Have a better than expected day, smonster. Also, what they all said.

My laptop ate a long post I had earlier, but I didn't have to to recreate it. Grumble. Hopefully more later.

Pix, I hope you are ok. I really don't like the sound of what you are experiencing and wish there was an easier answer than waiting until the meds come through the mail.

Here 14 minutes early. Of course, it's raining, so who knows how much we'll be able to work today… but it won't be my fault. I'm the first one here. My plan is to get up before flea calls, so I'm not training myself to rely on her phone calls.

Thanks for the reminders about stickers, I've used those before with some good results.

askye, my roommate's bedroom is right next to mine, so I don't think that will work. But thank you for sharing what works for you. It's all good info that gets me thinking.

erin, thank you. I have such a hard time separating my behavior from myself as a person.

I get up very early these days. Before 5am today, but can't trust myself to remember to call, and hate the phone, so thank flea for being able to do that. If I could somehow send waves of coffee aroma, or your favorite wake up smell your way I would surely do so.

I have a question on the Celexa thing. My sister arrived on Saturday to help me with my work overload as she has done for a couple months or so now, but she was a weepy mess of depression. She tells me her insurance company refuses to pay for the brand name, and the generic makes her throw up, and doesn't work, possibly because she can't keep it down. She has gone through this with a number of insurers as her company seems to switch often.

As is often the case with my sister, every single potential solution offered was rejected as impossible. I at least got her to agree to talk to the company's insurance agent as they should have an advocate that can deal with the insurance company on her behalf.

I don't even know what I am asking for. I just don't know how to be there for her. Particularly when she won't do anything to make her lot better, and hasn't for at least 40 years.

I know there was something else, but the drugs the neurologist has me on are not helpful in having working memory. I see him the 15th and hope to cut to at least a half if not try and go without again. Stupid brain.

1. smonster is AWESOME.

That above all needed to be stated.

2. flea is AWESOME.

again, really needs to be stated, because support in a tangible way is moving and thoughtful and more than many of us could do.

3. this community as a whole, AWESOME.

I hope we all realize that there are people here who will help in many different ways. I cannot imagine life without this space and you people.

I at least got her to agree to talk to the company's insurance agent as they should have an advocate that can deal with the insurance company on her behalf.

Her doctor's office should also be able to call/write a letter to the insurance stating that the brand name is medically necessary.

Y'all, I am doing freelance work for my old company (they never shut down; it's just that when they sold the monthly journals, the day-to-day operations changed drastically, but they still have textbooks that they occasionally need to update, and that is what I'm doing for them). They still have the old office space (for whatever reasons), and so I'm back in my old office, which is empty and weird as hell.

(I had to come in to the office because of a weird complicated thing with PDF files. I can't figure it out, so I can't explain it.)

weird. is it uncomfortable?

I've only worked at one place as a freelancer once I left, and I left that job on my own. One job I was fired from asked me about contracting for some work and I think I quoted them $100/hour plus expenses, so that never happened.

Hi there, awesome folks! I missed you.

Turns out I can be bad when it comes to flipping between communities, as in I can't do it if I am required to seriously commit my focus to one of them. So work-related conference that required me to work directly with my boss from 9-5 every day? Couldn't have brought my kids and managed, couldn't even meet up with friends outside that work context. Weird. But it was fun, cold but fun.

I am now officially jelly of your food options, Chicagoistas. I didn't even make it to The Purple Pig. Next time, next time.

3. this community as a whole, AWESOME.

I hope we all realize that there are people here who will help in many different ways. I cannot imagine life without this space and you people.

Yes, this. So much.

smonster, I hear you on having a hard time separating undesirable behaviors from my sense of self-worth. Going through that right now, actually.

But! In concrete ideas: do you have a wake-up light? [link] Does that sound like something that would help? I manage to get up at a ridiculous time (4:45 a.m.) through a combination of stubborness and having lights come on right before my alarm goes off. Okay, it's a grouping of LED candles that come on on a timer (http://www.worldmarket.com/product/3-x-9-flameless-led-pillar.do?&from=Search), but it's working. So far.