What's Going On...

Bad Blogger! Oops, my bad!

Hey guys! Sorry about my erratic posting behavior. I haven't really figured out my new schedule. There are lots of reasons behind my current state of affairs and since I do like to keep Potspoon! more science related, if you wish to know what is going on, please read my current ramblings at Roogoodoo. To better understand what that post is all about, click on the tab above marked Bipolar Disorder. As many of you know, mental health is not something I take for granted and I hope my ramblings and sporadic posts about it help people... or in the very least, let them know they are not alone!

Keep learning!

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Sorry for the Interruption...

Even though I love the new colors on the blog (and header), it still feels not right, so I will be tweaking things. Sorry for the mess. I promise it will be in order soon.

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Roogoodoo

In island talk it means a mess of things or a jumble. Like stupid people doing dumb things at the traffic light to make the traffic worse. Roogoodoo. Like ridiculous drama that you have nothing to do with cause you are just minding your own business enjoying the live music and someone's drink ends up in your lap. Roogoodoo.

So what is the point of this lesson in West Indian vernacular? I started another blog... yes yes say what you will... I think Potspoon! needs to stay more science oriented, but I like other things so I am going to use the other site as a catch all. Posts about what I do for fun. Posts about art. Posts about my mood swings. Whatever. I just know it needs to be that way. A lot of nonsense; hence, roogoodoo. Besides, the name goes with the theme of West Indies terminology as my blog title! Should be interesting anyway. That way, you can still get the Floyd pictures that are so popular with out the science or get all the science you want with out the Floyd pictures. :D

K, bye!

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Time Flies....

I cannot believe that is has been nearly a month since my last post. I feel like such a liar. I am currently visiting the hubs in St. Thomas, which is nice, and just trying to relax. I have worn myself out a bit, but am still here. Just to give you the heads up.

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Updates

Hi all! Things are still moving a bit slowly for me here in Florida, but I think I finally have time to do more science posts. I have been looking at my schedule and I think I can work in a few posts a week now from Mom's laptop. I may steal her digital camera for a bit as well. This is a great area for birds and the like and there are a lot of native plants I could really do some posts on as well. I also finally got my camcorder and have a few opportunities to record some stuff. I have been riding the Pinellas Trail a bit and should be able to come up with something on my rides to and from the shop. I finally saw my first Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. I also saw two different Battus species. This is very exciting for me. Now I have to chase them down and attempt to take pictures. Many of the others I have come across are also native to St. Thomas so nothing new, but I am really excited about a lot of what I have seen.

Things at the deli seem to be getting into a steadier pace. We have more than a few "regulars" now which is always nice. The menu is coming along and we have added soup. Our house soup will be a tomato basil that is absolutely delicious. I promise that it is very unlike tomato soups you may have had in the past. We have coffee and tea service as well and our daily specials are finally gaining popularity. We are also working on game nights and things of that nature to bring in people after work. Scrabble is definitely at the top of the list!

Besides that, there isn't too much to talk about. I did get to see the hubs this past weekend, which was nice. It was hard when he left again, but I know this will all work out. I also found out that there is a botanical gardens close by and the best part is it is FREE to visit. I smell a video along the lines of the Viscaya one brewing! Probably better quality by now. You would think, at least, considering that was my FIRST video on this site! Well, I hope you all are doing well. Now that I have worked out a somewhat workable "break" break into my day, I will begin stopping by all of your blogs more regularly again. Have a great week!

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A Rant

Okay. I suck. I know. I haven't really posted anything of sustenance in a while. I'm pooped. All I have been doing is making, thinking, eating sandwiches. I am glad I am creative with them. Sheesh! I finally did get a half day off yesterday and got to see some of "real" Florida. It was nice. It rained a bit though. Oh wells. I did get to see something besides the inside of the shop and the drive to Mom's. I am really excited though.... Hubby comes on Thursday!!! Woohoo! I get to see him for a few days. He leaves again on Sunday, but I am still so happy to see him. It has been 3 LOOONNNGGGG weeks. Even though we talk like 10 times a day, we are both still very excited. I won't get out of the shop much, but at least I get to hang out with him. Sorry this was a useless post. It's just nice to get it out of my system.

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Keep Up!

Okay, so I know I have been super busy as of late and not been hyper productive on my blog (although I enjoyed yesterday's post) so I figured I would let you know how else you can keep in touch with me. There aren't too many other ways but here goes.

I do monthly postings on 5 Minutes for Going Green. The articles I do there are originally for them and I don't cross post them here, so go read and leave comments.

Of course, you can also follow Potspoon! on Facebook. Fancy, I know.

That is pretty much it, but keep in touch and I promise there is more to come.

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Arts in the VI

Last night I was fortunate enough to witness something exciting in the Virgin Islands. Unfortunately, ill prepared as I usually am, I did not have a camera or even a cell phone to take pictures. Before I get to that though, a little background.

Most people don't realize it, but the Virgin Islands are FILLED with artists of every sort. The father of Impressionism, Camille Pissaro, was born in St. Thomas in 1830.

There are too many artists to even list here.

There is an artists' colony (sort of) at Tillett Gardens. It was started by a famous silkscreen artist named Jim Tillett in the 60's. Here you can find a candle maker, a community theatre, Everyday Clay, Ridvan Studios, an art supply store, and more. The picture to the right was taken while I worked at a shop in Tillett's painting glass and other things. Yes, that is the Crimson Ghost on my apron and believe you me, that apron has a LOT more paint on it now!

There are also a ton of local crafters, wood whittlers, galleries and musicians. There is a native arts co-op here as well. The guy in the picture with the blue and white hat is the hubs with longer hair. I actually have a few of my mini paintings in this shop.

So with such a plethora of artists/galleries/art floating around these parts, why are there no art/alternative arts council? Well now we have one of these covered. Recently, some people on the island (some of them friends of mine) started a non-profit, 7-minus-7, or the Alternative Art Alliance of St. Thomas. They are having a hard time with the name. Artists! Last night, after going to a drive- in movie (more of a hike-in) on Water Island, a friend let us know that he had some art up in a warehouse near Pueblo (local grocer).

After taking the ferry back from Water Island, we went right over and I was BLOWN AWAY! They have converted an old warehouse into an amazing expression of artistic freedom and community. The walls are open to anyone who wants to mural on them and a few of them already have work by Vincent Bambini. The show last night was "Affordable Art." All the pieces were under $300. They had a "band" playing. Mostly it was an act of revolving musicians, but they were good. They have couches set up in the main warehouse where the murals and band are and all the art was in what I assume used to be the offices. They play cult movies on one of the walls and have a bit of a bar.

I have been invited to participate as many of the people there last night knew me. How I will participate is beyond me, but I am looking forward to spending more time there. Next time I promise pictures. Sorry, no science today. I actually have to paint more bags. The Butterfly Farm almost sold out!

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I've been tagged.... NOOOOO!!!

Okay well, it's not that bad, but since I did this one recently I am only posting a link back to the answers I put. Jennifer at Little Green Secrets got me this time. I also agree with Jennifer in the aspect of I need to run away faster from these things, but I needed to post something. See, that wasn't as painful as it could have been... Off to work I go. I will say hi to the lovely butterflies for you all!

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Overcoming My Mind

We all have our ups and downs. It is an inevitable part of being human (or any animal really, I KNOW Floyd is moody). Sometimes the ups don't last as long as we would like and it seems at times that the downs last forever. It's hard to do, but remembering the good is even more important during the downs than we realize. For some of us, however, the ups and downs spin out of control. They are not just situational highs and lows, they are emotional highs and lows so extreme we cannot control them. At all. I know many people think: 'they are YOUR emotions, how could you not control them?' but we can't at all.

The point I am trying to get to is a topic that is near and dear to me. This is a topic that requires me to admit something about my self I have only ever even mentioned (sort of) once on this blog before. I am bipolar. It's true. I have medical records dating back more than 13 years and covering various professionals that all agree. I'm stuck. There is no way around it. Well, there is LOTS of medication, but lithium almost killed my kidneys.

Why, all of a sudden, am I telling you this? Mostly, it is a way for me to teach something else science related while breaking down certain stigmas attached to this topic. Partially, it is to give myself a pep talk and to let me know that it is okay and not my fault. Weird, I know.

First and foremost, a definition:

According to One Look, bipolar means having two poles, like Earth. Throw on the word "disorder" to that (I really hate that word) and you get

▸ noun: a mental disorder characterized by episodes of mania and depression

Now what this means is I am mental and manic and depressed. Okay, not QUITE that mean, but really it just means I go from high to low in periods. Seasonally and daily in my case. Instead of a perfect seasonal sine wave going down for fall and spring and up for summer and winter, the overall trend is up and down but with little "mini" ups and downs in between. To illustrate this, I, well, made an illustration (hehe).

fig. 1 episodes

Sounds like fun, right? Well my husband says it keeps things interesting, like sleeping with a different woman everynight! *sheesh* As you can see, he is actually very supportive and through the years, I have developed a sense of humor about this.

What causes this?

I don't really want to rewrite everything I see today so you get a quote from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI for short):

While the exact cause of bipolar disorder is not known, most scientists believe that bipolar disorder is likely caused by multiple factors that interact with each other to produce a chemical imbalance affecting certain parts of the brain. Bipolar disorder often runs in families, and studies suggest a genetic component to the illness. A stressful environment or negative life events may interact with an underlying genetic or biological vulnerability to produce the disorder. There are other possible "triggers" of bipolar episodes: the treatment of depression with an antidepressant medication may trigger a switch into mania, sleep deprivation may trigger mania, or hypothyroidism may produce depression or mood instability. It is important to note that bipolar episodes can and often do occur without any obvious trigger.

This, in a nutshell, states that we really have NO CLUE! Somewhere, though, I have faulty wiring. How to fix faulty wiring? Well, we don't have little nanobot electricians (yet) but we can load up on chemicals.

How does it affect a person's life?

Severely.
I don't mean to sound morose, but it affects everything... especially school. Some days I am super gung-ho and can't wait to learn and research and learn and talk talk talk. These are usually my manias. This is great except my papers sound like my thought process: a tornado flinging thoughts at you. Other days I can't even get myself to think about doing my homework or even getting out of bed. At times I go to school just to argue with people. Other times I am there, but my notes are more sketchbook pages.
The worst part is I know the stuff but since I don't go to a Big State U, I can't just rely on my test scores to float me. Homework = FAIL. The advantage is I am a discussion based learner so the small classes accomodate that. That is why I am still an undergrad at my age with an okay grade point average even though I am super passionate about science. I can't stay focused and I can't really learn the way I KNOW I can. This could be due to a really horrible standardized education system, but that is a topic for one of my soon-to-return Debate!s.

Back to the topic, bipolar disorder can so severely affect people, they can be considered disabled. I, however, am stubborn, and even though my case is severe I force myself to be a "normal" functioning member of society. It may lead to me having odd jobs (painting ornaments, working with butterflies, barking) and having a hard time with authority at times, but I make it work. I know what my triggers are and I have an amazing support network (the hubs and my best friend/mother). There may be many people you know who are bipolar as well and you may not notice or simply think they are nutty and silly.
A book I read when I was younger made me realize I was not alone. It's called An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness and it was the first time I saw on paper what I had been trying to describe all along. I read it when I was about 14 years old and is one of the books that has deeply impacted me over the years. I began to talk more freely about my condition and found other people who thought they were alone as well. Until you know what you have, you feel as if everyone and everything is going crazy and you can't grasp why what you are doing and feeling is wrong. When you know, you can (occasionally) step back and say, "it's okay, it's just a swing." It is a bit hard to overcome, but I am driven and know that even if it takes me 10 years to finish my degree (I hope not) I will do it because this is what I love and I am not going to let my malfunctioning neuropathways stop me!

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6 Random Things About Me

Okay honestly I don't normally do these things and I wasn't technically tagged except for a mention from SeaLaura, but I thought I would give it a go since most of my readers don't know too much about me except where I live and the fact that I am a science geek.

Okay, I'm not gonna follow the rules at all, but here is how they're posted...

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 6 random things about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your blog and link to them
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment
6. Let the tagger know when your entry or post is up.

6 things about me...

1. I make myself bento box lunches everyday. I do for my hubs occasionally and I always do for plane rides. I don't know why. It's an addiction to cram a lot of food into a small space and make it visually appealing and nutritionally balanced. I am just glad that there are no places to get bento accessories here and no one really ships down here or I would be in trouble. I am glad I can keep it simple.
2. I am an avid reader and will not eat or answer my phone if it means I can keep reading whatever is in my hand.
   
3. I used to have a serious bug phobia. Not spiders, they don't bother me. Bugs... you know 6 legs and 2 compound eyes. Yeek. I admired them, but couldn't go near them. Got over it at the Butterfly Farm. Except for roaches. I still don't like them.
4. I am as much of an art nerd as I am a science nerd. I just go over board with my lab notebooks and go out of my way to stop at museums and galleries. I am lucky enough to live on the island that was home to Camille Pissaro. Yay!
5. I was a Floridian by birth.
6. I love to learn but I hate standardized educational systems... that is why I am STILL in school at my age.
   

So now I am tagging anyone who wants to do this and if you are really interested in me (don't see why) ask me anything! I will answer.

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