Wear Your Underwear

It may be a legend, but underwear is nevertheless a good idea.

This is not a love song

Hi. It seems that lately I've posted with a bit of a sense of humor, irregardless of what the subject is. This might not be one of those kind of posts:

I'm feeling a bit down right now, to tell you the truth. I'm close to tears. Before I explain, I'll admit that, based on the tone of previous posts, it may be hard to take seriously. Some who read it may laugh or think it's funny. It may be parodied, even by me someday, I suppose. I accept that. I'm still willing to make myself vulnerable.

This is still a Journey Inside My Mind. I may often, through my writing here, give an impression that I have it all together, that all is well with me emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc. Well, that's not really the case. I am dependent on medicine for my mental health. I'm currently taking an antidepressant, Lexapro, and an anti-anxiety medicine, generically called Diazepam. I struggle with depression and anxiety, you see.

Furthermore, I've written before about my struggles with self-injury. That is exactly what it sounds like. Many people don't know how to relate with someone who self-injures. Even seeing the words, I feel a slight sense of alarm myself. Yet it's true. I create scabs on my body and pick at them to relieve anxiety I feel.

I've done some research, and I realize that it's a way I've developed to cope with stress I feel. I know it sounds counterproductive, but it makes sense, from a certain point of view. I get a "rush" from the pain felt from picking at a scab. The pain associated with that activity is better to feel than emotional pain I feel from something else. I've done this since I was about 7 years old. I'm 33 now.

I currently have four scabs on my scalp. I feel their tenderness as I type these words. I've been able to leave them alone nearly all day, thankfully.

So I have that to deal with.

Then, today, it appears that I've developed another migraine. I took my last Imitrex a few hours ago, and I've put a call into my doctor for a refill. I have to wait until 6 PM to see if someone actually called it into the pharmacy. Because it's a Saturday afternoon, I'm thinking that it might not be called in until Monday. I'm hoping that's not the case, but, at the same time, I'm trying to be prepared to accept it, if it turns out to be the case. I've already spent a few extra hours in bed, and I'm ready to head back there in a little while.

I doubt if anyone really enjoys feeling sick. I sure don't. Tears are welling in my eyes right now. I just hope things feel better soon.

Until then...

She Couldn't Stay Away

Well, something like that. Yesterday I gave Keisha's teacher, Jean W., our home phone number and encouraged her to keep in touch with us. We got a call from Keisha's teacher this afternoon. She said, "I bet you weren't expecting me to be contacting you so soon." It turned out that we needed to give her the original copy of some documentation related to Keisha's Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

I gave her directions to our place, and she stopped by. Keisha was excited about having her favorite teacher see where she lives. I had gone to pick Jennie up from work, so Jean chatted with my mom and Keisha on our front porch. She was still there when Jennie and I came home. I took Keisha's picture with Jean, and Jean gave Keisha her home telephone number because Keisha wants to have her come to her birthday party this July.

How cool, huh?

Streams of Consciousness | Keisha and Sagwa

A true story of sorts.

My Youngest Brother

... is in the United States Navy. He emailed us his physical address so that we can send him snail mail. Specifically, Keisha wants to make something to send to her "uncle who works on the big boat."

I found a couple interesting links related to the US Navy:

• U.S. Navy's Official Website
• Navy Online
• Lifelines Services Network

And then, of course, there's this humorous February 12, 2002 post from this blog, entitled "Navy Summary of Mishaps - First Edition."

PJ, if you ever happen to read this: I love you, bro!

Saddam Hussein's Top Ten Romantic Tips

Matrix: Reloaded Explained

Not having read the article in full, I thought it might make for some nice bedtime reading.

Attention Harry Potter Sleuths!

HPANA reports: "On Saturday of this week at 10pm GMT / 5pm EST, Galadriel Waters, author of 'Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter' will be appearing on the chat network to answer YOUR questions. Galadriel is one of the top HP sleuths around! Be sure to be on the chat promptly 10 minutes before the start and I hope you all enjoy this magical event! The chat link is in the navigation bar on the right under Fans." read more...

The Show Must Go On

I just returned from taking Jennie to work. While waiting for the traffic signal to change, I began to hear Pink Floyd's "The Show Must Go On" in my mind. This song is the very first song on their classic album "The Wall". Why it popped into my head at that moment, I have no idea, but it was nevertheless a pleasant diversion to waiting in traffic.

American Kids Parenting Magazine

We picked this free publication up at the local Meijer this evening after we ate dinner at the Steak and Shake. The magazine has a lot of cool articles that I want to blog about. First, I need to check out the corresponding website; they may have links to the stories already there.