caroljane

It's somewhat amusing that such words are used. Those who do not suffer from depression seem to die just as often as those who do. "O queen of air and darkness,'tis true, 'tis true you say, And I will die tomorrow, But you will die today."

FRATERNAL ORDER OF THE SACRED IGLOO local 13 Office of the Grand Shaman Dear Brothers: REFUGEE CRISIS First off, it is not a crisis. Remember in the Bush years when that whole troupe of American liberals made it all the way up here and we thought they would overstrain our natural resources, but they got good and sick of pemmican and all but two of them went away again,--xxxx This incursion is just about the weather, they say it is too hot where they live. Well, we know we could always complain it is too cold where we live, and go somewhere else and start demanding special treatment, but we are of the Brotherhood and we don't do that, so we just have to put up with those who do, and make frozen caffe lattes as best we can. Most of the newcomers are being accommodated in our tradition of hospitality (in tents on Granpa McAloon's woodlot) but there are three cases which are requesting permanent residence and admission to the Order, so they will be considered at the next meeting although they do not have local sponsors: Kevin, who says he wrote an article about Canada which was favourable though he was a writer for the National Review, and a conservative and so on; Conrad (again!) old story, but we'll have to listen again, like we don't know it's hot in Florida Red Becky (don't know her whole story, but she's vouched for by the Grand Shaman who she's staying with, and says where she comes from it's too, too hot for her) See you at the next meeting, ISS Gord Asst. Shaman

CBT and REBT work. You simply need to find a trained, qualified therapist. Please don't let anyone discourage you from giving it a try. Amen, Dennis. I know it works and I don 't think anyone here is discouraging Andre from trying it, nor from trying any prescribed medical treatments which are also proven to work, they work together.

It's not such a quip as you think. Being in a clinical depression is entirely premised on death, the depressed person has forgotten how to live, believes he does not deserve to live, and wishes only not to live because life is unbearable, constant mental torture. There is a quote, I forget the source- "Acute clinical depression is a disease which left untreated, is nearly always fatal."

That's exactly the problem. See above. You can't navigate the territory with a broken leg; see my above. Take the pills. They're only stardust, whence we all come, as said before,and your feelings right now cannot affect whether they might work or not. Some take up to 3 weeks to work and some work within 2 or 4 days. And they do work, for many.

From my father's side, there is nothing obvious, though everyone is obese and seems somewhat gloomy, they are probably considered to be within the "normal" range. From my mother's side, my half-sister is diagnosed as bipolar and has a wreck of a life. My grandmother suffered from severe depression for several years (even being afraid to leave the house), but she had a difficult life, went through abuse, wars and revolutions. My uncle shows the behavior of a classic bipolar, though this is not an official publicly known diagnosis. Everyone in the family seems somewhat unstable, though it is hard to say exactly in what way and to what degree it is a "mental health problem" or a personality trait. Andre, I had an aunt with agoraphobia, and she went through no abuse, wars or revolutions. She just had the biological susceptibility to become agoraphobic (and other things) and she so became. We can't escape our bodies, and our brains are part of our bodies, and if we get sick we get sick. There are so many, many ways to be well and stay well --- but first we must get well. It sounds to me that you are like me - normal but with a "short middle", the highs and lows too close together--I tend to carom off the edges, but can't go too high or low. If there's a tendency to fall off the edges in your family (and sounds like it in your case) there's a good chance you can be brought back up to full health. I'm rooting for you/

It's good to know you can hobble around well now, having rejected the scientifically worthless antidepressant cast. A few million people could say their placebos worked pretty well. Those alleged "placebos", as JR calls them, have saved many people's lives. One of those precious lives was my mother's, she got to live a long full life as utterly herself - she was irreplaceable and irresistible. Her illness was not primarily bipolar in nature however, she was not prescribed antidepressants as such. Her early medications (antipsychotics) in the 60s and 70s were hard on her and the family, but they improved in the next 20 years and she was truly set free.

I didn't perceive any hatred. I don't really use Facebook, but I guess I can get my account back up. Andre, I don't know what Chris is talking about. I responded to you, as is probably obvious, because I have experienced severe depression. The "up" activities that usually cheer and refresh,== when you're depressed, they're only a respite from your real psychological job, which is the depression treadmill, endlessly suffering the awfulness of life and your own failure to redress anything--it's exhausting, and you can't break out of it by yourself, and you've never been more alone in your life. But I repeat, it is a physical problem that may be amenable to medicine, and any competent GP can diagnose it, and give the first aid, and refer you to a therapist or specialist. The reasons or triggers, which consume you, are not the primary problem now. However you broke your leg, or gotthe flu, you can figure out later how it happened and avoid it in the future. Are there any depression/mental health problems in your immediate family?

It's good to know you can hobble around well now, having rejected the scientifically worthless antidepressant cast. A few million people could say their placebos worked pretty well.

Not quite. What I'm getting at is viewing OT passages from a modern perspective of individual rights. I don't know the history of those times, but from emphasis on this 'Tribe' and that 'Tribe', would guess at a form of feudalism - serfs and lords, basically. No chance of liberty for one born 'wrong'. Seen in a purely social context, the prophets preached an ethics of altruism for the privileged - thereby reinforcing the divide of rich and poor, it appears. Thus the poor had their 'uses' for the rich to patronize in their self-righteousness. All the while the immorality of the underlying principles of oppression and tribalism which forced poverty on the masses, went unchallenged by the prophets. Perhaps I am going too far, however, with my limited knowledge. In some ways, though - what's new? Reminds me of Mark Twain: "It ain't the parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand." Tony Tony, Your as always perceptive, insightful post shows that your knowledge of the OT is not as limited as you think. One of the many things it is (I can't help but think of it as primarily a great work of literature) is a compendium of justifications for the primacy of one tribe, the Hebrews, over all the other tribes who had ever lived until them; and we are all tribal, we can't help it, we are as a later poet says "apes with angel glands." Yet within each person in each tribe is a soul, which cries out in poetry, which does good or evil according to the voice of that soul (maybe God), which asks why?, which thinks, loves, lies and contrives, which lives, long before Aristotle, an examined life. Indeed it was all master-slave, patron-client, lord-serf in those days. What is new today? Not so much as we think.

Will it? You are using the Jeopardy format here. --Brant Serious, clinical depression is a physical medical problem in which the brain receptors stop connecting properly, and in most cases can be righted with proper medication. Mercifully psychoparmacology has progressed since WWII, restoring people to themselves who would otherwise be lost in despair. Note that I say in most cases. There are untreatable depressions I know. But Andre, I hope yours is not one of those. One analogy I have heard is that of a broken leg. You can rest it, will yourself to drag it around, and eventually it will knit up in some fashion and you will function, likely with a limp. Or you can go to the hospital and get it set in a cast. First aid first, imo. If meds can help, let them.

Rich, my fellow madman iconoclast, there are a couple of us here (at least) who have been keeping in touch with Phil. From all reports he is doing well and feeling pretty sprightly. He shares with me from time to time some fun things he has written. I paste one such below in an attempt to turn mere drift into a tidal bore. Two things jump out. Don't say 'speak frog,' please. It suggests something about you that cannot possibly be true: bigotry. Bete noire is a fully-functioning part of the English language now, like rendez-vous, hors d'oeuvre, apéritif and va t'en faire foutre, bub. As we say in Canada, checkez vos premises . . . Secondly, yes, Steve throws red meat and George chomps. Comme toujours. Who could expect anything different (especially when he prepares the chomping by telling the dogs to be nice or he will be disappointed)? That said, you are the other face of the coin at times -- we all can be -- taking the part of competing Miss Manners, chiding and pursing lips and sighing and fainting at bad form in the other dog's performances. [in my own guise of Madame Etiquette, I would think that if Steve wanted discussion of the discussion and its points, he could have opened the gambit. It reminds me of someone standing at the kitchen counter, with a tin of Spaghettios and a can-opener, grizzling and keening: "Won't anyone help me with dinner!"] Finally, how dare you post the picture of that accordionist? Surely everyone knows Johnny Puleo deserves the honour! -- here is Phil the light-hearted: "She was only a Border Guard's* daughter.." but she liked Phil's piece a lot. *I really was, they were called Customs & Immigration Officers in those days.

That's just the inertia in our own minds from the strength of his former presence. --Brant I'd say the stench of his former presence. J You would say it but you shouldn't. Don't assume your olfactory arbitrariness is universal.

Dear Diary, Very perplexing phone message from California, someone called Jello says I met her in Hollywood and she was very honoured, and so on, and she knows I have probably heard her sad news and knows I will sympathise (except she spelled it the American way)-- may be coming to England soon! What can this mean? How did she get my number? Maybe Kate will remember her -- must ask. Awfully comfy to be back in good old Kenny Pally. As I always say, be it ever so ostentatious, there's no place like home. (One of the Canadians gave me that one, rather good I thought). Ich dien, W.

Tsk tsk George! She and her friends only have nice things to say about you.

Oh, no.. just when the yaks and elks and other herd animals subsided...now exotic birds! Shall I never have peace? Is the demonic DH abroad in the countryside again wreaking havoc amongst us?

Carol: OK, I guess I can call off the dog sled search of the tundra for you earthly remains. ***Meritas (cloth), a brand of oilcloth and other specialist cloths Meritas (education), a network of primary schools Meritas (law), a network of business law practices Which one? Gimme a break, you fiend. I am dying of the heat here and hoped my pseudolatin would escape eagle eyes. Tony can choose whichever he likes for a birthday present. I lent the computer to my son again. Guess what he's getting for his birthday. Ahh, well you know that it is either global warming or, er...umm...SUMMER I do want to thank you for giving my Yankees two (2) victories this weekend. Go ahead, rub it in. I am too low to riposte. Already two Brothers have tried to hijack a bus from Ottawa to Iqalit, it has been hushed up but only because they were members of Parliament and the heat-crazed witnesses were all to sympathetic to testify.

Carol: OK, I guess I can call off the dog sled search of the tundra for you earthly remains. ***Meritas (cloth), a brand of oilcloth and other specialist cloths Meritas (education), a network of primary schools Meritas (law), a network of business law practices Which one? Gimme a break, you fiend. I am dying of the heat here and hoped my pseudolatin would escape eagle eyes. Tony can choose whichever he likes for a birthday present. I lent the computer to my son again. Guess what he's getting for his birthday.

Dear Diary, I have been remiss in concluding my Colonial reflections. I will just say briefly that the Americans are obviously much richer than the Canadians, except for a few which they keep in an exotic section of Los Angeles. I cannot for the life of me understand how they have debt problems! Of course I was no good at Economics at Uni, complete blockhead, switched to Advanced Feudalism instead and did jolly well if I do say so. But I mean to say - the Americans play polo and the Canadians play road hockey. It stands to reason. Got a pair of unexpected phone calls which squeezed the schedule a bit. First was from Cousin Bea. She congratulated me on positive press on our tour. Then she mentioned that Aunt Sarah was also in the US! Coincidence! "Eug and I were just larking about and saying, wouldn't it be frightfully original if you popped in on one of Mum's television appearances, ha,ha!" "Oh frightfully, ha, ha," I replied."You girls are so creative. Too bad Granny wouldn't wear it, no stepping on another's spotlight, you know, ha, ha. I mean of course Auntie Sarah would never pop in on Kate and me...she wouldn't, would she?" "Ha, ha," said Bea,"no of course not, it's just darling Mummy has been a bit down lately now that Oprah's not returning her calls,..what's Harry up to these days?" Next was a Mr. Murdoch, apologizing, positively grovelling, about some phone calls he says he never knew anything about, quite incoherent. I wonder how he got my number. So that's North America, must dash now to go swimming with dear K who has just come in in the most ravishing swimming costume... Ich dien and dien! William

J. Neil looks the jollier, for sure.

Tony, "Say you're fretful, say you're tanned; say the thoughtless herd will mock you; -from the Igloo to the Rand, People grok you!" Love, Carol, Gord, Nanook & WBY in vino meritas

Carol: I have never been an admirer of the monarchial pomp and circumstance, you know how us colonial peasants are, bur she does have a glow about her and she certainly takes to the public. Here she is in the aftermath of the Alberta fire You can see her connection with this little boy and it is really beautiful. Adam I'm with you. Of course I know monarchies are useless dinosaurs. But it's no use, I have the Hello Young Lovers feeling with this stuff, even knowing how choreographed it all is. It's the connection thing/ Anyone who remembers their wedding day, who has been happily married, who has wanted to have children with their beloved, just connects. The little cancer patient, so excited that she ran up and hugged Kate's legs, made me lose it. It brought such a sense memory, my kids glad to see me, running up to hug my legs, those tall invincible parental legs which so soon, so soon, just became legs, their mother's serviceable but unremarkable legs, when they started walking the earth on their own long, long, invincible legs. It was really hard not to go, Aww! Kate Someday your own child will hug your legs like that.Maybe she even thought it herself. And that little girl, please god and science, her darling legs and life will get longer.

Adam, I just had another look and chuckle at the photo of K & the soldiers, who are pretty damn goodlooking themselves. Most of them are shorter than she is --it would have been so easy--"the sun was in my eyes sir!". I'd love to be a fly on the mess hall wall after this detail. She is a real beauty, probably will go down as the most beautiful Q of E ever, since we don't have any reliable portraits of Edward IV's queen Elizabeth Woodville, she of the floor-length silver-gilt hair, popularly believed to have been a witch because of her unearthly loveliness and because she got the king to marry her although she only was the widow of a humble knight and had two children.

You're not alone there. The Royal fansites are seething with concern that she might displace Spain's Letizia in the Anorexia Anxiety watch. When you see photos of her in her earlier 20s she is normal weight. My guess (hope) is that the normal wedding stress, plus this trip which is so important to get right, have caused an understandable weight loss, and when they get her back to England they will fatten her up, having learned their lesson with Diana. PS for non Royal watchers, poor Letizia is just a scarecrow.

You're not alone there. The Royal fansites are seething with concern that she might displace Spain's Letizia in the Anorexia Anxiety watch. When you see photos of her in her earlier 20s she is normal weight. My guess (hope) is that the normal wedding stress, plus this trip which is so important to get right, have caused an understandable weight loss, and when they get her back to England they will fatten her up, having learned their lesson with Diana.