.S. troops have been banned in 5 states (TX, AZ, FL, OK & LA). But we keep selling in every state. We also sell bumper stickers, magnetic bumper stickers, fridge magnets, bike stickers & buttons. COEXIST. Blackwater: We Take Care of People. OBAMA. At Least the War on the Environment is Going Well. KUCINICH. When the Power of Love Overcomes the Love of Power, the World Will Know Peace. EDWARDS. Support our Troops - Bring Them Home. HILLARY

Top 10 Conservative Idiots

Friday, October 26, 2007

Isn't she beautiful - look at those eyes!!



Squaw Courtesy of and copyright by: ERoxfox from DeviantART.com


I really enjoy photographs that have slightly manipulated in a "digital darkroom". It gives them an "other-worldly" look. I think that this photo has had some slight post-production work done to it. Regardless, I really enjoy the look.

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Monday, October 22, 2007

My Review of Wafer-Thin CD/ MP-3 Shelf System

Originally submitted at Brookstone

Enhance your listening pleasure with one of the world’s most advanced, coolest shelf stereo systems.
Compact and attractive, this CD/ MP-3 shelf system features the latest technology and full stereo sound.

Your all in one music system: the Wafer-Thin CD/ MP-3 shelf system.

  • ...


  • Great sound and wonderful footprint

    By Whimsical-Annie from Champaign/Urbana, Illinois on 10/22/2007

     

    4out of 5

    Pros: Doesn't Skip, Easy To Set Up, Great Sound, Great night light, Easy Controls

    Cons: Sub Woofer hard to place

    Best Uses: Larger Rooms, Smaller Rooms, Basic Systems

    Describe Yourself: Practical, Tech Savvy, Musically Inclined

    I love the system and it fits well on the headboard of my water bed. But, the cords are short (and I'm just too lazy and cheap to buy new - the ones supplied should be enough) and that makes the sub woofer hard to place. I had to move in a side table for its placement. That inconvenience aside, the sound is wonderful, the colored lights at the bottom of the unit make a great night light (an unexpected bonus), and the remote control makes it a breeze to operate.
    All-in-all, I would highly recommend this product.

    (legalese)

    Saturday, October 13, 2007

    What is it about FAMILY?

    I love my family! Let's just start there. They are the light and joy of my life; they are the bane of my existence. It is the perfect dichotomy - you can't have one without the other. No joy without pain; no pain without reaching the heights of ecstasy.

    You will not know what the summit looks like unless you take that first step up the side of that friggin' mountain.

    I wax philosophic tonight. But, that's fine, I'm lacking sleep, I'm hungry, I'm irritated with life and my body hurts. All in all, it's going to be a great day. I can just feel in my soul (something my daughter doesn't believe in, I found out today) that life is getting ready to make some drastic changes). I like this time of year - change is on the wind.

    I used to really, and I do mean REALLY hate the fall. It brought on the "October Shits." Well, that's what it was so lovingly called in my house. It was a time when I was GUARANTEED to get depressed and crawl inito my "cave" and stay there until the winter thaw. That would be sometime in January. This year, I am actually feeling pretty good and actually looking forward to doing a couple of art projects. That is actually ASTONISHING. I cannot remember the last time I picked up my jewelry making supplies and did ANYTHING of a creative nature. So, stunned is a good word for how I feel about the impules I've been having.

    And, that is SO EXCITING. A year ago, this month, I couldn't get out of bed - I was so exhausted. I was in te throes of a TERRIBLE Chronic Fatigue/Fibro episode. It was about six months with almost no time out of bed. The entire episode lasted newrly 18 months.

    That is what I have been recovering from recently. I can now actually drive a couple of hours at a time, I can walk a little over 40 minutes. My daughter and I are going to start doing pilates. It is going to be a nice "bonding experience." If I have to beat the Universe into submission...

    Well, I'm going to try and get some sleep...I'm in the middle of some insomnia AGAIN. I hate insomnia. And, I'm actually feeling a little tired. So, I'll post this and see if I can't get some sleep.

    Friday, October 5, 2007

    What it's like to be Borderline


    Being Borderline is like being constantly at war, with yourself and everyone in the world. First, you hate yourself for not being able to stop behavior that you know is destructive. It kills you a little bit inside every time the words fly out of your mouth, or that dish flies out of your hand and you think (once you are again capable of rationale thought) - "why the hell didn't I stop myself from doing that?" And, you really know the reason. You've known it since you were in fifth grade and you pushed and pushed and pushed your teacher so much that she finally broke down and turned the classroom over to you and walked out of the room. And you were just in fifth grade!! And you were capable of pushing grown-ups to the edge - and past it!

    You knew by then that something was very different about you. But, just what that was, well, that mystified you.

    The rage, the terror you felt, the desperation you felt at being left alone. The fear that your family would be taken away from you. The fact that you wanted to do just about anything to not be alone. ANYTHING!!

    The Mental Health Community requires, for a DSM diagnosis of BPD that any five out of the following nine listed criteria to be present for a significant period of time:

    1. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment such as lying, stealing, temper tantrums, etc. [Not including suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5]
    2. A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
    3. Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.
    4. Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., promiscuous sex, eating disorders, substance abuse, reckless driving, overspending, stealing, binge eating). [Again, not including suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5]
    5. Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, threats, or self-mutilating behavior.
    6. Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).
    7. Chronic feelings of emptiness, worthlessness.
    8. Inappropriate anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights, getting mad over something small).
    9. Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms.


    At the time I was diagnosed with BPD - I had all nine symptoms - and, had had them for some years. I remember going and seeking help at the local mental health clinic when I was 16. My then boyfriend drove me. The response I got then was classic for the time: "Your father has a good job, you have a roof over your head and food and clothes, why do you think you have problems?"

    That was literally what I was asked. How do you respond to a system that doesn't recognize mental illness in children. Then, it wasn't legal to diagnose children with Bipolar disorder (which I also have). It was a blessing when the mentality finally changed about THAT. Children can, and do, have mental health issues. In fact, if society can bring itself to assist children at as early as possible, maybe fewer people will have to live the life that I have had to struggle through.

    Wouldn't THAT be a blessing?

    Again, a view from the "experts"...

    Studies suggest that individuals with BPD tend to experience frequent, strong and long-lasting states of aversive tension, often triggered by perceived rejection, being alone, or perceived failure. Individuals with BPD may show lability (changeability) between anger and anxiety or between depression and anxiety and temperamental sensitivity to emotive stimuli.

    The negative emotional states particularly associated with BPD have been grouped into four categories: extreme feelings in general; feelings of destructiveness or self-destructiveness; feelings of fragmentation or lack of identity; and feelings of victimization.

    Individuals with BPD can be very sensitive to the way others treat them, reacting strongly to perceived criticism or hurtfulness. Their feelings about others often shift from positive to negative, generally after a disappointment or perceived threat of losing someone. Self-image can also change rapidly from extremely positive to extremely negative. Impulsive behaviors are common, including alcohol or drug abuse, unsafe sex, gambling, and recklessness in general. Attachment studies suggest individuals with BPD, while being high in intimacy- or novelty-seeking, can be hyper-alert to signs of rejection or not being valued and tend towards insecure, ambivalent, preoccupied or fearful attitudes towards relationships. They tend to view the world generally as dangerous and malevolent, and themselves as powerless, vulnerable, unacceptable and unsure in self-identity.


    I can bring it down to a much more personal and telling scenario...I'm out of town as I type this. My husband and daughter are at home. At 11:20 p.m. my daughter called me (she was lonely as her father had come home from work and gone straight to bed). He still had not woken up yet. It explained why he hadn't answered his phone when I called. So, I chatted with her for a time. Understand, I was looking forward to talking to him and I had some specific things I wanted to talk to him about. My day had gone well (my drive had been good, lunch with my friends was fun, I had picked up the charger for my cell phone, etc.). So, after talking with my daughter for about 15-20 minutes I had her go knock on his door, and , sure enough, he was awake and reading. I had her hand him the phone so I could talk with him.

    And then, just like that, like flipping on a light switch, I was so pissed at him I couldn't think straight. I didn't want to talk to him. I didn't want to be married to him. I wanted to tell him to just go soak his head in the toilet and sod off...and it happened faster than taking my next breath. And, for the life of me, I couldn't begin to explain to you exactly why it happened.

    Oh, I have some pretty good theories. I had wanted him to care enough about me to call me when he got home from work. I had wanted him to miss me enough to call me when he woke up from his "nap". I took it that he didn't care about me AT ALL since he hadn't done either. Well, if he didn't care about me, I certainly didn't want him to leave me first, always go on the offensive - so I attack (go away, go away, go away, come here, come here, come here).

    Isn't my brain twisted?

    It's what it's like to be Borderline.

    Pink has a wonderful song out: Leave Me Alone, I'm Lonely

    The Lyrics are SO perfect to describe what it is like to be Borderline. I'll post them.


    "Go Away (I'm Lonely)
    by Pink

    Go away
    Give me a chance to miss you
    Say goodbye
    It'll make me want to kiss you
    I love you so
    Much more when you're not here
    Watchin all the bad shows
    Drinking all of my beer

    I don't believe Adam and Eve
    Spent every goddamn day together
    If you give me some room there will be room enough for two

    Tonight
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely
    I'm tired
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely tonight

    I don't wanna wake up with another
    But I don't wanna always wake up with you either
    No you can't hop into my shower
    All I ask for is one ***kin' hour
    You taste so sweet
    But I can't eat the same thing every day
    Cuttin off the phone
    Leave me the ***k alone
    Tomorrow I'll be beggin' you to come home

    Tonight
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely
    I'm tired
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely tonight

    Go away
    Come back
    Go away
    Come back
    Why can't I just have it both ways
    Go away
    Come back
    Go away
    Come back
    I wish you knew the difference
    Go away
    Come back

    Go away
    Give me a chance to miss you
    Say goodbye
    It'll make me want to kiss you
    Go away
    Give me a chance to miss you
    Say goodbye
    It'll make me want to kiss you
    Go away
    Give me a chance to miss you
    Say goodbye
    It'll make me want to kiss you

    Tonight
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely
    I'm tired
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely tonight

    Tonight
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely
    I'm tired
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely tonight

    Tonight
    Go away
    Give me a chance to miss you
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely
    Say goodbye
    It'll make me want to kiss you
    I'm tired
    Go away
    Give me a chance to miss you
    Leave me alone I'm lonely
    Alone I'm lonely
    Say goodbye
    It'll make me want to kiss you
    Tonight
    Go away
    Give me a chance to miss you
    Say goodbye
    It'll make me want to kiss you



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