The crazy lady strikes again

Actually, the SOS in the title stands for either Secular Organizations for Sobriety or Save Our Selves - take your pick. This group offers a freethinker's alternative to AA. Although members are allowed to go to AA meetings if they wish in addition to SOS meetings, many find this alternative far more acceptable than the spiritually-based 12-step approach favored by Minnesota Model treatment centers. This group, founded by recovering alcoholic James Christopher, was originally called Secular... Sign in to see full entry.

This is actually my second attempt to post this information in this blog. The first time around - at some ungodly hour of the morning here in Chicagoland - my AOL program froze on me, midsentence. (Grrr.) Yesterday, I had what I'd call an interesting experience. I left a comment on one of my favorite websites - a blog called Slice of Laodicea - and the comment was posted without incident. I figured that the comment (actually, I praised the author of that blog entry for finally recommending that... Sign in to see full entry.

Anyone who reads my Member Profile knows that I have two cats, Garfield and Michael, each with their own Blogit blogs. (As a matter of fact, both of the cats posted to their blogs this morning. They've been quite active!) I worry about two specific things when it comes to Garfield and Michael. First of all, especially given my medical history the past few months, I worry about the possibility of them outliving me. If you take good care of your feline friends, they can live up to twenty or more... Sign in to see full entry.

What I've specifically noticed over the past 24 hours is that whenever I share more personal information, particularly in this blog, I get more hits. Granted, this increase in unique page views does make me feel better, because it means an increase in Blogit income - always a gratifying experience when you have as many medical bills as I do. However, as I implied yesterday, I can't go on forever talking about certain personal topics, at least not without trying to find solutions for the problems... Sign in to see full entry.

Just writing about my problems helped me to feel a bit better, at least. Besides, I always feel better when I find that Page Views counter go up, for reasons which should be obvious to anyone here on Blogit. As I mentioned two entries ago, I debated long and hard over whether I should talk about that topic in the first place. I'd already done a lot of talking about similar topics in the past, and I didn't want to seem as if I were merely "grinding my wheels." One of the things I agree with in... Sign in to see full entry.

My point in bringing up this topic - using meal preparation as but one example of what I'm trying to talk about - is that I have historically not been allowed to do typically female tasks. If I even mention ways in which I can accomplish this goal, I take repeated heat. Allow me to use one example of the kind of "heat" I experience. We used to have a neighbor who basically felt the way I described in my last post. Yes, I do have my disagreements with this neighbor; one example of my... Sign in to see full entry.

I've thought long and hard about posting what I'm about to post here in this entry. First, I want to start with a disclaimer of sorts. This Journal blog started out when I was in the midst of a crippling depressive episode, and I want to assure readers that I am not currently depressed. In fact, I may be having problems with mania; that is an issue I will explore when I see my psychiatrist on Monday for a long-overdue follow-up visit. Rest assured that the lack of self-confidence so clearly... Sign in to see full entry.

Recently, in this blog, I reported on a case of a young man who wanted to forego chemotherapy for a relapse of his cancer. It turns out that this young man had Hodgkins' disease, a highly-curable form of lymphoma (a form of cancer of the blood). He had relapsed after receiving an initially-successful chemotherapy regimen, and he remembered the side effects of the chemo so vividly that he wanted to avoid chemo again for his relapse. Well, despite the parents' desire to respect their son's wishes,... Sign in to see full entry.

You might want to take a look at Editormum's August 15 entry, in Editormum's Oddments (at least I remember that as being the title of that blog). She did post an entry today, so scroll down until you get to the August 15 entry. In that entry, you'll find out about the three questions you should ask someone you feel might be in the throes of a stroke. If they flunk all three questions, the only thing to do is call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to a dispatcher. If the dispatcher tries... Sign in to see full entry.

Forbes.com has an article this morning - at least it's linked to on AOL - about the new/old trend of snagging a rich man. Apparently, there is a whole spate of books and seminars out there, with leaders and authors willing (nay, eager) to instruct women on how to snag that wealthy man. I grew up during the heyday of the modern feminist movement. At the time, the saying was: "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." In other words, women were implicitly expected to fight for our right to... Sign in to see full entry.