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Yes, this is all you're getting today. But it's totally awesome! And gerbil, hamster, whatever. It doesn't make a difference.

I’m slacking. I feel it. Losing my momentum is not a feeling I like. The mania has subsided. My brain is much calmer (and dumber), though that’s relative. It’s still busier than most people’s, I get that. But compared to the manic shit? It’s like my brain finally said no to steroids or something.

Tomorrow I have my first real session with the new shrink, via videoconference. Amazing the V.A. even knows such technology exists, but I’m not bitching. If it weren’t for the video thing, I’d have to drive 90 minutes to meet up with her.

I’m not slamming the V.A. in any way. I’ve heard horror stories, but to be fair, I’ve not experienced many problems with the care I’ve received. And I’m very thankful for that. I don’t have regular health care. The jobs I’ve had of late are contracting positions. No bennies provided. Sure, once upon a time, when I got $43/hour for my time, I could afford it. But not now.

I’m already impressed with this new shrink of mine. She called me a few weeks ago, unsolicited, just to check on me and my meds. On a Friday. At 5:15 in the afternoon. That speaks volumes to me.

So we’ll be discussing meds, mostly that the current regime isn’t doing shit. We stepped up the Geodon. I’m now taking twice as much as I was a few weeks ago and…nothing. That’s the bitch with being treatment-resistant. Lots of meds don’t touch me, then there are those that require a much higher dose than what others find effective.

The trial-and-error associated with medication is exhausting and nerve-wracking. I’m far from the most patient man on Earth, and adjusting meds (and trying new ones) pretty much requires patience, and lots of it. That’s how it is, particularly with the meds designed to hit your brain instead of just your body. They take WEEKS to build up efficacy in the body. And if they don’t work, many of them take weeks to get OUT of your body, which is sometimes needed before adding something NEW.

For me, I’ve pretty much always required a Magic Cocktail, a mix of different meds. I wish like hell that there was a pill that did it all, but there’s not. My chemistry is different than yours, which is different than everyone else’s. So, yeah, trial-and-error. With all the technology we have today, that’s still the way it works. I long for the days of Star Trek, when they scan you with a Tricorder and have you fixed up with a simple shot.

I read an interesting article last month about a pretty major discovery regarding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (and yeah, I’ve got that, too). They’ve found a way to definitively diagnose PTSD using pictures of the brain. Remarkable, since the only way to diagnose before was through a series of questionnaires and a laundry list of symptomology.

Unfortunately, this discovery probably won’t lead to helping ME…not for a long time. Not until they can point to a brain scan and say, “Ah, see that squiggle there in Karl’s hippocampus? We need to give him Miracle Drug Alpha for that.” Until they know how to correspond the brain pics with specific forms of treatment? Not gonna do much for me. But it’s hopeful for future PTSD’ers, and I’ll take that.

I started out talking about me losing momentum, and that’s really what I’m feeling right now. A lot of hopelessness, lack of motivation, simply losing my give-a-shit attitude. Depression. An overwhelming sense of, well, being overwhelmed. Yes, I’m still checking my sugar and taking my meds, but I really don’t care about it.

I knew this was going to come, the return to the old me. Trying to find some shrivel of happiness in this mode is daunting, at the very least. I can’t survive in full-blown mania all the time – I’d die from sheer exhaustion, from insanity. But I wish I had a way to harness the motivation, the good attitude, the Happy.

Think I’m treatment-resistant in the attitude department, too.

For now, I’ll just take what little pieces of enjoyment I can get. I like the winter Olympics (tons more than the summer Olympics), even though I’m not a sports guy. I never watch baseball, or football, or basketball, or hockey. None of it. That shit bores me to tears. But the Olympics has something for everyone. Plus, it’s only two weeks long. I’m in, I’m out, I’m done for another 4 years. My fave events, by the way, are figure skating, snowboarding, and the skiing…none of which I’ve ever tried.

I also found some meditation podcasts, thanks to Angel. A friend has offered to help me with meditation – something I’ve never tried before – and I plan to take her up on that offer. But the podcast I listened to yesterday really helped to calm me down. I like that. I say I’ve never tried meditation, but the truth is I’ve probably achieved that “nothingness” mindset on my own many times. I may be wrong, but all the dissociating I’ve done in my life kind of mirrors that calming void sensation in meditation. I suppose there are positives to being a Survivor, after all.

I’m gearing up for 2HT’s redesign, and I am excited about that. Should be happening within the next month or so. My original launch date was going to be April Fool’s Day (seems appropriate), which also happens to be both my Mom’s AND my twin daughters’ birthdays. But it’s going to be sooner than that. Can’t wait to see it all come together.

I’d really like a dog. I think that’d do wonders for me. Mom hasn’t been so keen on getting a pet, though. Her rationale has always been, “If you can’t keep your room clean, how are you going to take care of a dog or a cat?” My rationale has always been, “Those two things aren’t even closely related.”

And yes, I’m 43 and live with my mother. I’m also depressed, anxious as Monk, and unemployed. Put me on “The Bachelor” now, ladies. I’m available. *cough*

Like my brain, this post is all over the board. I’m tired of that, too.

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Every year, the Olympic Committee gets hundreds, if not thousands, of applications for new sports to be considered for inclusion. And each year there are a few new sports that just make you scratch your head, like curling and speed walking – can you imagine the ones that actually get rejected? Here are just a few of this year's rejections for the Winter Olympics:

Ice Fishing

Each participant is given a case of beer, a saw to cut a hole in the ice, and a fishing rod. The event lasts as long as it takes the fastest athlete to drink all of his or her beer. The gold medal goes to the participant with the highest beer drank/fish caught average. Anyone who passes out is disqualified.

Drifting

Athletes are provided a 1994 Ford F-150 and compete down a four-mile road. Along the sides of each road are high snowdrifts. Behind these snowdrifts are drop-offs into deep ditches. The winner is the competitor who can successfully drift into each snowdrift without dying by exploding his car.

Nipples

In this co-ed event, athletes are dropped naked into a field of snow, encased in glass. The first one to successfully use his or her nipples to cut said glass and escapes wins the gold.

Urinary Cursive

Male athletes are given a multisyllabic word of at least 8 letters that they must write legibly in the snow using nothing more than a gallon of Gatorade and their penises. Points are given for style, legibility, and flair. Female athletes may either use a small urinary hose or their hand to guide a male volunteer's penis.

Snow Dash

Participants are seated in a large hot tub, wearing nothing but their bathing suits. When the whistle blows, they must make a 100 yard dash through the 3-foot deep snow to the finish line, delineated by a roaring fireplace.

Pee Pee Dance Relay

Athletes must consume 8 liters of water or Gatorade and subject themselves to a full saltwater enema, then bundle up in eight layers of clothing. When the pistol fires, the competitors must run outside in the snow, build a snowman, throw six snowballs at a target, make a snow angel, and then make it inside and strip off their layers before soiling themselves.

Now these are some events that I'd watch!

As you are probably aware, Rio de Janeiro has been chosen as the location for the 2016 Olympics, beating out Chicago, Tokyo, and Madrid. Needless to say, Americans who care about the Olympics, and Chicagoans specifically, are extremely disappointed. I thought it might help with the disappointment if I could explain exactly why Chicago was overlooked for this important decision:

10. The Committee was worried about Rod Blagojevich trying to buy a gold medal.

9. With Obama, Chicago already has a big enough ego as it is.

8. In a town where they put the sauce on the outside of the pizza and tomatoes and cucumbers on their hot dogs, who knows what they'd feed the athletes?

7. Too close to Alaska and, by proxy, Sarah Palin, for the Committee's comfort.

6. Michael Phelps petitioned for Brazil because his dealer is in Venezuela.

5. Ninjas.

4. In Brazil, the poor people just kidnap the rich ones. In Chicago, they shoot them.

3. Alec Baldwin told the world that if Chicago didn't win, he would move to Canada.

2. "You win DAH gold" just doesn't have the same panache as "Tu ganas la medalla de oro". (Yes, I know that they speak Portuguese in Brazil, but I don't know Portuguese!)

1. The Committee loves chicks with dicks.