Author Archives: Alison

Jun10

I’m Out By The Pond. . .

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I’m Out By The Pond. . .

Today was the neighborhood garage sale. We had very little to get rid of, since we’d already gotten rid of so much before we moved, so we were done by a bit before noon. It’s sunny, but windy, so it’s a bit cool. Still pleasant enough to sit outdoors, though. The pond is slightly clearer, no thanks to the tree guys – I did call have have a little chat about that with the sales rep. The plants are filling in, and the fish are enjoying their environment quite a bit.

I’m tired. I’m wondering if this last side effect of Paxil is something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life. I lie down for a nap, wake up with a startle almost immediately after dropping off, and my heartbeat is rapid, with the pounding pulse in my chest, neck, and head. I can’t get back to sleep because it’s so uncomfortable. Sometimes I can lie there long enough for it to settle down and fall back to sleep, but this afternoon, it was still going after a half an hour. What a PITA.

So, anyway, we bought lounge chairs yesterday, and a table, to match the four chairs and side tables we already had. The lounge chairs are perfect for sitting by the pond. Because my back is still a problem, I haven’t been able to build the patio, so the ground is a bit sloped. Very uncomfortable in a regular chair, but fine if you can stretch out. I may go back in soon, though, because it’s getting shady over here!

Jun6

ADD Revelation

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ADD Revelation

So, this morning I decided to start reading a book I’d picked up from the library last night instead of starting right away on the newspapers. It’s about Adult ADD, which is a bit harder to find information on than childhood – too many doctors decided that ADD is something you “grow out of”, and it’s probably also a lot easier to persuade parents to give medications to their children than to get adults to take it themselves, much more of a guaranteed profit. Oops, that was a tad bit cynical, eh? Well, so I’m reading, and I get to a part in which the author is describing signs of ADD, and she mentions the sensitivity to touch, and that ADD babies are difficult to soothe because cuddling and holding have the opposite effect on them.

My first thought was, as usual, to worry about my own kids. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop looking at every little thing as a warning that they might have this – I know they don’t. But then, a memory came back suddenly. My mom and I had had some kind of fight about something, and my Dad came to talk to me and said that she was probably still mad at me because when I was a baby I refused to cuddle. I still think this is a bit ridiculous, but it did create a little aha! moment for me.

Now I’m getting to the parts about coping strategies. I’m interested to see if there are any I haven’t tried yet that might work better than the ones I’m using.

Jun4

The Marriage Amendment

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The Marriage Amendment

Coming up for a vote.  Soon.  They would have us believe.  All our fine lawmakers who cheat on their wives and marry and divorce multiple times are working hard to eliminate the scourge of same-sex committed couples.  The religious right would have us believe that allowing gay marriage would send us down a slippery slope – opening the floodgates to polygamy, and, horrors, interspecies marriage!  Yeah, right.  More likely, we’ll see a slippery slope in another, far more direct course.  Make gay marriage legally impossible, then make gay sex illegal, then make homosexuality illegal, and then you can work on making premarital sex illegal, (although our government bigwigs will draw the line at extramarital sex, since that would put a crimp in their own lifestyles!).  Bit by bit, this would allow them to impose a few more religion-based restrictions.  After making homosexuality illegal, you can then restrict other kinds of consensual sex.  After making homosexuals illegal, you can make other kinds of people illegal.  This drives me nuts.  OK, if you don’t want to call it marriage, fine.  Make a new kind of legal partnership that allows two people who love one another to share the legal benefits; not just health care, but dual parenthood, power of attorney, rights of inheritance, property rights, hospital visitation, etc.  All things that married people get for free, and even take for granted, which are available now to committed couples only if they want to spend years in court and tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees.  Committed couples raise children, and adopt children (taking them out of a horrible situation, in most cases – gay couples adopt hard to place children at a higher rate than straight couples.)  Committed couples purchase property, and improve that property, benefiting entire neighborhoods.  Committed couples invest in the quality of life in their towns, becoming involved in politics, associations, and volunteer organizations that do good works.  How restricting couples from making a commitment that results in more positives than negatives is viewed as a good thing just boggles my mind.  It’s a wholly personal-religion-based point of view that should not be allowed any basis in law.