Share Your World 2015 — Week 43

It is nice to be able to participate in Cee’s Share Your World again. The last one I did was week 13…and here we are at week 43 already. I’ve been gone for 40 weeks!? Eek! Time flies. Here are this week’s questions…

If you were on a debate team, what general subject would you relish debating?

I would probably never be on a debate team. I’m really not a fan of having an audience and when I do, I would rather present to you what I have learned and have you interpret rather than persuade you of my view. Debates are fun to watch, but I think I get more out of hearing others’ interpretations. If I had to pick a topic, maybe it would be mental health or low vision rehabilitation.

What’s your strongest sense?

I think it would be vision. I have always been a visual learner. Listening to a lecture never really worked for me. I always had to make notes or draw diagrams to really get the information to sink in.

What would you name the autobiography of your life?

Agh, the titles I come up with are usually so underwhelming. Writing an autobiography was a project I had to do in the 5th grade. I came up with the totally original title of “Me, Myself and I”. Perhaps “The Misadventures of Somber Scribbler”. It sounds like a kid’s picture book, lol.

List your favorite flavors or types of tea.

My favourite tea is the “Birthday Cake” tea from David’s Tea. It has rainbow sprinkles in it which is fun and it’s a nice alternative to dessert and the associated calories!

I am also a fan of “Coffee Pu’erh” from the same place. Obviously, it tastes like coffee.

Looking at their website now, they have one called “Oh Canada!”. It has a hint of maple to it. I’d like to try that one.

In terms of the less fancy types of tea, it’s green or mint…or mint green, even better!

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last Week: I got through all the things I was dreading unscathed. I am grateful for this and part of me knew I would get through, but it is always good to remind myself. I tend to forget and start dreading everything again when the next week starts up.

This week: The last few weekends have been really busy, so I am looking forward to this coming weekend which is going to be quieter. I’ll still have to drive out and spend a day with my mother in law, but at least there wont be a crowd. We’ll watch Halloween movies with her.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 11

It’s Share Your World again! Here are Cee’s questions for this week…

List 2 things you have to be happy about?

1. I’m feeling better than I was. At this time last year, my mental state was getting pretty bad. Now, I can still feel the darkness with me. I know it is there, just out of my line of sight, waiting for any sign of weakness. I am trying to fight it. It’s hard, but I have some hope. Hope that things will be better one day. I don’t know when, or how. I just have hope. That keeps the darkness at bay, for now.
2. I am enjoying my artsy stuff. At this time last year, I was forcing myself to draw because I needed to find something to enjoy and do something besides work. Now, it comes naturally. I look forward to getting my supplies out and creating something, however good or bad it may be.

Do you prefer ketchup or mustard or mayonnaise?  

It depends what I’m putting it on. Ketchup is for regular french fries and tourtiere (meat pie…a Canadian thing). Mustard is for sausages and deli sandwiches (I like honey mustard or Dijon). Both can go on hamburgers. Mayo is just ick. I’m not sure if it is the taste, or the colour I don’t like. Maybe both.

If you were to paint a picture of your childhood, what colors would you use?

I would use basic colours, the kind that would come in a kid’s finger paint set. Probably red, blue, yellow and green. I had a good childhood, an innocent one. I had my family and friends. I learned to read, tie my shoes and ride my bike. I coloured on the walls, scrapped my knees and got sent to my room for being bad. I had a typical childhood, I did everything a kid was supposed to do. For that, I will be forever grateful. I was a serious kid and often had to be reminded to smile. I’m not sure why. I don’t remember what went on in my head as a kid. That’s just the way I was.

Do you prefer a bath or shower?

Shower! It is fastest. There are so many other things I need to do/would rather do.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last Week: My sister was in town, a bunch of us went out to the Ritz for afternoon tea. It was to celebrate her getting engaged. It was fun to dress up a bit and do something out of the ordinary. The Ritz was quite fancy. They had beautiful chandeliers and a Cinderella staircase. Even the tea nibbles were fancy.

This Week: I am having a really hard time thinking of anything. All I can think of is all the work I have to get done in the next few days. Let’s go with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. The parade is this coming weekend and my family, cousins and all, usually go together to watch.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day Everyone!!

If We Were Having Coffee….

If we were having coffee, this week, I would be having tea and it would probably be at home. I haven’t had any coffee in almost a week. I miss it so much, but I don’t think I’m ready for it yet. I’ve been plagued by the stomach flu (I think) this week. 😦 I’ve been feeling awful for so long that I’m pretty sure it’s not contagious. Would you have tea this week with me instead?

If we were having coffee tea, I’d probably be having something of the green or peppermint variety. I hear those are good for your stomach. I would pass on any of the goodies that typically accompany tea. I’d recommend birthday cake tea for you. It’s my favourite. It tastes like freshly baked vanilla cake and the tea even has rainbow sprinkles in it. I can’t help but smile every time I fill the tea ball. I’d also offer you a scone. We get them from a bakery in Ottawa, The Scone Witch. They are scrumptious! I have a variety of their sweet ones; lemon poppy seed, orange cranberry, vanilla and oatmeal. Take your pick!

If we were having tea, I’d ask how you week went and how you were feeling. I’m hoping to hear that you, unlike me, have avoided the stomach bug that I’ve heard has been going around. I’ve been unwell since Monday. I attempted to have a somewhat normal meal last night. It was a mistake. Although I haven’t been sick yet, I feel a lot worse! As a result of this bug, a lot of things have gotten messed up. I had a pretty long To-Do list for this past week and nothing got done. It all has to be jammed into the beginning of next week before I leave for Toronto on Thursday. My sleep is all out of whack too. Not that my sleep patterns are ever that good, but I haven’t been using my happy light and I’ve been napping a lot. What else can you do when you feel so unwell? Even worse, my medication is all messed up. I wasn’t able to keep it down most of the week. Now, I am in a state of semi-withdrawal. I’m on antidepressants, a SNRI with an atypical. SNRI withdrawal can get pretty bad for me. I know I am in withdrawal and that’s why I am overly emotional, irrational and feeling like a worthless human being, but that logic is bringing little comfort. I still feel the way I feel, whether it makes sense or not.

If we were having tea, I’d show you my art journal. Since we’re here (my home) this week, it’s probably sitting right in front of you on the coffee table anyway. I haven’t done any of the prompts for this week (#4). I just haven’t been well enough. The prompts for week#5 are already out. I hope I’ll find the time to catch up. I’d also ask about your artistic endeavors. Drawing? Collage? Music? Verses? Fiction? There are a few people in my family with artistic talents, but few of my friends or colleagues have any interest. My coworkers were pretty much shell-shocked to find me drawing in my sketchbook one day. It’s funny the parts of ourselves we elect to share with certain groups of people. I never really though about it before. I’m all about my doodles and what not here. To them, I’m a research scientist with a background in genomics. Now, you’re thinking “g-what?!!?” Yea, that’s what I mean. Don’t worry, I wont get into it.

If we were having tea, I’d tell you that the Blog for Mental Health Project has relaunched. I plan to pledge again this year, but I’m not sure about what to say yet. I did start blogging with the thought that it might help with my mental health. My head is just in such a different place from where it was at this time last year.

If we were having tea, I’d also mention that the A to Z Blogging Challenge is gearing up too. You write a post every weekday in April starting with a letter of the alphabet (going in alphabetical order of course). Some people have a theme to their posts, other talk about whatever they feel like. Last year, I stuck to a mental health theme. I shared some of the research I read about and some personal experiences. I’m debating if I should do that again, with new material, or if I should pick random things for each letter. What do you think?

If we were having tea, I’d probably let you get back to life about now. I’ve sure babbled on for someone who hasn’t done anything all week. I hope you’ve enjoyed your tea and scones. See you net week for coffee!! Hopefully coffee.

(This conversational coffee post is part of a weekend link-up hosted by Part-Time Monster. Join in the fun!)