Elim Garak, a shifty character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine whose true allegiance could never be determined, said that once in an episode. That’s the lesson he took away from “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”. To him, the parable wasn’t about being honest and telling the truth so people always believed you, but, from …
Category Archives: Work
The Long Road Back
If you’ve been following my journey through the dissociative disorder known as depersonalization, thank you. Writing about it, and knowing it is being read about, has helped me cope a great deal, and that means a lot to me. Maybe my words are helping you understand what I’m going through, or maybe you’re going through …
Carson’s
My brother Brian and I will most likely be the last generation of our family to work at Carson’s. A few weeks ago, their owners Bon Ton announced that they are closing down all their stores permanently, including Carson’s. We both were third generation of our family to work at the well-known Chicagoland department store. …
I Don’t Wanna Grow Up…
I think anyone raised in America around my age knows how to complete that jingle. (For those of you not in the know, you finish it with, “I’m a Toys R Us kid.”) It seems to be the end of an era. The toy store that was a major destination for American kids (in at …
Lost and Found
I seem to be crying a lot in counseling lately. Yesterday’s session gravitated first around my frustration and anger with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and their seemingly unrelenting one-eyed behaviour towards me and our organisation.
After an Election
Saturday was our General Election in New Zealand, and I personally found it quite exciting that so many people got out to vote — a record number of us voted early! — and that the results are quite close. Under an MMP system (Mixed-Member Proportional for those of you not in the know) in New …
“Hello Darkness, My Old Friend”
It’s pretty amazing, the song “The Sound of Silence”. I’ve always really liked it for various reasons, especially the visuals the lyrics provide. Even the “alternate lyrics” versions we came up with in Mixed Company at Prospect High School (I’m looking at you, Anne.). I’m not going to lie and tell you that the last …
Being Passionate About Something
There was a period in my professional career where I heard almost every other applicant bounce into my office and tell me she was “passionate” about beauty therapy. It drove me absolutely stark-raving bonkers because how could so many people be so “passionate” about the same thing? (As an aside, as I type this blog, …
Living In The Here and Now
I originally wrote this blog in May 2016 but never published it. I’m not sure why I didn’t, but here it is, updated slightly. Over the past few years I’ve written about emerging from a period of suffering from the dissociative disorder known as depersonalisation, the result of a lifetime full of anxiety and a …
My Topsy-Turvy Week – Week of 13 February 2017
So, the week finishing today has thrown me a lot of different emotions. A diagnosis, a major fire, a victory, a good-bye, a frustrating day, and, finally, a “down” day.
