Monthly Archives: August 2010

Under a Waning Moon

Posted on August 31, 2010 by

Around 1982, Dr. Jenifer Rich prescribed lithium for my bipolar depression.  She failed to monitor it.  She should have checked lithium levels every two months, kidney function every six months, and cardiac function once a year.  I didn’t know; I … Continue reading →

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Comes the Exterminator

Posted on August 31, 2010 by

It took a year for my sister’s to divvy up my mom’s personal effects and send some things on to me.  Included were the “Memoirs of Elizabeth Hope Copeland Woodlen,” which are two volumes of essays my mother wrote and … Continue reading →

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Fly Now

Posted on August 30, 2010 by

            Yesterday I was reading an old book, one of Gordon Baxter’s.  Bax was a pilot who flew everything he could get his hands on, and he was a writer.  He wrote the love stories of flying.  His column, Bax … Continue reading →

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Annie’s Kickin’ Beef Stew

Posted on August 29, 2010 by

Spray crock pot with non-stick stuff. Mix the following on the bottom: 1 cup potatoes with skin on, cut in 1-inch cubes 1½ cups carrots cut in 1-inch pieces 1½ cups onions cut in 1-inch cubes On top of that, … Continue reading →

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The Spirit without Drugs

Posted on August 28, 2010 by

I took drugs every day for twenty-six years.  They were all prescribed by physicians, but I make no distinction between the drugs you prescribe for yourself and the drugs your doctor prescribes you:  they’re all chemical cocktails to alter your … Continue reading →

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The $5.2 Million Man: When Is It Time To Die?

Posted on August 23, 2010 by

Five-point-two million dollars were spent to keep one 69-year-old retired prison guard alive in the Duke University Hospital ICU for 34 days; he was then discharged to death.  His wife said, “I was just hoping it would save my husband’s … Continue reading →

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Wallenda on the Wire

Posted on August 18, 2010 by

Karl Wallenda created his crowning achievement — the seven-person chair pyramid.  Four men stood on a wire 35 feet in the air [without a net], two pairs yoked together by shoulder bars.  On top of them on the second level … Continue reading →

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You, Too, Can Have a Psychiatric Disorder

Posted on August 16, 2010 by

Anne C. Woodlen Attention deficient disorder (ADD) is a disease wherein the person (hereinafter referred to as a “child” since it is usually diagnosed while a person is in elementary school) is said to be unable to pay attention.  This is … Continue reading →

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Why Not Sex on the Beach?

Posted on August 11, 2010 by

I was in a restaurant, waiting for my colleagues to arrive for a business meeting, when the bartender asked me if I’d like a drink.  Yes, I would, but I hadn’t had a mixed drink in twenty-five years. I’ll be … Continue reading →

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Skip Two Steps and Listen

Posted on August 3, 2010 by

Anne C. Woodlen What follows is a treatise on governance that is relevant to all those who govern and those who are governed.  It grew out of a meeting a week ago between county officials and people with disabilities.  The … Continue reading →

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