One Track Mind Tracks

When I have something on my mind, I mean really stuck in my brain, everything is about that thing. Songs and movies send me messages, the universe is collaborating and laughing at me because, even if I try, I will not get that thing, whatever it is, out of my brain. I'm not a paranoid schizophrenic; I don't really think the universe is conspiring, but it is easier to think that than to think my brain is stuck on something. (Although, the "shuffle" function of my iPod might be able to read my mood and create theme music for it... But I have heard other people say the same thing, so I do feel a bit less crazy for thinking it. Plus, you know, it is Apple... Isn't Steve Jobs kind of god-like? Omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent and whatnot. Maybe they figured out how to capture that in the shuffle function.)
The worst part of my brain's tenaciousness is when I am trying to figure out a person. Every thing they do--the way they move, what they eat, the set of their mouth, the color of their shoes, the music they listen to at the gym--isn't just a clue to me, but also a clue for me. Just for me. As if they know I am trying to decipher them and they decide to play along. I'm sure this obsessing is part of the reason why I find it difficult to make friends. I assume so much from the clues and I am so negative in general that these clues either add up to, "I do not like you, Kayly," or "I'm such a jerk, Kayly." Although, a few times in my youth, they added up to, "I'm a really great guy. You should totally try to date me." And the clues were so, so veddy, veddy wrong.
I've been in counseling a million times and know all about "negative thought patterns" and "dysfunctional behavior," blah blah blah. Cognitive behavioral therapy does not float my boat, though, and this behavior is so deeply rooted in who I am that I'm not sure I can change it or get rid of it, anyway.

more blahg blergh

I just really haven't had much of import to say lately. I still don't, but in the interest of cheering myself a bit and keeping this blog active, following is a list of things which make me happy. [Note: This list is just "stuff" and does not include important things like friends and family... It's just "stuff."]
1) that shade of orange which you normally see in Shinto shrines
2) mashed potatoes with sauerkraut
3) finding a package of free books on my doorstep
4) an email in my inbox which is an actual letter to me
5) Cincinnati chili 5-ways
6) scarlet and crimson
7) a great song I totally forgot about coming on the jukebox or radio
8) finding a new beer which I really, truly love
9) clean sheets on the bed right after a long, hot bath
10) a long, hot bath
11) sandalwood, patchouli and peppermint scented anything
12) my fantastic collection of sophisticated perfumes
13) getting jewelry as a gift because it is totally useless and makes me feel girly
14) when the sun comes through the clouds in actual streams
15) First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream
16) Angostura bitters
17) my beautiful and well-stocked bar
18) SIGG bottles
19) Nate's Aunt Sue's totally unhealthy fruit salad
20) my collection of collections
21) my Prius Betty Blue
22) peonies
23) Dark Chocolate truffles by Godiva (the ones dusted with cocoa powder)
24) my beautiful and oh-so-fucking-comfy bed
25) MAC lippie

How to Feel Twenty Years Younger

• Go to a concert with a girlfriend and gab like kids the whole way there, the whole way back and everytime the music is not blaring.
• Be a tad saucy, but still very sweet, with the bartenders when ordering drinks. They'll like your attitude--and maybe your cleavage--and serve you faster next time.
• Enjoy and dance a little during the opening band, even if you haven't heard of them before, and vow to find their stuff online when you get home.
• Let a guy old enough to be your dad buy "a pretty young lady" (you) a shot of whiskey.
  
• Squeal like a teenager when the lights go down and the band's "coming out" song comes on. Especially when it actually is a song you loved as a teen.
• Squeal like a "tween" when the band actually comes out.
• Bounce like a fool to every single song. (Until you're sweating like a freak and dripping on strangers, but don't give two shits, because you're having so much fucking fun.)
• About two-thirds of the way through the show, yell, "I'm going in!" And bounce into the throng of sweating, shoving, bouncing overgrown frat boys up front. (Even if you have to come back out one song later because there is no oxygen up there... Revel a bit when a couple of young, cute guys give you attaboys on the way out.)
• During the first encore say, "Fuck it." And throw yourself back up front.
• Laugh, but still feel flattered, when you are offered a hand up so you can crowd surf during the second encore.
• Hang out up front after the show to get a set list. And actually get one before the other young cuties get theirs.

Good times.

Cucumbers smell good, but not as good as madeleines, apparently.

I forgot to sleep again.

I have been keeping vampire hours, but I have also been getting a solid eight hours most "nights." Last night, however, I just never got sleepy. So, once again, I am going to power through the day and hope for an early bedtime. No more than a two hour nap, no later than noon. Last time I tried this I still ended up staying awake until well past midnight and had mild hallucinations, but hey, it's worth another shot. The hallucinations, I mean. I have a TaB, a bunch of lit ginger/citrus candles, all of the downstairs lights on (it's rather gloomy out there today), loud '80s music and the promise of a hyyyyyooooooooge mug of coffee once I hit "Publish Post," so I think I will be good until about 10, when I will definitely require that nap.

I was still trying to read all of the Internet when Nate's alarm went off. I told him I'm halfway done as he made his way to the kitchen to make dinner in one of our myriad Crockpots. (I am the world's worst unemployed wife. I don't ask him to cook, though, he just does, so I guess I shouldn't feel quite so guilty.) He had pureed some mangoes this weekend unbeknownst to me and had taken chicken out of the freezer last night, so this morning he chopped up a few cucumbers and added some other ingredients and we will be having Caribbean chicken with rice for supper tonight.

My whole house now smells beautifully of cucumbers. There have always been cucumbers in my life; it's one of the few vegetables my mother's family seems to like fresh. So I was hoping the smell would bring to mind some writerly musings on my life. Alas, my brain is collapsing in on itself due to its vast emptiness.

I did want to write a short post about a few things I miss from my childhood, but said post will be neither profound nor literary, so I'll save that for later.

And now, WE DRINK. (Coffee...)

Shopping, Snarkiness, Spoilers for Slow-Watchers and Some Shit about the Elections

SPOILER ALERT!





Did you see the Project Runway Season 5 Finale? I cannot believe Leanne won. The collections were all a bit lackluster as far as I was concerned, but Korto's was the best of the three. It was so vibrant and full of life. And accessible to all body types, which Leanne's and Kenley's were not. Kenley's surprisingly had a few pieces I liked, showed her personality, and was well executed and cohesive. But that "Balenciaga rip-off" was horrid! And I am not a fan of any of the hand painting. Goofy stuff. (P.S. Though I hate Kenley and a lot of her designs, I do have the feather fascinator bug now. Sigh. At least they are something I can actually make.) Leanne's collection was extremely well-executed, extremely pale, extremely cohesive (like sticky rice or wheat paste) and extremely one note. Technically gorgeous, emotionally cold.
And I obviously have no idea how Project Runway works in [real] reality, because here are Jerrell's beautiful collection; Joe's Stella-like weird, ugly-ass collection; and Suede apparently did a prom/pageant/cotillion collection.
I did love all three finalist's runway music and have tracked down Kenley's (apparently composed by her boyfriend?) and Leanne's (composed by her boyfriend). Korto's continues to elude me even though it was my favorite of the three. (It is either by Fela Kuti--but I don't know the title--or Osyrusakbar's, so says himself and, again, I cannot find the piece or even the title.)
One last note about Leanne: WHAT was up with her hair and makeup in her final interview on the aired episode? She looked like a wet, sad mouse. Even if she got caught in a storm, couldn't they have fixed her up for the interview, at least??

Moving on...

• Payless will be doing a sustainable shoe and purse collection. I love Payless for fashion shoes and have a ton, but tend to were my good sturdy expensive comfortable shoes most of the time.
• Nate and I were watching Kath & Kim last night (which I love, TW; Selma Blair referred to it as an "American tragedy" and it is, really, but funny as hell) and they mentioned Merry Go Round. The mention caused Nate and I to have a five minute nostalgia trip wherein we remembered Chess King as well. Remember those stores? The epitome of '80s cool at my school. They also played Erasure's Respect, causing a second round of nostalgia
• One of my gossip rags showed Brad Pitt bicycling in N'Awlins with what looked like a gigantic Moleskine notebook. Only they don't make them that big, and Moleskine's don't have pencil loops. So what is it? If you find it let me know. I thought maybe it was this one but, the corners are rounded on Pitt's and squared on this one. My Moleskine obsession (because of the beauty and simplicity of them, not necessarily the brand) causes me to seriously covet this notebook.
• I cannot stop wearing my Bandit perfume. Even to bed and in my sweats. It's dirty clean, which I love. I smell like a sexed up lady who just took a good soap-fueled bath. I love it. So now my favorite perfumes to wear are both Robert Piguet--Fracas and Bandit. I want the rest now. Even the designed-for-men Cravache.
• This toilet paper rocks! Natural Value is not all shred-y and thin like most "green" tp. It's still no Charmin, but I think the Newcomer family has found a new tp after years--YEARS!!--of Charmin addiction. Now if I could break our mean-ass boy cat NCL of his clay, non-scoopable litter. We tried all of the green litters with gradual transitions and once the mixture gets to a certain level he pisses outside the box to say, "Hey! This litter BLOWS, assholes!!"

Clone wars:









And now, POLITICS:

• You know who I hate? Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) of Minnesota. Apropos of nothing, really. I'm just sick of her, I cannot wait until the election is over and I don't have to listen to this a-hole anymore.
• Did you see McCain and Obama at the Alfred E. Smith Foundation banquet last night? Both were funny. Although McCain's roast of Obama was a bit more "roast-y" than Obama's was of McCain. Obama was a bit more self-deprecating. But both were funny.
• Will Todd Palin get security clearance? Well, yes, I'm sure he will, but the question is valid and thought provoking.
• Another mailer in Virginia compares Obama to terrorists, or even calls him one, maybe.
• More proof regarding the real Obama tax plan follows in Samuel "Joe" "The Fucking" "Plumber" Wurzelbacher's wake.
• Arizona Republicans want to do the right thing for the wrong reasons regarding robo-calls going on there.

So that's about it for now. Later tater's.

Funnniest movie in a loooong time:

OH MY GOSH!!!
You HAVE to see Hamlet 2. Nate and I cackled through the whole movie. My cheeks actually hurt when we left. Make sure to stay through the credits for the awesome closing credits song, too.
We were the only ones in the theater, which was a shame, because this movie is wonderful.
I predict it will be another Office Space type sleeper hit once it comes out on DVD. I hope they have the whole musical on the DVD extras. That would R-O-C-K!! (Literally, lol!)
For those who see it: I believe the narrator is Peter O'Toole, rounding out a surprisingly stellar cast for such a small film.

Random list: Things I've learned this year

These are a few things I have learned this past year:

• No matter how long the darkness is, there IS light again at the end.
• My boys are soon adults. (!!!!!!!)
• My boys are more funny, intelligent and independent than I ever realized, and I like to think I have almost everything to do with that.
• Keith Olbermann is the most entertaining and wonderful newsman on TV. Who knew I'd love someone from ESPN so much??
• The face--the literal face--of politics is changing. A woman and a man of mixed race running for POTUS is amazing!!
• The figurative face of politics can change--witness Obama's campaign full of dignity, truth and actual hope. It's not just a slogan.
• When one is cruising through all of the CSI episodes ever made on Spike TV and CBS and has almost run out, ECT will make them all new and fresh to watch again. Not that I recommend this method of re-loving your shows.
• Surprises can come in small and large packages, sometimes at the exact same time.
• Life can throw crap at you for a few years and seemingly devestate your world, but it is more than likely not a lifetime of bad luck and life will bless you again at some point.
• I am ready to try to keep houseplants alive again. (Wish me and my black thumb luck!)
• Costco's filet mignon is about the best thing ever meat-wise.
• Frank's Red Hot--a longtime favorite--can fix more foods than previously thought.
• Good coffee and red wine (long consumed, but never before fully appreciated) are indispensible little bits of heaven in my everyday routine.
• All that loud music as a kid really does effect your hearing. Sigh... (As a connected "thing I've learned": Closed Captioning is a wonderful invention.)
• You can grow older and grow more liberal contrary to popular belief. (Right, my socialist little hubby? MWAH!)
• You can absolutely retain "cool-ness" as you grow older. Sometimes you can even increase it.

Maybe more later.

Whine and wine

Actually more of a crazy-assed, screaming rant than a whine:

What the fuck is wrong with that smunt devil-woman?? When will she get it?? She is DONE! FINISHED! OUTTA THERE! A L-O-S-E-R!! FINITO!! Buh-BYE!! I seriously cannot take it anymore. Her pandering, her lies, her stiff delivery, raised eyebrows, ugly pantsuits, conservative beliefs, and general retardedness. GO AWAY HELLARY!! Go away, already!! Please!! We grown-ups have important work we have to get to, and you're holding us up.

And on to wine:
This article in the Times today "vin"dicates me, finally. (See what I did there? A little bilingual pun for your reading enjoyment.) I barely ever spend more than $12 for a bottle of wine and some of them are not only quite good, but actually better than some redonkulously expensive wines I have had. Unfortunately we cannot get Two-Buck-Chuck here, but oh! would that we could! And lately, due to either my trailer park roots or my love for the environment or my even greater lover for cheap, good wines I have been drinking Banrock Station Shiraz from a box! And guess what? It's very good! It's my "everyday" wine and the critics consistently rate the Shiraz from this environmentally friendly company from 78-85 points. Not bad for wine that costs me $15 for 3L. That works out to $3.75 a bottle!! And because of it's airtight packaging it tastes good for the two weeks it takes me to finish it. (One LARGE glass a night on most nights.)

Lastly--or second to lastly:
It won't happen--it WON'T--but if by some horrible confluence of events Obama doesn't end up on the ballot in November, I will be voting for wackadoo Mike Gravel. He was my favorite Democratic candidate once upon a time, and is now the Libertarian candidate. His videos on YouTube have rocked my equally wackadoo world. Here is his latest:

But you won't want to miss these, either:

And lastly lastly, and for no particular reason than I love him and therefore this piece, Tom Waits:

Later gator!!

But if you try, sometimes you just might find you get what you need.

• My MP3 player has been playing what sound like set lists when set on shuffle.


• I finally found a job which seems a great fit for me and is twice as much money as I've ever earned before.


• Things are going well in my friends' and family's lives, if not always as expected.


• I feel like things are looking up in the world in general with a man such as Obama running for POTUS.


• I feel happy and relaxed and am catching up on life.

I used to listen to the Rolling Stones song and only hear, "You can't always get what you want."

Now the next line makes so much sense to me.

For those who are interested:

The new job is a one year contract with the Institute for Social Research's Survey Research Center at University of Michigan. During that year I will be going out into the field in my area and gathering data for the CDCs National Survey of Family Growth. My hours will be very flexible. I am on my own in the field. I will be making twice as much money as I ever have and get paid twice THAT for training for a week this June at University of Michigan all expenses paid. To me this will be like a vacation as I love staying in hotels. And I get to use one of those awesome tablet computers! What could be better?

Am I an idiot?

I love R.E.M. I really, really do. I've seen them twice; we own almost all of their albums. Given a choice of music to listen to they are near the to of the list. But god-DAMN if I have no idea what 99% of their songs are about. Now there are a lot of bands who have songs I don't get, but none on such a grand scale as a band I've been listening to for 20 years. Anywho, I was just watching Subterranean and saw their new video and was like, "This is good; what is it about?" And felt a bit like an idjit.
In other music news--as Tabitha used to say--there was also a video by Andrew Bird which I quite liked; but then realized I recognized from a commercial. Turns out he is quite the adman. So far I've found the series of Illinois commercials and the Marriott Residence Inn commercials. Know any others? Shoot 'em my way.
Speaking of shooting... Poor Nancy Reagan. HA! HAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, can't help but be a little jubilant. Moses is dead and NancyReagan is heartbroken? It's like a twofer. My BFF Vicki let me know the news this morning: "Go ahead, Kayly. Pry it from his cold, dead hands. I know you want to!!! :)" Ah, you know me all too well, Vicki, love.
Vicki, you'll be relieved to know the girls are safe but disappointed to know the prick is still on the loose. Why are my friend and I so fascinated by FLDS?? May I suggest Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer? If you don't get it then, I cannot help you.
Well, I'm off to bed for my early morning gyno visit. Wish me...uh, luck?

Dumb Stupid Dumb Dumb Stupid

Well, I went to see the Pogues the other night, and since my friend bought me the ticket for a birthday gift and because it is pretty much her favorite band, I dragged her up front, and we had a great time. I even got her a set-list afterwards for her "belated birthday gift". But the very front at a Pogues show is pretty much a mosh pit. I am a 36 year old woman with physical health issues which cause me to have a lot of pain; what the hell was I thinking??? Two hours of being shoved, tossed and myself throwing elbows and body slams and "pogo-ing" has done me in. The pain in my legs is horrific. Last night the pain in my legs caused my toes to go numb. Today I am taking it easy after having to run errands all day yesterday, so today is a Vicodin day. It is only mildly helping, that is how bad the pain is. Yesterday my ribs hurt quite a bit, too, but that is a lot better today.

List of what hurts:

1. Everything (seriously--even the palms of my hands!!)

On the plus side I had an amazing time, the show was great and Shane even seemed much healthier than in years past. Although he is still very much an alcoholic. Poor Shane. (By the way, I just noticed Shane's a Capricorn just like me. It's good to know I'm not the only Capricorn in the world who doesn't have her shit together. On the other hand, I'm not a famous rock star either, so he still has that on me... Oh well...)

And a I told Tahnee-the great friend who took me:

I had an amazing time, and you have no idea how much it meant to me to feel like a real live human being having fun once again. I'm eternally grateful to you for the introduction into "fun" and "society" once again.

Hugs and love to Tahnee if she reads this. It was totally worth the down time of recovery--I'm guessing it'll be a week or so.

Quickly Quickly

My mother requested a "Holden's beautiful eyes" picture. Hopefully you can see them okay in this one, but this is the largest I can post the picture:


And now I must hop into the shower to ready myself for a Pogues concert in Baltimore with a bunch of "youngsters." (They're in their 20s, lol!)

I'm OLD!!!!!

Based on phone calls and information I've received today, I believe Holden is getting into the SciTech magnet school we've been been hoping for. Which is great; YAY! But it made me realize my little boy--who stands about my height, wears his dad's size shoes, has just started listening to the "classic rock" sounds of Nirvana ("Mommy, did you know Kurt Cobain of Nirvana [like I have to have it explained to me, lol!] killed himself five days before I was born?" [Yes, infact I found out on the way to the hospital, and it freaked me out, but that is another story.]) and dresses more stylishly than most rock stars, right down to his beautiful long hair and, by now, trademark fedoras--is NOT a little boy anymore. What with multiple girlfriend wannabes and his playing the field and the fact that his first day of high school will occur in less than six months and all of the other stuff that goes with being almost 14, he is now definetly NOT a "little boy" anymore. WAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Here he is at six months after he was baptized at Nate and my wedding.

And here he is at about 3½ years old being a goof.

And when he was about 5½.

His first day of kindergarten.

In Japan lighting incense at a Shinto shrine shortly before his 13th birthday.

And with some Japanese cherry blossoms.

And in the Badlands listening to his MP3 player in August '07.

And then, as I finish writing this, my best friend, who has an evil sixth sense timing-wise, sent me this article. Uh, thanks, Vick. By the way, I emailed it to both of my sons, told them to consider it homework, quizzed them on it, and poured myself a LARGE glass of red wine.

a bit more personal this one is

I am having much better days, much more optimism, much more "get get up get up and go go go," much more day light (literally, as I am both waking much earlier and actually opening all of the blinds and letting in the sunshine, both very new for me), much more ability to plan for the future. But I am still having these brief periods where, in a flash-outta-nowhere, blackness hits and I cry. I guess that this is a kind of "withdrawal" to the process of having been depressed for so long, who knows.
I do know that I am actively searching for a job and want to get out there as soon as possible so I can maintain my good hours and "daylight savings-account balance" to keep from slipping back into bad habits that in turn would lead to the old depression. It's a vicious cycle as depression always is. So far nobody has called for an interview. This amps up my anxiety, which leads to either a) an as-aforementioned crying jag or b) a Klonopin and a glass of red wine. (Sure one or the other would do the trick, but together: bliss! Plus the added bonus of everything being astoundingly amusing! Chill with judgyjudgy--this happens about twice a week at most.How much beer do you drink/pot do you smoke/food do you scarf when you feel bored/blue/angry?)
It's been suggested that I volunteer somewhere, a good deed that would be indeed, however...
Confession time: When released from the booby hatch I had the courage to finally come clean with my husband about a shameful secret: Over the past 4-5 years I've run up an astounding credit card debt. My credit rating is still very good (probably better than yours, even) as my payments are always well above the minimum and on time. But my spending was tootoo much. The accounts are closed; the cards are cut; and only one account has a balance to be paid. But, oh! what a balance! So my entire spending allowance is now going towards payments, along with a tidy sum from the household budget.
I've also had to cut out triple-venti-flavored-lattes ($5.09 each), netflix ($16.99 a month), my monthly donations to Feminist Majority ($10) and WXPN ($20), my stack of 5 gossip mags every week (about $15 a week), the stack of monthly magazines from Borders (approx. $50 a month), my couple or five books a month ($30-$75 a month), couple or six CDs a month ($25-$75 a month), various miscellaneous donations every month or so (anywhere from $10 to $75 a month--luckily, as a couple, we still budget for philanthropy every month, so we are not snubbing the needy altogether, just not going into debt for it as I have been stupidly doing), stacks of various perfumes, makeups, shoes, clothes and personal care products I honestly and truly DO NOT need (untold sums of money), massages occasionally (about $65-$80 every other month or every third month), magazine subscriptions ($?), meals out ($?), and lots and lots of wine ($?).
So yes, I need to get paid. And well. (Well, "well" in terms of someone with little or no skills and a not-so-hot work history.) Then I can pay off my debts and maintain a bit of my previous spendthrift ways.
Nate has been amazingly wonderful about my having created this mess and then hid it from him. At his suggestion--and I agreed--the new counsellor I've scheduled with specializes in generalized anxiety disorder and depression and also addiction problems, so I can figure out why I can't control myself when I have a little plastic card in my hand.
So now you all (all one or two of you who read this, and who already know this anyway) know my secret shame and the anxiety I'm causing myself with it until I have a real, live grown-up job.

What a feeling...

What a feeling, what a feeling

The laughter that was dead is coming

What a feeling, what a feeling

The laughter that was dead is coming

--Heather Nova

It really is.

Perfumed & Random

This morning when I got ready to take Holden to the orthodontist I spritzed myself with Tom Ford's Black Orchid. Then a few minutes ago I thought, "What the heck?" And spritzed myself again, but this time with Fresh Cannabis Santal. The combination is kind of intoxicating and sexy.
I submitted a resume to the local public radio station for a receptionist position they have open. Wish me luck.
I always say how much I don't like Radiohead, which is sacrilege for someone my age, but the truth is there are many Radiohead songs I enjoy quite a lot. My theme song all day today has been "Everything In Its Right Place." I can't stop singing it.
I added a few elements to the sidebar. Check it out----------->

Thursday already??

How I am feeling today:

Black Eyed Dog by Nick Drake
A black eyed dog he called at my door
The black eyed dog he called for more
A black eyed dog he knew my name
A black eyed dog he knew my name
A black eyed dog
A black eyed dog.
I'm growing old and I wanna go home
I'm growiing old and I don't wanna know
I'm growing old and I wanna go home.
A black eyed dog he called at my door
A black eyed dog he called for more.


Still no word from PNTs office. He had said we could start as early as this week, but that is obviously out of the question. Next week would be great, but considering it is Thursday, it looks unlikely to be the beginning of the week, if at all. The whole thing of having to pass it through my insurance and taking me off of my mood stabilizer--Lamictal, which is also an anti-convulsant--seems like it would probably take a week by itself. I'll also have to change my Klonopin for a shorter acting antianxiolytic for some reason. I hope I can go back on both and not some new meds after the treatments, because these two are definitely working well for my mixed states and anxiety. Just need an antidepressant that works after the treatments... Hope we figure it out someday.

The boys are spending the night at a friend's house tomorrow night and Nate wanted to know if I wanted to go out, but honestly, I don't know if I can drag myself to take a shower and wash my hair and then go do something after that. It tires me to do it and it even tires me to think of it.

I ordered these from Amazon last night:

• Take You High by Willis (CD)
• Parklife by Blur (CD)
• Juno Soundtrack (CD)
• Made of Bricks by Kate Nash (CD)
• Loaded by Velvet Underground (CD)
• Falling Out Fashion by Karen Yampolsky (dumb "chick lit" book about behind the scenes at the now-defunct fluffy feminist mag I loved: Jane; I couldn't find it at the library)
• Lipstick and Thongs in the Loony Bin by Courtney A. Wash (a memoir I plan on reading ironically in the "loony bin")

And I'm reading this popular fiction work now:

• We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg

So far it's all right for popular fiction. A little light reading after all of the ECT reading and true crime sadness.