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Content Note: mental health, bureaucracy, aging, suicide, shed building Last week. A dark and twisty series of days, events, and revelations. It was pretty rough. First … First, there’s my struggle to find a good therapist who accepts Medicare. Or will. I have private insurance now through my spouse, but I also have a Medicare […]
Its anxiety, my old friendYou’ve come to sit with me againBecause a feeling softly does creepGrabbing hold while I cannot sleepAnd the belief that was programmed in my brainStill remainsWithin the hush of silence In childhood years I walked aloneSlipping into a silent homeWatching other families from afarMy door to comfort was ajarWhen my heart […]
After the brutal murder of 14-year-old trans girl Pauly Likens in Mercer County this summer, I was struggling mightily with how to move forward with my work. The story of how this interview came to be is convoluted, but I put on my blogger hat and asked Admiral Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health for […]
I can’t decide if it’s a sign of the times or simply dumb luck. Burned the index finger of my dominant hand on the icing of a Pop-Tart fresh out of the toaster. Ran cold water. Google “wtf do I do now.” And here I sit with my finger swathed in petroleum jelly and generic […]
Pre-pandemic, I began seeing my counselor twice a week for therapy. We were starting to work on trauma and one session wasn’t enough. This was 2019. Her boss resisted. My insurance did not, so after self-advocacy, I became a woman who went to therapy twice a week. Like psychoanalysis without the cocaine or sex. I […]
This past week, I blogged about Nazis, a pet food pantry, and a loving tribute to a feral cat named Tommy. I wrote about the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strike, posted a round up of Toys for Tots programs in 26 counties and shared some thoughts about my birthday. I also took two cats to the vet […]
Last week, I attended a town hall meeting organized by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. It was invigorating, but I had to work through some stuff to step out of my skin and into my role as a supporter. As I headed out the door to the meeting, imposter syndrome wrapped me in familiar tendrils. […]
Every time I call my friend Nikki, I ask “Are you still coming on Saturday?” referencing the (back)yardsale. She softly responds “Yes, I am. It’s okay to ask and I will say yes each time you ask because I understand what you are really asking me.” Please don’t abandon me. That’s what I’m asking. I […]
I miss breakfast. My wife and I had a tradition on Monday holidays to go out to breakfast. Sometimes it was Eat n’ Park, sometimes Waffles Inc. It was our joint appreciation of the rest we had earned thanks to the labor advocates around the nation. And it was a small, but simple tradition that […]
Today, August 27, 2024, marks one year since I was wrongly detained for an involuntary commitment (302), held against my will for four or five hours, then discharged to find the lock to my home had been changed. Each of these claims is a fact. The date, the invalid 302 paperwork, the time spent at […]
