Meteorological Misanthropy #2/Subway Sociology #8: Winds of Change

History Channel Announcer: "Tonight, four of the world's strongest men will compete for the world's greatest prize: bragging rights!" Partner: "That's not much of a prize!" Lavender: "You've obviously never had your entire sense of self-worth founded on other people's perceptions of you, I take it?" Partner: "No, why would I set that as a …

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Meteorologic Misanthropy #1: Smoke in the Office/Water from the Sky

Fun Fact #1: I haven't just been in a fair number of disasters. They tend to follow me. Think I'm kidding? At literally every job I've ever had, there has been a fire in the office within the first two months of my starting there. (I have never worked at a restaurant, a fireworks manufacturing …

Messages in a Bottle #16: Meteorologic Misanthropy Miniseries Intro

My next three blog posts were all originally written in August/early September, at the height of Gentrification Moving "Hey, Climate Change Affects the Northeast, Too!" Season. During the past six weeks of meteorological tristate/microstate (plus parts of Canada) mayhem, I've tackled a new job, a new lease, planning a move, temporarily doubling my old commute …

Where’s Whoopsie #22: Lavender is Self-Protectively

I'm still here, but longer commutes lead to longer flares. And, longer flares lead to more swollen hands that need to be saved for work. Fortunately (?), my commute will be a lot more manageable after next month because our current place finally raised the rent for lease renewal enough to overcome our inertia about …

Trust in Mental Health Treatment #5: Axe to Grind

Actual texts sent to my Partner from my psychiatrist appointment: Lavender: "Mental health treatment is bullshit. I got the first appointment with my psychiatrist at 8:30am - knowing how ridiculously early that is – and I honored that commitment to wake up on a weekend to be available for rehearsal. It’s 9:45am and he hasn't …

Subway Sociology #8: Railway Acts of Baked Goods Generation

Starting a new job costs physical spoons, even when it saves mental spoons. My new longer commute has left me pretty drained this week. I did plan to post yesterday, but an unexpected situation on said new commute took precedence. Other people's stories aren't mine to share. So, all I will say is that, if …

The American Dread

This time last year, I was about to go on my not-FMLA. I had pre-written a blog post about how to protest with chronic illness for the Fourth of July, and - as that is a rather date-specific post - I went ahead and posted that. But, while I certainly went to protests as best …

Stick with It

Sometimes I have a flare and want to save my poor swollen hands for work. Since I always write on July 4th, check back then for a full post! In the meantime, if anyone needs any encouragement this week: If my squishy can stick to the ceiling for a full 15 seconds through sheer grit …

Long Walks and Candlelight Zen-ers

I sometimes think my Partner missed his life’s calling as a therapist, but whenever I mention this to him he reminds me that the only “people” he wants to be observant of and “people” with on a regular basis are me (and maybe the cat, who is unofficially a “people,” too!) As I’ve said before, …

Messages in a Bottle #14: If You’re a Poet and You Don’t Know It…

Traumaversaries are weird. I have learned that it is entirely possible for me to feel stressed, anxious, rejection sensitive and floaty for days with no overt understanding of why I am feeling this way - even throughout events that should otherwise be fun in present-day 2019 - because my subconscious mind still remembers what my conscious mind …