I’m a Failure – y Que?
Failure gets such bad press, but it really doesn't deserve it. Who cares if you fail? It doesn't mean your life is over (unless your failure causes your death). I'm a big failure and I'll tell you all about it. My first failure was leaving Cornell University in 1993...
Top Regrets of the Dying
I'm proud to be a member of AARP, which I've been looking forward to for years. Now I really feel grown up. The AARP newsletters sometimes have very intriguing articles and right now I'm focused on Bronnie Ware's Top Regrets of the Dying, first posted in February...
It Is Lifted!
Easter Sunday usually depresses me, but last year, for the first time in my life, it didn't. Why? Our dog Ozzie seemed to make the difference. Between doing some volunteer work and taking care of our new dog, I made it to the end of Easter 2012 with no feelings of...
Depression Can Look Just Plain Mean
Lindy West's Ladies Be Moody: The Sad Sack Women of Anti-Depressant Commercials makes a few excellent points, but this is my favorite: depression does not only manifest as low-energy sadness that saps you of your will to get out of bed. That's one way it can...
Stranger Here: A memoir on Weight Loss Surgery
Previous post on weight & health: Someone asked me about being pregnant Jen Larsen gives a stunningly honest account of her weight loss through surgery in Stranger Here: How Weight-Loss Surgery Transformed My Body and Messed with My Head. With a publication...
Someone Asked Me about Being Pregnant
Previous post on weight & health: Doctor's response to my weight gain On Friday morning a co-worker asked when I was due. Even with my prosopagnosia and a staff of over 500, I felt sure the two of us had never properly met because I pretty much have every...
EFT for Pet Problem Behaviors
My Fellow Dog Owners (or "Doggie Moms" if you prefer, whatever) - Here's an impressive way to connect with your dog, whether or not you have actual issues with him/her. Emotional Freedom Technique uses the meridians and energy points of Chinese medicine to release...
Dog. And the Ebook I’m Writing about Him.
Ozzie's a 50-pound pit bull mix with crazy ears. We've had Ozzie for a year and a half now and he's probably about 5 years old at this point (not sure because we got him from a shelter and they weren't sure of his age). For the first full year that we had him, I...
Doctor’s Response to My Weight Gain
Previous post on weight & health: Fatness equals happiness? Yesterday I saw my doctor for a regular exam. I hadn't seen her since last fall or maybe it was summer. I was looking forward to the weigh-in because I've gained so much weight and I wanted to see...
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin USA, Winter 2013
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin USA. Photo by Bob Martin Lake Geneva, Wisconsin USA. Photo by Bob Martin. Okay, it's bad enough to drive your car onto a frozen lake, but to then build a FIRE? Ozzie loves snow. Taking pictures with an iPad looks dumb, but the photo quality is...
Silver Linings Playbook: Can’t Wait to See It Again
In a talk he gave at Cornell University in 1993, Chicano actor Edward James Olmos said that seeing movie while it's in the theater is like casting a vote. Ever since, I've tried to get myself to the theater when I feel a movie is very important, in spite of the motion...
Fatness Equals Happiness?
Me, age 2 Previous post on weight and health: Thin or happy? It might really be a choice Yesterday I was feeling bad because I outgrew another pair of pants and was down to one skirt that was appropriate for the workplace that I could wear comfortably (now I've...