Comey Day
Maybe many are ignoring it, but on Thursday morning I watched James Comey's testimony before the senate and I noticed parallels in the dynamic between Trump and Comey and any sexual assault case. First, Comey said he never wanted to be physically alone with Trump and...
Still Fat
Here's some interesting stuff: 1. A 2008 documentary called My Big Fat Body shows comedian Frank Payne undergoing a series of tests to find out the health status of his over 300-pound body (over 160 kilos). If your Body Mass Index is over 30 (which mine is), it's a...
If They Died from Suicide
I've suffered from depression for most of my life and have had a couple of major episodes. There have been times when I decided dying would be better than living and while I'm not proud of that, I'm also not ashamed of it. My illness has caused lots of irrational...
Obesity Crisis Is Mental Health Crisis
Next post on weight & health: Determined At the age of 50, I'm now on my fifth year of being fat. When I went from size 10 to size 18 in the last months of my marriage in 2013, I thought, "I'm not worried about gaining weight. I've been thin and active my...
Dating While Depressed
When you're in a major depressive episode, get off your dating apps. I'm not talking about having a blue day. I'm talking about the chronic emotional disorder: clinical major depression that warps your view of the world. If you suffer from this and you're single and...
Stop Asking “Where Are You From?”
We Americans, especially those of us in urban places like the Chicagoland area, often welcome the chance to meet international people and hope to expand our knowledge of the world. When we notice that someone seems like they're from another place, we ask, "Where are...
El Idiota’s Positive Thinking
Americans like to believe we're bending towards justice, but we can no longer tell ourselves that now that we've elected Donald (or as my dad calls him, El Payaso) as our president. And those of us who didn't directly cast a vote for him, still allowed him to be...
I Was on NPR!
Jerome McDonnell is the nicest person! Hey, everyone: I was on NPR yesterday! National Public Radio (NPR) is a non-profit American news organization that provides news without advertising or government money. It's supported 100% by listerners and private grants. The...
The True Meaning of Christmas
It's my annual posting of my summary of the History Channel's Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas. Part of our American Christmas tradition is for people to throw around the phrase "the true meaning of Christmas." What that usually means is...
The Cubs Did It
I don't like sports, but as a 23-year resident of Chicago even I felt how big it was when the Chicago Cubs baseball team won the World Series last night. Baseball is the American sport and for decades the Chicago Cubs have been the losers of the...
Why I Like Meditating Every Day
My cousin-once-removed asked me about meditation, so here's my story. I started with guided meditation when I was in my mid-twenties. I liked listening to someone else's voice as it led me through a visualization exercise that helped me relax and feel completely...
Determined
Previous post on weight & health: NPR's This American Life: "Tell Me I'm Fat" Well, since I published this post saying I'd better accept my fatness or live in the delusion of future thinness, I've chosen the latter. I was a skinny kid and stayed thin for most of...