I'd like a copy of this diet pleeeaaaaase.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com

300-pound inmate complains jail doesn't feed him well
April 30, 2008 6:00 AM
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — An inmate awaiting trial on a murder charge is suing the county, complaining he has lost more than 100 pounds because of the jailhouse menu.

Broderick Lloyd Laswell says he isn't happy that he's down to 308 pounds after eight months in the Benton County jail. He has filed a federal lawsuit complaining the jail doesn't provide inmates with enough food.

According to the suit, Laswell weighed 413 pounds when he was jailed in September. Police say he and a co-defendant fatally beat and stabbed a man, then set his home on fire.

"On several occasions I have started to do some exercising and my vision went blurry and I felt like I was going to pass out," Laswell wrote in his complaint. "About an hour after each meal my stomach starts to hurt and growl. I feel hungry again."

But Laswell then goes on to complain that he undertakes little vigorous activity.

"If we are in a small pod all day (and) do next to nothing for physical exercise, we should not lose weight," the suit says. "The only reason we lost weight in here is because we are literally being starved to death."

The suit also asks that the county be ordered to serve hot meals. The jail has served only cold food for years.

The meals, provided through Aramark Correctional Institution Services, average 3,000 calories a day, jail Capt. Hunter Petray told The Morning News of northwest Arkansas for a story Saturday.

A typical diet consists of 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day.

Be an emotional Warrior - Bipolar-style

Be an emotional Warrior.

I'm talking to the bipolar's out there, the one's who know they are, the one's who have no diagnosis but are thinking they might be, the one's in short that this is REAL for.

Choose light, choose right, go for the difficult - be courageous.

The soul is a very real concept to a bipolar. It is under constant bonbardment. It is up. It is down.

You can decide for yourself who or what is causing that. I say that because so many people refuse to believe that chemicals in the brain are responsible. But doesn't that make a hell of a lot more sense than the boogeyman entering your life and doing it? Brain chemicals are almost pinpointable. No?

I understand soul. I am down with that, I am very entangled in it on a daily basis.

I am starting to understand that there is something above that, SEPARATE from that. Separate from the goings ons of my turmoil, my push daily, my courage, even.

That is Spirit. Everyone has got both soul & spirit and its up to them what they do with them, or even if they get in touch with one or either.

I'm just learning about spirit, communing with it, learning the difference between soul and spirit. I'm no expert, period. People write entire books on the subject and I have only a fleeting hold on the concept at the moment.

But I know it's there. I know I'm proud of mine because I've been tested in all three major appliances: spirit, soul and body and I did good (my psychoses, my daily Life). I know, in my heart, that my Dad's in a good place, seeing his family, somehow I'll see him again. Maybe he watches and intervenes in my life, I don't know.

I can't GIVE that feeling, knowledge, whatever, to another. I can only state it and say you'd have to consider that any of these things are possible, if you are wondering, for yourself.

Being an emotional Warrior means don't give in to the dark and fight against the daily, moment to moment dying of the light (dy. of the l. is a song), the really hateful, sad, down, parts, especially. Don't give in to the really low stuff. You know what I mean. Recognize the miracle of how you kept yourself going. We do it daily, and receive nearly 'no props' for it.

I wonder if some people rely on their families and think if they are downers, I must be too. So be even more courageous and fight against the nasty and for at least a little good - for Your own family. Why not be the crazy example of the person who does the right things? It rubs off.

Fight against pessimism, as much as you can. It's fun to commiserate, and share the fights and battles, but it's not everything. The willingness to have an open heart and also try to 'stay in the light' so to speak, is beyond courageous, and people notice it.

That's incredible courage, I've always said, those little wins, those little known things, usually, and that's what a person should try to attain, or attempt.

That's not to say that it isn't hard as hell to fight the illness, nor can any of us be "Happy Harriet's" all the time, or try to be. Some ideal of perfect emotional happiness is just unreal and not right as an expectation for a bipolar. I was told to 'accept who I am' and I'm getting damn good at it.

I just encourage the fight for bipolars and for them to recognize their own worth, their own courage, in the fact that they ARE fighting. You simply wouldn't be here if not. It's what I have to impart, and it's also what and who I am.

Thank you. And good night. Or day, as it were. Carry on. My wayward son, they'll be peace when... well, whatever.

I'm back...With a New Hobby!

So I wasn't in the mood to blog (!) which directly correlated with my hormonal schedule.:) I even went a whole day or two with no computer! How was this possible? My Mother is cleaning out things, and gave me this fabulous Casio keyboard! I have been having so much fun with it! So new hobby for the 'Tart.

Other things I could have blogged about: I went to PDoc on Monday and had my Lithium reduced even more. The crackpot still doesn't understand that its the Abilify that is giving me tarkenisia symptoms (the constant grinding teeth has got to STOP!) but I am playing guinea pig where he will see that reducing the one does not stop the symptoms and finally have to deal with the culprit. Meanwhile, I live on less Lithium, which I'm happy with. Less drugs, I like.

The other bloggable note: Reese went to the Vet. He has an infected eye, but believe me, everything else is working fine. He's a skwirmy little thing and hates to be handled by our very capable Vet (can you see I have more faith in him than my own Pdoc???). Reese even went to bite the Vet when receiving a shot in the hip (can you blame him?). So all is well. I am alive and keyboarding away.:)

I have been tagged for a meme

by jenalexa
Rules of the game:- Link to the person who tagged you.
- Post their rules on your blog.
- Write six random things about yourself.
- Tag six random people by linking to their blogs.
- Let each of the six know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment (on their blogs).
- Let your tagger know when your entry is up.
6 Completely random facts about me:

1. I wear 3 rings everyday - my wedding & engagement rings and my college ring. I consider them indicative of my accomplishments. They were difficult to get and I deserve a daily hard copy reminder.:)

2. I was in my early 30's for all of those accomplishments above in #1. (Which puts so much pressure on my upcoming 40's!)

3. I am a hoarder. (a person who holds on to everything and is personally attached to EVERYTHING).

4. When I took the test on Oprah's site for hoarding, I rated a 10, the 'highest.' There's hope for people like me. It's called Ebay. (That would be me selling and not buying more crap.:)

5. I love steak and mashed potatoes. I know its bad for me. Once in a while I get hankerings for salad and have to have a huge one. I take that back. I LIKE salads and will eat them, large ones on occasion, but not most vegatables, except because I know I should (under duress.:)

6. I love to take pictures. Conversely, there are few pictures of me since nobody else bothers to use the camera.:)

I don't think I know 6 bloggers anymore (or ever!). I do choose these bloggers:
Mysti
bpd in okc
Mark, Lord of the Idiots if he'll come out of 'hiding'!
and Bipolar Guy if he'll come out of 'hiding' and play these silly games.:)

The Face of PMS

From the movie 'Enchanted,' an MSN pic, Susan Sarandon playing 'The Witch'

She's beautiful, talented, messes with your mind, wears too much makeup, is 98% bitchy and 2% Dragon (well, change your percentages as needed). These all describe the excellent portrayal of witch that Susan Sarandon did in 'Enchanted' and ALL describe Premenstrual Syndrome, as one point or another during the suffering. Did I mention engorged boobs, mood swings, and backaches (from un-Enchanting-ly holding up the neck on that dress, OR just because PMS is evil.)

Yes, it's artistic, different and TRUE. Enjoy your hormones. I know I don't.

(But I love Susan Sarandon. Mwah! You rock, Dear!)

A Thank You Friendship Award to Mysti

I found this friendship award on Whitterer on Autism's site, as I looked for a proper thank you and very due award to my friend Mysti, who presented me with a loving and heartfelt friendship award this morning. I hope the Whitterer site won't mind that I found it to be the perfect thing to say to my wonderful friend.

I like this particular award because both Mysti and I have been through a lot (the 'wrinkles' - which are natural by the way), yet we remain the cute, sweet, even cuddly creatures that you see here.:)

Thank you, Mysti, for being such a loving person, a wonderful wife and mom to your family, just as you had always hoped to be, and then to be such a wonderful friend to me & others. Knowing that you have fibermyalgia and other issues, and that you keep on plugging away, and that you continue to be the fabulous woman that you are, gives me hope to be a better person and to know that it is even possible. Thank you for guiding me in the direction to be a better person which in the end, is the real sign of a true friend, and you did it without me hardly knowing.

I'm forever grateful that God guided us to our friendship. I don't have a lot of friends and that makes you even more valuable. Thank you, so much, for being wonderful, kind, understanding, honest, caring, and all the kind of characteristics I could have wished for in a friend. (In other words, you deserve me. Just kidding on the lack of humble, I just had to inject some Tart.:):):)

And the truth is, I love you, too.

Love,

Tart

WHAT!!? Not everyone considers furbabies as fur-children!!??!

I guess I can see the neighbor's problem. My small, adorable black pug only barks like a crazed doggie when she see's their kid, a small girl. My pug, has issues with the small variety of human. They are strange, a source of concern, or perhaps she's playing with them, I don't know. But she is consistent.

We have other pugs here, my other fawn, and my Mom's fawn, for a total of 2 other pugs that came to check out the fuss. So I had told my Mom to call me if my little one barked or carried on.

The thing is, she won't do it unless the loud (I can hear her) child comes to the fence and babbles and goads the dog into a frenzy. I mean that, the dog is fine without neighbors child or mowing next to the fence, the two things I've seen get her going.

The short of it, is the Dad of child drags her away from the fence muttering something about 'Not right to have 3 dogs..'

Ouch. Not only did he not accept my apology for my puggie, which I don't think she started anyway, it's clear that they don't understand the love we have for our dogs. It was not a frenzy with the 3 of them, the other two were just THERE.

So, I would be surprised if I ever have a human child, being pumped full of drugs and already owning a ripe hormonal system. However, I'm doing well with the fur-children and I will just have to accept that human parents don't see it the same way.

I'm lucky I'm allowed to speak to people with children, after all I'm such a FREAK, as a 36-year old woman who has not reproduced. Can we take into account that during the years of prime reproduction I had three scorching cases of psychoses? I mean, we should be impressed with that and the fact that lately I've been hiding my tarkinesia as I can. Could a Mom be more superhuman?

Ah well, its a good thing that people like me are so tolerant of the rest. But I'm not impressed with the squealing and outright ruckuses in restaurants, and if I was saddled with it - the constant responsibility, the incredible possibility to screw up and the kid turns out 'bad,'and I'm not interested in my local PTA, because I've taught children and they were a delight, their parents were the nightmare - so why rock the boat on having what is already populating Earth too much anyway.

My illness is not my fault, but my ability to use reproductive shields successfully is apparently something to further be amazed with. I'm grateful for my consolation prizes and I'll try not impinge on parental territory any more than they should cut on what I consider my joy. I think I deserve some.

Next post: PMS, the scorge I can't rid myself of, besides Bipolar. What frkn frustration.