A Splintered Mind

Fast Food Originally uploaded by Darkstream . Considering what I've been through this summer (something I hope to write about this week), and how hard I've been pushing myself to finish a certain web project, I'm not really surprised that I was up the other night walking around trying to find something interesting to photograph. I took this particular series of photographs right after I went out for a bike ride. Somehow the irony that the empty fast food patio meant I should be in bed, too, escaped me. Most people need a break when they work hard. They'll get up, stretch their back, and maybe go for a walk to change the scenery. I'm no different than any one of them. It's just that my walks are at 3am. That's probably not a good walking-about-the-town time. It's probably even worse to race along at that time on a bike. I don't worry about those things, though, when I get bored in the middle of the night. It's one of the few ADHD impulses...

This article was originally published at dadomatic.com . I like to think my girls are bright—even brilliant. They’re certainly more brilliant than I am, though that may not be the grand compliment I mean it to be. I’m lucky if I can remember to put my pants on before I go outside. I can’t say that they are perfect, nor are they all on the same level, but their development stands in stark contrast with my youngest daughter’s. We almost lost her when she was three days old. Then we almost lost her again a month later. Both times she was hospitalized; each time was harrowing. And there was a price to pay: Brain damage. Cerebral Palsy.

Dear ADHD, I've been reflecting on the last Writers & Illustrators for Young Readers conference I attended and realized I didn't really make lasting friendships. In fact, I haven't made any long lasting friends with any of the people in this or last year's classes. As a rule, I seem to get along better with the published authors than the unpublished ones. I'm wondering if you have any insights into that. You've been to a lot of conferences, I'm sure, and seen people like me hit the social fan—ego all bespattered. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong. I know there's no magic formula for making friends. Certainly my classmates receive me warmly when seeing me. I just didn't click with any of them. Somehow, I'm missing that crucial last step to get on the IN list. Do you think I'm exaggerating?

This article was originally published at dadomatic.com . It’s that time of year again. It’s time to sort the CDs. Oh, I’m sure you’re thinking “Why don’t you just keep them in order as you use them?” and normally I would agree with you. After all, that’s how I use them. But I live with children. Four of them to be exact. And I foolishly managed to teach them to appreciate and even love my music, so from the first one all the way to the last they help themselves to my CDs. It started with my oldest who liked to help reorganize them. Obviously, I knew 17 years ago that my tidy little world was going to become a whole heckuvva lot more cluttered when we started having children. However, I never realized that this clutter would come in such cute packages. How can you get upset at a five year old who proudly alphabetizes your genre sorted collection A-Z? Or were they color coded? Time has erased that painful memory.

Urban Dreamscape Originally uploaded by Darkstream . I shot this a week ago during my seemingly regular night walks. Twisting the iPhone a bit during the shot gave it an otherworldly effect that I rather liked, especially when processed through ToyCamera , a favorite photography app of mine. I've spent the better part of the past week shuffling through my life like a zombie. I've been sick with a virus. Fluid in the ears, body aches, and a sore throat in August is a new experience for me. Despite all that, I drove my daughter, Bri'anna , around to her various county fair gigs here in Utah and slept between engagements. Wiped myself out rather well by Friday. Saturday was a blur. I can tell I'm getting better because I'm starting to think about time again, and how I'm not utilizing it wisely. That's not something I tend to worry about when I'm ticking or ill. I'm hoping this week will be better than last. I don't regret the time I spent h...