Drag Artist Jade Elektra Wows Toronto AIDS Vigil with Her Version of ‘Undetectable’

Photo of Jade Elektra 'Undetectable'

This weekend, our Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is hosting a tribute to Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole. Their songbook is on my mind or in my ear, I suppose. So this video caught my eye when I was browsing My Fab Disease: Mark S. King writes After performing the song publicly once or twice, Jade […]

I Miss When It Felt Good to Be at Persad

Persad Center Delta Foundation Pridefest

I went in for my weekly therapy session today. It is Pride week! I didn’t expect banners or balloons, but I guess I expected some energy and vibes? Instead, it just felt the same as it has for months – a sad place with anxious folks (staff) dealing with a world that does not appreciate, […]

I Need Something Human

Foster Kittens

This week has been intense and I’m struggling to figure out what comes next for me. Not in some big grand mysterious plan sort of way, but in an introspective “Am I the person I want to be?” sort of way. On the ‘yes’ side of that question – I trapped five homeless kittens at […]

Measles Outbreak in Pittsburgh: I Tried To Get a Booster and Here’s What Happened

Measles Pittsburgh

I was born in 1970 and am reasonably sure my parents had me appropriately vaccinated. But I do not have a relationship with them, nor would they be reliable reporters. My mother actually kept out records for years in our baby books, but those were tossed by my brother. Soooo … I’m relying on the […]

Why I’m Blogging About Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

From NAMI website: During the month of May NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will launch the WhyCare? awareness campaign for Mental Health Month. The campaign emphasizes how the “power of caring” can make a life-changing impact on the more than 40 million people in the U.S. who face the day-to-day reality of having a mental health […]

Five Years as a Persad Client

Five years ago today, I began working with the team at Persad Center as a clinical client in addition to my existing community collaborations. Anticipating that things could get complicated by mixing clinical with community, I had resisted this relationship as long as possible. But finding a LGBTQ competent treatment team including a psychistrist had […]

Safe in my flower box garden?

I’ve been sticking close to home lately. It helps to manage anxiety and sadness to be in a safe, comfortable space. It’s a tradeoff because I feel lonely, but my projects are doing okay – cat food drive is helping a lot of folks, Q&As are booming, and occasionally people offer to come see me […]

Anxiety Ruined My Chance To Meet Damon Young

Damon Young

It’s a beautiful sunny spring day here in Pittsburgh. Chilly, but I can get away with leggings and a light cardigan. I’m  sitting in the parking lot of my therapist’s office, listening to the oldies station and trying to soak up some sunshine – to feel some fragment of joy. I feel only misery. Yes, […]

Four Phases of My Mental Illness Journey (So Far)

CN: mental illness, mental health industry, child abuse, sexual violence, Catholic Church My mental illness journey has four significant chapters, beginning with my decision to seek help. I use the term “phase” rather than stage because it isn’t so much that they play out this way in most people’s lives as my being able to […]

A Hard Reset to Cope with Complex Trauma

Mental Health Awareness

I really appreciate my friend who sent me a GrubHub gift card in lieu of a casserole. That’s a classy move. So I’ve just returned home from therapy – it is a difficult bit for me right now so I’m going 2x week now and trying to figure out what has triggered me. I feel […]