My Friend Nick

I have a friend named Nick Dupree. Nick has done something very bold. Nick had MD since he was a child, and has grown up in Mobile Alabama with his mom, his grandma and his brother who also has MD. Nick uses a ventilator to breathe and a wheelchair to move around. He also uses the computer, the internet and email to communicate with the outside world. Nick has decided at age 26 to move from Mobile Alabama to New York City. After fighting Medi-Caid and winning, Nick, unlike thousands of others who are vent dependent are required to move into nursing homes because of the high level of care that they need to live. Nick wanted to stay at home and get nursing care In-Home. In most states it's possible, but in Alabama it's not. At the end of August, with nurses treating him really badly, and his mother in bad health, Nick has decided to move into a rehab hospital on a stop before moving into an apartment, and going back to school. Nick's care is expensive, but his mind is priceless. I highly reccommend reading his blog to find out just how determined Nick is.

Nick is on myspace.

http://blog.myspace.com/nickdupree

Looking for a new place to live

B-town needs to help me find a new place to live that's cheaper! The place where I'm at now does not even pay for itself and if anyone knows of any place in Berkeley ,CA I would love to hear from you!

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike similar to Hurricane Katrina but not as strong and blown way out of proportion by the media but the people that chose to stay must have known what they were in for....the train wreck in LA was put together to slow down the mass transit program due to the pending budget crisis...these are just my 2 cents.

Wordle Blog

Here is a past blog put into Worldle. Two varieties.

The Wickedness of Facebook

My latest addiction is Facebook.com. I have met a lot of old friends, but I have also met people I don't know! This is kind of freaaky! You can play all these games with people, you can poke people in a cyber way, and they can poke you back in a cyber way. I wrote to someone I thought was a friend, but I had no idea who the hell they were when they wrote me back, and my friend was bought and sold...I don't understand!

Another fucked up application in facebook, and now it looks like myspace and facebook have merged into one. I hope this isn't true, myspace was so nice in the beginning! Facebook is also weird because it connects you to people you haven't seen in 25 years, and all of a sudden they have a first hand picture of who you are, and who your friends are. But I gotta give it to the facebook hippies, because they have a virtual garden that raises money to help the rainforest, and I think that's pretty cool.

But my advice to facebook is don't intertwine yourself with myspace, lose some of your crappy applications, and I think what you're doing is great in terms of networking people together. My friends at Skylake Ranch Camp (SRC) got together on facebook, and I got so excited that after our realtime meeting, I broke my foot! So, facebook, you and I have a love/hate relationship!

Oh! I forgot to mention, every time I get poked or get a new message, it goes straight to my cell phone. No, really! I'll be in the middle of a meeting, and it will suddenly pop up that so-and-so has finally reunited with me, and so the person in the meeting gets to talk while I get to think about who the f--- friended me! Myspace is no better, and as the quote says on Romeo and Juliet, "A plague on both your houses!"

That's all, folks!

CP and Depression

Today I visit the topic of depression and CP. It happens at all ages, and in all cultures. Depression in itself is a feeling of hopelessness, loss, and despair. It can only be compounded with CP, and the way our culture, and the world runs. We all have to get educated, get jobs, find housing, have relationships with people, have our self interests met, and so much more. Just CP on top of every day life can be very frustrating. Some folks with CP have trouble with communication, which can lead to a build up of frustration, tantrums, feeling withdrawl, and not wanting to participate in the choices of life. But instead, in some cases, we (those with CP) would use an attendant, or helper to make the real world into a fantasy game. For example, I have a friend who wanted to find a job. He told his helper that he was to find jobs on the internet, and send them my friend's resume, and then call the job back for follow up. This removed my friend from actually doing the job at hand, and instead, sadly to say, watched someone else apply for jobs, and go through the whole process, and they didn't care. The time was wasted because my friend was taken out of the process voluntarily, after they were rejected time and time again. Imagine not being able to talk, and having to drive a wheelchair. Imagine the indignities of fighting with the equal playing field and the competitive edge. All of this needs to be done by the person in whatever goal they choose, they will not feel as bad, or different because they are doing it. Do you ever watch a movie, and think to yourself, "How easy is this?" Then you go to do it, and it's really hard. I think a good way to deal with depression and CP is to be engaged, and find meaningful things to do. Create a priority list, and get through at least one priority a day. Talk to any friends and relatives, or loved ones regularly, and don't forget your pets! Live life, and be grateful. Get involved in groups, and say "Nothing about us without us!" Stay informed with what's going on, it may lead to a job, or a future housing opportunity. Never doubt yourself, and always try and make independant, informed decisions about one's life. Try always to talk about stuff that's on your mind, and if need be, seek mental health, counseling, or talk to someone who has similar issues, or problems that might be able to shed some light on what one is going through. On a personal note, I like to write letters and emails. I think they help get my point across, and allow me to get the whole thing out, and be understood. I think on the other side, it allows for reflection, and introspection...my two cents.