For Better or Worse

CW: Anonymity is so inconvenient sometimes. I can't, for instance, tell you the actual state motto of the 9th Circle of Hell. "Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here," while appropriate, is actually not nearly as morbidly satisfying as the true state motto. If I ever write a memoir of my experiences in Hell - …

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Behind the Back Behavior

I feel betrayed. I've just learned for the first time about some truly "behind the back" behavior. I don't mean anything from the 9th Circle of Hell, workplace bullying or even America's President being a traitor - those are all sufficiently terrifying betrayals, but they are hardly newly discovered  - but rather something that has …

My PTSD Awareness: Currently Subject to Mental Health Austerity Policies

PTSD sucks. I have previously written 48 posts to this effect. (But who's counting?) Today is National PTSD Awareness Day. I'm still generally too overwhelmed in my ability to cope from ongoing 9th Circle of Hell trauma and PTSD symptoms - oh the irony! - to muster up my usual witty commentary on my awareness of …

Improv #9: In-city-cure attachment

I've lived in a lot of places in my life. Enough that I've only ever stayed put long enough in my adult life to be called for jury duty once, during graduate school. I've lived on both coasts and in the middle. I've lived in cities I'd go back to in a heartbeat if a …

Heavy Subject Matter (Pt. 2: Physically Heavy)

Warning: heavy material ahead. No, not a content warning. (If you want that, see Pt. 1). Though, I suppose the book has some of that in its characters' backstory. I literally mean heavy subjects ahead. For anyone who is super adept at remembering my life: Why? It's not that interesting? Can you please teach me …

War and Piecemeal Memory

Have you ever lied about reading War and Peace? Me neither. At least, I don't think I have ever lied about reading it. I mean, it's not like I'd remember, or anyone could tell the difference between my lying about having read it or my actually reading it. I have read it. I just unfortunately …

Improv #5: Meta-Analysis

This post was supposed to be about physicality in Improv. It was also supposed to be titled The Body Keeps the Score. It is neither of those things because it turns out even a girl with ADHD can't truly have an original thought. My brain can't stay inside the box, but it certainly can stay …

Data Minding

I first intended to post about the fact that statistical algorithms can pick out individuals with various mental health diagnoses from the type of language they use on social media last November, but I lost my hyperfocus on the topic almost immediately after I read the original media blurb about a new study. I also …

Messages in a Bottle #4: Cold Lang Syne

Today's winter storm event - Winter Storm Liam - is turning out to be a non-event for my area. There are two more potential snowmakers behind it, per my favorite bedtime story,  aka The Weather Channel. Maybe those will live up to the hype that Liam didn't. The blizzard we ran into in Iceland in the final installment …

CBT and the Statistician

Catastrophizing is an interesting phenomenon when you are a statistician. It's ingrained in me to work out the odds, even for the things I fear the most. I am the girl who corrects her therapist that, "No, I don't actually think X, Y or Z is going to happen. I objectively assign only about a …