At 45, I’m Finally an Adult
Because I put on so much weight last spring that I couldn't fit into my professional clothes, I cut out wheat, grains, potatoes, pasta, sweets, processed foods, fruit and all beverages except for water (I'm lactose intolerant, so dairy was already out). Excitingly,...
A Fun New Way to Look at a 1992 Thriller
I recently watched a film that I should have seen decades ago: Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Single White Female, which came out in 1992. It was one of those movies that featured a woman who becomes increasingly unstable and dangerous, in the tradition of...
Dog-Tolerant
My reasons to get a dog: Owning a pet has been shown to improve humans' health (physical and mental). My husband and I can definitely use that. Bob loves dogs, was raised with them and has been wanting a dog for a long time. I am finally mature enough, at the age of...
Mental Illness Has Benefits!
Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, who runs the Mood Disorders Program at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts USA, has published a book that links strong leadership ability, especially in times of crisis, with mental illness. Equally remarkable is the hypothesis of A...
The Booth at the End
Last weekend I discovered the web series The Booth at the End. Only five episodes were made, shown exclusively on HuluPlus this summer. As I watched episodes one through four, I wished the series went on forever, but when I heard the final line of episode five, I...
I Look Great
Disclaimer: since I've become properly obese, I re-read these old posts and see my body dysmorphia and obsession with food and weight. It's sad to me now. Previous post on fatness. The ten pounds I put on between Mother's Day and Father's Day has finally started to...
Borderline Personality Disorder Now Has a Face
Patty Duke and Kay Redfield Jamison have written books about living with bipolar disorder. Famous people who have spoken about their struggles with chronic depression include Sheryl Crowe, Jim Carrey and Owen Wilson. But the mental illness that fascinates me the most...
Yay, Summer Is Almost Over in the U.S!
Okay it isn't, but I'm trying to cheer myself up by focusing on the return of Chicago's cold weather when: 1. People will stop arguing loudly outside in the middle of the night. 2. No one is in danger of dying of heat-related problems. 3. Our upstairs neighbor's air...
Thank a System Administrator This Friday
This Friday, July 29 is System Administrator Appreciation Day. A system administrator, or sysadmin, is the person who (from the http://www.sysadminday.com/ website): ...plans, worries, hacks, fixes, pushes, advocates, protects and creates good computer networks, to...
The Blue Zones: How Much Can You Do?
The "blue zones" are parts of the world where people commonly live past age 100. They are called that because the researcher who originally studied these zones, used blue ink to circle them on his map. So much for mystery.According to Dan Buettner’s The Blue Zones,...
Cutting the Cake
That cake was so good (yellow cake with lemon filling). I've decided that all my birthday cakes for the rest of my life have to come from Central Continental Bakery in Mt. Prospect, Illinois USA. I had to make that long drive just hours after a record-breaking...
Today is My Birthday
Today I am 45 years old! I'm very happy about this because I've been looking forward to 45 for a long time. In my 20s, I found life to be challenging and confusing, and I figured 45 was a good age to expect to have found some balance and confidence. It just sounded...