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Friday, December 7, 2007
greatest ad ever
Except, not really. I heard an ad on the radio this morning that made me laugh out loud. And I am pretty sure that was not the intention. If it weren't so funny, I'd be mad that somebody got paid for this. Remember how I feel about hacks.
The voice-over begins:
"Hi, I'm Dr. S0andSo from Someplace. Did you know the most common cause of fatigue is lack of sleep?"
Yes. Yes I did.
The voice-over begins:
"Hi, I'm Dr. S0andSo from Someplace. Did you know the most common cause of fatigue is lack of sleep?"
Yes. Yes I did.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
as we speak
I am proctoring an exam right now. I feel like this is the best exam I have written. This has been a hard skill for me to learn, but the bigger my classes get, the more important it becomes. Because I am not going grade 140 papers. I just won't.
I had a nice moment earlier. One of the students currently taking my exam (she's two rows away from me, in fact) told me in the beginning of the semester she had every intention of dropping my class. On the first day she changed her mind. She came by to tell me she was so glad she did not drop and it was her favorite class. As I typed this sentence another came up to turn in her exam and tell me she had been bragging to the head of the dept. about me. This is not to toot my own horn. This is a moment of zen, and sometimes those need to be shared, a la Jen.
I'm sure I will have something more relevant to your life later today. But for now, I hope you are the type of person who gets joy out of seeing somebody with a sense of satisfaction. Because that's me - I am happy with the job I did this semester.
Now if I could just get that dissertation going...
I had a nice moment earlier. One of the students currently taking my exam (she's two rows away from me, in fact) told me in the beginning of the semester she had every intention of dropping my class. On the first day she changed her mind. She came by to tell me she was so glad she did not drop and it was her favorite class. As I typed this sentence another came up to turn in her exam and tell me she had been bragging to the head of the dept. about me. This is not to toot my own horn. This is a moment of zen, and sometimes those need to be shared, a la Jen.
I'm sure I will have something more relevant to your life later today. But for now, I hope you are the type of person who gets joy out of seeing somebody with a sense of satisfaction. Because that's me - I am happy with the job I did this semester.
Now if I could just get that dissertation going...
Raise your hand if you are going to hell
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1203072senate1.html
Why do so many freaks think they make good leaders?
The Greeks had this crazy idea I like to share with my students, and it always gives them some pause.
Those who are capable of ruling are smart enough not to want to. Those who want to rule are not the people who we want in power.
Why do so many freaks think they make good leaders?
The Greeks had this crazy idea I like to share with my students, and it always gives them some pause.
Those who are capable of ruling are smart enough not to want to. Those who want to rule are not the people who we want in power.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Real fear
Okay, so we all have our health issues. I mentioned one just the other day and I struggle with my weight. Most of the time these things make us furrow our brows and then we move on. We live in a day and age when sickness isn't really scary - we can fix SO much. But we all have those things that we are scared of. We worry about stuff that runs in the family or just the one thing that makes us paranoid.
So today I got news that a run-of-the-mill test came back abnormal. The test that every woman wants to avoid, but has to have because when those things go wrong, they can go really wrong. The doctor's office called me, and the moment the nurse said hello and gave her name I froze. I know they don't bother calling unless something is wrong. She explained that most likely it is nothing and things should clear up with some meds. But I have to be re-checked in four months.
Of all the health issues that a person can face, this is the variety that scares me the most. It really shook me. It was one of those moments when you instantaneously think of all the plans you have made and start to shake a little because some of them might never happen.
So that's cheerful. Have a great evening.
So today I got news that a run-of-the-mill test came back abnormal. The test that every woman wants to avoid, but has to have because when those things go wrong, they can go really wrong. The doctor's office called me, and the moment the nurse said hello and gave her name I froze. I know they don't bother calling unless something is wrong. She explained that most likely it is nothing and things should clear up with some meds. But I have to be re-checked in four months.
Of all the health issues that a person can face, this is the variety that scares me the most. It really shook me. It was one of those moments when you instantaneously think of all the plans you have made and start to shake a little because some of them might never happen.
So that's cheerful. Have a great evening.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
clearing the air
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/01/AR2007120101782.html?nav=rss_email/components
I am bipolar. I don't try to kill people around me, I am no more paranoid than anybody else who has been in higher education for nine years, and unless I tell people, no one ever knows that anything is amiss.
I am open about it because I want to clear some things up. People like me are not crazy. We have a chemical imbalance. You wouldn't tell a diabetic that they don't need insulin because it is all in their head. Telling somebody with mental illness to suck it up is just as stupid. I am fully aware that this kind of thing is over-diagnosed. Many people on anti-depressants don't need them - if you lost your job or your mom died you are supposed to be depressed. That's normal. If you are so upset and sad all the time that it becomes debilitating and effects your mental health, your job, or you have dangerous thoughts, you need help. If you are just dissatisfied with your life and want something external to make you happy - then you DO need to suck it up. But I am working on a dissertation, in the healthiest relationship of anyone I know, and volunteer at my church. I am, for all intents and purposes, an active and successful citizen.
Research shows that untreated mental illness, especially schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, can leave scar tissue on the brain. How do you function if your brain is constantly in a state of disrepair?
I can't speak for other people's problems, but I understand why a bipolar person wouldn't want their meds. One of the symptoms of this disease is that my mind moves at about three times the speed of a "normal" person. I could never sleep at night because it was so freakin' noisy in my head. Not hearing voices noisy - can't shut down noisy. Taking the medicine slows you down. You have to slow down or you run yourself to death and separate the rational thoughts from the irrational. That slowing down can be jarring. For many things seem unreal or fuzzy, and some experience a loss of what they think is their creative side. Which is true on some level. I am okay with somewhat diminished energy and creativity because I like being able to string together coherent sentences and being able to recognize my own paranoia.
I get so angry when people disregard mental illness. Of course, if I lose my temper, we can just chalk that up to being bipolar, right? It wouldn't have anything to do with a person's insensitivity and ignorance resulting in a personal insult. I had a professor tell our class once that bipolar people shouldn't be allowed to teach. I considered letting him have it, but I stayed quiet. In some ways, my best argument was to be his ideal student.
I grew up being told that all that "psychobabble" was nonsense and there was no such thing as depression - just weak people. Looking back, I am pretty sure the folks who told me that are the most imbalanced people I know. This sort of thing is genetic, after all.
I am bipolar. I don't try to kill people around me, I am no more paranoid than anybody else who has been in higher education for nine years, and unless I tell people, no one ever knows that anything is amiss.
I am open about it because I want to clear some things up. People like me are not crazy. We have a chemical imbalance. You wouldn't tell a diabetic that they don't need insulin because it is all in their head. Telling somebody with mental illness to suck it up is just as stupid. I am fully aware that this kind of thing is over-diagnosed. Many people on anti-depressants don't need them - if you lost your job or your mom died you are supposed to be depressed. That's normal. If you are so upset and sad all the time that it becomes debilitating and effects your mental health, your job, or you have dangerous thoughts, you need help. If you are just dissatisfied with your life and want something external to make you happy - then you DO need to suck it up. But I am working on a dissertation, in the healthiest relationship of anyone I know, and volunteer at my church. I am, for all intents and purposes, an active and successful citizen.
Research shows that untreated mental illness, especially schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, can leave scar tissue on the brain. How do you function if your brain is constantly in a state of disrepair?
I can't speak for other people's problems, but I understand why a bipolar person wouldn't want their meds. One of the symptoms of this disease is that my mind moves at about three times the speed of a "normal" person. I could never sleep at night because it was so freakin' noisy in my head. Not hearing voices noisy - can't shut down noisy. Taking the medicine slows you down. You have to slow down or you run yourself to death and separate the rational thoughts from the irrational. That slowing down can be jarring. For many things seem unreal or fuzzy, and some experience a loss of what they think is their creative side. Which is true on some level. I am okay with somewhat diminished energy and creativity because I like being able to string together coherent sentences and being able to recognize my own paranoia.
I get so angry when people disregard mental illness. Of course, if I lose my temper, we can just chalk that up to being bipolar, right? It wouldn't have anything to do with a person's insensitivity and ignorance resulting in a personal insult. I had a professor tell our class once that bipolar people shouldn't be allowed to teach. I considered letting him have it, but I stayed quiet. In some ways, my best argument was to be his ideal student.
I grew up being told that all that "psychobabble" was nonsense and there was no such thing as depression - just weak people. Looking back, I am pretty sure the folks who told me that are the most imbalanced people I know. This sort of thing is genetic, after all.
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