I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Monday TMI (or at least too long)

Sheila sends us a NY Times article on Depression's Upside (well, actually the possible evolutionary path of depression). I think there's plenty to think on in there, but I also think they're making the mistake of thinking all depression is alike. It's not. I have that "rumination" problem. And I do it for embarrassments that are decades old. That's when it's a real problem. Some of them I've been able to tell myself "let it go." Some of my worst ones, though, keep coming back.

Also, since I haven't done a general health thing lately. I'm above 300 again. For the end of January, all of February, and part of March I was below. I didn't want to say anything here for fear of jinxing it. But today I went above 300 again. I think it's because I went from consistently taking metformin before eating to not doing so well that way (taking it during or after). When I would drive to work I would take the pills here at home, and then eat poptarts or health bars as a breakfast at work (an hour later). Once I made that change consistently, the pounds started coming off again. So I think I need to try to do that again. Take my pills, do morning exercises or take a shower, then eat breakfast.

And thinking of that. Think I can put my Wii Fit age on my resume? I mean, I consistently test at least ten years younger than I am (today's was 26!). And I have to say, I'm liking the Wii Fit Plus. The new games are (the ones I've tried) pretty fun. I like the calorie counter and the ability to make up my own routines (although it doesn't allow me to input aerobic exercises, and that's the majority of what I do). Today I did the freestep and tried something I wanted to check out. Yes, you can go faster than they have a cadence for. And at first I got a message of "you're pushing it too hard," but that only happened once at the beginning.

I've heard back from Electric Spec, they're passing on "Prince Wanted", although I don't think it's a form rejection. They said it was a strong story, and they encourage me to submit again. I think I also forgot to mention Clarksworld rejecting "History of Lightning." So except for the long term submissions into Doorways and Chizine, everything is back. So I'll need to take a moment and work through submissions again. I probably should also query Doorways and see if something got missed in email.

And the Democratic Leadership is forcing Rep. Eric Massa out because of his stand against the Health Care legislation? HAHAHAHAHA... choke, sputter, ha. Uh, yeah. Because, Eric, you're a bigger problem then say, Bart Stupak. Right. My guess, Eric, is if they are "forcing you out" (hey, remember the Democratic Party who couldn't organize a two car parade?) it's because you're too dumb to be there. No, really, no one is "forcing" you out. Stay. Face your ethics panel. Hell, Trafficant (a certifiable lunatic) did that (and really, Ol' Jimmy has gone off the deep end into conspiracy land, he has a radio show where you can hear all about it). You were in the Navy (tickle fights? really?), have some cajones. Oh, wait, maybe not, because those are what got you in this position in the first place.

Journalists are finally asking some of the right questions. Like, "So, if the Democrats would rewrite the HC legislation with (insert the previous "must have" comment) included, would you vote for it?" Answered by back peddling and saying, "Well, no, because the 2,700 page legislation is way too large and the people are against it." I wish the Democrats would finally just accept that no Republican will vote for it, and stop arguing for it. Line up the blame for it's failure at their feet. And then hand Stupak and his 11 other congressmen (which, notice you hear a lot about deal making, but not so much about Stupak's deal making and forming sub caucuses) and tell them you're willing to lose Congress and make sure you hang the bill's failure around their necks. The conservative keep brining up LBJ and how he worked Medicare and Civil Rights. Well, this is how LBJ did it. He wasn't above hitting someone with the stick first, before even discussing the possibility of the carrot.

Well, yes, when polled for the "Obama Health Care Plan" it polls low. Until you ask about specifics, which people are actually for everything in the Obama Health Care Plan. It's just the opposition has done a good job making people afraid of it without them actually knowing what's inside. And unlike most of my readers, the general public just isn't following it. Want an example, most people think the bill will be "forced down out throats" with a majority vote in congress, and that "it's going too fast." You know, since that argument was first made 9 months ago. Yeah, that's really fast.

The house is burning down, and not only are the conservatives arguing over the price of the garden hose, they're wondering how much they can get to turn on the water.

3 comments:

Rick said...

Depression seriously sucks, Steve, and I hope someday they wipe out every variation of it so that the people who suffer through it can enjoy a better quality of life.

sheila, who is not lurking today, said...

I'm reading Bill McKibben's "Deep Economy" and he mentions that there is roughly a ten-fold increase in risk for depression across generations (the study he cited looked at people born in 1910 and later). And yet even today, Old Order Amish in Pennsylvania have a depression rate about one-tenth that of their non-Amish neighbors.

McKibben suggests that the increase in depression is a result of the erosion in community, in contact, in connection. People are more socially isolated now than at any point in history.

I think you're right to point out that depression isn't all the same, and so it should come as no surprise that some people respond well to medications while others do not. But a good number of people would show improvement if there was better social support in this country.

Steve Buchheit said...

Rick from your keyboard to the ears of God, or whomever it may concern. As I wrote to a friend (who will remain anonymous) recently, "Get it taken care of. We only pass this way but once (as far as we'll remember or know). Life's too short to not experience it (or to affect others that way)."

Sheila, it's generally sociable. I could also relate it to "the simple life" (which is really not as true as "have your priorities in line with reality" that the Amish also cherish). But some of it maybe reporting within the Amish community and recognition of symptoms that are under-reported as "that's life", where as in the English community we think of it as "not being right."

But I will say, with my interactions with some Amish, they at least appear much more satisfied with their lives. Of course they also make a major life decision early on (and prepare their young to make that decision).