Sam Stone ~ a song review by Spelly

     This is a song that breaks my heart everytime I listen to it.     If you’re unfamiliar with John Prine, he’s a singer/songwriter whose songs have been covered by many artists. Angel Fom Montgomery is one of his songs. And so is Sam Stone.

     The song tells of Sam Stone, a man who returns from Vietnam with some shrapnel in his knee and “a hole in Daddy’s arm where all the money goes”. The lyrics are accompanied by guitar and organ music and this song just slides over and through you. And like I said, it breaks my heart every time I hear it.

     But it’s an important song and one that you will be glad you listened to. And have a listen to his other works as well. I’m including 2 links, one is his official website and the other has lyrics.

Spelly

www.johnprine.net

www.jpshrine.org

Announcements & Classifieds

     The NU Glass Lecture Hall is pleased to announce it’s inagural speaker, writer John Irving. Writer of such novels as The World According to Garp, A Widow for a Year, and A Prayer for Owen Meany, amongst many others. Considered by many to be one of the  preeminent authors of our time, we are lucky and most proud to have John Irving in Nottington. His general lecture (he’s being a tease about the topic! Let’s hope it’s a new book!) will be held at the NU Glass Lecture Hall Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 730pm to 1030 pm with a question period afterwards. Admission is free although a donation to any of the Nottington projects are welcome. Should you wish to make a donation, please contact the owner to see what is needed.  He will also be conducting afternoon seminars on a Phenomenological Reading of A Prayer for Owen Meany. If you are interested in this seminar, please reserve early as space is limited.

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  Sha’s  newly established Foreign Language School will be officially opening 14 January. There will be a BBQ on the 13th starting at noon so I hope to see you there!

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     Endurance Health Club is donating $10 from every gym membership to the Nottington University’s Greening Program, a program designed to improve the air quality for a healthier lifestyle of Nottington residents and landscaping of the University grounds. Bring a friend and you both receive a free Soccer Ball (and if your not into soccer we’ll gladly donate the ball to the Nottington Toy drive)
  Soccer Ball=$50
  Gym membership=$1200/year
  Better air quality and a healthier/more fit lifestyle for Nottington residents=PRICELESS

The free soccer ball offer lasts until March 1st!

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   Congratulations to Nottington’s newest Council members, Bruce and Mskittie. Already valued members of NV they are sure to do the Council and all NV residents proud.

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      The Winter Garden Theatre has plans underway to build a playing field for NU complete with soccer field and play area. The Co-Op kitchen will be providing meals to all the workers. Well done Bruce! Once again your generousity overwhelms me.

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~*~ Tattoos and You ~*~. by Spelly

     Sometimes it seems that I know more people who are thinking about getting a tattoo than actually have them. There are several things to consider when considering getting a tattoo.

     The first thing people will say when you mention getting a tattoo is “You know it’s permanent right?” Seems stupid but there’s a reason that it’s the first thing said. It is permanent, but if you really would prefer a scar shaped like your tattoo, there’s always laser removal. There are though a few things you can try if you aren’t sure about the whole permanent issue. Get an airbrushed tattoo. If you know what you want and where you what it then get that done. If you can’t live with the tattoo, or any reactions you may encounter for the duration of it, then you aren’t ready to get a real tattoo.

     And then, what to get and where….. anybody who decides quickly and with little thought gets more than a tattoo. They get a permanent reminder of their stupidity. Everybody I know, myself included, took time and much thought on the what and where. But, you should know, the more you get the easier the decision ~ and after your first one, try and resist getting another one! And do try to be original. Getting a design because everybody has it ~ or one like it ~ is a waste of money and skin. Find one that represents you, something you believe, a portrait of a loved or revered one. I know a lot of people that have Canadian flag tattoos. Sure, lots of people have them but it means the same thing to everybody ~ pride in being Canadian.

    And be ready for a great deal of questions ~ many of them quite inane. Here are some I have actually been asked…… 1) Oooh, is that a tattoo? 2) Did it hurt? 3) What does it mean? 4) Where did you get it? 5) How much did it cost?  I’m not even going to bother with the first question. As for the second, it varies from person to person and by body location. Personally, I enjoy the physical sensation of getting tattooed. But ask any artist and they’ll tell you the same thing ~ men are much more likely to get up halfway and quit, pass out or vomit.  As for the meaning of the tattoo, that is also an entirely personal question and up to you how you answer it. For me, there are 2 answers. The one that is given to the casual inquirer and the one is given to close friends who I trust and value. I would tell anybody here what they meant, but not to a FB friend I haven’t seen in 20 years.  And I have *never* minded the last question. I have been very fortunate, and wise, in my choices of artists. If a get a compliment from a stranger on the street, I say thank you, I got it at …… I always get a bunch of the artists cards and hand them out. As for the cost, be evasive. Rates vary by artist and body part. Expect to pay more for a genital tattoo than a Tweety Bird on your ankle. And if you’ve been going to the same person for several tattoos, you may be getting a lower rate.

     But then comes the category of people that can be harder to shrug off then the public. The family. If you look at my MML profile, you’ll see a phote of one of my tattoos ~ a Mark Ryden painting. One sister-in-law finds it too morbid to even look at ~ and freaks out when I whip up my sleeve and show her. Another sister-in-law asked Strider (my husband is completely phobic about being named anywhere online ~ I even promised not to post ANY pic of him, so I’ll call him Strider…sigh…) if it had anything to do with my childhood. He told her if she wanted to know, she’d have to ask me. She never has. As far as Strider, he doesn’t care for it but neither of us have ever said you can’t when it comes to many things ~ especially our own body. Would he be elated if I removed my nose and brow ring? Absolutely. But he’d never ask me to.

     Sorry. Trainwrecked there a bit. So, after considering all of the above, you’ve made your decision. You’re going to get a tattoo. Now, where to go to get it done? This is probably the most important consideration of all. You know it’s permanent right? Many artists specialize in doing cover-up work. They specialize for a reason. Ask around, ask people who have ink you like ~ even if it’s the execution and not the design. Good artists have good reputations ~ and vice versa. You’ll hear some of the same names come up frequently. Remember those names and where they work. Go to the parlor, look around. Ask to see a portfolio. Make sure they use fresh needles, ink and rubber gloves. Talk to them about what you want and where. Your design might be really cool, but not one that wraps well around the arm. They’ll suggest another location or modification to the design. Be sure to tell them if you have a latex allergy. If you’re getting a large piece it will be done over a period of sessions with healing time in between.

      And above all, follow the after-care they tell you. There are different methods but go with the one they tell you. If you don’t and your tattoo gets messed up, not only will they know but you’ll have to pay to have it re-done.

If you’ve been thinking about getting one, hope this helped!

Spelly

The Stigmas and Semantics of Psychiatric Diseases.

 

     There are stigmas and prejudices that many people face today in the world, from a lack of wheelchair accessibility to the jeers that people with Tourette’s Syndrome deal with on a daily basis. The difficulties faced by those of us with psychiatric illnesses are just as insidious, in no small part because it is an invisible problem.

To begin I will examine the problematic semantics of psychiatrist diseases.

There is a common misperception that the mind and brain are the same. This could not be further from the truth. While there is a deep connection between the two, the mind is essentially a function of the brain. A person with a brain tumor it is not considered to be a mental health patient nor are they treated as such.. However, for those of us who have psychiatric diseases are said to have mental health problems when the problem isn’t in our mind at all. The mind is certainly affected but the disease is rooted in the brain. To that end, I would like to see a shift in the language, I would like them to be properly categorized in the medical field and societal arena.

Diseases such as Schizophrenia, Bi-Polar Type I and II, Depression should be considered and labelled no differently than any other neurological like Asberger’s or Muscular Dystrophy. Because of the difference in semantics, psychiatric diseases have been misunderstood, improperly diagnosed and the lack public awareness has created the stigmas that shroud these diseases.

And the focus turns now to the stigmas that those of us with psychiatrist diseases. Virtually all of the stigmas, and their effects, will be told from a first person point of view. Mine. And what isn’t mine comes from what other people have shared with me. Should an asterix appear after a statement, then the source was someone other than myself.

One of the most devastating stigmas is the opinion by many that there is no such thing as a psychiatric disease let alone a mere condition. And to be clear, this is an opinion that does not come from just one group of people such as Scientology. This opinion comes from many places. Apparently I’m just weak and should snap out of it, I’m not actually sick. And because I’m not sick, I really don’t need those pills. I didn’t realize that the drug companies fabricated a market need in order to fatten their bottom line. I don’t care. I don’t care how much money they make. All I care about is that I have access to the medication that I require to function. If a CEO is getting a multi-million dollar salary because they sell a pill that allows me to function I say have at it baby. Live high.

This stigma also has devastating effects on the person who has the disease. It’s an ugly little secret but we all live in a world of prejudicial judgements. When he went to rehab for a drug addiction, If a CEO is getting a multi-million dollar salary because they sell a pill that allows me to function .

When a gay friend of entered rehab for a severe drug addiction he was horrified to learn that homophobia was the root of his addiction. In this unfortunately anti-gay society, he couldn’t help but absorb that phobia ~ as hidden as it was. I am similarly affected and this becomes huge in your mind when you are experiencing a bout of your disease. Questioning and berating yourself is an affect of the disease. You tell yourself that getting out of bed isn’t a difficult thing to do and yet some days it takes 4 hours to actually get up. Some days you don’t get up at all.

I have also encountered more stupid questions from more people than I care to remember. Are you sure you need those medications? I have down days, maybe that’s all you’re going through. Maybe. But for an entire month? Are your sure your Dr. is right? Now many people ask that question, but generally it comes from a place of I hope you don’t have it. I saw in a documentary that Depression is the only disease where people ask you that question because how could your Dr. know? You don’t seem sick. And I don’t when my disease is controlled. I still don’t seem sick when the control starts to unravel. These diseases can be controlled but not cured. Every person with depression has more than a disease in common. We are also consummate actors. I can seem at the most cheerful when the control starts to slip. Even I want to deny that a relapse is imminent, let alone have others know.

And imagine what it’s like to walk into a job interview with a gap filled resume. My resume is a chronicle of my relapses that can be difficult to explain. Brushing it off as a general medical problem leads to the question of will you be able to commit to this job? How do I know that after training you and depending on you to do your job that you won’t have to leave again? Generally speaking, this has forced me to take jobs that were guaranteed to bring about a relapse eventually. Generally one to two years is my ability to stay at that job.

And let a relapse occur when there is no stressor in your life. Then the stupid questions and comments turn to but everything is fine, what do you be to down about? Go for a walk in the park, that will make you feel better when you’re having a bad day. I am not having a bad day and a walk in the park would be wonderful ~ if I can get out of bed. Excessive sleeping or insomnia can be a symptom of Depression. Still, when I reported my insomnia to my Dr. he told me I was actually sleeping. I was just dreaming I was awake. I changed to another Dr. who was eventually the one to diagnosis me and refer me to a psychiatrist.

And while statistics notoriously bore people to death I give you this one to ponder. According to a study done by the World Health Organization in developed countries there are 10 leading causes of lost years or healthy life. Number 1 ~ major Depressive Disease, Number 4 ~ Schizophrenia, number 6 ~ Bi-Polar and number 8 ~ Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

The next instalment will be a look at my own personal journey with psychiatric diseases. Problems with diagnosis, medications and how this is compounded by the stigmas. I hope that you have been enlightened, reminded or even have it reaffirm that you are not alone in the world with your disease.