Questions Bipolar Version #8

I created, managed, and worked on a communications-related project at my last job that ultimately saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars (and also saved many trees). The sad part was that it was the straw that broke the camel's back, in terms of my bipolar illness. I went on disability when it was just finished.

Another great achievement has been my surviving and recovering from my worst bipolar episodes. Perhaps this is the greatest.

Is there anything you would have liked to have done differently in the past, that you're willing to share?

I would have stopped drinking years before I finally did (I've been in recovery going on 20 years). Bipolar Disorder + Alcoholism = Major Arsehole! I still cringe at the some of the things I did...not to mention the things I don't remember doing!

If you were to order a pizza, which toppings are you getting?

Sometimes it depends where I order it from. I'd say my usual is mushroom pizza. Love them! Often it's half that and half peppers and onions, which my husband also likes. Pepperoni is nice for a treat. When the pizza is more gourmet, I sometimes order white pizza with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, arugula, Parmesan, and balsamic vinegar drizzle.That's one of the ones I make even homemade, on occasion.

What location in the world (or your country) did you find most beautiful?

I've been to a lot of beautiful places but Alaska was the most breathtaking to me.

Do you do any volunteer work?

I volunteered at the regional literacy coalition until Covid hit.

If you could isolate a single thing (it's tough), what do you miss most about pre-Covid days?

I miss facilitating my NAMI support group.



Name your 5 favorite movies - titles only. No explanations.

1.) Little Big Man
2.) Field of Dreams
3.) Goodbye Lenin
4.) Napoleon Dynamite
5.) Platoon

What is your favorite type of music? Within that genre, what/who is your favorite band/musician/composer & your favorite song by them/him/her?

I like alternative rock the best. The Canadian Jane Siberry is my favorite musician. My favorite song of her's is called "The Bird in the Gravel" from 1988. It's really more audio performance art than a song as there are different characters, time changes, spoken parts and sound effects and it's about ten minutes long. It's just so ethereal and poignant and transporting! It builds to a crescendo so skillfully it just makes my heart expand!

What turns has your life taken that were unexpected? I worked as a computer programmer for several years after hating computers before and i've played competitive Scrabble for twenty years without being aware of any interest in the game prior to getting involved.

Being able to have a big family gathering. (Aunts uncles cousins etc)

What do you sleep in - underwear, pj's, or the buff.

Usually pj's and socks. If I wear a nightgown, it always rides up and twists around my waist. No buff for me.

Do you usually sleep in the middle of the bed or near the edge?

I only have a twin bed so I pretty much take up the whole thing - and there's usually a cat sleeping next to me on the edge

What's your favorite gift you ever received?

My favorite gifts were the two Disney World Trips that my grandmother paid for for our whole family in 1982 and 1987.

Do you have to have your coffee to wake up/function?

I wake up just fine without coffee, but I need it to be able to sit and concentrate on anything a reasonable amount

What do you drink most of throughout the day (water, coffee, tea, juice, etc)?

I drink water -- after I've had my morning coffee, that is. Since my state has a bottle deposit law (10 cents), I stopped drinking pop (it's not called "soda" here!). Going to cash in bottles was such a pain in the arse.

What is your all-time favorite dish to eat? Describe in with drooling effect!

It's hard to decide. Sometimes my favorite varies by mood. What popped up first is a NY Times recipe that includes a thick pork chop (on the bone) that is first set in a brine for two days in a delicious mix of apple cider and various spices. Then it is pan browned and a sauce is made with various spices and herbs, shallots, chicken stock, cream, horseradish, and mustard, and then is served with fresh apple fritters fried in a rice flour mixture. NY Times Cooking requires a subscription, which I have, but the ingredients can also be found at Pan-Roasted Pork Chops With Apple Fritters | Recipes I always double the sauce recipe.

What dish do you consider your "best" that you make?

I can't really cook at all. I keep a can opener & a microwave handy at all times. There is one recipe, however, than my mother made when I was growing up (my father, being the person he is, called it "Blood Clot Casserole"). Taking a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, you boil the noodles but, rather than adding milk, you add a small can of undrained stewed tomatoes, the cheese powder, & a can of tuna. Season to taste. That should give you some sense of my advanced cooking skills!

We're over half-way through March! April showers bring May flowers. What is your favorite spring flower?

Forsythia. Absolutely!

Do you have any form of garden you keep at any time of year? That could include inside plants. If so, what living thingies do you care for?

Yeah, we have a ton of flowers, fruits, and vegetables growing both inside the house and outside. Blueberries, raspberries, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, apples, strawberries, peppers, lavender, various wildflowers, we even have a lemon tree (possibly the only one not in a greenhouse in New Hampshire?).

Would you rather grow flowers or something less pretty you can eat?

~**~*~*Flowers!*~**~*~



What was 3rd grade like for you?

Whoops! I wrote then deleted a whole paragraph about 5th grade. Now I remember 3rd grade. I liked that teacher. She was much more pleasant than the 2nd grade teacher. What I also recall was being taught some of the metric system. The Carter Administration wanted to convert to it, but the next year the Reagan Administration mostly undid that. That disappointed me because I really liked those lessons. I now use it in Europe, though. I learned it fully as an adult. I also remember a music teacher who told all of us she was a witch. She played an autoharp and taught the song "Stirring my brew." She said we'd see her flying on her broom on Halloween night. She was freaky and wouldn't get away with that now, I think. I recall looking for her in the sky.

Q: See Miss Laura's below.

I think that's the Scottish equivalent of age 8 or 9 years, so that will be Primary 3 or 4 for me.

In Primary 3 I was struggling academically I had just started learning to read. I was a late learner. I was making my First Holy Communion. I was also severely bullied in that year. So it was a good year right.... NOT

In Primary 4 I was just trying to survive school

Question: Favourite sport to do at school?

OK, probably TMI, but baseball has always been almost like a religion to me. I played four years of varsity ball in high school, was scouted by a few pro teams & played recreational ball into my late-40s. I even managed to find a league when I was living in eastern Germany. There were many Cubans who didn't return to Cuba after The Berlin Wall fell, so my team (the Dresden Dukes) barnstormed across the country on weekends to play other Cuban teams. What fun that was! I ultimately paid a price in the form of shoulder replacement surgery because I threw so many pitches over the decades. My playing days are done, but I'm still in love with the game!

Are you a "city mouse," or a "country mouse?" What city, or piece of countryside would you choose to live in/on if cost wasn't an option?

BTW, @Sapien, your garden & other plants sound like a little piece of heaven!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soupe du jour Whoops! I wrote then deleted a whole paragraph about 5th grade. Now I remember 3rd grade. I liked that teacher. She was much more pleasant than the 2nd grade teacher. What I also recall was being taught some of the metric system. The Carter Administration wanted to convert to it, but the next year the Reagan Administration mostly undid that. That disappointed me because I really liked those lessons. I now use it in Europe, though. I learned it fully as an adult. I also remember a music teacher who told all of us she was a witch. She played an autoharp and taught the song "Stirring my brew." She said we'd see her flying on her broom on Halloween night. She was freaky and wouldn't get away with that now, I think. I recall looking for her in the sky. Q: See Miss Laura's below.

Oh, my gosh! I remember the whole metric system thing, too! I was older than you, but whatever grade I was in, we worked so hard to learn the metric system - only to have it all for naught. I'm glad you can use it now!

Hmmm...could your music teacher have been Stevie Nicks?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sapien Yeah, we have a ton of flowers, fruits, and vegetables growing both inside the house and outside. Blueberries, raspberries, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, apples, strawberries, peppers, lavender, various wildflowers, we even have a lemon tree (possibly the only one not in a greenhouse in New Hampshire?). Would you rather grow flowers or something less pretty you can eat?

That sounds enchanted! How do you keep your lemons from freezing? Even in SoCal, with the huge orange and lemon groves they have to use monster-sized heaters sometimes to keep the fruit from freezing temperatures.

The lemon tree isn't huge, and we have it in a large pot that just comes inside and sits in front of a window when it's too cold outside. It's lasted...six(?) years so far that way!