{"id":4368,"date":"2006-02-08T23:11:03","date_gmt":"2006-02-09T03:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2006\/02\/08\/im-just-not-that-weird-honest"},"modified":"2011-08-25T15:03:41","modified_gmt":"2011-08-25T19:03:41","slug":"im-just-not-that-weird-honest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2006\/02\/08\/im-just-not-that-weird-honest\/","title":{"rendered":"i’m just not that weird (honest)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
How embarrassing for a so-called “<\/span>creative<\/span><\/a>,” curmudgeonly pundit-<\/span><\/div>\n
haijin: I’ve been Weird-Tagged<\/a><\/em> and can’t come up with any examples <\/span><\/div>\n
of “weird habits” of mine,\u00a0much less five of them.\u00a0 Although I just might <\/span><\/div>\n
end up with a plethora of examples, I think I’ll email a few friends and <\/span><\/div>\n
family members to see if they can help fill my Weird\u00a0list.<\/span><\/div>\n
Meanwhile, a little background on getting tagged:\u00a0Ellen M Johns<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
of the <\/span>Coffee Granules<\/span><\/em><\/a> weblog, reached all the way over from the <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
UK, and tagged me at <\/span>dagosan’s haiku diary<\/span><\/em><\/a>\u00a0— apparently during <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
her very first visit there (yes, pretty forward, indeed).\u00a0 Ellen was <\/span><\/div>\n
tagged by poet and author Pris Campbell<\/a>.\u00a0 At\u00a0Pris’\u00a0surprise-filled <\/span><\/div>\n
Songs To A Midnight Sky<\/em><\/span><\/a>\u00a0weblog, I learned that Ellen is <\/span>waiting<\/span><\/a> to <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
see whether I, and the four other males she tagged, “have risen to <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
the challenge!!!”\u00a0 Great, <\/span>more<\/em><\/span><\/a> performance expectations.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\"boy<\/span><\/div>\n
Reading about Pris Campbell, I discovered that she — like myself — <\/span><\/div>\n
has been living with <\/span><\/span>CFS<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\/CFIDS<\/span> (chronic fatigue immune dysfunction <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
syndrome) for many years.\u00a0 On her website About<\/a> page, Pris begins <\/span><\/div>\n
her story: <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
“I didn’t start out as a poet. I wanted to be a novelist until a <\/span><\/div>\n
major illness wiped out\u00a0 that idea. On September 23, 1990, <\/span><\/div>\n
I woke up with a severe case of what was later to be diag-<\/span><\/div>\n
nosed <\/span>as CFIDS. . . .<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
.<\/div>\n
“When this illness hit, I felt as if I had been transported to a <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
place I no longer recognized.”<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Although I have talked about my having CFS at this website (mostly <\/span><\/div>\n
in the context of having to stop<\/a> posting or switch<\/a> formats to conform <\/span><\/div>\n
to the illness’ limitations and frustrations), I have not said much\u00a0about <\/span><\/div>\n
the great transformation this illness has caused in my life.\u00a0 Of course, \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I bet my astute readers could figure out what it might mean to lose <\/span><\/div>\n
one’s profession and livelihood, all financial security and most social <\/span><\/div>\n
contacts.\u00a0 Nor have <\/span>I discussed the <\/span>dispiriting aspects of having a mere <\/span><\/div>\n
“syndrome,” <\/span>that sounds trivial, <\/span>doesn’t\u00a0make you\u00a0“look sick,”\u00a0and offers<\/span><\/div>\n
no roadmap back to good health.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"napper<\/span><\/div>\n
Prior to CFIDS, Pris had been a ‘health nut’ and former clinical psy-<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
chologist, who was an aspiring author.\u00a0 She biked daily, kept a garden, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
and was active with friends and in the community.\u00a0 If you are at all <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
curious about this illness, which has greatly affected the lives of hun-<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
dreds of thousand of people (plus their families), I recommend that you <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
read Pris’ story<\/span><\/a> — and her tips about how to relate to us CSFers. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
One thing Pris and I appear to have in common: an appreciation for <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
the insights and values gained living with this illness.\u00a0 When I thought <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
I had to give up “ethicalEsq<\/em>” (the prior name of this weblog)<\/span> for good, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
I wrote something worth repeating (if only for my own edification):\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
I know that some of the new friends I’ve made out there in <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Web Log Land are a little worried about me and my health, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
but they shouldn’t be.\u00a0 I’m not seeking sympathy\u00a0by telling <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
personal details in this public place.\u00a0\u00a0I’ve learned some very <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
important lessons\u00a0while dealing with a serious health condition <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
over the past decade, and I’m glad to have learned them and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
lived them.\u00a0\u00a0 Besides discovering my own inner strength, I found <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
out\u00a0that there are things far more valuable to me<\/em> than the typical <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
American\u00a0symbols of “success” — power, influence, recognition, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
wealth.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\"honest\"<\/span><\/div>\n
I still haven’t learned how to pace myself, to avoid doing my body harm <\/span><\/div>\n
in a constant hyper-weblogging mode.\u00a0 Maybe Pris can share some of <\/span><\/div>\n
her experience with me.\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
.<\/span><\/div>\n
On the other hand,\u00a0perhaps she can lend me a few “weird habits” so <\/span><\/div>\n
I can get this darn List done.\u00a0 Soon, Ellen\u00a0(honest).<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\"tiny\u00a0 Speaking of poets, here are a few <\/span><\/div>\n
poems\u00a0from Lee Gurga<\/a> that fit my mood tonight:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
arc of a rubberband<\/div>\n
back and forth across the room;<\/div>\n
winter evening<\/div>\n
\"coyote<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
first snow —<\/div>\n
little boy laughing<\/div>\n
in his sleep<\/div>\n
\n
\n
the sky black with stars —<\/div>\n
coyote tracks up and down<\/div>\n
the frozen creek<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n
lee gurga<\/span><\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0<\/span>Fresh Scent<\/span><\/em><\/a> (1998)<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"threeQuarterMoon\"<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How embarrassing for a so-called “creative,” curmudgeonly pundit- haijin: I’ve been Weird-Tagged and can’t come up with any examples of “weird habits” of mine,\u00a0much less five of them.\u00a0 Although I just might end up with a plethora of examples, I think I’ll email a few friends and family members to see if they can help […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[900],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-viewpoint"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6kP1R-18s","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4368"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14308,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4368\/revisions\/14308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}