Saturday, August 11, 2012

Shuttin' 'er down

Story is that a chap going on a honeymoon cruise stopped in to buy some condoms and seasick pills.  Druggist says, "If it makes you sick, why do you do it?"

That is kind of how it is with me right now. This is the 1129th post since April 10, 2008 so four years and four months is long enough. It started out fun and sometimes funny.  Blogging isn't fun anymore and some days nothing is funny.

Problem is I am switching meds right now and weaning myself off the old one slowly to reduce withdrawal symptoms.  I am at a very low dose and have two weeks to finish and two weeks to let it clear my system completely before I start the new one which I can buy locally in Ukraine.  

Now, understand, the meds don't do anything for me.  But I find when I take them that other people don't act like complete flaming assholes all the time just to piss me off.  If THEY would take Prozac, I wouldn't have to.  Told my late wife that one time.  Didn't help matters any.

At any rate, I have been so grouchy lately, I could put my teeth in backwards and bite myself in the throat. So the time has come to acknowledge that I need a rest. And I am cutting waaaay back on internet readings on politics and religion, too.

My thanks to faithful readers, especially those who comment from time to time.  I have learned a great deal from your comments and often wish we could continue the conversations.


There are blogs I have followed and enjoyed and intend to continue checking in from time to time.

Again, many thanks to my readers.


26 comments:

  1. Sorry you're packing it in. But I understand your situation; been there, done that, have the scars. I thought things were a bit different for you. I hope you had a decent rest and will boon be feeling better, too.

    Blessings and Bear hugs, eh?

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  2. Will your old posts still be available? I understand that you won't be posting new ones, but I hope I can go back and read ones I missed. As you know, I've been putting a lot of my life on hold while I devote time to Isaac! I do hope you stay in touch. I've appreciated your support!

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    1. RB, figured you would understand. I am backing off slowly to see how I do without them and it looks like I will start the new one as soon as I am clear of the old one.

      Lyn, don't worry, your blog is one I will continue to follow and no I won't delete this one as I may go back some day and start in again.

      Delete
    2. Great. One of these days I will stop tinkering on the manuscript and will have time to read something besides my own work! I don't know about your meds, but I do know that paying too much attention to politics, religion, and other social battles can be very upsetting.

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  3. It is a good idea to take a break from blogging if it isn't enjoyable anymore. On nice days get out and enjoy the outdoors, or something else for a little rest and relaxation. After I didn't feel like blogging for a while last fall, I just feel inspired about once a month now. Hope the transition to a new medicine can go without too much problem, and you are feeling better soon.

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  4. Replies
    1. DC, been this route before and know the tune, too. the new meds are more money but still cheaper than a trip home to see the Dr. every six months under the new Sask regulations.

      Ol'B, thanks. Your blog is another I will continue to follow.

      Delete
  5. Oh BF..I am sorry to read this but know exactly how you feel. Too much time on the computer is just not good I think...we start to live in a little world all of our own making which is kind of nice but not really how it was meant to be. Everything has a cycle ...a beginning and an end. But if you do feel like popping in to just say hi and let us know how you are doing I would like that....take care....xo

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  6. Oh don't leave now. Life was just starting to get interesting. And who else could make an ordinary subject like cattle ranching interesting?

    As for me just so you know they'll have to pry the keyboard out of my cold dead hands.

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    1. afcg, I will drop buy once in a while to see how you and Mr Gates (not Bill) and your little campers are doing.

      Demeur, I will still read your (damn depressing) blogs and comment periodically. Also send you stuff once in a while to get an opinion as in the past.

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  7. I am sorry you are having troubles. I'd say I was familiar with some of it but we each inhabit ourselves in our own way, so I won't presume. I'll send along my favorite mental-health bumpersticker: "Don't believe everything you think."

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  8. I regret your decision, BF, but I can understand it. I've had periods when the desire to write more posts just wasn't there. I hope after a few weeks or months you will feel differently. In the meantime, read different things, talk to other people and think other thoughts for awhile. Maybe you'll be able to come back refreshed. I hope so, anyway. I also hope the medication switch goes smoothly and comfortably.

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    Replies
    1. Murr, I like your advice and wish I could actually do that. People who plug earbuds in and blast music into their empty heads in lieu of thinking may well be on to something.

      SW, thanks for the support. Maybe once the new meds kick in and I don't want to bite people, I will give it another try. Avoiding politics and religion will be the 1st rule I lay down.

      Delete
  9. Take your time to get yourself together. I won't delete your blog from my blogroll until you delete your blog, if you do.

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  10. Sorry to hear you need a break, but when blogging stops being fun it's time to step away from the computer.

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    1. Kulkuri and Nan, you are two of the many people I have "met" in the blogosphere whose blogs I really enjoy. Kulkuri, you deal with the serious by not being serious and Nan, you stick commonsense in every once in a while to keep things on an even keel.
      I'll be around to visit at any rate.

      Delete
  11. Love you, papa, and I will miss reading your blog (and I know a lot of others will too), but like people have said, you've got to take care of yourself.
    But I do hope you'll send us family emails with all the Tanya-isms and stories about your day-to-day life. Those are my favourite because it's the day-to-day stuff with you that I miss.

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  12. I'm going to miss you here - but I'll keep stalking you elsewhere. :)

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  13. Thanks, Ky, I will and I wouldn't mind those same kind of emails from you kids, too.

    Violet, you can run but you can't hide. I know where you live.

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  14. After a spell of getting to know an old friend again, your post today feels the same as seeing my grandparents getting on the train in Maple Creek to return to Kansas circa 1950.

    Enjoyed the visit, was a consolation that another from our days at Saskatoon had made the same political journey I was making.

    Medication has its ups and downs, one ongoing benefit was the eye opening I had that "Alberta Report" was causing me to have the angries-no more of that problem.

    Though there are few endeavours more satisfying than tilting at windmills, I have found that retirement has bought me the ability to say "why now". The adrenaline fits and sleepless nights spent railing against injustice or a sky that would not rain seem now like mere memories of another time-and I like the new dispassionate me! So much better than the one who cursed his God and the land that gave him birth when the sky would withhold the rain.

    So, my pills three times a day, a loving wife and a good night sleep helps me through life. It could be worse.

    All the best to you and Tanya, Al and may there be many beautiful mornings in your future, birds that sing and rainbows in the sky.

    Skol
    Blair

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  15. Get some rest my friend. I know politics and religion just gets me riled up and, frankly, I don't need that. Get your meds straightened out and see how things go. I seriously think you are on to something when you said the rest of the world needs Prozac, not you. Best of luck!

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    Replies
    1. Blair, I will catch up to you by email.

      Jono, thanks so much. We'll see how I do in a month or so.

      Delete
  16. I'm hoping this is a break rather than a withdrawal. So, you've been on Prozac and you're going to try something else? When I took Prozac--nearly 20 years ago--I got so high that I couldn't understand why it wasn't a street drug. Too bad it didn't last. Pretty soon, I was at the max dose and felt nothing. Then came other drugs, with Zoloft being the best. I stopped it--like the rest--on my own and went through a tough withdrawal. Now, I take Cymbalta in a low dose for pain, and have thought about upping the dose for depression, but, as you know I'm sure, such drugs have a flattening effect, that is they deaden the pain, but they also reduce the pleasure. So, I eat a lot of pot and take a fair amount of narcotics. Ain't nothing feels so good as them there narcotics. Again, I hope this isn't the end for you. I really do. You would be missed--by me, for one.

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  17. Thanks, Snowbrush. I will likely be back, maybe in the fall. I did need a break though. I have tried several antidepressants and they all act about the same with me. I just need something I can afford and that is available locally. But I am not trying to do pain management like you are so it is different.

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  18. Hi, Blog Fodder. Your ISP is listed at nine sites that track spammers, meaning it's kind of notorious as a source of spam mail and comments. I started getting a much heavier load of spam comments last spring, and it got worse in July. So, last month I switched to a new spam-blocking Wordpress plugin, and it's extremely effective. However, it works off a list of spam sources kept by the plugin author, and there's nothing I can do about that except disable the plugin. I'm sure you can understand my not wanting to do that.

    Please try to visit Oh!pinion again and if it doesn't work leave a reply here. I will check back. Maybe if you still can't get in I can contact the plugin author to see if there's some way he could add an exceptions feature.

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  19. Fodder, I'm going to drop from your blog now because of the SPAM. When you decide to start it up again, please, please let me know, and I will gratefully return.

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