Bipolar Questions Version 5

臭豆腐 Chòu dòufu (stinky tofu), which is a fermented tofu popular in China and Taiwan. It's definitely an acquired taste.

Q: If you could up and go anywhere in the world tomorrow (costs not an issue), where would you go?

Nah, they fell from a city called Buffalo in NY state. Being originally an "upstater" (ie., not from NYC), I take a certain vicarious pride in that fact, lol.

England. And Europe. I've only ever only been to Ireland over that way.

Question: What's the most ridiculous item you've ever bought while manic?

I hate fireworks and I am always staying home whenever my wife/daughter goes to see them. However, I am not adversely affected just strongly dislike the firework.
Question; what was your weirdest manic vision?

Oh, once I bought a Rolex on time and as soon as I paid off the time, I sold it. worse moove than buying it.

thanks innerzone. i'm totally coming to america now (well, I don't like flying, guess I'll have to sail their), but I need me some of those wings

and england isn't as cool as you might think

cold, wet, and... well, english. lol

flying puppies who ran the country

are you traveling by car today sir?.

boat?

no?, a flying puppy who is also the queen?

cool. okay.

do you like the smell of bacon?

Yes. We have been having bacon sandwiches with homegrown tomatoes the last few weeks and it is delicious.

Are you ready for the season (and weather) to change?

Well... I usually get depressed when the autumn comes, so... no. I'm never ready enough.

But I must say that I used to love autumn and winter when I was a child. And it still can be kind of magical for me. The colourful leaves, the bare trees, the snow...

What forced you to seek treatment for your disorder?

Well, having to get some form of treatment started at age 15, but I wasn't formally diagnosed until I was 32. However, I didn't truly (truly) seek treatment in a very authentic way, until I was 34. I was in a particularly horrible mental health crisis, not that I hadn't been at other times before that. But I was closer to having serious self-harm thoughts than ever before. I was actually serious about driving my car into a tree. That thought wouldn't leave me and I thought that if I did, it would somehow free me. I had also had HR threaten to fire me. Six workmates when to HR to wage formal complaints about me because of my extreme behavior. I had mania with mixed features really bad, and I became very aggressive and even scary. I had also been drinking very heavily for a long time. Each night after work, I would come home and probably drink between six and 10 drinks before falling asleep. The drinking exacerbated the issue.

Q: Who in this world do you think has been the most helpful for you, in terms of helping you manage your mental illness?

I feel so fortunate, because my therapist is helping me cope with mental illness, and helping me more than anyone else in my life has. My life is much more stable and safe.

If you could live in a very small town, would you?

I lived in a one stop sign town for about 10 years. It was ok although I never felt like I fit in or was a welcome part of town. I found out after I bought my house that the town had a reputation for snottiness and even prejudice and that would have affected my decision if I'd known ahead.

Have you ever lived in a city?

I lived briefly in Taipei, Taiwan (pop 2.7 million) at one point. Then Taichung, Taiwan (pop 2.8 million) at another point, after which I stayed in Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand, briefly. Both also big cities. Beyond those experiences, the biggest cities I have lived in were Berkeley, CA (population 120,000), New Brunswick, NJ (57,000) where I went to university, my current city (30,000) in NJ, and my childhood hometown (where my family still lives), which has a population of only 4,000 people. That's also in NJ. I prefer smaller to medium cities to live in. The beauty of where I live is that it is near countryside, small towns, and also within a little over one hour of both New York City and Philadelphia by car/train. My current town has a lot going for it, being the home of a major university. Unfortunately, the parts of NJ I'm from are very expensive to live in. We may need to move to France. Our plan is to move to a medium-sized city near the mountains and Mediterranean Sea. Believe it or not, we could buy a much nicer house and property there, for less money, than the one we have in NJ. It's sad, because I love NJ.

Q: What is your favorite big city that you have visited at some point in your life?

That's a tough question because I've visited several big cities in the world. But, above all others I'd say NYC. To me, there's just no place as spectacular...there's an incredibly stunning vibe to New York.

If you were a professional athlete, which sport would you play?

Curling.

What is your favorite animal?

Cats! Especially the black ones. I really love them. They're so cute! And intelligent as well.

Is there anything that helps you when you're depressed?

my go to is music.

I feel especially good when I come across a song I've wanted to find for a long time

question:

how did you get your start on computers/ the internet

This is going to really age me, but my family's first computer was a Commodore Vic 20, which my brother mostly used. Back then the "internet" was mostly used just by military and educational institutions. We also used it to play games of a very simple nature. Then in highschool (late 1980s), I took a computer applications class. We learned BASIC programming and use of word processing and spreadsheet software. I took something similar at college. I always liked it, but didn't take additional courses in Computer Science, though Computer Science was an "in" major at that time. I forget exactly when the internet of today's sort became accessible.

Q: What were some now antiquated technologies that were new when you were a kid?

I remember when CDs and CD players were first released. My friend's dad came home one night with one and I was so amazed at how much time and frustration they saved. Rewinding and fast forwarding tapes was a hot mess. I talked my mother into getting one and we only had one CD for the longest time. It was a Beach Boys greatest hits CD and I listened to it all the time.

I also remember when Nintendo was first released. We had an Atari, but Nintendo was a game changer in our house. A lot of fights went down over those controllers.

Q: what is one piece of technology you wish was never invented and released?

social networking
people go over the top with it I think and it's a part of life I certainly wish never existed

do you still have anything you had when you were a child?

I like both tea and coffee. I guess nowadays I'm a bit more of a coffee fan, but during some periods of my life I drank more tea. When I drink coffee, I just like milk in it, unless it's espresso, then I drink it black. If I drink a cappuccino, I do like a little sugar in it with some cinnamon sprinkled on top. As for tea, I like milk and sugar in teas like Earl Grey and English Breakfast. I do like other teas, like Jasmine or chamomile, but not with sugar or milk.

Q: Are you a picky eater? What foods do you dislike the most?

Not really. I really dislike sweet potatoes, which sucks ‘cause they are so much fun to grow. Sometimes I still grow them even though I won’t eat ‘em, just because I love digging them up so much.

Q: Do you think they should stop Daylight Savings Time? Do you have a hard time adjusting to it?

I don’t necessarily think they need to stop DST. I adjust after a day or two.

Do you have SAD?

no.
do you have any favorite words? (or things that are just satisfying to say.)

I like all the words. Except “moist.” *shivers*

Q: What words make you cringe?

"bling" I wish people would just say jewellery, or any of the other words that "bling" has replaced.

Do you feel shy or uncomfortable returning things to the store?