Blog Archives

Developmental Differences & Mental Health

6/13/2020

A lot of our TRADITIONAL CONCEPTS about "mental Illness" don't appear to be correct.
With respect to bipolar disorder, it's looking a lot more DEVELOPMENTAL -- it certainly feels that way to me.
My experience with the mental health profession has been of very nice, smart people.
Having said that, this profession isn't well-grounded scientifically and that's why we're not getting the results we want and need.
For me personally, I do take Lithium and it does help. "Therapy" is generally not only not helpful BUT HARMFUL.
This profession is NOT prepared to see this as a "DEVELOPMENTAL" issue/difference -- and that's a BIG PROBLEM.
Further, that's only scratching the surface of the problems people with "mental illness"/developmental difference are facing with the mental health profession and the society at large..

University of Michigan:
Cells of people with Bipolar Disorder are developmentally different than the cells of people without Bipolar Disorder.

[Dr. Melvin McInnis, Research Director, Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund, does an excellent job of channeling the HUMANITIES-DRIVEN person with bipolar disorder such as myself.]

The "Curse of Creativity" and the "Curse of the Philosopher"

6/12/2020

When people are taking in a lot of STIMULI of one sort or another -- it can be OVERWHELMING.
You're going to NEED:

CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS [The RAP on ARISTOTLE was that if you don't UNDERSTAND the INFORMATION, CLASSIFY IT]
LOGIC.
REASON
ART, and
Ethics, Religion & Morality (and you can DEFINE those a lot of DIFFERENT WAYS -- and people have had to REVISE those DEFINITIONS over the MILLENNIA

THE CURSE OF CREATIVITY

This is the Buddhist Koan: Is it a GOOD THING or BAD THING -- It is what it is.
THAT Is a very MIXED BAG -- How do you MAXIMIZE the GOOD STUFF and MINIMIZE, MANAGE or WORK-AROUND the more CHALLENGING ASPECTS
This isn't just true for "CREATIVES" or people with "MENTAL ILLNESS" -- it is TRUE across-the-board.

THE CURSE OF THE PHILOSOPHER/HUMAN BEING

You're not really towing anybody's "PARTY LINE" -- whether a political party or an organization and that is really regardless of who that is.
Other people don't perceive you as on their team -- they're not wrong about that, BUT you're NOT on the other guy's team either
Individual Advocacy is often appealing BUT you often have your own agenda -- and that has to be kept in check.
AND if TRUTH be told you're trying to be on EVERYONE's TEAM -- where's that HEMLOCK?
Do you see you're own flaws? --- kinda -- BUT other people's flaws are in much HIGHER RELIEF.

THE CURSE OF HIERARCHY

We have been dealing with the "PRACTICALITIES" of this problem for a long time.
Providing for the Social Determinants of Health and Ameliorating Health Inequities could make a lot of PROGRESS on the HARMFUL ASPECTS of HIERARCHY.
Nobody's saying don't be "PRACTICAL" -- but "HIERARCHY" isn't as "PRACTICAL" as people think.

CONVERSION THERAPY: IT'S NOT LIMITED TO LGBTQ

There are human behaviors that are truly harmful -- and generally they're very complex and it's not limited to one person in the human population.
One of the things that the GAY RIGHTS movement really added to the HUMAN RIGHTs DISCUSSION and the MENTAL HEALTH DISCUSSION was:
- If I'm not HURTING ANYONE -- then YOU NEED TO BACK OFF
The Mental Health/Cognitive Disability Movement is continuing the HUMAN RIGHTS DEMAND for:
- A Scientifically-Valid "Psychiatric Diagnostic Manual"
The reality is it was a lot more difficult for me to "COME CLEAN" on Chronic Disorganization than it was a potentially dangerous psychotic episode.
It was clear that the Society was NOT prepared to pay me to be a SMART, EMOTIONAL, LOGICAL, DISORGANIZED PERSON. MOST TASK DESCRIPTIONS exclude me by DEFINITION.
When Jordan Peterson talks about the HIGH REWARD, HIGH RISK STRATEGY of BEING "CREATIVE" -- I think at least in part that the "MIXED BAG" of the "CREATIVE PERSON" is what he is talking about.
Is the "CONVERSION THERAPY" really about being "CREATIVE" or can we drill down further -- is it being BIOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT -- and you didn't CHOOSE YOUR BIOLOGY and its pretty hard to choose you're ENVIRONMENT when there are WIDESPREAD SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS.
At some point to the UNINITIATED that can look like "COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT" -- and in some ways it is -- BUT IT IS SO MUCH MORE.
THAT "ENVIRONMENT" is NOT just the SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT -- and the reality is there are just as many things that can cause some type of "Mental Impairment" as "Physical Impairment" -- its not the RARITY we PRETEND -- and it's ALL HOW YOU DEFINE IT.
So if you have that scientifically invalid DSM 5 -- that's going to really matter -- and its going to do a lot of HARM.

The Art of Conversation & Dialogue

At some point you start to realize why Socrates didn't write anything down -- and HOW MUCH FARTHER you can really go with CONVERSATION & DIALOGUE.
On the other hand, I'm a person that has had to write since Elementary School to manage her emotions and ideas.
We also need to WRITE THINGS DOWN -- so we can make sure we are on THE SAME PAGE.

The US Legal System is Just As Broke As US Law Enforcement

Defund the Criminal Justice System?
We certainly need to RE-ALLOCATE RESOURCES and that includes HUMAN RESOURCES
We've got some really talented people SPINNING THEIR WHEELS in a CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM that is DUE for a MAJOR OVER-HAUL, EXTREME MAKE-OVER.
Part of the way our Criminal Justice System and many parts of our Society have tried to manage SOCIETAL DYSFUNCTION is to create various "PRIVILEGES" regarding "INFORMATION."
This has created a LEVIATHAN of a SYSTEM in which actual COMPLEX PROBLEM-SOLVING is HINDERED, NOT EMPOWERED because you don't have a FREE-FLOW of INFORMATION.
On the other hand, we can't just do away with the "INFORMATIONAL PRIVILEGES" that are a MITIGATION of a SEVERELY DYSFUNCTIONAL SOCIETY.
RE-ALLOCATING RESOURCES to "ACTUALLY" address people's problems and provide SAFETY where necessary is ESSENTIAL.

"CREATIVES," PEOPLE WITH "MENTAL ILLNESS" and the ECONOMY

6/11/2020

One of the INTER-LOCKING, CONNECTED REASONS I'm doing ORCHID is because I don't fit into the dominant economy.
I think at least in some cases -- EMOTIONAL INTENSITY/ EMOTIONAL DYSREGULATION are associated with "TRADITIONAL INTELLIGENCE," "DIVERGENT THINKING," and "CREATIVITY."
They are also associated with various MENTAL ISSUEs such as "MENTAL ILLNESS" but also developmental issues such as "ADHD" and "AUTISM."
Further, Disorganization and Messiness are associated with both people who are INTELLIGENT and people who have "ADHD"
I put a lot of these psychiatric categories in quotes because these CATEGORIES don't hang together SCIENTIFICALLY or even LOGICALLY as well as one might hope and I think they will be replaced --
This really gets to the DILEMMA of the US National Institute of Mental Health -- okay, the DSM 5 is scientifically invalid-- "WE (NIMH) SAID SO"-- BUT we don't have another LANGUAGE -- and the DSM 5 is ROUGHLY & IMPERFECTLY trying to address "psychiatric disorders" -- Can we use it as a DICTIONARY?
Hmmm . . . That really doesn't work LOGICALLY.
IT Is looking more and more that it is DIFFERENCES in the IMMUNE SYSTEM that may be at least partially driving INTELLIGENCE, "MENTAL ILLNESS" and "ADHD" and "Autism."
I think a lot of WRITERS write to try to maintain their mental health and try to MANAGE -- ALL THE IDEAS and EMOTIONS and OBSERVATIONS -- they have CONSTANTLY.
One could certainly see how MINDFULNESS could help MANAGE this -- is it going to be ENOUGH -- maybe, maybe not.
There are A LOT of THINGS that can help manage this -- being VALUED helps, not having to fight like a dog for your ECONOMIC SURVIVAL helps.
THERE's A CATCH-22 to ALL THIS that we have recognized for quite a long time (THOUSANDS of YEARS) regarding Intelligence/Creativity and "Madness."
I think this CONNECTION maybe is almost MECHANICAL and its NOT as much about the BRAIN as the IMMUNE SYSTEM -- and HIGH SENSITIVITY TO STIMULI.
This goes to a CLEAR-EYED STRENGTH-BASED APPROACH for "CREATIVES" and people with "MENTAL ILLNESS" -- and an ECONOMY that can ACCOMMODATE THEM.

If We Can't Get Beyond Police "Training" and "Recruitment" --We Don't Really Understand the Systemic Problem(s) We're Facing

6/10/2020

Black Lives Matter and our Founding Fathers are more "ENLIGHTENED" and "WOKE" than some of our policymakers.

We're having to confront:

problems in human nature, and
problems in systems of governance

The Founding Fathers knew that:

Just replacing King George wasn't going to solve their problems (BEEN THERE, DONE THAT)
They knew that the American Colonists and they themselves weren't anymore "perfect" than the British
They did a lot of dismantling of HIERARCHY
They did their best to create "CO-EQUAL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT" even while providing for HUGE INEQUALITY AMONG INDIVIDUALS:
- Don't have any property -- CAN'T VOTE
- You're a White Woman -- CAN'T VOTE and if you're a Married Woman -- You CAN'T OWN PROPERTY
- You're BLACK -- we're gonna do some mental gymnastics count you as a 3/5 person and -- YOU CAN'T VOTE or YOU CAN"T OWN PROPERTY
The Founding Fathers had a BIG DISTRUST of government-backed military/police power. -- a BIG DISTRUST of "John Cummings" (the individual in power) BUT more importantly a Distrust of "HUMAN NATURE" and of the SYSTEM itself.

What's WOKE

This means a lot of different things to different people.
Fundamentally, it is a SOPHISTICATED AND ENLIGHTENED UNDERSTANDING of the Systems of Power and their Power to OPPRESS

Economics, Healthcare, the Social Determinants of Health, the SUPPORT PEOPLE NEED -- and BIG DATA

What people need can and often is CHANGING & DYNAMIC
We need much more FOCUSED DATA COLLECTION and PLANNING to inform policies that FURTHER THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH and AMELIORATE HEALTH INEQUITIES.
From our perspective, that does include providing support to SMALL BUSINESSES and "CREATIVE" PEOPLE
In the ECONOMY, the problem isn't that people are IDIOTS -- it's that they're NOT.
We must get a lot more ENLIGHTENED and WOKE about SUPPORTING our DIVERSE POPULACE -- and that DIVERSITY comes in a lot of DIFFERENT FORMS.
If we provide that SUPPORT, we won't be harvesting the INEDIBLE STRANGE FRUIT -- Billie Holiday sings of or the Black Lives protesters and the rest of the SOCIETY are CHOKING ON.
We can produce a FRUIT that will SUSTAIN US as Diverse Individuals and as a United Society.

Black Lives Matter and our Founding Fathers are more "ENLIGHTENED" and "WOKE" than some of our policymakers.

We're having to confront:

problems in human nature, and
problems in systems of governance

The Founding Fathers knew that:

Just replacing King George wasn't going to solve their problems (BEEN THERE, DONE THAT)
They knew that the American Colonists and they themselves weren't anymore "perfect" than the British
They did a lot of dismantling of HIERARCHY
They did their best to create "CO-EQUAL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT" even while providing for HUGE INEQUALITY AMONG INDIVIDUALS:
- Don't have any property -- CAN'T VOTE
- You're a White Woman -- CAN'T VOTE and if you're a Married Woman -- You CAN'T OWN PROPERTY
- You're BLACK -- we're gonna do some mental gymnastics count you as a 3/5 person and -- YOU CAN'T VOTE or YOU CAN"T OWN PROPERTY
The Founding Fathers had a BIG DISTRUST of government-backed military/police power. -- a BIG DISTRUST of "John Cummings" (the individual in power) BUT more importantly a Distrust of "HUMAN NATURE" and of the SYSTEM itself.

What's WOKE

This means a lot of different things to different people.
Fundamentally, it is a SOPHISTICATED AND ENLIGHTENED UNDERSTANDING of the Systems of Power and their Power to OPPRESS

Economics, Healthcare, the Social Determinants of Health, the SUPPORT PEOPLE NEED -- and BIG DATA

What people need can and often is CHANGING & DYNAMIC
We need much more FOCUSED DATA COLLECTION and PLANNING to inform policies that FURTHER THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH and AMELIORATE HEALTH INEQUITIES.
From our perspective, that does include providing support to SMALL BUSINESSES and "CREATIVE" PEOPLE
In the ECONOMY, the problem isn't that people are IDIOTS -- it's that they're NOT.
We must get a lot more ENLIGHTENED and WOKE about SUPPORTING our DIVERSE POPULACE -- and that DIVERSITY comes in a lot of DIFFERENT FORMS.
If we provide that SUPPORT, we won't be harvesting the INEDIBLE STRANGE FRUIT -- Billie Holiday sings of or the Black Lives protesters and the rest of the SOCIETY are CHOKING ON.
We can produce a FRUIT that will SUSTAIN US as Diverse Individuals and as a United Society.

James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman, diplomat, expansionist, philosopher and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817.

He was also one of the authors of the "Federalist Papers." Wikipedia

Aisha Jamila Hinds is an American television, stage and film actress. Wikipedia

Employment Index

The Death of George Floyd: Reason 1 Million & 1

The above link really goes to the 21st Century SCIENTIFIC BACK-UP for the PROFOUND CONCERNS about "POWER" the 18th Century Founders had and were trying to address through a complicated form of CHECKS & BALANCES.

That 21st Century SCIENTIFIC BACK-UP on "AGGRESSION" further makes the case that Enhanced Police "Recruitment" and "Training" will likely be INSUFFICIENT to address not only the current crisis in LAW ENFORCEMENT but the current crisis in OUR DEMOCRACY as well.

The Challenge of Status-Seeking

6/7/2020

As human beings, we are interested in "STATUS."

BUT even Immanuel Kant in the 18th Century understood that there is an IMPORTANT MORAL DIFFERENCE between what "IS" and "WHAT OUGHT TO BE."

Divergent Thinking & Creativity are High risk High reward strategies---The desperation that causes is pretty intense

I don't disagree with everything Peterson says -- I first "officially" began to take on this "specialness" issue in the blog above.

Ironically, my elderly Hungarian philosophy professor who escaped the HOLOCAUST -- used this as an example to show that there is no CONTRADICTION if you're speaking in DIFFERENT RESPECTS.

When it comes to PEOPLE, we're almost always speaking in COMPLICATED DIFFERENT RESPECTS.

Further, this FALLACY isn't just latched onto by that IDIOT WHITE GUY.

I heard this in a meeting with a WHITE TALENTED FEMALE CIVIL RIGHTS/ POOR PEOPLE'S ATTORNEY.

Nobody said anything about it and I didn't either -- because it didn't really seem to matter.

IT DOES MATTER.

Isn't this SPECIAL: Author Jordan Peterson -- "Inequality and hierarchy give life its purpose."

PETERSON's Inequality & Hierarchical Purpose-Driven Life MAYBE -- COULD BE -- REFRAMED A LOT of ways and it might not be as OFFENSIVE & FALLACIOUS as it sounds.

BUT IT APPEARS THERE's A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE to unpack this because Peterson is preaching not only this but other "TRUISMS" that aren't as true or logical as he thinks.

AND the above Statement seems to flow from the FALLACY that Peterson has latched onto: "If we're all special, none of us are special."

So there may very well be a UNITY of OPPOSITES -- so that ADDRESSING and AMELIORATING INEQUALITY & HIERARCHY give LIFE ITS PURPOSE.

We need to understand another TERM: "DIFFERENT." Jordan Peterson isn't the MEASURE of ALL THINGS anymore than Val Corzine is.

We're still struggling with Skin Pigment and Peterson sounds just this side of ARISTOTLE & NATURAL SLAVES.

One of the Reasons HIERARCHY is SO CHALLENGING is we have A LOT OF BLIND SPOTS especially when it comes to ourselves -- UNCONSCIOUS BIAS being an important but not the only part of it.

Migraines and Mental Illness -- Unintended Consequences and the Immune System

6/7/2020

Mental Health seems so -- Touchy Feely -- where things like:

high blood pressure
diabetes, and
MIGRAINES

are PHYSICAL AILMENTS.

Further, MIGRAINES are a PHYSICAL AILMENT associated with the BRAIN and often with MENTAL ILLNESS.

MANY of US have had a SEVERE HEADACHE. We can relate to it -- at least on some level.

My Experience

I didn't have a lot of headaches growing up.
My Mother was taking Excedrin like it was goin' out of style -- but she didn't think she had "MIGRAINES"
I've always been "intense" and "chronically disorganized" .
I first started having serious MIGRAINES in my late thirties.
I'm an ORCHID -- what PHYSICAL, MENTAL & SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT I'm in REALLY MATTERS as to whether I'm going to WITHER or FLOURISH
When it comes to RESILIENCE --- I think HIGH SENSITIVITY to the ENVIRONMENT -- is meant to be RESILIENT as well as the "TRADITIONAL INTELLIGENCE" that often comes with it.
Now, there may be a lot of unintended consequences.
I think a lot of the "SENSITIVITY" is coming via the "IMMUNE SYSTEM"
While unlike a flower -- I can vote with my feet -- if there is something SYSTEMIC going on with the ENVIRONMENT I'm in -- I'm going to have to CHANGE IT -- if I can't get out of "it."

THAT IS OFTEN NOT EASY.

Why Orchids

The Immune System, Physical Health & Mental Health

Mental Illness & Intelligence: A Common Aspect -- Not Only the Brain But the Immune System As Well

Metro Human Services (Woodbury, Minnesota)-- Black Man Suffering from Migraine.

Headache in African Americans: An Overlooked Disparity (2019)

The Surprising Link Between Migraines & Mental Health

Conclusion. The immune system plays a key role in migraine pathogenesis. The involvement of CGRP is important in neurogenic vasodilation, peripheral sensitization, and the initiation of the migraine cascade. Various cytokines, including TNF, IL-1 and adiponectin, have been implicated in the precipitation of migraine.Aug 28, 2014

The Immune System & Headache

Unconscious Bias & Hierarchy: "How's that Meritocracy Workin' Out for Ya?"

6/6/2020

Democrats like to bemoan poor whites voting against their economic interests and electing Republicans.
A lot of groups find that electing Democrats is not really furthering their ECONOMIC INTERESTS or OTHER INTERESTS the way they thought.
This isn't about SOCIALISM or CAPITALISM -- per se; although both in their pure forms FAILED in the 20th Century.
Its really taking another look at this DYNAMIC & IMPORTANT AREA of HUMAN LIFE and having the COURAGE to acknowledge that the "INVISIBLE HAND OF SELF INTEREST" is RAPING a lot of people.

In Modern Society, when we get concerned about being "Outside the Tribe" or "UNCONSCIOUS BIAS" --- a lot of it is very practical, economic concerns.

This feels very much like Olmstead -- we're doing some stuff -- NOT NEAR ENOUGH.

Planning, Data Collection and

Measurable Goals,
Reasonable Time Frames, and
Funding to Support On-Going Planning

Could be very good steps to lower Income Inequality and Raise Standards of Living in the US.

Reformed Policing is CRITICAL, and the very hard challenges of ECONOMIC INEQUALITY and STANDARD of LIVING are just as important.

Sarah Palin: "How's that Hopey-Changey Stuff Working Out for Ya?"

Brittney Cooper
author of "Eloquent Rage" on the PBS NewsHour (2019)
"An 'unapologetic' black feminist on accelerating the pace of change"

Entrepreneur Elon Musk "unpriced externalities."

WHAT'S THE POINT?: We speak about "EXTERNALITIES" often in the Environmental Context.

We need to recognize it throughout the ECONOMY and the UNPRICED EXTERNALITY of Income Inequality we would submit is quite huge.

There are a lot of ways to address this and we need to WRESTLE WITH this "EXTERNALITY" and come up with more EFFECTIVE POLICIES.

IMF: Externalities --- Prices Do Not Capture All Costs

Politics: Beyond Candidates --- Moving Beyond Cock Fighting and the Need to Flatten the Curve

6/5/2020

  So a lot of what Politics is meant to provide in a Democracy is a place for ambitious people to go -- and not foment a revolution BUT change the SYSTEM.

The more EDUCATION and MEDIA (information) one has -- often the more one wants to change the SYSTEM.

We don't really have enough avenues for that -- we don't have enough avenues for the USUAL SUSPECTS much less millions of other people who may be interested (but not everybody finds law, politics, etc. fascinating).

  The current moment in American History/World History is ultimately more complicated than that 1 STABLE GENIUS at the TOP.

Some people who voted for TRUMP wanted TO SHAKE THINGS UP -- just to get some movement -- on both sides of the Political Spectrum to SOLVE PROBLEMS.

  When we look at a lot of these candidates in both major parties --- one thinks these are really talented people --why aren't we using the talents of all of them for the benefits of the school board, city council, state legislature,Congress -- etc.

   Of course, human beings are scrambling for "STATUS" -- and "If we're ALL SPECIAL, NONE OF US are SPECIAL."

One of the ways that animals everywhere have sought to avoid unnecessary conflict with others is to find their NICHE -- but as HUMAN BEINGS -- we want that to be "FAIR."

To solve problems in society, we have to:

Empower ourselves to be AUTHENTICATE and COURAGEOUS to address REAL PROBLEMS,
With people who don't UNDERSTAND our problems
And don't feel our PAIN -- because sub-consciously the person views us as a member of an OUT-GROUP (this can and often does go both ways)

We've emphasized the importance of ON-GOING COMPREHENSIVE & EFFECTIVELY WORKING Olmstead Planning & Implementation.

We think that is a pretty good model for a lot of problems, as are:

Measurable Goals
Reasonable Time Frames, and
Funding to Support the Plan

  That is going to look very different depending on what problem people are trying to solve and where they are in the problem-solving process.

  With Olmstead -- we are very much hung up on how to FUND -- HOUSING, INTENSIVE SERVICES and PLACEMENTS. We need people who can get CREATIVE & INNOVATIVE and figure that out.

  There are a lot of those people out there -- from both sides of the political spectrum.

"REALITY TV SHOWS" are Entertaining and they don't call it the WORLD STAGE for NOTHING -- BUT there are millions of UNIQUE PROBLEM-SOLVERS in this COUNTRY that we need to EMPOWER to SOLVE THIS COUNTRIES PROBLEMS -- NOW.

One of the ways to do that (not the only way) would be to ATTACH Universal Basic Income to Community Service & Problem Solving Group requirements.

Wikipedia

"Accountability," "Bad Apples" and "Systemic Change"

6/4/2020

Colorado's Police Accountability Bill is a HUGE STEP in the right direction. It's likely to get a lot of NATIONAL ATTENTION.

Getting from "BAD APPLES" to "SYSTEMIC CHANGE" at some point is going to require DATA and to be DATA-DRIVEN.

That means collecting data from a wide range of sources.

It also means to my mind getting BEYOND -- TRAINING.

If we're really going to change POLICING in this COUNTRY -- it is going to cost a lot more than TRAINING (at least initially).

One idea is to require integrating:

POLICE,
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
PEER PROFESSIONALS

In INTEGRATED WAYS into the ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

There is really a lot to the PEER PROFESSIONAL MOVEMENT in addressing these problems:

This is CROSSING SOME BOUNDARIES
PEER PROFESSIONALS are often the most effective member of the TEAM -- although they probably aren't getting paid for that -- which they should.

This is NOT disconnected from ECONOMICS and there are a lot of aspects to that.

One of those aspects is that we resist financially rewarding the people who could make the MOST DIFFERENCE.

Honestly, we don't need as many POLICE as we need PEER PROFESSIONALS -- and we need to pay them for PERFORMANCE -- which is often much above that of JDs, MBAs, MDs or PsyDs.

"As an 18-year-old, Patsha faced the biggest decision of her life. After a tumultuous childhood and a stint of homelessness after aging out of the foster care system, Patsha had to decide whether to continue down a path that might lead to prison or turn her life around.

"With the help of Places for People and its Forensic Assertive Community Treatment program, Patsha has changed her path, has an apartment, a job and is excelling in the classroom, with goals of a future in journalism."

It was the PEER PROFESSIONAL that made the LIFE-CHANGING DIFFERENCE in this case.

A CAUTIONARY TALE: A Dream Bathroom Remodel In A Time of Covid & Protests

6/3/2020

8:41 A.M. -- Wed., June 3, 202O

Somebody is BANGING on the door this morning -- don't know who it is and they won't go away.

I finally go to the door and it appears to be a white elderly man -- with a clipboard -- I think it is a petition (I'm wrong) -- I don't know who this is (I'm wrong).

He's wearing a mask -- a medical mask -- and now that he sees me he tries working the door knob to get into the house.

I'm not really afraid of him -- but our BODYBUILDER son is ready to take out this elderly early morning intruder-- I mean really ready to take him out.

Also we can't open the door because of our MOST AFFECTIONATE DOG IN THE WORLD/I'll RIP YOUR FACE OFF IF YOU COME NEAR the FAM.

My husband with STAGE 4 Cancer goes out to see what this is about -- it is our BATHROOM CONTRACTOR who is more than a little DESPERATE to get this show on the road and get paid -- or at least that is what I think after I finally recognize who it is.

MY HUSBAND INFORMS ME THAT THERE WAS A MISCOMMUNICATION about the DATE -- AND

When we tried to waive this elderly "STRANGER" away -- he took it as COME ON IN.

MY HUSBAND SAID IT'S GOOD THING OUR SON DIDN'T BEAT UP -- THE STRANGER AT THE DOOR.

A DAY IN THE LIFE . . .

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