Anti-Depressants

So I recently found out that a friend of a friend committed suicide while taking Paxil. It's horrible and tragic, and I feel for anyone who has to lose someone like that. My friend is rightfully up-in-arms about Paxil, and judging by the lawsuits that come up when googling the drug, she is not alone.

And I'm glad I'm not taking Paxil.

HOWEVER, I am taking another anti-depressant (Venlafaxine, the generic form of Effexor), and have been for several years. What bothers me are the articles I have seen that tend to lump all anti-depressant drugs together, to try to make the claim that because there have been horrific side-effects up to and including suicide, any and all anti-depressants should never be prescribed.

Paxil seems to be one of the worst when it comes to adverse reactions, and I am surprised that it has not been taken off the market. However, discounting Paxil, I think the problem is less the drugs themselves, or even the greedy pharmaceutical industry (severe side-effects are actually very rare), and more how often doctors just hand them out and then fail to monitor the patient.

I've had mild-to-moderate bouts of depression and anxiety since high school, but for a long time I was resistant to going on anti-depressants. Even when it worsened in college, and I was having random crying spells multiple times a week, I didn't want to go the med-route. Part of it was the stigma that says you are weak if you can't handle things without a "crutch," but a larger part was the scare stories I heard about side-effects. But I knew I needed some kind of help, and that a large part of my issues was biochemical.

First I was put on birth control pills to try to even out my premenstrual moods. When that didn't work, and seeing that my depression was not just confined to "that time of the month," the gyno put me on Zoloft. NOTE: I DO NOT think that non-psychiatrists should be prescribing psychiatric meds. This is a big part of the problem I see with the way these medicines are prescribed. For a gynecologist, since they are dealing with womanly issues like  postpartum depression that overlap with psychiatric issues, it's a different story, but general practitioners shouldn't just be able to hand out Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, etc. But anyway, back to the Zoloft.

It gave me wicked insomnia for two nights in a row. On the third day, I decided enough and stopped taking it.

After college I started therapy, which helped me work through a lot of issues and counter-productive mindsets, but eventually the question of medication came up again. That's when I decided that feeling normal and having my brain and neurotransmitters work the way they are supposed to was worth the risk of the side effects.  I wasn't going to do Zoloft again, but I found a psychiatrist who is extremely competent and knowledgeable in addition to being personable, and eventually we found that Effexor/Venlafaxine works for me to the point where my emotions are steady and manageable and I can work through my issues.

So I hate what I see as all the scare stories out there. The ones that play up the tragedies that are actually rare occurrences. The ones that may cause people to avoid getting the help they need.

One article was talking about how anti-depressants literally rewire your brain. Actually, what they do is treat bio-chemical mis-wiring of the brain. They are not "happy pills," they won't (if working correctly) make you into a zombie, they just treat your brain so it's working as it should be.

Anti-depressants should only be carefully prescribed and monitored, and generally taken along with some type of talk therapy.  However, they are just like any other drug, because biochemical depression is just like any physical health issue.

"Natural" treatments are not always better. As Stephen Colbert pointed out in a recent interview, hemlock is natural too.

The suicides that have been committed by people on anti-depressants are tragic, but this is why careful monitoring by a clinical psychiatrist, not taking all such drugs of the market, is necessary. Because while my own mood issues have always been fairly mild, for some anti-depressants are actually a life-saver. 

They Didn't Have That When I Was a Kid...

So my friend Athena compiled a list on Facebook of things she "is grateful for that they didn't have when she was a kid." I thought it was a good idea, so I decided to steal it (the idea, not the list itself) but use it as fodder for a blog post. Athena is actually a couple decades older than me, but the way technology advances these days it will be just as easy for my almost-thirty self to come up with a good list.

I have to say the worst is when I look at all the new products for kids, and am all like, now why didn't I have that as a kid? Seriously, seeing children driving around in their little carts in grocery stores.

Anyway, back on track. This was supposed to be about gratitude for all the technologies I do enjoy today.

Starting with the obvious:

Facebook
blogging - And it's come a long way since my livejournal days in early college
gmail - again, email has come a long way
smart phone - oh the things you can do from your phone these days
the many, many options I have for listening to music - Pandora (customizable radio!), Spotify, mp3 player...
Youtube
Pinterest (We used to have to clip things out of magazines?)
Skype - face-to-face time with people in a different continent
the ability to watch full-length shows via computer
Facebook games - Words w. Friends aka digital scrabble
online shopping
texting (sorry, Athena, I still think it's one of the most convenient ways to communicate)
e-book readers, although I've never used one
compact computers like tablets and netbooks
free wifi in Starbucks, Panera, even McDonalds
the myriad ways one can incorporate technology into fitness routines
the Nintendo Wii, especially Wii fit
on the same note, Wii sports...virtual skiing!
a bajillion customizable coffee drinks at Starbucks
McDonalds having a McCafe
online college/graduate courses (although I only took one fully online and one quasi-)
my nifty little car air freshener thing from Bath and Body Works
3-D movies
the customizable frozen yogurt places that are everywhere now
direct deposit; online banking 

And a few I'm stealing from Athena's commenters:

easy availability of all kinds of ethnic foods
carryout no longer just for Chinese and pizza

Then there are the things I've never used but am still grateful for:

hybrid and electric vehicles
a whole slew of medical innovations I'm grateful I haven't needed

Finally, I feel the need to put central air conditioning on this list. Yes, I did grow up with it, but my grandparents never got air conditioning (even when they had the opportunity, my grandfather refused), and my mom didn't have AC in her college dorm. So I'm also grateful for the comparative modernity of my college dorms in 2001-2005.

What new-fanged technologies are you grateful for?

Oh The Places I Need to Go...

There's a mug in my office apparently from the "National Gallery of Caricature and Cartoon Art." Never having heard of such a place, I looked it up and got pretty confused. Apparently it was a part of the Library of Congress back in 2006? Not exactly sure the story, but disappointingly, whatever it was, it doesn't seem to exist anymore. It did get me thinking, however, that I really need to keep track of the places I want to visit or revisit.

I need to revisit the Museum of Visionary Art in Baltimore. Apparently there is also a tattoo museum somewhere in Baltimore that I would like to see.

As far as DC goes, I've been to most of the major Smithsonian museums, many multiple times, but I'm sure that there are many smaller and lesser-known museums, galleries, etc. that I need to check out.

I have yet to go to the Museum of the American Indian. I've actually heard it is kind of overrated, but honestly, I'd like to visit just for the cafeteria full of native foods.

Madame Tussaud's in DC.

Need to revisit the Newseum; I haven't been since it was in Rosslyn.

If I ever get to visit Cleveland-proper (rather than 45 minutes outside the city, where my friend moved), I need to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Not a museum, but there is a giant Bingo hall in Laurel, Maryland that I want to go to.

And that's just off the tip of my head; I'm sure this list will keep growing.

Sometimes I find it sad that, living so close to the nation's capital, I tend to forget how much there is to do in the area beyond the typical tourist sites (that I've been to a million times).

Tomorrow I may head to check out the Cherry Blossoms after work. Spring especially is a good time to be so close to DC.

And this has gotten kind of rambly...but my main point is: way too many places to go, way too little time.

Blah Blah Blah Gay Marriage and Children

Since the Supreme Court is arguing the Constitutionality of DOMA and California's Proposition 8, and gay marriage is the talk of facebook, I figured it was time to enter the fray and flesh out my thoughts with a blog post. The way I see it, civil marriage is a civil right for ANY two committed adults who wish to share a life together. This is separate from any religious definition of marriage, and would not force religious organizations to bless any union they are opposed to. As a Christian, I differ from many of my brothers and sisters in Christ in believing that God sees the love and commitment behind the vows of marriage rather than the genders of those making the vows, but that's beside the point. What's being debated now is a civil institution existing within a secular and pluralistic society.

So any religious belief with regards to homosexuality is irrelevant to the SCOTUS. Apart from that, the main argument I keep hearing from social conservatives is basically "think of the children," and I don't think it holds up. What are the rights of a child? To be raised in a secure and loving household, yes. To their biological mother and father? Not when such people are often unfit to raise them. To be raised by two parents of the opposite sex, regardless of biology? Again, one's gender has nothing to do with one's fitness to be a parent, and all credible and unbiased studies show that children raised by gay couples fare no differently than children raised by straight couples.

But what really got me was the graphic to the left.

This is Mitt, who is infamous for talking about how 47% of the people think they are entitled to freebies from the government like food and shelter and healthcare.

So apparently people, including children, have no inherent right to the basic necessities of  life, but children DO have the right to a mother and a father? A right to be raised by two parents, as long as they are of opposite gender?

Someone's priorities are a little screwed up.

Yes, same-sex couples are marrying under the law in Massachusetts. And same-sex couples are forming partnerships and raising children across America. They aren't going anywhere. All they are asking for is the same civil rights and recognition as opposite-sex couples.

I Intensely, and I Mean Intensely, Dislike Cops...

and here's my story as to why (warning: major rant to follow).

So tonight ended up taking a majorly bad turn. I went to the movies with a friend who lives in Southern PG County around 8. I was fairly tired after the movie got out, but I still had to drop off my friend after giving her a ride and check in on the cats I've been cat-sitting for (I do morning and evening visits b/c one of the cats has a thyroid condition and has to take a pill twice daily). I went to check on the cats and when I started my car back up, I discovered I had a flat. It may have been leaking since I hit the curb at the cash station earlier; I'm still not sure. But I'm a pretty stereotypical female when it comes to car trouble; I have yet to learn to change a tire myself. And did I mention I was tired? And that I just wanted to go home and go to bed? I decided to see whether it was drivable and then pull into a nearby shopping center and decide what to do from there, figuring that between finding someone to help me and my roadside assistance I would be ok.

Well, little old me naive me never suspected that I would be pegged a drunk driver. I had passed several police cars and a small group of people by the entrance of the shopping center. When a cop pulled up behind me, I (again with the naivety) thought maybe he saw that I needed help. Instead he asked me if I had been drinking.

I answered no, I hadn't had a drop of alcohol today. I mean I understand that it's the eve of St. Patrick's Day and all, so they're gonna be extra vigilant. But someone driving on a flat with her emergency flashers on, and then pulling into a parking lot? I tell him that I was out, realized I had a flat, and am just tired and frustrated and upset. He clearly doesn't believe me; asking me at least three times whether I had been drinking "even a little." Clearly I must have been, I mean why else would I be driving on a flat tire?

In don't deal with cops well.  In my various dealings (including after a break-in at my parents' beach house), I never have. I just find them to be really...intimidating. I find situations where I have to deal with the police to be upsetting to begin with, and of course they aren't very empathetic to my being upset. I understand that they are used to dealing with, well, criminals, and so they're going to be a good deal cynical. They're expecting lying; they're expecting guilt. But there's something rather humiliating about being treated like a law-breaker without firm evidence to the contrary.

I had to go through the whole sobriety test shebang for the first time in my life. Walking along a line, standing on one foot...things that are difficult to do even when sober if you are upset and tired. Then they finally gave me the breathalizer and let me go. The worst part is they didn't even offer to help me with my tire before they left, though they did wait around while I called my mom for a ride. Did they wait to see that I made it out of the parking lot safely? Nope.

So I left my car in the parking lot and will deal with that tomorrow (actually later today). I just really need to sleep my anger and frustration and upset off.

Edited to add: Huh. It's actually almost 2 am on St. Patrick's Day now. I have no idea how to change the time  in blogger. *shrugs*

Dancing with the Stars Season 16 Cast

For a couple years now, my mom, one of her best friends (who I refer to as my "Aunt Julie" because she's practically family), and I have had the hobby of making cast predictions for Dancing with the Stars. Seriously, we'll have Thanksgiving dinner and then write up a whole list of predictions, only to lose it by the time the cast announcements come around. I'm not nearly as big a fan of the show as my mom is, but its fun to see if any of our predictions come true. (And so far, I don't think a single one has, but it's more about noticing trends in the pics than anything else.)

So, without further ado, here's the list of Season 16 stars and my commentary:

• Aly Raisman - You can always on DWTS to have several Olympians in the cast, usually those who recently medaled, and they usually do pretty well. The discipline that any athlete develops seems to translate well to dancing. Will be interested in seeing how Raisman does on this show. 
• Andy Dick - Don't really have any thoughts here...
• D.L. Hughely - Another comedian. Comedians on DWTS tend to ham it up, since comedy is what they do, more than get into the technicalities of learning the various styles of ballroom dance. We'll see, though. 
• Dorothy Hamill - Another Olympian, but a more veteran one than Raisman. As I said, Olympians tend to do really well on this show, particularly gymnasts and figure skaters. And the musicality of figure skating gives her an advantage in a competition like DWTS. 
• Ingo Rademacher - Because the cast must include at least one soap opera star I have never heard of before. 
• Jacoby Jones - Well, here's who I'm most rooting for, because Ravens!!! Maryland!!! Superbowl win!!! A season or two ago, I had been pulling for Michael Oher, because his whole story and the fame that The Blind Side brought him, but hey, any Raven will do. Football players, like Olympians of all stripes, tend to do well on DTWS, and there's just something about watching someone known for such a "macho" sport ballroom dance. On the other hand, DWTS usually casts NFL and NBA players who are at the end of their careers, so maybe this doesn't bode so well for Jones on the field...
• Kellie Pickler - Honestly I thought Pickler was merely mediocre on American Idol; she was most notable for making "dumb blonde" statements ala Jessica Simpson and for being called a "saucy minx" by Simon Cowell. However, this makes her a much better pic for DTWS than someone like fellow American Idol country star Carrie Underwood. We'll see if she can dance, but I'm not expecting much...
• Lisa Vanderpump - Apparently she's best known for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. DTWS has to have a reality "star" in the mix, and it's certainly better than a Kardashian or someone from the Jersey Shore cast. Plus she's a restaurateur, tapping into the array of celebrity chefs and foodie stars that DTWS has been largely ignoring. 
• Victor Ortiz - Somehow I can see him doing well on this show. 
• Wynnona Judd - They are big on the country stars this year. I feel like one of the Judd sisters may have been on one of our lists, actually. But I can't remember. 
• Zendaya - I had never heard of her before, but Zendaya fits right in to the DTWS trend of having a Disney star on each season. Born in 1996, she's the season's youngest contestant, but as a singer/actor, her combination of musicality and performance experience gives her an edge.

One thing I find to be a relief about this cast line-up: there are no politicians (or children of politicians). I'm sorry, but despite her mother's desire for fame, Sarah Palin is not a "star." Nor should being in a position of authority make someone a celebrity. Let's separate entertainment and politics a bit. However, there are some cultural icons (e.g. Buzz Aldrin) that are the exception. On that note: I would like to see Mark Kelly (retired astronaut and Gabrielle Giffords' husband) on DWTS. Season 17?

Superbowl 47: Ravens, Power Outages and Commercials

As a native Marylander, this year was the first year I was actually as excited for the actual Super Bowl game as for the commercials. It turned out to be a crazy game: the Ravens kicked major butt in the first half, and then, after the Beyonce/Destiny's Child halftime show...the lights went out. This ended up delaying the remainder of the game for a good half-hour, and the Ravens lost momentum when they resumed play. In the end, though, they won, beating the SF 49ers by 34-31. Congrats, Ravens.

But back to the ads. Honestly, Super Bowl advertising tends to get a little stale. It's always the same products (Doritos, beer, various automobiles), because that's where the money is. Moreover, the advertisers tend to sacrifice coherence for cleverness or humor, resulting in ads that use crazy plot devices in an aim to sell products that are only tangentially-related. However, there was a good crop of ads this year. Here are my 10 favorites, saving the best for last.

10) Volkswagen "Get Happy." This ad, featuring a white man going around speaking with a Jamaican accent, achieved what it set out to do: it made me happy. Will I go out and buy a VW now? No, but the ad still made me happy.




9)Babylandia! This 2014 Kia Sorento ad depicted a dad trying to explain to his young child where babies come from. His answer: the mysterious planet Babylandia. The ad had some clever visuals and neatly tied in the Sorento's "It has the answer to everything" tagline.

8) Taco Bell's "Viva Young." I liked this one largely because Fun's "We Are Young"  in Spanish: even better than Fun's "We are Young" in English. Also, rebellious elderly folks sell.

7) M & Ms "Anything for Love." The M&Ms commercials always make me laugh, and I love this song.



6) PSY's "Gangnam Style" for pistachios. The pistachios commercials are always culturally relevant (the Simpsons, keyboard cat), so it figures they would bring out PSY's viral hit for the Super Bowl. I have a bit of a problem, however. I ran across someone online who said it sounds like he is singing "Condom Style," so I hear this every time I hear the song now.



5) Ram "God Made Farmers." This was an odd commercial. Honestly when I first saw it I thought it was going to be a political message about supporting American farmers...and then it got to the end and showed a Ram truck. So apparently they are trying to sell Ram to farmers. It was definitely a memorable ad, though, with the narrator's deep, haunting voice, and it's almost somber tone stood out among the funny/not-so-funny ads. 

4)  "It's Only Weird if It Doesn't Work." It was the night for Stevie Wonder, who was featured in several different "voodoo" themed ads for Bud Lite. This one, with the Ravens and 49ers voodoo dolls, was my favorite.



3) Tide Montana Miracle Stain. Hilarious. My favorite part was the wife who obliterates the "miracle stain" with Tide and gives the clean jersey back to her husband, saying "Go Ravens." Go Ravens indeed.





2) Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen for Samsung. The ad that actually aired towards the end of the commercial was clever, but I think I like this take better. Rudd and Rogen are asked to develop as Samsung ad for the Super Bowl but aren't allowed to actually name the game, teams, etc., resulting in lines like "San Francisco 50-1-ers and Baltimore Blackbirds."

1) "Brotherhood," my favorite ad of the night.The Budweiser Clydesdales are just classic. And adorable. Especially baby Clydesdales. *Squeeeee*