There's a tear in my beer, and other bad, bad country song lyrics

Everything makes me sad.

I realized this as I got drunk tonight on an empty stomach after leaving the apartment alone
without telling anyone where I was going, and frankly not knowing myself, because I didn't want to cry again cause I've cried too much in my life.

I think I've used up my alottment of tears. I've cried too much over too little. And now I won't allow myself to do it anymore.

The universe will punish me if I do.

I feel like a freak right now. I feel sad. I feel lost and alone and unlovable.

And that's all I thought about. While I was at work today. While I sat on the couch just hoping that someone would express some sort of care about the fact that I existed. While I realized that it's not anyone's job to do so. While I got dressed knowing that I had no idea where I was going. While I drank only three beers and got freaking drunk as shit since I had only soup and cheerios in my head for the past three days. While I tried to ignore the fact that only two sad drunk guys were sitting across the bar from me and the bartender was more interested in talking to them then me.

I'm just all alone. And apparently pathetic and redonkulous. And that doesn't make anything better.

So now I'm going to go back to pretending I don't hear things so that I can sit in my apartment and not feel like a lepper. Cause I will be alone forever and need to be reminded of that as often as possible.

And shit. Now I'm crying.

Wait for the smitting.



*Note - please ignore my bad spelling or grammar. I'm writing this while drunk. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Man! It was freaking epic!

I hate my body.

Not in the whole teenage angsty feeling chubby way. No, I hate my body cause it apparently hates me. And I figure why not make things even, right?

The other night I got food poisoning. And when I say food poisoning I don't just mean oh my stomach is a little upset. Oh no. I mean epic, busting capillaries in my face, 12 hours worth of getting sick, pulling muscles in my stomach and back, getting dehydrated, monster three-day migraine food poisoning.

And on top of it, I think I triggered a dormant flu or something, cause it's been nearly three days and food poisoning doesn't normally last this long. I've been horriblly sick, Lucky Readers, and it's been pretty awful.

And today is my awesome roomie's birthday and I can't even go out for her celebration dinner cause I feel too shitty. Which makes me feel like a shitty friend. Especially after she's been trying so hard to help me feel better. i guess I'll have to find a way to make it up to her ...

The worst part for me is that I've been having to cancel out on things. I missed a double shift day at work, two classes (one of which was kind of important to me, so I'm pretty sad about it), and a meeting for my production practice. I hate feeling like a flake, and even though I know that being sick is beyond my control, not feeling like I can tough my way through it and just get my stuff done feels pretty shitty to me.

No, no, I never put any pressure on myself at all.

The once nice thing about getting sicker than I've been for years is that I haven't had time to think about my crazy. Between getting sick, feeling sick, nearly passing out, and falling asleep for about an hour at a time I haven't had time to be upset or depressed.

So I guess I have to thank that bad apple I ate for giving me a vacation.

But now I'm going to go cause I feel kind of dizzy. Again. Wee!

What makes me happy makes me sad.

So I've been at work all day, trying to keep my mind occupied. I spent some time looking for jobs (bust) and watching videos on YouTube (fun but ultimately a waste of time). And then I started thinking.

I was trying to figure out exactly what it is that makes me not feel sad. Not necessarily what makes me happy, but what it is that makes me not wanna lie down in bed and never get up. I was doing this because my doctors both think its important for me to understand my triggers and my balance points. So I thought about the balance points since I didn't want to make myself depressed. And the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that it is while I am working that I am consistently the least upset.

Let me explain why, Lucky Readers.

I think it's because I am three things while I am there; distracted, needed, and respected. Now the latter two seem to me to be very basic/normal, and therefore not worthy of note. But the first one kind of bothers me. Apparently I am only near happy when I am completely outside of my head and not thinking like a normal human being. I must be distracted to the point that I make myself numb to not be upset all the time.

Apparently.

It's not just at work, though. It's while I'm in class (I need to constantly be counting down the minutes of class on the side of my notes in order to pay attention anymore), while I'm out with friends (I've become addicted to the jukeboxes at bars partly cause I like to hear good music while I drink, but also because it keeps my mind busy), and while I'm at home (internet jigsaw puzzles anyone?) too.

Distraction is my trick and I am her John who patronizes her all the time.

And sadly this fits really well with what my doctor's and I have been figuring out. That I am so uncomfortable just being that it literally triggers my crazy. And that's what they have been trying to work on with me for the past few weeks. And we'll probably keep working on for the next while now. Joy.

So I guess that means that we are making some progress. And that's good. Cause that means that we are moving in the right direction, which makes me think that maybe it hasn't been a complete waste of time.

But still...realizing what makes me happy has made me sad. And that's not good.

Hi. I'm Even-Steven...er...Stevette?

So, it's been a week or so since I wrote anything. I've been crazy busy on top of being crazy sad/depressed, so I've been a bit preoccupied. So I'll update for ya.

The crazy busy has mostly been in regards to classes, but it's also been the job search. I won't dwell on that again, but basically I am super frustrated about the lack of solid leads. Although I am happy to report that some friends are coming through with vague possibilities. But right now they are very vague. And that's aggrevating.

Plus, when I talked to my doctor about it (she asked, I swear) she eventually had to state, "Wow. You have every reason to be frustrated and upset. That sucks."

Yep, that's what she said. More or less.

As for being sad/depressed again...well I have no explanation for that beyond the fact that it's my crazy striking. Again. Joy.

I really do need to stop being so surprised by this. I mean, it's kind of the nature of the crazy. And I need to learn to deal with it rather than responding with "What the Hell!?" Cause clearly that's not helping anything. But then again, I don't know how else to react, so this whole vague idea of changing my response may just be an exercise in futility.

Sigh...

But it hasn't all been bad, Lucky Readers. I've been having a lot of fun hanging out with my friends. I've been doing new things and redisovering pasttimes that I had vaguely abandoned (remember bowling? I didn't until Monday...). I've had a couple really fun bar nights and I even tried a juice fast to de-toxify my system. Although I did kinda cheat at it. A little. I had a salad each day and two beers. Sue me.

Plus, as a result of the fast I decided that I am going to start back up with my diet. I know, I know, I keep saying that. But this time I know I have to stay with it. I'm about to graduate and enter the work world, which will give me alot of stress plus a more seditary life style, which spells weight gain. And since I'm not at the lower weight that I think I should be at, I'm going to need to form some good habits now. That also includes exercising, which I need to get back into.

I will do it this time. I really, really, really, will!

But now I should probably go since I'm in class and should be paying attention (tee hee!). To sum up... sad but trying to be positive, stressed by trying to relax, worried about graduation, but pleased about having real fun with real friends.

So...I balance out. Good for me!

Life stuck on repeat

Despite me grandest of efforts, I let myself think a rather foolish thought, Lucky Reader. I let myself, for five seconds, believe that being happy for three days meant that I was all not crazy anymore.


Isn't that a fun trick to play on myself? So silly! Tee hee!

The past couple days have been really rough. Again. Surprise, surprise. But I handled it better than the last bout of badness. Nothing harmful happened this time. In fact, when I had ... bad thoughts ... I made a healthier choice and made a collage. This may sound like a little victory to other people, but to me it's huge. Mostly cause if I could do it once, that means I can do it again.

This was my beaches of Normandy, people.

Plus, Ted really stepped up to the plate and helped me through the worst of it. Before, I had been afraid to reach out to him and tell him about what I was going through. Cause even though he knew about my crazy (and has been wonderful about it, by the by. He's responded with openness and a desire to understand, which is exactly how someone should respond to such news. I really like him, guys...) I was afraid that if he actually bore witness to it it would scare him away. But it didn't. He just stayed on the phone with me until I felt better. He let me talk through it as much as possible, asked questions to help me articulate my thoughts, and tried really hard to just make me smile, which, sadly, is all I really need sometimes. I am so fucking proud of him right now, Lucky Readers, and I feel so very lucky that I have someone like him.

But none the less, its still been rough. Especially in light of the previous low period (which was only about a week ago. That's right, I'm off balance as shit, y'all!). Basically, I had let myself binge on bad behavior during the previous low period. I didn't fight the urges I get and instead I gave into them. Even though I knew that I shouldn't. And that I had been okay for nearly three months prior to that. And afterwards I was left reeling in my own head, wondering what the hell just happened.

Wow. Reading that back it makes me sound like I do heavy drugs or binge drink. Especially in light of the fact that I'm watching Intervention right now. Rest assured, Lucky Readers, I do not. I'm not that crazy.

But, yea. The roughness of the past couple days has been heartbreaking to me. Especially after I actually felt normal, at least much more than I have for a bit now. And to feel this way now ... it sucks.

Suckity suck suck sucks.

But I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. And I'll be going back to Cleveland on the 21st. And the quarter from hell has only two days remaining in it. And the opera's done so I never have to work one ever again (hooray!). And I am loved.

Ecetera, ecetera, ecetera.

So once again, I'm going to keep repeating that stuff to myself. But this is getting exhausting and it's not really working all too fantastically. And I'm getting really frustrated.

I'm trying to get better. But the getting better is making things worse. And I know that it has to be that way sometimes, but COME ON! How much do I have to put up with in order to get there?

I go to my doctors so I can get the medication I need to balance out. But there I have to talk about why I need it and that makes me dig up the shit I hate to think about. And then the rough stuff is just laying there, exposed and raw in a vat of salt. And I can't help but think about it. And then I can't help but dwell on it. And that makes me feel like I did for eight years.

But...things aren't really as bad as I see them as being. Not even close.

And the fact that I have to conciously tell myself that over and over again sucks incrediblly.

Unicorns and rainbows are EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!

So the worst of my worst days are over ... relatively speaking. I still have the craziness of the opera this weekend at work, but that shouldn't be too, too terrible. Although I do hate the opera. The customers who call in, leading them through seating charts, getting yelled at cause the music school takes all the good seats, dealing with the music school, dealing with the primadonna cast members/musician (and yes, primadonnas are worse than drama queens), and the very fact that its an opera which i can appreciate but just don't dig on ... I hate everything about it! But hey, at least I don't have to watch it this year.

Am I right?!? *Puts hand up in the air waiting for someone to high five it* Am I right ?!?

But besides the prospect of that looming over my head I am actually ... big breath now ...

HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know, crazy right? But yea I was walking down the street today and I realized that for the first time in like two months, I was happy without any influence at all (you see, I can be happy when, say, I'm hanging out with friends or visiting Ted. But without anything like that ... not so much)! I literally has a bounce in my step, Lucky Readers!

So to celebrate I put one of my new favorite mixes onto my iPod and I lip-sang along to it while I rode the El and walked down the streets without giving two shits what anyone thought about it. But I did resist the urge to dance until I got back to the apartment. That would have been too much, me thinks.

I'm not sure why I was so happy. Nor do I think I really care. I mean, it could be that the roughest days of this hellsih end to the quarter from hell are over. Or it could be that I am going home in about a week now and I simply cannot wait to see the streets of my little slice of Cleveland suburbia, friends there, family, and (sigh!) Ted. Or maybe its that my therapy and meds are finally beginning to squelsh my crazy enough that I can actually be at my base level for a few days without interruption.

The point is, I don't care. I'm just so happy that it happened, and I want to enjoy it without killing it with questions.

And speaking of my therapist, I started meeting with her this week (before it was just a psychiatrist, and now I get both - that's just how crazy I am!) which meant that I had to give my history to her and can I just say ... how am I not more crazy than I am?

But we'll leave that for another day, when I'm not so happy.

And now I leave you so I can go skipping down the beautiful sunny streets of my beautiful sunny city while animated flowers bloom and grow behind me and blue birds soar towards my head tweeting a melody over the up-tempo, Disneyesque music!

Liquor ... but I just met her! aka Drunkity drunk drunk drunk!

I broke my drinking streak this weekend. I drank way too much and got sick for the first time ever, Lucky Readers ... from liquor that is. And let me just say I still don't get what the big hullabaloo is about drinking till you get sick. It hurts (I learned that throwing up alchol REALLLLLLY burns), it's messy, and I have felt redonkulously ill all day (beyond hangover my friends). Plus, Ted got really mad when he found out how drunk I got (well... as really mad as he gets. He's a very mellow guy ... never even raised his voice), and although I love that he cares enough to get upset, I hate that I made him so.

Never, ever, ever again Lucky Readers.

The rest of the weekend wasn't much better. I worked at my internship nearly all of the first nice weather weekend we've had in months. I still am stressed beyond belief and can't focus enough to study ... like I should be doing right about now actually.

Oh...and my crazy is making me do bad things again. Wee!!!!!!

But I don't want to dwell on all that. I want to be as positive as possible right now. So instead I'm going to think about how I'm almost done with the quarter from hell, how I have awesome friends (who held my hair back for me even), an amazing man in my life, lots of money coming my way (in college terms that is), spring break coming (10 days away from Cleveland!), and an appointment with my doctor, which I will use to try and decipher my crazy some more.

I will have a good week Lucky Readers. I will, I will, I will, I will, I will! Even if it freakin' kills me ...

I wish, I wish I hadn't killed that fish!

I wish ... oh so many things, Lucky Reader. I do this on a daily basis anymore, and I feel like if I don't share them I will eventually pop. And I don't want that. I don't want my head to explode in a brilliant zombie movie flash and for the gooey bits of my former head to be splattered all over whoever happens to be close by. And since our computer system is going wonkey today and i can't do any work, I thought now might be a good time to share it.

For starters, I wish I knew what I wanted after college.

I know I keep on bringing this up, but it is a major issue for me right now. I am still so completely torn between Chicago and Cleveland, and every single day I seem to be changing my mind. To break it down into basics, Chicago has the industry, Cleveland has the family. So basically I need to make a decision between having a successful career, and having my safety net. It's so hard for me, and I just can't make a decision. And I don't know how to get closer to that point. I think that may be the most frustrating thing about the situation overall ...

I wish Ted* and I lived in the same state.

Right now there are only two truly, solidly, undisrupted positive things I have going for me. One is awesome roomie. The other is Ted. And while the latter is fabulous and wonderful and everything I need in my life right now, he still lives in Toledo. And although I get to see him fairly often, it isn't enough. And it sucks. I miss him ... alot ... more than I want to admit.

I wish the quarter from Hell was done already.

Okay, that one is pretty self explanatory. This quarter has sucked. It's been a lot of long days, long nights, and long projects (most of them with groups - hooray). I have had so little free time it's ridiculous. My sleep cycle is incrediblly off and all I want is to sleep for a week straight right now. And don't call that senioritis. It's not. It's I-hate-stupid-professors-itis.

I wish my crazy would fix itself.

Yes, I am very happy that I am getting my crazy taken care of, Lucky Reader. But this process is really hard on me and hurting. It's altering the actual manifestation of the crazy, and it's putting me really off balance. For instance, last night i was hanging out with my friends, having a really good time. Out of nowhere, though, I suddenly got really sad and just wanted to leave and go home. In fact i didn't feel right until I was walking into my apartment again. That used to happen to me alot when I was in high school, but hasn't for a long enough time now that it is making me worry.

I just want to cut to four months from now when it should be better and I wont feel like this anymore. But until then, let me just say that I love being crazy! It's fantastic fun!

I wish it was spring break already!

I'm going to be going back to Cleveland for about a week for it, and I'm really excitied. I get to see my family, have rawkus fun with my very good friends, get to see Ted for a few days, and finally just CHILLAX!!! It's going to be amazing and I am very eager.

Finally, I wish that my meeting with my academic advisor goes well today.

She might tell me that my graduation is going to be delayed. I'm wicked nervous and I really hope it doesn't happen. So, cross your fingers for me, Lucky Readers.

I appreciate it!

*For future reference, all names in my blog are changed.