Something to Lose

It was the last day of clinical exams for my brother. He was in class to become a certified nursing assistant, a small step in his ongoing journey to becoming a doctor. His white woman teacher stopped him. “Before you leave I just want to tell you something, so when you get a few minutes…

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Re-de-segregation?

Today, as I do most everyday, I was scrolling through 3 Quarks Daily.  In case you don’t know, it’s an excellent site.  Once a week, on Monday, they have a collection of original essays.  The rest of the week, they are a high quality aggregator.  Instead of the usual headlines, they tend to feature longer works dealing with…

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Lefty Sexism

I’m normally very interested in politics.  I pay close attention.  I vote.  I like to talk and argue about politics.  And I like to write about politics.  This election is different, though.  I find myself avoiding the news.  I don’t want to talk about it or write about it.  A small part of that comes…

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My Second Impeachment

First of all, I can’t quite believe my title. Impeachments should be vanishingly rare. The fact that there have been two in my lifetime is extraordinary. I was twenty-three when the House of Representatives impeached Bill Clinton. I’m forty-four as they impeach Donald Trump. It’s crazy how different the two situations feel. I know that…

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The Fifth First Day of School

Every year, I write a little something on my daughter’s first day of school. It’s nothing big, just some thoughts and feelings to mark the occasion. This year, my daughter is starting Fourth Grade and I’m more confused than ever before. School was supposed to start last week, but COVID pushed it back. I have…

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Prioritizing Mental Wellness in the Mental Health Field Is Nice in Theory, but Can It Work?

I’ve read a lot of articles lately (here’s one) that say that preventing mental illness would be better than treating mental illness. The way these authors want to do that is by promoting wellness. The theory is that we shouldn’t wait until people are sick to intervene. There should be more of a focus on…

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Eddie Van Halen

When Tom Petty died, I talked about how rare it was for me to be into a musician or band that was popular when they were popular. Van Halen was one of those bands for me. I mostly think of the 80s as a low point for music, but Van Halen was one of the…

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Some Thoughts about the 2024 Election

Now that I’ve had a chance to digest the results of the 2024 election, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts about it. I want to avoid just saying it was a disaster (although it was) and I want to avoid just saying we’re screwed (although we are). I hope my thoughts are more…

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My Mental Health Journey Through an Intensive Outpatient Program – Part 19

I started my IOP today less OK that I started yesterday. There will be dips on the road to recovery, right? The thing is, I was exhausted. I slept terribly last night. I went to bed a little later than usual, but not too late. I still could have gotten eight hours if I hadn’t…

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February

February is my favorite month.  I don’t exactly know why.  My birthday is in February, but I don’t think that’s it.  When I notice my birthday, it tends to be because something went awry.  Either I’m sick and spend the day complaining about being sick on my birthday.  Or the person who decides to take…

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