iPad Sketch #3: Two Pumpkins For Pumpkin

Originally published at Absentminded Author, v2.



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ADHD: The Blind Leading the Blind

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Two nights ago I asked my thirteen year old daughter for help. I told her I needed her to get me two things from upstairs, but when she asked what they were my mind went blank. I stood there and wrestled with my thoughts to remember what the heck I needed her to get. Soon the neurons in my mind recalled each other's location and I remembered what items I needed, but when I made sure I had her attention I forgot them again so quickly I didn't have a chance to say what they were. She just laughed and laughed. I could have felt frustrated. I certainly felt sheepish, but instead I laughed along with her. I mention this only so you know what type of brain we're working with here when I tell you that last week a reader named Bekah asked me for advice . She shared with me how frustrated she felt when her son, who has ADHD , became frustrated whenever he encountered problems. She wanted to know what she could do to help him. I believe the working theory was that since I had AD/HD I...
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Byword, the ADHD Friendly Text Editor

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I warn you ahead of time that this is a geeky blog for a limited spectrum of my readers. What? You aren't all bloggers and writers? I've discovered a new text editor for the iPhone and iPad that I wanted to share with my fellow writers who have ADHD. It's called Byword . If you don't write for a living you may not appreciate why I am so excited about this app, and since I am writing for a living I need to be quick about today's entry. Here are a few highlights: iCloud sync. There are a lot of text editors out there, but most sync to Dropbox. But if Dropbox were to ever go down, I want an alternative service to work with. Since Byword syncs to iCloud, this allows me to still sync documents between my iPhone & iPad. If I had a Mac that wasn't ancient, I could sync it all to the Mac version of the app as well. Dropbox sync. If iCloud ever goes down, Byword can also sync to Dropbox, which means that my work flow doesn't have to be altered too d...
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Off the Shelf: “Everything Is Fine” by Ann Dee Ellis

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I loved how this book was written. Such crisp prose. Sparse, yet intimate, with a clear and strong voice. “Everything Is Fine” was written from the point of view of Mazzy, a young preteen who is coping with family tragedy. Her father is away on a new job, though one is given the feeling he is avoiding the drama at home. Her mother is a shell of her former self. Finding out what destroyed her is part of the mystery of the book. Much like the peeling away of a lettuce, the story is told in parts. Some take place in the past, some in the present. Some relate to the tragedy, some give us a window inside the mind of this traumatized girl. I felt the issues of depression were dealt with quite believably. I had a dark period in my life—never as catatonic as Mazzy’s mother but just as dysfunctional. The rest of the family really does need to pick up the slack. Some neighbors offered support and others cruel advice. This book was spot on. I believe it is a credit to Ellis’ writing that I ...
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