How Is Bradley?

Where'd the Corn Man Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:42:00 +0000

I've been down a bit lately. Not depressed, just sad. Why? The Corn Man is gone. When he was around I know I took him for granted. I probably only bought from him about one night each week, but it was a pleasure to hear him every day.

He arrived at our apartment complex at different times each day, but if you were home, there was no missing him. He would stand out behind the apartment building and holler that he was there. He always yelled in Spanish so I have no clue what he was saying, His voice was always hoarse so it probably was hard to understand Spanish speaking or not. Despite not understanding what he said, his voice was as comfortable as curling up under an afghan on a cold winter night.

The days I did choose to buy from him it was exciting to run down to the first floor to find him parked out back. There was no missing his rusted red, beat up truck. He had plenty of items to sell. Toys and trinkets hung down inside his truck. Mexican treats were available too. But, I didn't care at all about any of that junk. All I ever wanted was some of his corn. Hmmmm, his yummy decadent corn.

It was fun to watch him fix my corn. He'd reach into his cooler and grab a warm piece of corn on a stick. He then would spoon some kind of concoction all over every bit of the corn. Sometimes a little would splatter on me, I couldn't imagine complaining ,though, afterall he was making me one of his beautiful masterpieces. I have no idea what the first thing he was smearing on my corn. Someone once told me that it was mayonaise with a bunch of other flavors added to it. I'm not sure if that was true. It didn't taste like mayo at all. Probably only the Corn Man really knew.

Now it was time for the butter. He would lather the corn completely in a melted delightful buttery mess. The final thing he did before handing the corn over was to sprinkle just a smidgen of ground peppers on it. He would ask me twice each time I told him I'd like the peppers on it. My guess is it probably was too much for most gringos, but to me it was the icing on the cake.

I never knew how much he would charge me. That was part of the excitement. One day he would charge me $5.50 and the next day it would be $2.00. I don't know why there were such fluctuating prices. I guessed it probably had a lot to do with how much gas he needed to get home that evening.

Finally, the best part. After paying for it, he would hand the corn over and immediately butter would start sliding off the corn onto my hand. The only way to make it back to your apartment without leaving piles of butter trailed behind you was to lick some off the top of your hand and then run like crazy to the kitchen. This was not a product that you'd consider eating on good furniture or over carpeting. It had to be eaten while standing up in the kitchen.

Oh it was so delicious. Half the butter would slide down into my beard as I ate it, but I didn't care. It was impossible to put down. It only took minutes to eat it, and that always made me hunger for more but he'd be gone. Off to another apartment complex yelling his gibberish to let the tenants who lived there know it was their turn to buy some corn.

I don't know what ever happened to the Corn Man. Did the health department finally catch up with his truck? Did he slip on butter and has been in a coma ever since. I like to think more positively about it. Maybe he earned enough to get a home in Beverly Hills or Bel Aire.

I don't know where you are Mr. Corn Man, but I hope to hear you yelling gibberish again. You will always have a special place in my heart. I will always hope that one day you will return.

Another Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:02:00 +0000

When I first started this blog, about a year ago, I interviewed myself as an introduction to my blog. Now that I'm restarting it, I figure I should do the same. So, here we go:

What is your favorite color: green or blue, it depends on the lighting.

When was the last time you had a drink: As a member of AA, I've been completely clean and sober for almost 6 years.

Gay or Straight? Gay and out of the closet and loving the life I have.

Married or Single: Maurice and I exchanged our vows two years ago. "Official" state law says we aren't married, but fuck them. Our minister conducted the ceremony. It was small but very moving.

If you could go back in time, where would you go? I'd go back to the time of Christ to see what really happened.

Do you have any children?Yes, I have a beautiful 13 year old daughter who lives in the midwest with her mom.

When were you diagnosed as bipolar: For years I'd been diagnosed as chronic depressive, but last year I was finally diagnosed as being bipolar. My meds are working tremendously

Do you have any siblings: Yes, we had 7 children in my house. I'm was the youngest . Both of my parents and one brother are now deceased.

Where do you work? I've been on disability for 3 years. It started because I was having

seizures. Checking for those, it was determined I'm bipolar. It was no surprise to me.

What are you life plans: In January I'll begin college and will be trained as a Drug and Alcohol counselor, once that happens I'll go to seminary to become a Unitarian Universalist Minister Total college ahead of me is about 8 years (sigh) My goal is to become a minister, however, if I find I really enjoy counseling, then I may continue that instead.

What is a Unitarian Universalist: If you really want to know, then follow this link: http://www.uua.org/ We were considered Heathens by the churches 500 years ago. Today some still consider us heathens. Many of us take pride in that.

Where all have you lived: Niles Michigan; Greensburg PA; High Point NC: Omaha Ne: Scottsdale, AZ; Las Vegas, NV; Northern California and now Southern California (Los Angeles)

What's your favorite thing to do? I'm stuck at home most of the time so I'll say surfing the net. Outdoors my favorite activity is to go to the beach.

What's your biggest fear: Clowns scare the shit out of me.

What's your favorite tv show: I watch very little tv, but Law & Order SVU has me under it's spell. I also love Lost.

That's it for now. As I've said, I've made a commitment to myself and now I'm making it to you - that I'll be posting at least 3 - 5 days each week.

Look It's Really Me again

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Wow, I didn't realize how damn long it's been since I actually wrote something for this blog. I apologize for the couple of times I said I was coming back, but didn't. It's because I was playing around in other online games, such as Second Life. I've had fun, but I've now grown weary of them. During this entire time I missed blogging more and more every day. I have no excuses other than taking the time to search the net to learn what else I can do.

I have no idea where to begin since it's been so long, Here's a quick rundown. Currently I'm having pretty severe loss of memory, but I'll try and get as much down as I can:

Change of pdoc. As I've said time and time again, I loved my pdoc. Unfortunately she has filled her resident status and moved away. She is replaced by a grumbly older guy. He's nice but has made an appointment for next month. My old pdoc saw me once a week. This makes me a little nervous. I'm hoping he takes good care of me with the meds but assigns me to a good person for therapy
Recently we've seen:
XMen Origins: Woverine: Transformers 2: Terminator Salvation; Up; Monster vs Aliens ; 9, and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

I get surprised to hear I had already seen these movies, I can't remember the story line, the actors. Hell, I don't even remember being in the theaters,

I have no concept of date and time. for instance, I thought for sure today was Monday, only to be corrected that's it's Friday. Doesnt sound like much, however, I have to ask these type of questions all day

I've started seeing cats and dogs. I'll see our cat run under the kitchen table to hide. I've also felt the cat cuddling up with me in bed. The dog doesn't really do much. He causes no trouble, he just runs around the house. There is one huge problem here: We do not have a cat or dog. When I see these animals and look at them from the corner of my eye they just kind of whisp away kinda like the demons.

I still suffer from dissassociation. When that happens I am terrified to do anything. I'm afraid to touch the walls or counters, or pretty much anything in the house. I'm frightened that I'll find just a gooey substance that my hands would go right through anything in the room. For instance, if I put my ass down on the bed I fear I would sink right down in it. It's an awful feeling and frightening. Fortunately the episodes don't last long. Usually I reach out to a wall and feel safer. If Maurice is around, he'll grab my hands and walk with me around a bit.

Despite all of this, I'm grateful for how far I've come. All the items listed above have been going on for nearly 3 years and most have subsided finally. The only ones I'm dealing with regularly is the disassociation and my spooky cat and dog.

It's Friday and I normally don't post on the weekends. I hope to see you all then.

The Spirit Moves Me

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:08:00 +0000

I really miss blogging, but took time off to play on Second Life Again. After about a week I was bored with it and the things we did.

I'm not going to promise that I'm coming back and will work on my blog. But those are my plans. I really love blogging and reading what many of you, my virtual friends, have written

OK, So I Lied

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:32:00 +0000

Hi all. Last week I said would be back that week. I did not purposely deceive anyone. I've just become a damn sleeping zombie. I crawl out of bed in the morning and quickly take my pills and then I go back to bed. I wake up again about 2pm and have lunch and then it's back to bed again where I sleep til breakfast and then do all of the above all over again.

So, I'll work with my pdoc to determine what is going on here and hopefully get back on track.

For those of you that have been emailing me to resume my Blog. I finally have. It's a slow state out of the barn right now, but soon she back in order. Any one not familiar with my blog you can check it out at www.howisbradley.com

I'm Coming Back

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:58:00 +0000

I have a promise. Sometime this week I'll back and will continue to write about this crazy life of mine. I appreciate all the comments and emails that were sent. You will see me but there is a slight chance that I will be on Jury Duty. I'll know Monday if that's going to happen. Hugs to all of you.

What Do You Believe?

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:17:00 +0000

One of my favorite websites is Belief.net It's a treasure trove of information about all the major worlds religions. It's an especially good place to go if one is searching for others who may fall within their same belief system.

My favorite part of Belief.net is the Belief-O-Matic. It's a fun test to take in which you answer a series of questions about your beliefs. Once done, the Belief-O-Matic will provide a list of approx 25 religions or belief systems and will give you a percentage which shows how closely your beliefs are in line with those. Here's the top five that were on my list:

1.	Mahayana Buddhism (100%)
2.	Liberal Quakers (94%)
3.	Unitarian Universalism (92%)
4.	Taoism (90%)
5.	Theravada Buddhism (90%)

As you can see, Belief.net also provides links to each all the religions you match so you can read and understand what their belief system is. My results aren't surprising because I am a Unitarian Universalist who practices Buddhism and I've always had a huge respect for the Quakers.

Here's a link to Belief-O-Matic.

Go ahead and check it out. It's fun. If you feel up to it, please post your top five list here in the comments. It'd be fun to see the difference we all may or may not have.

Dancin' with Myself

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:58:00 +0000

I woke up to the blues this morning. It doesn't happen to me as often these days, but this was a morning where depression hit me again. As in the past I resigned myself to accept it and wait until it passed over, but then something changed about noon.

Just before lunch I was still feeling depressed but I had a sudden burst of energy. This 284 pound man was shaking his booty as he prepared tuna salad for lunch. Guess what? Suddenly I found myself feeling a little better.

After lunch I didn't feel like going out for a walk but I still had some energy in me. I had talked with my pdoc about dancing to lose weight but hadn't really done it much, but this time I put on some old disco music and proceeded to knock all the plaster off the ceiling of my downstairs neighbors.

It was fun, good exercise and I feel much better now. In fact, if it continues I'd rate myself as having a damn good day.

Everyone gets the blues. The difference is that it's easy for people like me to allow the blues to take hold and drag you down into major depression. It's one of the more difficult things to deal with when suffering from depression or bipolar. How do you determine that you have the blues and it's ok as compared to major depression. I now believe one of the differences is whether you can dance with yourself around the apartment or not.

I've decided this will be the way I will monitor my feelings in the future. If I start to feel down I'll get up off my ass and shake my thing and hopefully bring myself up again. If I can't get my ass up or just can't get into it then I probably am in the pits of depression. Still I can try and dance then anyway, but that's easy to say today when I'm feeling up already.

Time to put my dancing shoes back on and shake my bon bon and then get ready for an appointment with my pdoc. Here's a video you may enjoy and may get you a movin' and a shakin' too.

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:59:00 +0000

Click Here to find out why Carrie Fisher is my new idol.

Follow the link and then click on the video in the top right corner. It's her interview with Matt Lauer on the Today show. She's amazing.

Back to the Hospital

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:56:00 +0000

I've become way to use to emergency rooms. Last year when I was having seizures galore I became a regular. The other day I showed up again but this time it was because of chest pains.

If you ever have an opportunity to have an elephant stand on your chest, I suggest that you decline. I think I have a pretty good idea what it feels like and it ain't pleasant. Every breath was difficult to take and would cause stabbing pain throughout my chest. I refused to accept that anything was wrong so I decided that the pain was cause by Maurice sleeping on my chest all night. Nevermind that his head would have to weigh as much as a bowling ball to cause this much pain. His head on my chest for hours was my diagnosis and that is what I was sticking to. I should have called 911, but I'm a stubborn dumbass.

The pain became less intense on Thursday and Friday and started hurting on only one side of my chest. I still shouldn't have ignored it, but I decided that if it was my heart that I'd be dead already so why bother going to the emergency room. I could live with a little intense pain now and again. Besides, the pain was dissipating. Dr. Bradley determined there was nothing to worry about.

Saturday it got worse again. The pain was still on one side of my chest but was now shooting up to my neck. I didn't think that was a good thing at all, but wanted to wait awhile so that Maurice and I could enjoy a nice picnic on the beach. The beach wasn't a good place to go since the lifeguards are sparse this time of year. It'd be hard for Maurice to get help if I needed it, but a picnic seemed a helluva lot nicer than going to the emergency room. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. We nixed the picnic idea and went to the emergency room instead.

I don't know about the rest of the country, but emergency rooms in California are bursting at the seams. The large number of people who have no health insurance are forced to go to the emergency for non-emergency problems. They can't afford a regular physician. The waiting area was standing room only.

Fortunately for me, chest pains are taken very seriously, so I was immediately escorted from check-in and taken in for some tests. Yippie! I thought. No waiting for me tonight. I was wrong. Jose, the cute guy conducting the tests said that I'd be going back to the waiting area and that I should hope for a long wait. A long wait would show that I wasn't dealing with anything immediately dangerous. That was logical , but I sure didn't feel lucky. I waited for over 20 hours after having my tests done. I was given tests for a second time, including a CT scan and then was taken to the trauma center. Finally a bed and some morphine and I was able to get some sleep. Poor Maurice had to sleep in a chair next to me.

The doctor determined that I wasn't having any heart problems. My tests came back looking good. He had no idea what was causing the pain but my heart was in fit condition. It's just like my seizures. There was never any diagnosis why they occured, they just did. We discussed that it likely was pleurisy, which is a reduction of the lining/fluid around the lungs which prevents them from rubbing against other things in my chest. It can be deadly, but usually goes away after a brief period. For me, the pain was completely gone the next day.

30 hours in ER was no picnic. We should have gone to the beach afterall.

The Hardest Pound I Ever Worked Off

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:41:00 +0000

My first week on Weight Watchers has passed. I converted the fats, fiber and calories into points. I logged every point in my tracker. I ate my veggies, ate small servings in general..and so on. I marched up to the scale at the weight watchers meeting with no fear. I was ready to boast about my tremendous weight loss. I hopped on the scale full of excitment when BAM...I was told I lost exactly one pound. ONE POUND???? What the hell? I know so many people who swear by the Weight Watchers plan and boast about how much they lost. Why did I not lose as much as I thought I would? I was told I didn't eat enough. The plan keeps me full all the time and I'm not eating enough? (sigh).

This week I have to ensure I eat all the points available to me daily. That's going to be tough to do. I get 39 points a day, which is meaningless to you if you haven't been to Weight Watchers. For those of you that aren't familiar - 1 cup of beef equals 8 points. If I only ate beef all day then I would have to eat 6 f*****g cups of beef in a day to reach my total points allowance. That's a helluva lot of beef. Imagine trying to reach that while eating mostly fruits and vegetables as expected. It aint easy.

Anyway, I'm going to try and bask in the fact that I'm one pound less and that I didn't gain any weight.

What I Did on my Winter Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:21:00 +0000

It was a good break away from the blog for the last couple of months, but now I'm back.

Somehow during my vacation I lost almost 10 pounds. I can't figure out how. I sure as hell wasn't trying. But, now I'm down to 284 pounds. I've joined Weight Watchers to keep the trend going. It's kind of a pain in the ass tracking points for the food I eat, but I've heard nothing but good feedback from friends of mine who joined. Now I get myself weighed each week and sit in a meeting with a group of women.

Balanced, balanced, balanced. That's how my mental state has been. I've had no wild roller coaster rides with my emotions. No large highs followed by deep lows in awhile. It feels good to feel good. I do still suffer from large anxiety that keeps my body shaking virtually all the time, but at least I'm not suffering crazy manic or depressed stages and major anxiety too.

Thanksgiving was spent with friends, Christmas with Maurice's family and for New Years we celebrated at our church.

Sorry for the uneventful writing but I'm still working on the final tweaks on a website and I need to get back to it now. I should be done this week though.

Vacation is Over

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:17:00 +0000

Welcome back to all three of you who realize I'm finally back and are reading this post. I popped on to say nothing fancy, nothing funny, just a little note to say thank you for staying with me during my absence. I'll now be posting regularly again. Check up on me tomorrow.

I Haven't Forgotten All of You

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 18:37:00 +0000

I'm still around, just busy still. I decided that my "official" return date will be right after the new year. I may start back sooner, however, if the spirit moves. Enjoy your vacation from my nonsensical rantings until I return.

Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:47:00 +0000

I'm going on hiatus for awhile and am taking it easy. Basically a vacation from my blog. I hope to be back at it in a few weeks or so.

Should I Stay or Should I Go

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:38:00 +0000

This blog has been a blessing to me. When my bipolar disorder was sending me as high as a rocket or made me want to crawl under a rock, I found writing in the blog to be extremely cathartic.

In addition to helping myself, I created this blog to teach others about living with a mood disorder. Based on the feedback I've received I feel that mission was accomplished for many.

So now my life is balanced and I'm at a crossroads. My meds are working great so I'm not having the high peaks or low valleys in my mood. In the process I seem to have lost my creative edge. I've heard from others in my support groups that this is not uncommon.

So now I have to decide what to do with my blog. Is it time to just say "mission accomplished" and move on? Sure I could continue updates on how Bradley is doing, but it would be routine stuff. Not much exciting. I had planned to switch to focusing on my diet and weight loss, but I don't have a huge interest in writing "today I ate healthy" or "I should have exercised today".

Based on all of the above I'm considering shutting the blog down. It's a difficult decision to make because I still have a strong love for it and don't want to let it go.

I'm seeking advice... Have you ever been at this crossroads? If you continued blogging, how did you become motivated again? Should I change the format? If so, to what? I've asked these questions in an older post, but now the situation is getting more grim, so I thought I'd give it another shot.

I've Been Tagged Again

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:49:00 +0000

My good friend, BigD at gaviotacoastline has tagged me with a few questions. Here they go:

1. My favorite Saying: There are no bad days, just bad attitudes. While I don't believe this is always true, it's probably true 90% of the time.

2. What part of your personality do you wish not to pass on to your child? I'm a chronic worrier and I hope she does not turn out the same. So far it's looking like she is.

3. While driving, what’s your biggest pet peeve? People who don't understand that the right lanes are for slow driving and the left lanes are for faster driving. When someone is driving in the left lanes slowly it should not only be my right, but my duty, to run them off the road.

4. If you could change your name, what would it be? Adam has always been my favorite name. Marcus is a close second.

5. What’s the best excuse you’ve ever heard? A kid who missed baseball practice and then claimed in all seriousness that he missed because he had hoof and mouth disease.

At this point I'm suppose to tag others, but I typically skip that part. If you'd like to consider yourself tagged, then be my guest.

Another Cartoon Repeat

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Since my brain is still not functioning the way it should, I'm still having difficulty writing. My scanner is now working, but I'm having the same problem with cartooning. For now, I'll re-post another of my favorites that I've done.

Keith Olbermann Speaks Out

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:30:00 +0000

There's nothing I can say to add to this video. Olbermann says it all:

Marching For Liberty

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:24:00 +0000

I'm still licking my wounds because of the passing of proposition 8, which designates that marriage is only between a man and a woman. I'm still dumbfounded that it would pass in California. We are now in a world where people actually vote to add constitutional ammendments to restrict the rights of a group of people. Gay or not this should scare the shit out of every U.S. resident.

Friday night Maurice and I joined the protest march in Long Beach. The silver lining was the sense of uniting a community. I believe the churches that pushed for this ammendment succeeded in getting it passed, but they aint seen nothing yet. Over 2,000 joined the Long Beach protest and we were 5 - 6 blocks long. Other protests have had significantly more people join.

It appears to me we may have the sixties all over again. The protests are spreading and I believe they may start reaching nationwide. The strong sense of unity and community was powerful. It's time for those in the LGBT community unite together and no longer accept being second class citizens.

It's the dawning of a new era and the religious right and all those who want to restrict the rights of others have awakened a sleeping giant.

Back to Walking and Embracing AA

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:51:00 +0000

I finally got back to walking this morning. It's been awhile. I don't know my weight right now, but my clothes are telling me I've gained a bit again. DAMN CLOTHES! I go to the doctors this afternoon and I'll go ahead and weigh myself again. I haven't checked it for awhile.

My walk this morning was to an AA meeting that is one mile from my home. One mile there, attend the meeting and then one mile home. A great way to start the day. I am full of amazing energy and it's not mania. It's been a long time since I've felt like this - I hope it keeps me motivated to continue.

I'm continuing the web design project and I'm finding it somewhat difficult. My brain is still not all there to deal with details well. I'm doing it, but at a much slower pace than I use to. I'm forcing myself to continue, just pacing myself.

That's how Bradley is doing today. My scanner is still not working so once again I'll replay one of my cartoons.

A Bittersweet Day

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:08:00 +0000

I've made it no secret that I supported Barak Obama for president. I was very excited when it was announced he won. This truly is a momentous occasion. Even those who didn't support him should feel proud that a black man can finally be president in the U.S.

Unfortunately, nearer and dearer to my heart, proposition 8 passed in California. Proposition 8 declared that marriage is between a man and a woman. Four months ago the state supreme court declared that I am an equal citizen. I could legally marry the man I loved. That all changed yesterday. The citizens of the state voted to overturn the Supreme Court's decision.

I don't really know what to say about all this. I've shed a few tears. I'm ready, without hesitation, to move to Canada, but I don't think Maurice is open to the idea. Many have already told me they would perceive that as cowardly. I, however, consider it just voting with my feet. If Americans want to consider me a second class citizen, then fine, I'll just go where they feel differently about that.

Three separate states added to their constitutions last night that marriage is only between a man and a woman. So yes, we finally have reached the point that a black man is in office, but there's still plenty of hate to go around.

Anger and sadness are ripping my guts out right now. Fuck you to all the haters out there.

ELECTION DAY

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:10:00 +0000

It's election day and this political junkie can't tear himself away from the tv. See ya'll tomorrow.

Uncle Bradley's Words of Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:19:00 +0000

This weeks question is an important one that many of us have encountered at one time or another:

Dear Uncle Bradley,

I want to date, or I just started dating. When do I tell said date that I am bipolar, unipolar? Do I bring it up at all? What if I am rejected?

Signed, Anonymous,

Excellent question, Anonymous. If you are just dating someone then I personally see no reason to bring it up at all. Just enjoy your dates, and if you have those emotional times when you can't handle it then just tell your date you don't feel well and can't go out.

If you are dating someone with the assumption or hope that it will develop into something more then that's an entirely different story. I also think it's more likely what you are referring too since not many people just date anymore.

In the early stages of dating I see no reason to tell your suitor that you are bipolar. If you are experiencing mood swings or behavior to the point that it is very noticeable then you probably want to tell him. I would think your odds of keeping the relationship going are better if you tell him in this situation, rather than if you didn't tell.

Finally, what if you are dating an individual and then determine that the relationship is becoming deeper. My belief is that is when it's time to tell him. Honesty is an important part of any relationship including your mental illness. Try and have some pamphlets available to provide him after you tell him. You could even ask if he'd like to go with you to talk with your therapist so he has an understanding. Don't be too upset if he has a lot of indecision at this time because some people are very ignorant of bipolar and mental illness. I've had some people think that meant I was schizophrenic and some thought it must mean I become dangerous when I'm manic. Try and educate him the best you can.

What if you are rejected? It may happen and it's something beyond your control other than educating him the best you can. Mental illness is scary to many people. Depending on your situation it may mean a significant amount of support that your other half may have to give and perhaps he's unwilling or unable to provide that.

All you can do is be honest. Any relationship based on dishonesty is not a true relationship. Unless the situation remains as casual dating then there will come a time when you have to tell. All you can do is be completely honest and hope for the best.

If you are facing this situation, I wish you well.

Uncle Bradley

Uncle Bradley is not a physician or therapist. He's just a guy sharing his opinions based on his own life experiences.

If you have a question for Uncle Bradley then please feel free to leave the question in one of the comment sections during the week. If you prefer to remain anonymous then choose the contact button on the blog and email your question.

It's All About MEME

noreply@blogger.com (Bradley) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:49:00 +0000

Yesterday I was tagged by Crighton Johin of The Guest House and ariadnek of Weird Cake. The spirits above must be looking after me because they both tagged me with the same meme and it's kind of a fun one. The rule is that I must list six habits/quirks about myself.

Here's my list:

I bite my nails and I mean really bite them down to the quick. It's a habit I've tried to shake since I was a kid.
I'm a living stereotype. I'm a gay man who talks with a very pronounced lisp. When I was a kid I went to speech therapy for six years before they gave up.
My mom was 39 and had six kids already when she became pregnant with me. I didn't need to be a genius to figure out I was an oopsie baby.
I've worked as a salesperson numerous times in the past including selling auto club memberships, water filters and burial plans. I sucked at all of them. I just wanted to talk to people not sell them shit they didn't need.
I love to dance and don't do it nearly enough. Sometimes I'll just dance around the house (good exercise btw)
I'm a huge flirt. Doesn't matter who you are. Male, female, gorgeous, unattractive. If we have an interaction it's likely I'll flirt a bit.

At this point I'm suppose to tag six people, but I'm going to break that rule as always. If you'd like to be tagged for this meme, consider yourself tagged.