Mental Health Awareness Month May Be Ending But ....

 

Today Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end but mental health does not stop being an issue just because the calendar says it is a new month. We need to always be talking about mental health. Talking about our own mental health. Talking about mental health resources. Talking about normalizing mental health.

Talking about mental health involves lots of layers such as talking about going to therapists and talking about how to navigate systems that often seem like they are intentionally designed not to be navigable if someone is struggling in any way. (So many poorly designed systems to navigate bah humbug)

I personally have the privilege of being in several communities where both mental health and the process of finding therapy is talked about openly. When someone is in search of affordable or low cost resources there are others who have gone before and can provide some direction/support/help in the search. 

Since everyone is open about mental health there is a sense that no one is alone and therefore asking for suggestions/ideas is common. Though I have to say even belonging to such communities there have been points where talking about metal health, thinking about therapy, etc. was still challenging for me. The process is challenging, worthwhile but challenging, so I recommend reaching out for support navigating when you need it.

This month may be coming to an end but everyone's mental health struggles will not magically go away at the strike of midnight (though that would be nice, if we only had mental health challenges during the month of May.) This month was a good reminder to check in with our own mental health to think about if we are thriving, if there are things that are holding us back, and what steps we need to take next in order to move forward into better mental health.

Here are some of my go-to videos when it comes to discussing mental health

And hearing other peoples mental health stories/journeys

Wentworth Miller's Oxford Speech (Managing depression and helping others struggling)

Wentworth Miller's Active Minds speech (Depression and Suicidal Thoughts)

Wil Wheaton on Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Chronic Depression, and Recovery

Memorial Day Honoring All The Fallen

Memorial Day Honoring All The Fallen

All those who have been slain on any battlefield

Battlefields of racism, sexism, homophobia

Battlefields of transphobia, gender expression

Battlefields of depression, anxiety, suicidality

Battlefields of despair

Battlefields of neglect

Battlefields of invisibility

Battlefields of mass shootings in schools

Battlefields of lack of bodily autotomy

Battlefields of lack of reproductive rights

Battlefields of police shootings on too many of our streets

Memorial Day Honoring All The Fallen

All those who have been slain on any battlefield

On any combination of battlefields

Because not everyone who has fallen

Because not everyone who was sacrificed

Happened to wear a military uniform

Ready To Capture Summer?

 

The last time I did my summer activity list was in 2019. Now I know the past few summers have looked different for obvious reasons but it feels nice to return to something I used to do in the before times.

I started to do color coded summer activity lists since here in Chicago there are a million things to do each summer but since you can't do it all sometimes I felt like I was not doing anything. Seeing everything I had done over the course of a summer made me feel better, there even were a few summers where I got to over 100 activities. 

The color coding also was set up to remind myself to do lots of different categories of activities over the course of the summer.

The set up: The dates for the week and a color coded list activities I do.

Now this summer I have a more reasonable goal which is to do 50 activities over the course of the summer (and I just started counting yesterday and already will have two by the end of the day) but I have to say returning to my summer activity list is bringing me joy.

The list is giving myself a nice goal/challenge for the summer which will:

• a) get me out of my apartment for something beyond going for walks and errands
• b) give me more of a sense of purpose/meaning/accomplishment
• c) give me lots to look forward to over the course of the summer

Now this is how I am capturing my summer so when fall rolls around and I feel like I have not done anything I will have proof I am wrong and that yes indeed I have done stuff around Chicago this summer. 

You might have a different part of summer you want to capture such as :

• Books Read
• Miles Walked/Ran/Biked
• Pages written
• Volunteer projects
• New recipes
• Jobs applied for

But I would recommend capturing some part of summer so you can savor your time and feel more joy and accomplishment in your life.

Making A Legends Lamp With CPL

Today I made a lamp with the maker lab at the Chicago Public Library.

This involved actually wiring the lamp and then decorating.

I ended up doing a Wentworth Miller/Legends of Tomorrow Lamp with a Bonus Beebo

I am always amazed at the free projects we can do with the public library

The lamp was with the artist in resident this season @itllglowonyou

I went in assuming it would be a small lamp we would build but no this is giant like 9x12

 

If this looks like a cool project to you check out the maker lab offerings

This particular class will be offered at a range of library branches throughout the city

I recommend making a lamp of your own

Sadly Once Again No Words ...

 Do Not Give Me 

Your Throughs And Prayers

Give Me Your Actions

Too Many

Too Many

Too Many

Too Many Have Died By Guns

As of 10:41 p.m. ET: On May 24, at least 19 children and two adults were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. It was the deadliest school shooting since 2012, when a gunman shot and killed 26 people as young as 6 years old at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Fatalities exceeded those in the 2018 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which left 17 dead.

School Shooting Injuries & Deaths So Far In 2022 

27 School shootings with injuries or deaths

67 People killed or injured in a school shooting

27 People killed

24 Students or other children killed

3 School employees or other adults killed

40* People injured

* Not yet updated with information from Uvalde, Texas

This Weekend: Art

 

This weekend an small art festival has popped up just a few blocks from my apartment

And late this afternoon the rain finally went away for a moment

It is always fun to wander around art festivals and see what is new

This year there was a lot of pouring based abstract art

I always like going and seeing art and getting ideas

In the end it turns out that we all can make art

Because art looks like so many different things

Everything/Anything can be art

If you have a chance to get to a free local art festival

This summer I would highly recommend

You give a chance and get some creative ideas

On how to bring color and joy to this world

We all need more color and joy right now.

One Stop Summer Activities In Chicago

 

Here is a collection of lists covering activities occurring around Chicago this summer.

I am putting all the lists in one place so that I can keep track of them.

Hope it is helpful for others too.

Festivals

DO312 Summer Festival Guide

Fitness

Fitness at Gallagher Way

Fitness at Millennium Park

Summer Dance

Markets

French Market at Gallagher Way

WBEZ guide to 80-plus summer farmers’ markets in Chicago and the suburbs

Movies

Movies at Gallagher Way

Chicago Park District: Movies in the Park

Music

Grant Park Music Festival 

Millennium Park Summer Music Series

Other

Events at the Chicago Public Library

Chicago Art Openings

Sundays on State

International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

On This Day

This International Day

This International Day Against

Homophobia

Transphobia

Biphobia

We remember how many of us

Our brothers and sisters and siblings

Are prosecuted

Because they Love those of the same gender

We remember how many of us

Our brothers and sisters and siblings

Are prosecuted

Because they have discovered 

The gender that they really are differs

From the gender others thought they were

We remember how many of us

Our brothers and sisters and siblings

Are prosecuted

Because they Love those of multiple genders

On This Day

This International Day

This International Day Against

Homophobia

Transphobia

Biphobia

 We remember those prosecuted by individuals

We remember those prosecuted by laws and institutions

We remember those prosecuted by governments

On This Day

This International Day

This International Day Against

Homophobia

Transphobia

Biphobia

The year is 2022

Why is there homophobia still?

Why is there transphobia still?

Why is there biphobia still?

The year is 2022

The year is 2022

Why do so many want to harm others?

Why do so many fear others knowing themselves?

Why do so many fear Love and Identity and Truth and Wisdom?

The year is 2022

This year is 2022

But in so many places we are going backwards

Going backwards to hate and harm

Going backwards, Going backwards, Going backwards

This year is 2022

On This Day

This International Day

This International Day Against

Homophobia

Transphobia

Biphobia

We remember

We stand proud in our love

We stand proud in our identity

We stand proud of who we are deep inside

We remember

 

Eurovision From Across The Pond

 

Eurovision was introduced to me this year by a friend over in Scotland. I knew that Eurovision was often parodied in other shows but I did not know how amazingly wibbly wobbly odd it really is. 

I was not able to watch the final live since it is hard to access on this side of the pond (It is almost like we are not a part of Europe LOL) but my friend had a running commentary and I was able to follow along well enough that I was able to write several poems about Eurovision Today. 

Overall Eurovision is just an amazing and wonderful break from life, the universe, and everything. 

Eurovision Poems #1

My friend on the other side of the pond

Is watching and commenting on Eurovision

Which is nice since the show got lost somewhere

On its way traveling over to this side of the pond,

And can only be seen by paying a lovely fee

Like when you visit the classic moulin rouge

Eurovision Poems #2

France asks what is wrong with

Dancing with the Devil? I bet

The Devil would be a good dancer

Maybe not the best, but then again

The Devil was not the best fiddler

Player either so being good is good

Enough. And the Devil has been

Around so probably knows all the

Dance moves throughout history

Eurovision Poems #3

Sadly Norway’s Give That Wolf A Banana

Was not the winner of this year’s Eurovision

But I have to say that I will remember wolves

Eat bananas long after I have forgotten I was

Following Eurovision this year, long after indeed

Eurovision Poems #4

Ukraine won Eurovision

And considering their spring

Being invaded, Being attacked

They should win everything

Absolutely everything indeed

Shout Out To My Mental Health Family

 

Recently I googled some mental health podcasts to listen to since this is mental health awareness month and ran into Depresh Mode with John Moe. The first episode I listened to was Joel Kim Booster Is In A Pit which was very moving. Note Joel Kim's episode in particular could be triggering for folks so make sure you take care of yourself and take care of those you love.

As the episode's description says:

The writer, comedian, and actor was in a brutal depressive episode when we spoke with him. Couldn’t write, could tell jokes if they were ones he wrote a long time ago. He could probably act, he said, but his creative life was over in his estimation. Hear what depression sounds like.

Joel Kim's episodes as well as others, as I have started to listen to the podcast from the beginning, are not shy to openly talk about the challenges and lived experience of mental health. I have also found them both illuminating and hitting me somehow at the same time. Listening to some of them has cut a bit close to home and some of my own experiences.

The podcast also has highlighted for me that I have been feeling the mental health repercussions of life, the universe, and everything. Over the last few weeks a lot of tasks have become impossible tasks for me. Where I am not able to accomplish as much as I normally would be able to do no problem such as my daily list of tasks.

Some examples:

Choosing food -- having to make food choices as been challenging, I have been leaning into the universe and going and seeing what is discounted at the grocery store and using that to determine what I will be eating. 

Yoga -- I typically do Yoga With Adriene everyday, but the last few weeks this has been really really hard. I just could not do it for like a week and now I am still struggling to do one each day no matter how short or easy they are

Cleaning -- Lets say I have some cleaning I really need to do in my room but it is not happening. Or like yesterday I did some laundry including sheets but as of now I have not gotten the clean sheets back on my bed lol. Last night I threw a comforter on my bed to sleep on instead. 

Now I have been able to do enough that I can keep going and so on paper it looks like I am doing totally fine. I am managing but listening to the podcast has been reminding me that I am not thriving right now and that might be something I want to work on at some point. It is important to be honest with ourselves and know when we are not living our best lives. 

So if your brain is wibbly wobbly know that you are not alone. I have heard from several acquaintances and friends who are struggling right now for a whole host of reasons. There is so much junk happening at a societal level the fact that everyone is not feeling down is more surprising than that so many of us are struggling.   

I have been journaling a lot (Journaling to Wentworth Miller since I feel like he would understand) about what is going on inside my head. I have been reading a lot of fanfiction where characters are processing their own junk. And I have been trying to be gentle on myself. I only accomplished one task instead of the 3 I intended? That is ok. Doing the minimum is ok. 

So yes this is a shout out to my mental health family. We are not alone in our struggles. So many have walked these paths before us and so many will walk them after us. And sometimes that is truly what makes all the difference when we feel like we have gotten a bit lost in the woods, night is falling, and we think we might have just heard a bear growling.

Flowers Found On Walk On Warm Day

 

Today I was able to get outside for a little while since it was warm.

Thank you roommate for the encouragement.

Here are a selection of photos I took since color can cheer us up

A Celebration Of Sherlock

 

It is time for another DePaul Pop Culture Conference Review. This year the topic was Sherlock Holmes which was a lot of fun. And considering I have not been to a conference where I wanted to pay attention all day since the before times I was able to handle a day of focus and a day around people better then I expected to. 

I also want to start with a shout out to Paul Jonathan Booth who was there in sprit even if COVID kept him from being there in person and a shout out to Elise Fong and all the amazing volunteers who kept the conference going.

A picture out the window of the classroom I was in pretty much all day.

Yes Saturday was one of the few sunny days we have had this spring

Yes you can give the conference the credit for causing the sun to come out and play.

(I feel like it is always sunny during the conference when we are all indoors)

Academic Keynote: Sherlock's "Lenses." by Dr Tom Ue

Dr Tom Ue explored the use of physical lenses and references to lenes through out the Holmes stories. I will say this talk was more on the academic vs. fandom side (yes I know considering it was the academic keynote that should have been clear LOL) and my brain was not quite awake and focused yet so I can't give a ton of details.

Sleuthing, Clues, and Misdirection: Crafting the crime fiction novel

This was a interesting panel around how to write crime fiction. 

• Protagonists should have curiosity and a personal stake aka needing to know answers even if not knowing would feel better
• Never writing one story. Always writing at least 2 stories for each character. How it happened and How it did not happen. Have clues that support both what happened and what did not happen
• 1st draft is for you/2nd draft is for readers and you have to become a god of an angry universe
• Writers fall into two camps either that right a short 1st draft and have to expand or a long first draft and have to cut back

Professional Keynote: Production on Sherlock by Arwel Wyn Jones

I am not really sure how DePaul always is able to get so many superstars to come to these conferences. Arwel has worked as a production designer and art director for shows such as Sherlock and Doctor Who. 

• While everyone trusted Arwel his choice for the wallpaper for 221b caused a few people to say but are you sure you want to go with that? 
• Sometimes production choices are made deliberately and sometimes it just what is on hand
• For good production design you need either time or money, preferably both LOL
• Most of the sherlock props etc. are in storage so hypothetically there is still a chance for more
• When designing the TARDIS for Jodie, Arwel had her play around a bit without anyone else there and discovered she liked playing with things on the console so added more knobs, buttons, levers etc. 
• And the reason her TARDIS produces cookies is because he found out they were her favorite cookies. 

An Actor's Search for Sherlock Holmes by Curtis Armstrong

I know the actor Curtis Armstrong from the show supernatural but I guess he has been in other things as well. (And funny enough he happened to be behind me in line when I was picking up some breakfast to eat during the conference)

He has loved Sherlock Holmes from a young age and even had a 15 min weekly version he used to do on a high school radio show. No he does not have any tapes because he would record each week over the past weeks recording on his reel to reel. 

He got to say a line about Sherlock in Supernatural because Robbie Thompson knew he loved Sherlock so much. It was fun that my "friend" Robbie Thompson got a shout out. Well "friend" as in back when he was attending C2E2 in the before times he always recognized me from our brief interaction at The Celebration of Supernatural DePaul Conference. The Supernatural conference was before I was blogging but here is a post referencing meeting Robbie Connecting With Writers: Robbie Thompson which I wrote about a year later (2016) when Robbie moved on from Supernatural.

This is a picture of when Curtis pointed out when the time was the Sherlockian 221b. LOL 

Curtis currently is involved in a Sherlock Podcast that is going to be an reimagining of Sherlock Holmes that should be coming out this summer but even he does not know who the other voices are going to be played by.

Curtis ended his panel early so he could fit in a quick signing in order to be able to listen to the next panel. I did love overhearing while I was in line for an autograph him talking about how he is glad people know him from Supernatural but Supernatural was a job, on the other hand he is that superfan of Sherlock Holmes.

I know most people at the conference even those who were running it had been surprised to find out how much Curtis loved Sherlock and that he wanted to come to the conference. It is always fun to find out what fandoms actors/producers/writers are really really into themselves. 

I also realized I now have 3 signature from Supernatural folks but each is in a different place. (I have Robbie Thompson's in a few places now, Mark Sheppard in my autograph book, and now Curtis on my Sherlock Conference program.)

Keynote: Adapting Arthur Conan Doyles: Collaboration and Competition" by Dr Ashley Polasek

This was a cool talk that looked at the evolution of the character of Sherlock Holmes using a biological model. 

Dr Ashley Polasek walked us through the though process of Ken Ludwig (who wrote Lend Me a Tenor) as he formed his most recent play which is a second play based on Sherlock. I am not sure how much I am supposed to share so all I will say is it was fascinating to explore which stories he chose to combine, which parts of which stories he chose, and go through some of his ideas that did not work out in the end. 

From the Q and A I loved Dr Ashley Polasek suggestion that part of the reason that Sherlock seems to be getting mopeyer and mopeyer is in part because John Watson is growing as a character. In the stories Watson is the narrator but with TV and Movies the camera becomes the narrator so Watson became comic relief. Recently versions are acknowledging that Watson is probably pretty capable since he was an army surgeon. So Sherlock is getting worst and worst with people/social cues/etc in order to give Watson a challenge/something to do beyond going wow what a great deduction LOL.

"Sex doesn't alarm me": Sexuality and Asexuality in Sherlock Holmes

And then it was time for my panel. While I will admit I was a bit nervous about speaking in front of others the panel went well even if a few people were missing (I am assuming for COVID reasons.) We ended a bit early but since we were one of the last panels for the day I don't think the audience minded. LOL

For anyone who was not able to attend you can order the conference book (which includes a piece I wrote) and is raising money for charity. A digital copy can be gotten on Blurb.com  and a print version can be gotten on amazon 

Mental Health Awareness Month

 

This is a good month to take a deep breath and reflect on how you are really doing right now. 

• Are you thriving?
• Are your struggling? 
• Do you need to reach out for support?
• Do you need to check in with someone else who might need support? 
• What is going well in your life? 
• What needs to be wiggled to be a better fit?

It is important that we all stay on top of our mental health and the mental health journeys of those we love. Sometimes a simple check in can make all the difference. No matter where you find yourself right now on the mental health spectrum:

• Know you are beloved
• Know you are amazing
• Know you are loved

There is a lot of heaviness going on in the world right now so many of us are not feeling our best. When things feel heavy take a breath and know you are never alone in your struggle.

• Be gentle on yourself. 
• Be kind to yourself. 
• Treat yourself like your best friend. 
• If it becomes too heavy reach out to someone you trust to share the heaviness making the load lighter

Criminalizing Being A Woman ...

It has been leaked that the Supreme Court wants to criminalize being a woman aka get rid of Roe vs Wade. And honestly I am still processing the news. I have read the dystopian novels and know a dystopia should never be our goal as a country. 

And what is even scarier than attacking Roe vs Wade is the fact that it would open the door to attacking so many of our rights. 

This [is] an interpretation that, if carried to its logical conclusion, would eradicate many of Americans’ other rights that the court has recognized based on so-called substantive due process concerns, among them the right to contraception, the right to gay marriage, and the decriminalization of gay sex. The end of legal abortion will not be where the court’s reactionaries stop. They aim to hurt, punish and narrow the lives of Americans in many more cruel and inventive ways.

The sudden illegality of abortion in most states come June will also create new legal landmines that will rapidly erode other individual rights. As women cross state borders for care, red states will try to limit interstate travel. As activists send abortion pills through the mail, aggressive searches and seizures of packages and personal belongings will become more frequent. Guardian.com 

I feel like I should write more but right now my heart is heavy and I am still processing everything. I will leave you with some resources. If you have any bandwidth left to think about these issues I would recommend listening to these insightful podcast eps that give historical context to the leaked ruling, abortion, and the Supreme Court in general.

Politics Chat, May 3, 2022  

(An historical context for the leaked decision) 

By Heather Cox Richardson 

Abortion: Whose Choice? 

(A history of Abortion in America) 

Now and Then Podcast (Sep 14 2021)

Judging the Supreme Court 

(A history of the the role of the Supreme Court) 

Now and Then Podcast (July 13 2021)

And if you have any disposable income consider donating to planned parenthood