The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: anxiety

  • Growly Dreams

    I enjoy watching my dogs dream. Their little paws run and they sometimes twitch and yip. I imagine they’re chasing squirrels. But tonight Devo was growling in his sleep. I called his name from across the room. I didn’t want to touch him in case he thought I was the adversary. (I’d like to keep…

  • Fireworks Fallout

    Apparently I have moved into a very patriotic neighborhood. Even though the 4th of July is several days in the past, my neighbors on all sides are still setting off fireworks at random moments. Very random moments. Mid day. Three in the morning. As I write this, my dogs are cowering behind me, under the…

  • Waiting to Exhale

    I’ve been through some of the most stressful months of my entire life. Death, job hunting, moving, evil and unscrupulous landlady and her ex-convict son, even more evil and unscrupulous internet provider (more about that in a few days) all piled one on top of the other, and it makes me tired. If I were…

  • I’m Fixin’ To

    When I was 10 years old we moved from a mansion in Connecticut to a tent in Florida. I was uprooted from family and friends and seasons and all things familiar, and I never felt safe again. I was angry and terrified. My mother turned into someone I didn’t know. She would come home from…

  • Things I Hope I Never Forget

    The shock of having the person I loved most in the world die unexpectedly two weeks ago has taught me much. Life is as fragile as a soap bubble. It could pop at any moment and that’s it. You’re done. Because life is so fragile, it’s precious. You only get a little bit of it,…

  • Seventeen Fatal Mistakes Managers Make

    I have been working since I was 10 years old, and have experienced every type of manager conceivable. There is quite a bell curve on the spectrum of competence. I’ve seen many of the same mistakes made over and over and over again. These professional landmines should be easy to spot and avoid, but apparently…

  • The Bunyip and his Cousins

    Behold the fearsome Bunyip. This mythological creature was much feared among the Aboriginal people of Australia. Until recently I had never heard of this beast, but it intrigues me because it seems to be so far from even the mainstream creepy folk creature as to be unrecognizable.   As you can see from the various…

  • Kayak Angst

    While on vacation I read a book (Packing for Mars by Mary Roach—I highly recommend it) that mentioned a very interesting syndrome called Kayak Angst. I’d never heard of it before (and can’t imagine why I would have, being the land-based mammal that I tend to be), so I decided to read up on it.…

  • The Power of Persuasion

    This should be a very short entry, because I’m fairly convinced that I’ve never changed anyone’s mind about anything. Ever. I mean, EVER. Wow. It feels good to admit that out loud. What a load off my shoulders! If there were a 12 step program for people like me, I’d be at step two. Step…

  • Come the Apocalypse, I Want to be with my Dog.

    I have a new theory. The best possible thing that can happen when you are searching for a mate is a horrible first date, because then you can see how that person reacts under pressure. Stress separates the men from the boys. It cuts through all the surface bs and shows you what someone is…