they lost!
Mood:  blue
Topic: Football
I figured they would. Kinda bummed, but I was expecting it.

My throat is starting to get sore. I feel a little stressed out right now. Drinking some chamomile tea, hopefully it will help both problems.

have I mentioned
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Football
How much I hate the announcers on CBS??? They're not objective at all... they bug the hell out of me.

Patsy is keeping the Skins alive right now and they're not giving him any credit. Bastards. I still think that they're going to lose, but who knows. 2 minutes left and the Bungles have 3 and 5 or something like that. Don't count out my boys yet! They always play close games and this is no exception. Hopefully Gibbs will stick with Patsy now since he can see what he can do. They play the Eagles next week, so that's going to be no easy task!

I don't think...
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: Football
That the Skins will win this game, but they've certainly put a more valiant effort in than they have been on offense... Ramsey just needs to get comfortable in the offense, and the receivers need to do a better job of hauling in the ball. We may not make it to the playoffs this year, but we're starting to at least come together as a team!!!

'bout DAMN TIME!!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Football
Gibbs finally pulled Brunell and put in Ramsey!!! They're down 17-0 at the half (that's why he did it, I imagine)... Brunell had numbers along the lines of 1/8 for 6 yards and 1 INT. HURTING!! My man Patsy came in and is 2/5 for 26 yards or something. Still not spectacular, but I imagine that he isn't getting the reps in practice. I just hope this doesn't end up being merry-go-QB like when Spurrier first started coaching... that was ridiculous. You could hear the crowd going nuts when they saw Patrick warming up on the sidelines, it was great! I'm beating Kurt in our Harms league... and I'm doing it without three of my star players -- Priest Holmes, Drew Brees and Antonio Gates... I have in Hasselbeck at QB, who did horribly, he got me 5 friggin' points!! But Blaylock filled in nicely for Priest (coincidentally he's Priest's backup in KC), getting me 27 points, and I picked up Dallas Clark at TE and he got me 22!! That's unheard of for a TE, except for Gates, of course who gets me close to that weekly. ;) I be double-dippin'!! Uh oh... game's back on. GO SKINS!!!!

this will be quick
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Rants
I made a private/buddy post about my entire experience at dinner last night, but I'll give you the general gist of what happened... and I'm still not happy about it.

I've been wanting to go to the melting pot (fondue restaurant) for a while.. Kurtis thought this would be a good opportunity to go, he thought his mom liked that kind of thing too (she's been here since Thursday visiting us and friends from out of town)... to be nice, he invited his brother Kraig along -- Kraig only likes steak. MP has steak, he says it won't be problem. To make a long story short, it ended up being a problem. There was quite a scene made in the restaurant and I'm going to leave it at that, but I was not pleased at the way certain unnamed people in our party acted. *cough* *cough*

So Kurt and I will be going by ourselves another time. It seems like a really nice place and I'm bitter that things got so screwed up.

word count
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: School
Over 1,000 now!!! Only 600 to go! That's only 3 or 4 more paragraphs -- that is most certainly do-able. Yay! Man am I glad that I'm doing this now instead of Tuesday night -- or even next Sunday night! Gettin' shiiiiiit done!

absolutely terrible
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Friends and Family
Tried to go to Melting Pot. Absolutely terrible experience. NOT because of restaurant, but people involved. More later. Very disappointing evening, but should have expected it.

research paper so far
Mood:  spacey
Topic: School
I was going to put up a big entry about our mid-week trip to Philadelphia, but it looks like that will be put on hold until my research paper is closer to being finished. I started writing it last night and am rather pleased at how it's coming along. Here's what I have so far:


Depression is a serious illness that currently affects millions of Americans, as well as over one hundred million others worldwide. Unfortunately, it is often left untreated which results in tens of thousands of deaths due to suicide each year in the United States. There is hope, however: depression is a treatable condition, and with the right tools, it is possible for those suffering from this disease to find relief from their symptoms. The two most common forms of treatment are psychotherapy (also known as talk therapy) and antidepressant medication. However, it seems that lately society is getting too "pill happy." People often want to find the fastest solution; the quickest way to fix their crisis without seeking the true cause of their problem. This is not to say that antidepressants should not have a place in the treatment of depression - they are scientifically proven to have substantial benefits for those taking them. Often, people taking antidepressants start feeling better before those who opt for psychotherapy treatment alone. These two methods must not be discounted for their efficiency. Therefore, a two-pronged approach of both psychotherapy and antidepressant therapy should be employed as the most effective treatment for adults experiencing major depressive disorder.
There are three main types of depressive mood disorders: major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder (dysthymia), and bipolar disorder (previously called manic depression). Major depressive disorder is characterized by one or more major depressive episodes lasting two weeks or more. This disorder also tends to be a recurrent illness, and frequently occurs after a significant life event. Dysthymia is a constant low-grade depression which is not debilitating, but still affects the sufferer's life in a negative manner. Dr. Dennis Charney, M.D., Chief of Mood and Anxiety Disorder Research Program at NIMH and Dr. Charles Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D., a leading researcher in psychopharmacology define bipolar illness as "major depression that alternates with periods of abnormally high mood in which a person feels energized, buoyant, and outgoing - sometimes to a pathological degree" (Charney and Nemeroff 85). All of these disorders are thought to be owed in some part to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Since dysthymia and bipolar are most frequently associated with these chemical imbalances, while major depressive disorder commonly arises after a negative life experience, the combination approach of medication and psychotherapy will be the most suitable method to utilize.
Recent studies have suggested that antidepressant use for children and adolescents may be dangerous. Elizabeth Mechcatie, a reporter for Family Practice News, notes a public health advisory which was publicized by the Food and Drug Administration:
The FDA released the advisory to alert physicians to reports of suicidality in clinical studies of various antidepressants in pediatric patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Although cases of suicidality "are not unexpected in patients with MDD, preliminary data suggest an excess of such reports" among patients who have been on some of those drugs compared with those on placebo, the advisory states. (Mechcatie)
Due to this declaration, it is not safe to assume that antidepressant usage should be recommended for those under the age of eighteen. We should instead focus on the the way that these medications may help adults.
Many people will experience a major depressive episode at some point in their lifetime. Either they will know a coworker, friend, or family member affected by this illness, or they will be affected by it themselves. Of the seventeen million cases of depression that occur annually in our country, it is estimated that as many as eighty to ninety percent can be effectively treated. Liora Nordenberg of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cites the regrettable statistics of those who do not seek help: "However, two-thirds of the people suffering from depression don't get the help they need, according to NIMH. Many fail to identify their symptoms or attribute them to lack of sleep or a poor diet, the APA says, while others are just too fatigued or ashamed to seek help" (Nordenberg). If people are better educated about depression, perhaps they would be more likely to seek help, and not be ashamed for doing so.
Society needs to recognize depression as it is: a biologically based disease. As previously mentioned, it is believed that depression is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill identifies the neurotransmitters implicated in this situation:
Norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine are three neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that transmit electrical signals between brain cells) thought to be involved with major depression. Scientists believe that if there is a chemical imbalance in these neurotransmitters, then clinical states of depression result. Antidepressant medications work by increasing the availability of neurotransmitters or by changing the sensitivity of the receptors for these chemical messengers (Frank).


Word count says 789... I'm almost half done! THat means I need to get back to work -- I've got another one of these things to write after this one is done, and they're both due on the 22nd. Of course, the old me would have NEVER started this early -- I would have done it the night before it was due, or not done it at all. Maybe I have grown up some!

grrrr
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Miscellaneous goings-on
Just tried to post and tripod went on the spazzed out... more later... biggest news is that my favorite local band, Laughing Colors are calling it quits. :-/ Not a big surprise, but it's still sad.

grrrr
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Miscellaneous goings-on
Just tried to post and tripod went on the spazzed out... more later... biggest news is that my favorite local band, Laughing Colors are calling it quits. :-/ Not a big surprise, but it's still sad.