My husband and I used to have a cat named Hermes who didn't get high from catnip. He'd watch our other cats go crazy, licking up and rolling in the herb. He'd often give in and take a taste. Sometimes he'd even halfheartedly roll in it. Eventually he stopped trying and just watched the other… Continue reading K is for Kids and Why I Chose Not to Have Them
If you've followed my blog, you probably know that I am considering what's next on the job front. My body will no longer allow me to do pet sitting to the level I would like. Back before I switched to an animal-focused career path, I worked in the nonprofit sector. My last position was in… Continue reading I is for Intro to Financial Accounting and Other Free Courses on the Web
Last night I attended a drum circle with my husband and two of our friends. We try to hit one at least once a month somewhere in the city. It's a great way to let off some steam, feel some good vibes, and get more grounded. Everyone I've been to has been very laid back.… Continue reading G is for Gathering with Drums #AtoZChallenge
I mentioned yesterday that I was diagnosed with carcinoid stomach cancer last May. I had surgery in June to remove the tumor. Since then I've been trying to get my GI system straightened out. It's getting there. Mostly it doesn't seem real that I had cancer. It was found at stage one because I had… Continue reading C is for Cancer. My Own. My Mom’s. So Many Others.
I have had low- and mid-back issues since I was a teenager. Several years ago, a doctor helped me figure out that it all started when I was in a serious car accident when I was four. The accelerator in our car stuck. My mom was driving on a dirt road and drove into an… Continue reading B is for Back Pain and Learning to Live with (and around) It #AtoZChallenge
Third time might be the charm for my adventures with gabapentin. After a comedy of errors and the annoyance of slow responses from my doctor's office that took over two weeks, I finally got a prescription for 100 mg of gabepentin. I am taking one a day and experiencing a good amount of pain relief… Continue reading Gabapentin, Take Three with a Side of Hopelessness
My mother and I do not have the closest of relationships. We never have been nor will we ever be the best of friends, and that's fine. Not everyone is meant to be best friends with their parents, just as everyone isn't best friends with their siblings or their cousins or their old grade-school friend.… Continue reading When Your Mom Gets Really Bad Cancer
If you read my initial blog post, you know the first time I took gabapentin, I had a psychedelic trip. After that, I had a little over a week of euphoria and feeling slightly stoned. I was also tired, but my pain was lessened. Then I had about two good days before I started having… Continue reading Gabapentin, Take Two
I went to an all-day conference yesterday. I was there about 9 hours. There was a long lunch break. I had time to walk around. The chairs in the rooms weren't the greatest, but I had my ergonomic kit designed to make it easier for me to sit without greatly aggravating my chronic pain condition.… Continue reading The Day a Conference Broke Me
Like everything, there is a story behind the name Suicidal Tulip. First, the name Suicidal Flower was taken, but that's OK. That meant I had to pick a specific flower, and the tulip has always been one of my favorites. Second, yeah, I've been suicidal a number of times and suicidal ideation is my frequent… Continue reading What’s in a Name?
Suicidal Tulip 