Questions Bipolar Version #9

Few, with a fan blowing.

Do you like candles? If so what’s your favorite scent?

I love candles, but none really that have scents. We burn a candle most evenings at our kitchen table. I don't mind scented candles if the scent is pleasant and mild. I have no favorite one. Scented candles are not advised in households where there are pet birds. We sadly lost our pet parrot almost a year and a half ago. Someday I'd like to adopt a new birdie love. Where we now rent, there's no ideal place for a large birdcage. We try to keep it in an active and safe part of the house since they're social animals. However, if we decide to adopt two (we've only ever had one at a time) that wouldn't be as crucial.

What is the softest thing you have?

Hmmm I think that would be my cat. I have a soft fur bathrobe but my cat is softer.

Do you buy your own books or get them from the library?

I tend to earn gift cards on swagbucks and use those to buy books for my kindle. Before the pandemic I used the library more. Now I only use the library for the audiobook I always have in the car. That is a quick in and out instead of being in there looking while nobody but me is masked.

How old is your car?

My poor, dear Saturn SUV is 20 years old!

In which season is your birthday? Do you think your birthday is at a nice time of the year?

Winter and no. The only birthday party I had as a kid was pretty much snowed out and only 2 people came. It was pathetic.

What is your favorite salty snack?

Right now chex mix although the store bought isn't as good as my mom's.

Are you expecting snow any time soon?

Snowed all day though I think it only added up to 2 or 3 inches.

Do your weather forecasters act like every weather event is the doomsday event?

I think the TV ones do (I only see TV at my mom's house so not every day and not that often on a "local" (I live in a rural area without a local station).

We get our best upfront, honest reports from a team of volunteer/retired weather people who operate on Facebook. Right now we are projected to get a lot of snow. Up to 10" I think. Even they say it's still a little bit too early.

Is the beauty of snow worth the inconvenience?

I think so, especially if your local area does a good job of plowing roads. I grew up in a state (NJ) that has four distinct seasons. I would miss that if I lived in a place without them. The one thing I prefer in Czech Republic is that the summers don't get as humid and unbearably hot as NJ summers. However, NJ tends to have more blue sky days than in Czech Republic. I don't mind rainy days, but grey gloomy skies without rain can be depressing.

What do you like to do on a nice rainy day?

Read, stay inside and recline with my red furry blanket and read. I’m not at all fond of grey days for end on end.

Have you ever gone for a horse pulled sleigh ride in the snow? ❄️

Sounds lovely, but I don't recall such a ride. The closest was a horse pulled hay ride during the Halloween and apple picking season. I've also been on a horse drawn carriage ride through a lovely park in Ireland, near Killarney.

As part of your bipolar disorder, have you ever either run away or obsessed about running away?

I used to move constantly. I’d just up and leave all my stuff behind. I moved to New Mexico with no job, no housing , just looked at maps, wanted somewhere warmer but not Texas, California or Florida. Got on the bus with a backpack and a suitcase. Met some of the nices people though.

Ever been homeless?

A: Yes, unfortunately -- I guess it was June 2020, I was homeless for about two weeks living out of my car. I found a place to live and a job. I was away from home until about October 2020. It was an awful experience but it was better than the scenario I was living. I hated being in that predicament but it was what it was.

Q: Have you ever been mistaken for someone or come face-to-face with your own doppelgänger?

Yes. I worked with someone one summer and we looked enough alike to confuse some people occasionally.

What is the lowest grade you received in your education (overall for a class, not just on one assignment)?

I think I got a D or even F in "gym" in either 9th or 10th grade in high school one quarter. I refused to play volleyball and that's all they did for a month. I also got a D in a university class called "International Economics". Economics was not my forte back then (I like it more now) plus I was severely depressed that semester. It's a wonder that I did as well as I did that semester. I rarely went to class and did virtually no reading/studying, staying in bed most all day. I had already dropped classes down to the minimum required for remaining in campus housing (12 course credits). My mood much improved later that year.

When you struggle with everything else, what is something you still manage to do in the worst of times?

Drink water. Only thing I could come up with, but yeah, I'm pretty good at keeping myself hydrated. Was actually told to drink less water because during a prior hospitalization they tracked my fluid intake/output and one day put out 8L. But I have diabetes insipidus from lithium so that explains that.

Who is your favorite poet (or songwriter)?

Samuel Taylor Coleridge I love the flow of his poems especially kubla khan.

Did you like the series “House” would you want him for a doctor?

I've only seen one episode of House but I did like it.

Honestly I sometimes think I need a House Dr and that my pcp probably feels like House sometimes. I think my pdoc actually IS a House though. I should start calling her that .

do you have arthritis anywhere that tells you about weather changes?

No.

What kind of temperament do you have (anxious, hyperthymic, etc)?

I always say I have the temperament of a cat. I’m pretty laid back but if I take offense the claws and teeth come out. Leave me alone and we’ll get along fine.

Good question, what kind of temperament do you have?

Quite, gentle unless the BP flares in which case I'm everything I'm not usually.

How do you make time pass more quickly when you are waiting for something important?

I've always been good at occupying myself, unless I'm extraordinarily depressed/anxious. I'm project-oriented, so cooking, gardening, tasks related to my blog, online research, cleaning, and other things help focus my attention away from other things.

What was the longest period you spent reading almost non-stop (bathroom breaks or eating breaks excluded)?

60 minutes during a powercut one afternoon, and it was the longest 60 minutes of my life (my focus for reading is like 10 to 15 minutes)

last time you had a power cut. how long did it last?

I guess power cut is the same as power outage? If so, I think it was almost 7 days straight during and after Hurricane Sandy that hit New Jersey back in autumn 2012. Many people had severe (or total) damage to their homes, trees fell on power lines cutting out power, employees got to stay home since business had no power, grocery store supplies were very limited, many lost the contents of their refrigerators/freezers, there was no heating (or obviously light) for many, some people had trouble cooking food, many roads were impassible. It was rough!

What was one of the worst natural disasters you lived through?