Still trying to get going with this

Not easy, with ADD and periodic depression and a new job, all in one fell swoop. Oh, yes, and the divorced/single-mother custodial parent of an adolescent daughter (the joy of my existence, as the Skipper on "Gilligan's Island" named Gilligan, "my little buddy," which is an amazing miracle in my opinion) . . .

For the privacy and in some ways the sanity of the above child, as well as myself (in ways I will elaborate over time), there are two rules for this blog: 1) It will be extremely difficult for most of you to figure out any way to definitively identify the origin of this blog (the writer, her family ties, etc.) AND 2) I will do my absolute best in that context, to express ONLY the TRUTH (as I know it at whatever moment I post these things). If I can't uphold condition #1 at the same time I fulfill condition #2, I will not post false information just to "get through" this, to reconcile a set of competing standards, or simply to make a point. What you will read here is the TRUTH. If you don't see it here, it doesn't necessarily mean "it" doesn't exist. That may simply signify that I don't want to violate anyone else's privacy by providing more details of the truth I feel I can reveal. You can guess all you want; I'll reveal exactly what I want, and no more. Guess what: Despite our fondest wishes for significant/intimate others to be totally open and transparent with us, WE ALL FOLLOW THE SAME PRINCIPLE. Therefore: 1) I won't succumb to feeling guilty about withholding information and 2) You won't judge me negatively for the fact that you wish you had information you don't have from me. That seems fair.

Now, the "main paragraph" above: Yes, I have Attention Deficit Disorder. Yes, I (finally admit that I) have Major Depressive Disorder, which came to the fore in a post-partum episode that was one of the biggest gift/curses I have ever received. The ADD was a much more recent discovery (which explained a lot about the depression), which is actually a disgusting fact, given the fact that I have worked in a wide variety of mental health/cognitive/behavioral/psychiatric areas, and have TWO (different) graduate degrees in related areas. The fact that I, myself, didn't "catch" these things is one thing. I was on the inside of them, therefore not objective. However, the number of people who missed all of this stuff, who were my professors, supervisors, mentors, etc., etc, and supposedly more "qualified" than I was, in the end is appalling. [More about all of these things at a later point, promise. If you want to know and don't see it soon enough to suit you, just ask.]

In any case, all of the above is true. And I'll get over/forgive all the astute, trained professionals who completely missed the characteristic signs that could have gotten me critical help much earlier (and potentially changed the course of my life); be that as it may, self-help/self-diagnosis/self-knowledge finally took care of that.

Welcome to The WildSideWalk!

Wow. I'm BLOGGING (Is that like Mary Martin--or the more recent Dorothy Hamill--yelling from the end of that hidden wire, "I'M FLYYYYYYYING!"????).

A former-boss/colleague/friend suggested that I do this, with the comment that I have "a lot to say." Then when I actually initiated the thing, the "lot to say" became an absolute daunting roadblock; due to my perfectionistic inclination--not only about writing, but about expression of thoughts--until this moment, I "THOUGHT" a great deal about writing, but always hesitated to actually sit down and do this.

I actually DO have "a lot to say," sometimes much more than is probably best for me, and certainly much more (volume) than others seem to readily handle.

There. It's DONE. The Pandora's Box has been cracked open.

You'll find that I write "a lot," about "a lot of different things." On the agenda are included:
1. Parenthood/children/being in either of those states at any given time.
2. Work: a multifaceted huge list of "topics" (read "mostly 'ISSUES'").
3. MY work, in its various forms and incarnations.
4. OTHERS' work, i.e. mostly observations and scathing criticism.
5. Psychology/mind/philosophy of mind, and sundry related subjects.
6. People in my life, who I hope/wish to share with others; some with "names changed to protect the innocent," others TOTALLY IDENTIFIED (usually because I either thought/confirmed they wouldn't mind, or because I think they "deserve to be named").
7. Art, which is an interesting topic, and BY THE WAY: WHEN YOU READ THAT WORD, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF?
8. "Pet Peeves"--based on a plethora of social/public behavior observations and experiences, there will be some portion of readers who take each one of these personally, to be sure, but far be it from this writer to shrink from a topic just because it might "affect" someone . . .
9. "Other" topics, as they may occur, be suggested, bubble up, or simply appear on the screen . . .