"I watched a snail
Crawl along the edge
Of a straight razor
And not get cut.
This is my dream.
This is my nightmare."
-- Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), "Apocalypse Now"

Oddly, this is the best description of coping with mental illness that I have ever heard. Coppola's snatch of dialogue somehow captures the fusion of poesy and pain that lies at the heart of my perception of my bipolar disorder; in a flash, it captures the struggle and the perverse fascination with the condition that come to dominate my life sometimes. I hope you manage to weather your latest mindstorm, dear friend. I'm finding my own mask more prone to slipping askew lately as well. Cheshire Cat