So, Whazsup? As Bugs Bunny Might Ask

Hello! I have missed you! Just when you thought you had heard the last from me, I reappear. Sometimes you just can’t seem to catch a break. Ha!

This little sabbatical has been good. I have done some old and new things which have been mostly pleasurable.

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I think this is my biggest news. The mental professionals have taken me off one of my major meds. It’s the one I take for bipolar. They didn’t replace it either. Always happy to take one less pill.

So far, so good. No symptoms have returned. The reason I came off was because of side effects. I started having tics, which were becoming much worse. Turns out I have had them for awhile, but they stealthily snuck into my being. I thought things were happening because I’m getting older.

My tics included involuntarily moving my mouth around, gnashing teeth, rolling tongue. Blinking and squinting. Trouble swallowing. Scrunching my nose. All this makes for a trippy-looking face movement.

This drug caused them. It was an antipsychotic med. Also the fact that I’m aging adds to it. I had been taking that pill a long time.

During the course of discussion the day I went in to get some relief, I told them I was not leaving without a prescription in my hand. They gave me samples.

My therapist told me of a lady who had such bad tics, she was unable to walk! This just shows how powerful these medicines are. Not being able to walk because of a psychiatric drug? Blows my mind. And then a powerful enough drug to allow you to walk again.

Of course, I still have bipolar. If you want a laugh, here’s this. I didn’t used to have anxiety but somehow I’ve acquired it and it is worse. So the therapist tells me the OCD is more prevalent and this increases the anxiety, which increases the tics. Round and round we go.

So, much to my dismay my mental illness has raised its ugly head. I’m back to testing which meds will help this aging and sick brain. The new medicine is $$$$. I must have a bit of good karma. A grant is helping with the cost.

This new drug is prescribed for tardive dyskinesia. It takes away the tics for seven out of ten people. I have not been diagnosed with TD. There is a test for it. I don’t need a test to see the writing on the wall.

From what I know, a large majority of people never get rid of their TD forever and for good — even taking this medicine for years. I think I will be taking this med for the rest of my life.

It’s been a few weeks now and the tics are milder. It would be grand to be a lucky one who doesn’t have to deal with TD until they die.

Absolutely maddening. The good news is I’m progressing positively. I can function again without as much annoyance.

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Odds and Ends

Christmas was okay. Almost everyone I asked said they weren’t quite into it this year.

My opinion is that the world is going bonkers. I believe we have a little grey cloud over our heads. There’s just no way we can live on the planet without our subconscious being aware of this. That’s my take on it.

Still learning how to drive my car. It’s been four months. I am unable still to pull into parking spaces accurately. I’m usually parked at a severe angle. It happened again today at the grocery.

I can’t believe the number of times I have parked and reparked just to get situated between the lines — I have the back-up assist feature, but not a camera in the front unfortunately.

It also seems like so many times when I get in the car to go, “Oh, what does this button do?” I’m still trying to figure out which buttons lock/unlock the driver’s door differentiated from the other three.

I mean how many freaking buttons are there? I probably shouldn’t share this with you because it makes me sound like a true doofus. Let’s just leave it that cars have changed A LOT in the last 20 years.

What’s new you say?

I’ve started drawing classes. You need to draw before you can paint, at least I do.

I found “doodle Art Studio.” It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump from the house. The instructor goes by Ms. Pink. Talented out the ying yang.

We hit it off beautifully the first time we met. I know I have a tendency to leap into things hard and fast, but my heart tells me Aleigha is the real deal.

She works with children and adults. Birthday, anniversary, any special thing to you, and whatnot painting parties, and school break camps. Also private instruction.

She even makes house calls — happy to come to you for your event. She is the busiest and hardest worker I have ever known, true to her zodiac sign — Taurus, the Bull!

I can’t begin to tell you all the things she’s accomplished in her short life. Color me impressed. We do have one problem: We talk too much. Really, I could pay just to sit and visit with her for 90 minutes — therapist be damned.

My regular drawing class is Monday mornings. I have had five classes. Great way to start off the week!

Here’s what we’re working on now:

Reading

You know I have been reading!

Right now I’m reading Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult. I love most of her books. This one is good, but don’t read it if you don’t want to know a lot about Covid. Not a page-turner for me.

However, if you want to know things about the Galápagos Islands, I think you would enjoy this book.

A book I have read and recommend is The Henna Artist. It is the first of a trilogy. I read the second one, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur. Writer is Alka Joshua. The final book comes out the end of March, The Perfumist of Paris. The main setting is India.

Should you end up giving one a try, I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me. Would love that!

So that’s all the excitement I have so far in the new year

However, I have picked up an unanticipated resolution. I want to make more charitable contributions than we did last year.

So many worthwhile causes are out there. A new one I have found that you won’t see advertised is Irwin and Karen Redleners’ organization. It is Ukrainian’s Children’s Action Project (UCAP). They are co-founders.

He is an American pediatrician and public health activist. He specializes in health care for underserved children and disaster planning, response, and recovery.

With all the advertising we see for different charities, it really is hard to pick one, much less a few others. We usually give to animal causes.

I tear up every time I see an ad requesting money for unfortunate animals in our country and worldwide.

How do they find such sad and tender music to play? I change channels or mute the TV and close my eyes.

Ta Ta

Great talking with you again! I’ll be around still, but probably not as often. I know I’ll come upon something that speaks to me that I might want or need to talk about. Until then . . . . . . . — ah, what’s that?, something just came to mind. Told you!

Namaste. 🙏

Thank you so much for reading. You are appreciated by me. Please feel free to leave a comment. I live for them! Perhaps you even may have a question for me!
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