Yellow wallpaper

On Friday we talked about "The Yellow Wallpaper" in my reading group. The feminist tale from 1890 was my choice.

In reading about the life of Charlotte Perkins Gilman I saw a lot of what I wanted to do with my life when I was younger-- to be a "social reformer" and a writer and a feminist.

It made me feel disappointed that the vision of myself of "superfeminist" was never realized. Now I ask myself, when was the last time I changed a person's mind about anything? When was the last time I believed in anything enough to try? Ugh, how jaded I am...

When you're young, a student, an idealist with not much to lose, you really don't realize how much is at stake for those who rock the boat. But we owe them so much.

Love getting home from work before 5 p.m.

So I'm over the sore throat but now I have the worst runny nose I've had in a long time. Even Claritin isn't able to stop it. It was embarrassing to go to work having to blow my nose every five seconds and sneezing all the time. But I also didn't feel bad enough to stay home.

Guitar class dropout

- I'm nearly over my sore throat. I got it on Sunday and started feeling better Tuesday night. A new record for recovery, so it seems.

- I'm in search of my next project since I dropped out of guitar class. Every week something seems to come up, and I don't feel an urgent need to go since I already know the basics of playing.

- I wonder if getting older necessarily means a more lonely life. Maybe the key to not feeling bad about it is to lower expectations and realize that this is how it is, not just for me but for most people.

- A mug of hot tea sounds really good right now.

Lucky find at the library today: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

From Time, "Are America's Best Days Behind Us?":

It's not that our democracy doesn't work; it's that it works only too well. American politics is now hyperresponsive to constituents' interests. And all those interests are dedicated to preserving the past rather than investing for the future. There are no lobbying groups for the next generation of industries, only for those companies that are here now with cash to spend. There are no special-interest groups for our children's economic well-being, only for people who get government benefits right now. The whole system is geared to preserve current subsidies, tax breaks and loopholes.

Today's quote

Psychoanalysis is that mental illness for which it regards itself as therapy.
-Karl Kraus

Healthy Bite

I went to Healthy Bite for lunch today. The good thing about Healthy Bite is that they don't serve you too much food. I tried to count the number of bites in my gyro sandwich. About ten. It was a good sandwich -- tasty, filling, and not slathered in grease.

Still, the "side item" was a pickle, and after finishing the gyro I found myself wanting that pickle to be a side of potato salad or chips. But of course, that wouldn't be healthy.

Ah, Healthy Bite, thank you for not forcing me to wreck my diet.

On another occasion, I ordered a sandwich and they brought me a side of baby carrots with some tzatziki sauce on the side. That might have been nice here, too, though the sauce was in the sandwich this time so maybe not.

Windy, ugly day. Welcome to spring.

Interesting article about the new way of practicing psychiatry:

Then, like many psychiatrists, he treated 50 to 60 patients in once- or twice-weekly talk-therapy sessions of 45 minutes each. Now, like many of his peers, he treats 1,200 people in mostly 15-minute visits for prescription adjustments that are sometimes months apart. Then, he knew his patients’ inner lives better than he knew his wife’s; now, he often cannot remember their names.

Hmm, I thought all psychiatrists were like Dr. Paul Weston in "In Treatment."

This is the manifesto of Mother Monster

Gotta say the video is much better than expected after hearing the song. I prefer the parts where she's not dancing around in her underwear:

Story of my life right now

4 Non Blondes know what's going on:

- I'm not sure if buying navy blue shoes for work was a good idea. The secretary asked me going down the stairs if they were comfortable. I said yes. Comfortable, but I've never had blue shoes before and think the idea is kind of weird. Maybe what the secretary meant to say was, what are doing wearing blue shoes?

- $41.67 to fill up my car with gasoline. Ouch.