Life and Living for Real

How Much is Enough In December 2006, I participated in an interesting workshop called “Beyond Schumacher: alternatives approaches to economics and sustainability perspectives for the 21st century” in Northeast of Thailand. This seminar was aimed at bringing together theories of sustainable development, and lessons learned from lived experiences in juggling social, environmental and economic priorities. It was organized by Ales Kauffman, a sustainable development practitioner and former graduate of the Bath School of Management, Responsibility and Business Practice MSc. My friends and colleagues working together in training and human resources development in Sri Lanka, Ineke Pitts, Mihirini De Zoysa and Robert Vanderwall developed an interactive inquiry session based on World Café called How Much is Enough ? Posing questions such as How Much is Enough ? we encouraged a lively and challenging debate, and crafted a premise for inquiry into self and the future of our planet and our specie...

I hate my fucking depression. It is getting the best out of me. I do not really care for more meds...I wish it would go away. There really is no reason for me to be depressed... I guess my quemical imbalance is for real.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIFE INSTRUCTIONS F O R L I F E 1 1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. 3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions. 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. 5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. 6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. 7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 8. Spend some time alone every day. 9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values. 10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. 11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time. 12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. 13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don'...

Depression, bipolar support group forms Thursday, January 25, 2007 9:18 AM CST By ASHLEY GARDNER Texarkana Gazette People who suffer from depression or bipolar disorder have more support available to them thanks to the newly-formed Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance-Texarkana. “There really isn’t a whole lot here in East Texas once you get outside of Dallas that is peer-support based, which in my opinion is most effective,” said Martin Morones, who helped form the local support group. Morones said mental illness still has a stigma attached that may prevent people from seeking support. He’s trying to change that. “The stigma behind it is what I think people shun away from,” Morones said. He hopes in time to see DBSA-Texarkana turn into a thriving support system in the community. “We are starting with a support group and we’ll see what happens from there. It could branch out into a lot of different things, but this is just the basic foundation,” Morones said. The local support gro...

I just finished watching WTBDWK Down The Rabbit Hole... My words would not be enough to describe the incredible paradigm these movies present to the viewer... Without much ado here is link(s) to the movie's synopsis and web page(s) http://www.whatthebleep.com/synopsis/ They will blow your mind! For Real!

It has been a long time since I have posted anything original here...I don't see how other people can post paragraph after paragraph and spew what they do in a short period of time...Must be the speed of typing that is at stake here... I only type at half of the average speed most "normal" typing folks type at... Anyway, Been charting my moods religiously now for a few months and my chart looks like the stock market charts...LOL up and down... I've got writer's cramps already, so I will conclude this mini post by saying that my life has been going exactly the way it is supposed to be going...Everything is in Divine Order. Thank God for allowing me the opportunity to be alive and relativelly well one more day. Hope if you come accross this humble post it finds you well and enjoying life to the best of your ability... As Robin Williams says...Carpe Diem.

http://www.hdentropy.blogspot.com/

LIFE CAN BE TOUGH ONE. Recently, when I went to McDonald's I saw on the menu that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half dozen nuggets. "We don't have half dozen nuggets," said the teenager at the counter. "You don't?" I replied. "We only have six, nine, or twelve," was the reply. "So I can't order half dozen nuggets, but I can order six?" "That's right." So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets TWO. I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those "dividers" that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn't get mixed. After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the "divider," looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code she said to me, "Do you know how much ...

In an ideal world, individuals who are truly disabled would find quick access to disability benefits and medical care. Unfortunately, the disability benefit system as it is currently administered by the social security administration does not operate in this fashion. Most social security disability and ssi disability claims will be denied at the initial claim level. And most ssd and ssi claimants will need to pursue their claim at least as far as the ALJ hearing level. Having said that, though, you can, nevertheless, increase the chances of winning a social security disability or ssi benefit claim by doing the following: By finding out if your personal physician will support your disability case and, if so, by having your doctor complete a detailed statement as to why you are disabled and unable to work. By submitting copies of your medical records (including the most recent updates) when you apply and each time you appeal. By cooperating fully with the Disability Examiner working on y...

Have your treating physician complete an RFC form on your behalf. RFC stands for residual functional capacity. RFC forms are used by DDS examiners (each examiner must have their unit physician or psychologist complete the appropriate physical or mental RFC form before a claimant's case can be closed) and carry great weight, particularly at hearings held by Administrative Law Judges. To learn more about RFC forms, click the "Disability Definitions" tab on the menu below and from that page read the definition titled "residual functional capacity form, or rfc". http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/more-ssa-advice.html

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY, SSI FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER http://www.disabilitysecrets.com/

Bipolar mixed states. What are they? Essentially, though many experts will quibble on the finer details, mixed states are depressive episodes that are "soldered to" manic behavior. The bipolar person will have high engery levels, racing thoughts, trouble sleeping, all elements of hypomania or full blown mania----yet instead of euphoria or grandiosity, the individual will be filled with negative emotions, typically expressed as irritability or even, in some instances, as extreme anger or even rage. From "My Social Seciroty Disability SSI blog"

Bipolar Disorder, Social Security Disability, and Mixed states I'm currently doing a bit of reading on Bipolar Disorder and for this purpose I've purchased half a dozen books. I suppose I come by my interest in this malady honestly. As a former disability examiner, I saw bipolar disorder as an allegation on quite a few cases (though, in all honesty, I don't seem to remember seeing as many bipolar cases at DDS a few years ago as the statistics for my website indicate there must currently be.) But aside from my site and my former occupation, I am (I just posted this same information in a comment-response to someone else's comment) connected to several individuals who have bipolar disorder. One is my mother-in-law who was only diagnosed at the age of 60 and who had had a history of incredible shopping sprees (a prime symptom of bipolar manic behavior). The second individual is my brother-in-law who was also diagnosed late in life with the condition and has been (sounds unb...

TOP 10 TRAITS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE We have all read about people who are successful briefly. They win a gold medal, make a fortune, or star in one great movie and then disappear.…These examples do not inspire me! My focus and fascination is with people who seem to do well in many areas of life, and do it over and over through a lifetime. In entertainment, I think of Paul Newman and Bill Cosby. In business, I think of Ben and Jerry (the ice cream moguls)…As a Naval Officer, husband, businessman, politician and now as a mediator and philanthropist on the world stage, Jimmy Carter has had a remarkable life. We all know examples of people who go from one success to another. These are the people who inspire me! I've studied them, and I've noticed they have the following traits in common: 1.They work hard! Yes, they play hard, too! They get up early, they rarely complain, they expect performance from others, but they expect extraordinary performance from themselves. Repeated...

You Are Curling What you lack in athleticism, you make up for in concentration. And while curling isn't much more of a sport than bowling, you *can* win a gold medal for it! What Winter Sport Are You?

There is a joke in which someone is shown a vision of hell, and he sees a long table at which are seated people with very long spoons bound to their hands, far to long to reach the plate of food set before them, so all are frustrated in their inability to feed themselves, and slowly die of starvation. Then, he is shown a vision of heaven. He sees the SAME long table, and people with long spoons tied to their hands, BUT the difference is that each person dips his spoon into the plate of his neighbor across the table, and then places the food in his neighbor's mouth, so all are fed and satisfied. Sometimes I suspect that right and wrong, good and evil, are the same banquet, with the same utensils, but everything depends on how we choose to deal with the situation; on how we play our hand, the cards which have been dealt to us. (The above is an excerpt. Read entire post at http://literarydiscussions.myfreeforum.org/ftopic237.php)

Thought for the Day in the form of poetry A good friend recently made me aware of this poem. While it doesn't totally exemplify all of my beliefs, I love the meaning of it. I find it both inspiring and challenging. Invictus by William Ernest Henley Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. Out of the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced or cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. posted by Deni H .

I am creative. I am not a good writer. That is why I blog about other people's blogs. It pleases me to show off great work and great love that is put into those blogs. As for me today, I am fucking tired of my life as it is. Waiting on disability and not working, sometimes makes me crawl out of my skin...I am not suicidal (thank God for medication cocktails), just in case you are worried about me... The rest is all history...Maybe if I push myself a little everyday I could fill my blog with my own crap and therefore not have to "steal" other peoples work to bring to my own blog... What da ya think?

Another great post by someone in my blogring... Onset of reality Wednesday, August 16, 2006 This is a poem I wrote for the art gallery that displays work by people with mental illnesses. STEP Art Gallery Art fills the walls Halls and halls Paintings, poems, photography Collages provide A window inside The mind behind the intensity The drawings shown Imagine the unknown Framed, they hang with dignity Next to the frame Is an artist's name Displayed with guts and sincerity Many will come Unafflicted, some Merely to look at the beauty The power to create Does not discriminate Let us celebrate creativity posted by pjbrubak at 4:44 PM

A blog worth blogging again... A little crazy...aren't we all? : "It's been brought to my attention that I have been neglecting to write about my life, and have been boring you all with countless articles and book reviews. Sorry about that. I guess I really didn't think that I had that much of a following? So WHY have I been passing the buck? The articles I have come across interested me so I thought I'd pass them on. The book reviews? The same. I want to share. But yeah, I have been passing the buck. For good reason? Not really. I find that I write more when I am depressed, thus presenting only one side of the story. I mean, I AM BIPOLAR if you hadn't noticed. Who has time to write then they're feeling good or better-than-good-hypomanic? So let me run with that for a moment. I write when I'm depressed. I write about the bad in life. I write about the deepest darkest things I want out of my head. I put it all right there on the internet for you to read....