Allegheny County spokesperson Abigail Gardner hurled a suicide taunt at a local radio personality. What does that say about County government?

Last week, the spokesperson for Allegheny County posted a reel on Instagram in which she said “today, Colin Dunlap said we’re all soft, we’re overreacting, our forefathers used to be outside in the smog and smoke a pack on top of it. And to that I say, You’re right. Colin. You should go outside and […]

My kale smoothies have paid off sayeth my latest bloodwork

Content Note: nutrition and health minus the judgey lecture, destigmatizing food pantries, and bloodwork Kale. Kale seems to have done the trick. Back in April, I began a daily regimen of a kale smoothie. My cholesterol readings were elevated. I had already been taking a statin, but something else was necessary. My blood pressure was […]

Year after year, I failed the Presidential Fitness Test. No one questioned why.

Remember the Presidential Fitness tests in school? Push ups, sit ups, some running, dangling from a bar, etc. It sucked That’s how I learned I couldn’t do a sit up. Not in second grade, not in sixth grade, never really. From age five onward, I felt like a sit up failure. Even when my classmates […]

Trying Pelvic Floor Therapy to Help My Abdominal Trauma

CN: child abuse, menstrual/menopausal, dog bite I cannot do a sit up. I just can’t do it. This proved a challenge on the Presidential Fitness Tests in elementary school. My gym teacher, Mr Kenzel (sp?) was baffled. Year after year, I would strain and try. Classmates would support my back. I was a scrawny kid […]

Mental Health Awareness Month: Make This Emotional Support Kale Smoothie

In mid-April, I saw my PCP where I learned that my cholesterol levels and my blood pressure were high. Not run to the ER type high, but definitely higher than normal for me. The number one culprit is likely stress and anxiety. My load is heavy and has no sign of resolving soon. Sometimes, I’m […]

Mental Health Awareness Month: I wanted therapy in my teens, but that wasn’t okay

CN: bipolar disorder, therapy, medication, family dynamics Don’t fret – I’m not going to write 31 posts about involuntary civil commitments. My first accurate diagnosis was Bipolar Disorder. Originally, I was type II because I experienced hypomanic episodes rather than full blow mania. When I had a truly terrifying experience in 2010/2011, I was rediagnosed […]

Mental Health Awareness Month: Reviewing My 302 Petition and Warrant

Today begins Mental Health Awareness Month. To celebrate, I spent 90 minutes going over the 302 petition and warrant that turned my life upside down in 2023. Line by line, clause by clause. With my therapist. I was hyper aware of her concern as her image hovered in the bottom corner of my screen. We […]

Is it weird that I used a Popsicle mold as a jigger for my bourbon?

She gets up and pours herself a strong one  My friend Sarah and I are dabbling lightly in the libations lifestyle. In January, I had a cocktail at City Theatre when I saw a play and it was nice – bourbon and other stuff. I said “huh, I guess I like bourbon.” This led me […]

Impious and irreverent ‘sweary’ calendars are good for your mental health

I like calendars – being oriented to date and time are good mental health practices. I like calendars with attitude. And cats. In 2025, I had three wall calendars and one daily tear away calendar. The tear away was filled with women’s quotes, but in a bland way that focused on traditional messages. But I […]

If you smile through your fear and sorrow

I went to the dentist last week, abuzz with anxiety. This weirdly ended up okay because I just had one cavity and everything else was fixable. Except one bad tooth that has to be uninstalled. Second chances are always important. The dental cleaning weakened the bad tooth and it really hurt. I called an oral […]