A Splintered Mind

The clock read 1:50pm. I had just enough time to zip across town to make it to my checkup.  I had been working on this since March. I wanted to avoid taking high blood pressure meds, so my doctor asked me to lose 25 pounds. I was 1.8 pounds away from that goal. I was exercising regularly and had also changed my diet drastically, so there was a very good chance I was going to beat the system.  I felt happy and relaxed despite my upcoming  TSA experience with a grown man wearing gloves. Actually, I was trying very hard not to think of that part.  Calm. Calm. I know he's gonna be checking my prostate, but REMAIN CALM! Alright, fine. I was relaxed physically, but mentally I was wound tighter than a yo-yo. That's probably why I messed up my usual routine.  Put on coat. Put on shoes. Walk through door. Close and lock door. Pat down for keys. Whoops. So now I'm sitting by my minivan awaiting my sixth grader's return home. I'm locked out of both my...

I like to occasionally read through my @DouglasCootey Twitter stream with Flipboard on my iPad . I've been on Twitter for over three years and the endless stream of status updates can become boring at times. But Flipboard reformats the tweets as articles and images displayed inline in magazine format, making the experience new for me, especially when the emphasis is on design and art. Last month as I browsed I came across an entry by Scott Nicholson (@hauntedcomputer). It featured the notorious Snooki from Jersey Shore. I don't watch the show, but I've seen a few clips. I've seen enough of the show to recognize her. I never took Snooki to be the studious type, yet there she was looking absolutely bookwormish. I felt a moment of chagrin since I had previously dismissed her as uninteresting along with her show months ago. So I tapped on her pic, then almost dropped my iPad in surprise when the full image loaded. This surprise wasn't anything Scott Nicholson had inten...

I've been looking forward to this app for a few months. When I heard about The Copia and discovered its dizzying array of models to choose from, I wondered why they were focusing on hardware in this increasingly crowded ereader market when they could accomplish the same social network goals with less startup cost with apps for PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, and Android tablets. Apparently, DMC Worldwide had the same thoughts because they've discontinued their ereaders and will be focusing on the desktop and mobile experience. Unfortunately, this app is very beta. As such, do not expect a new social network experience. Whatever Copia's potential, it isn't on display with their iPad client. In fact, my initial reactions to this app are very negative. I spent quite a bit of time diving into the Copia ecosystem last week since I was stuck on the couch . I discovered there was a vastly different experience between Mac, web, and iPad clients. The worst of the three was the iPad v...

After blogging so much this month, you may be wondering where I have been lately. Unfortunately, I began a long, protracted ticking episode last Sunday. I spent a lot of time on the couch reading, but not a lot of time writing. I even ran a new social network for readers through its paces. It wasn't as if I was able to do much more. An entire week was lost to this fog. I am not very happy about it. Fortunately, I had my moments of lucidity which I was able to use to my children's benefit. Still, I am horribly behind. This Thursday is the supposed deadline for my first draft. I don't know if I can make it. The kids are home from school all week and I may not be free of the ticking yet. To make the goal I will have to finish a chapter a day, even more. It doesn't look likely. However, I will still give it my all. Perhaps I will hit a productive streak like a vein of writer's gold. I have a pick and shovel. All that remains is for me to strike, and strike hard. Wish m...

Last week was such a success that I'm stepping up my game this week. I'm taking on 100 words per day . Frankly, I already did that last week when shooting for 50 words per day . Again, these goals sounds small, but I never end up only writing that little. The key is to write daily, something I wasn't doing at all until I began the Distracted Writers Club . Even if I am the only official member, it has been a good club to join. More pizza for me. I also plan on getting out to write to more diverse and less busy locations. Writing in the Borders kids section was a little odd, mostly because I didn't fit in the desk & chair. Next time: James Dashner had some interesting things to say to me.      Follow me on Twitter for my ADHD escapades at @SplinteredMind or my novel writing project over at @DouglasCootey . And if you're a glutton for punishment you can friend me on Facebook as well.  

These past few days have been difficult ones. For no reason that I can fathom, I go through periods of increased ticking episodes. That is what I've been experiencing this week.  Yesterday it was a ticking episode in Borders that I had to ride out for an hour before I could come home. Today it was a canceled hair appointment because my back was arching violently, thus making sharp implements near my face a bit of a dangerous pursuit. Even now my head feels as if the brain is floating around disconnected. I'm not ticking at the moment, but I could again very soon. There is a pending storm in my mind, bristling with energy like bolts of motion and crashes of thought. While it brews I sit it out, but I'm as exposed to the storm as a picnic bench on a hilltop. During the storm I try to read uplifting material. Anything to make better use of my twitching, but immobilized time. Today I decided to finally get through an issue of Drawing magazine that I've been dying on s...

Today Reader Becky has a question for me I thought deserved an official response. I'm sure others with ADHD experience this problem, and I'd love to know what various coping strategies people have come up with. "I stumbled on your blog, trying to find techniques or help on how to speak better. Any advise, links etc. for a speaking fool? (ex: seeing a horse in a pasture, I call out to my husband, "look, look... a.. a... dog!"... yeah.. :/ I assume "slowing down" my output is key... my mind racing faster than I can spit it out... maybe reading out loud or something?" What a fantastic question, Becky. ADHD folks can often have disconnects between thought and tongue. That's why we have foot-in-mouth issues all the time, but it also means we can sometimes sound stupid to our peers as our brains short out on our way to sounding like we know what we're talking about. On bad days, I worry about this a great deal. It also affects my ability to play ...