Random stuff

If it doesn't stop raining soon I am packing and moving to the desert. I am growing gills. The dogs are becoming moldy. I need sun.

So I entertain myself by getting overly involved in reading stuff on the computer machiny thingy .

Here is a guy who is reviewing Star Trek one minute at a time. He's hilarious, but doesn't love the movie. I love the movie.

Here is a picture representing a design style that I really think I could grow to love. A steam punk laptop.




I am somewhat stunned that I never heard the term steam punk before. The computer machiny thingy is truly an educational device.

I am reading a fascinating book about Lincoln's struggles with Clinical Depression. I highly recommend it. It's called Lincoln's Melancholy. I bought it at the bookstore that is just to the right of this statue :

I love standing at the Lincoln Memorial Steps. I always think of Martin Luther King Junior and remember being twelve years old and watching his speech on television and getting chills and having it change my life just a bit. It's a great place to visit. At least it didn't rain when we were there on Sunday.

After I finish reading about Lincoln and his depression. I plan to read a novel that has been recommended to me by my friend Rob Weirsema who wrote a novel of his very own called Before I Wake. It is a lovely little book that I was happy to contribute to in a very small way. Rob is one of those friends unique to this time period. I have never met him but we have communicated a lot over the past ten years and he has fabulous taste in music ( which is to say, of course, that it is identical to mine).
Anyhow, he recommends that I read this book :

So, I shall. Anyone read it?

Have a lovely day. I think I see the sun coming out and I need to go out and stare at it ( but not too much) before it goes away for another week or two.

Stuff

Huh- I just typed sturr rather than stuff up there. I wonder what sturr is- sounds kind of like a Vulcan name but I promise I am not going to be all trekky geeky in this post. Except I just was , wasn't I? Tough.

There is an excellent article on Chronic Depression by Essayist Daphne Merkin in the Sunday NY Times Magazine this week. It made me start looking at blogs about Depression and by people with Depression and I found plenty- one or two that were extremely funny. I often think that people with Depression tend to be unusually funny anyway- I am not sure why that is but from my own very anecdotal experience I would tend to think 'tis true.

Anyhow, I found this list of things *NOT* to say to people with depression and I have to say that I have had every single one of them leveled at me on various occasions. I stole the list from here These may be helpful to anyone who has a family member or friend who has battled with the demon that is Depression:

Don't Say This Crap
“This is what life is like. Get used to it.”
“Life isn’t meant to be easy.”
“Just snap out of it!”
“Pull yourself together.”
“Who said that life is fair?”
“You just have to get on with things.”
“At least it’s not that bad.”
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
“You have so many things. What do you have to feel down about?”
“You just need to cheer up.”
“Quit trying to be a martyr.”
“Stop taking all those medicines.”
“I know how you feel. I’ve been depressed for whole days at a time.”
“You don’t like feeling that way? So change it!”
“What you need is a good kick up the backside.”
“Go out and buy yourself some clothes. That will pick you up.”
“Are you sure you don’t have a mental problem?”
“How about I cook you a good meal. That will make things better.”
“Have you tried acupuncture?”
“Get a job!”
And the all time best:
“Why don’t you try not being depressed.”

Sure.

So don't say any of that shit. However, you might want to try some of these

Anyhow.... The house is full of people again, which I like. Both girls were home for the weekend and their significant others dropped in and out and it was all good. And now I have this small dog who is whining to go out and play so I shall do that. Right now.