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“I can be changed by what happens to me. I refuse to be reduced by it.”
-Can't say who said this, without revealing odd Twitter networking
Well, I won't do my Christopher Nolan cheerleading routine…but I finally saw “Inception.” I'm sure you all can guess that I loved it.
I'd be interested to hear though, regardless of what you thought of the film as a whole, what everyone thought of the different aspects of dreaming and the possibilities of dreaming/subconscious that were brought up in the movie.
I still need to get around to watching the bonus features. One of them looks particularly interesting: “Dreams: Cinema of the Subconscious.”
The tagline reads: Can the Dream World be a fully functional parallel reality? Joseph Gordon-Levitt and leading scientists take you to the cutting edge of dream research.
'MarinaFournier' wrote on '05:Thank you! I have had frequent recourse to the PDR, and I can occasionally get lost in it, like a dictionary, thesaurus, Wikipedia or a web search. What's your dx, if you don't mind telling?
The PDR is like a book of fun to me, I too can get lost in it. My diagnosis is a bit misleading, because usually I get something like bipolar, but that's not entirely true as I don't necessarily fit the proto-type of that. More often than not though I get a diagonosis of bipolar, some psychosis, multiple anxiety disorders, and chronic insomnia of course.
Marina–
I'm ashamed to admit I don't read too much, but the books do sound interesting. I enjoy books (or more accurately films, since that is my “world”) that feature strong female protagonists. I haven't written anything creatively in a while, but about 90% of the time my characters are females. I don't know why that is, I've always just found them more interesting to write and read and watch, and in the same way most of my friends are females (very few male friends.)
I haven't been keeping up with Roger Ebert's writings as of late. I've kind of taken a step back from the world of film. I still actively watch, I just don't read as much as commentary and I'm not pursuing it creatively that much…a lot of that was the side-effects of some of my psych meds, but now my creativity is starting to come back so that might change. I've always really enjoyed Roger Ebert's writing and counted him among the film critics whose opinion usually matched mine. I should probably follow him on Twitter, I see people RT his stuff, but I don't think I'm actually following him.
As for the kind of film I enjoy…I pretty much enjoy and watch everything. I watch a lot of the mainstream blockbuster movies, but more often than not I am watching a lot of smaller, indie and non-indie films. I really like perceptive character studies or films with an innovative plot structure, though visuals are something unique to film too, so I enjoy films with good visuals too (not just special-effects, but aesethetically pleasing shots.)
Ham steaks. Lots and lots of ham steaks. I know it's truly ridiculous, but I prefer ham steak to real steak. Well, that depends on how it's cooked, but ham is one of my favorite meats. (Never been a big steak eater.)
I lost my ENTIRE music collection. Or more accurately, my entire MEDIA collection. We're talking about music, TV shows, and movies–about 700 GB worth. Lesson learned, as soon as I can afford it, I'm buying a backup HD to the new one I got to replace the one that died.
That said, I've been rediscovering some of my old favorites by default…like the Jon Brion (unreleased) version of Fiona Apple's album (for the record, I like both versions.) Nirvana Unplugged has been playing some. Along with some Dr. Dre. I've also been listening to some Kelly Clarkson, who is pretty much the only American Idol alumn I have any respect or desire to listen to.
'MarinaFournier' wrote on '28:It seems we have some things in common besides bipolar, RLS (never officially diagnosed, mild, but I dated a physician who said I probably had it), and insomnia. Also, I live in the East Bay area, so all things considered we are neighbors.
My RLS was never exactly dx'd, but I know it's not Parkinson's. I don't know how to gauge the intensity of it, but I do have breakthrough attacks. I'm going to see about talking to a neurologist about it, as my internist is not educated about it (she admitted that).
Yes, I suppose we are neighbors, compared to many others' locations on this list. In December, there is a Pegasus Release Celebration being held by Bay Area members of Robin McKinley's forum. We're meeting in Berkeley, because we can't think of a place along the 880 where we'd enjoy the food and be able to talk about the book. I couldn't think of an appropriate place on the Peninsula, and we figured Borderlands Books' cafe in SF wasn't going to work for some reason I forget.
I'm ashamed to admit I don't know who Robin McKinley is. I am very cine-literate (huge film buff/geek), but not the most book-literate person in the world (though in my youth, I read voraciously.) I hope you have a good time at the Release Celebration.
'MarinaFournier' wrote on '28:I read the Wikipedia entry on it. I will ask my pdoc about it–okay, I'll email her the URL for the Wikipedia article. It IS primarily for delayed sleep onset, which I don't really have. I have seen a couple of their truly wacky commercials here in the US. Since it features a US President, Lincoln, I don't suppose they play that one elsewhere.
Its advantages to me are 1) not a benzodiazepeine 2) not addictive 3) doesn't interfere with any meds I'm currently on. If I have a bad fungal infection, I may have to use something other than ketoconazole cream.
It also caused hyperprolactinaemia two to three times more often than placebo in clinical trials, which might be useful for insomniac nursing moms who are not producing enough millk. There is a difference between being insomniac and being a new or nursing mom, however, and this drug will not keep the baby asleep! Studies of rats and mice showed a dose-dependent increase in cancer. The long-term safety in humans is unknown. Ramelteon was teratogenic in rats. It works great on cats–3x better than melatonin. If I ever have an insomniac cat, I'll try to remember this.
However, at 4 weeks out, effectiveness is about as good as a placebo.
Wow. I'm impressed you do your research. I do too, I'm one of those lucky dorks that has a PDR (bigger than the Bible) and it uses it constantly. That said, I just thought I'd throw some medicines out there. Rozerem didn't really do much for me, but I know it has helped others and the relative safety of it, though questionable, is a plus.
My current regimen is a tightly self-regulated roundelay of Trazodone, Neurontin, and Ambien.
I also might add that Rozerem (sp?) is a fairly novel drug here, fairly new. It works kind of like melatonin to regulate the sleep cycle and is meant to be taken every day at the same time. That said, this medication didn't help me, but it's something to look into in case it helps you.
Hey Jay. I'm also from the SF Bay Area (East Bay)…and I can sympathize. My chronic insomnia is one of the main reasons I am on disability (along with other mental health issues.) Bottom line: it makes it hard to function.
How many medicines have you tried??? I only ask because I am on a rotating cart of sleep meds, because I constantly build up tolerance and in the quest to find something I can take more regularly. Neurontin I recently went back on (it's used for other things as well) and I found it gave me a good night's rest, whereas before it did not. Trazadone is my other med, another one that's used for other things (primiarily as an anti-depressant) but it can be taken safely on a regular basis, like Neurontin, unlike most sleep meds. Trazadone doesn't tend to give me a full night's sleep though, nor does Neurontin if I take the minimum dose…which means you might be likely to wake up again in the middle of the night. If you're only going for a once a week pill…I might suggest Ambien or Valium, they've been the best for me. They help me tremendously, but due to building up a tolerance to them and other side effects, I only take them about once a week and thus “save” it for when I really need it. Just thought I'd throw some sleep meds out there that have helped me, maybe your doctor has some other suggestions.
Welcome. It's nice to have you here.
Welcome, Marina. It seems we have some things in common besides bipolar, RLS (never officially diagnosed, mild, but I dated a physician who said I probably had it), and insomnia. Also, I live in the East Bay area, so all things considered we are neighbors. It's too bad you gave up Twitter, I'm on there a lot, but I understand what you mean. You can lose huge chunks of time to it, and worse than that, even with my European friends, Twitter dies down at night. I keep sporadically posting here, instead of regularly, but I really am trying to check in more often. Hope to see you around.
I watched Toy Story 3. I really, really liked it. I thought the first one still stands as (one of, if not THE) best Pixar film ever made. But my bias is that I was around and reviewing films when it came out, so it was pretty revolutionary. Toy Story 2, I liked, but was letdown by, as I have been with many Pixar films. I felt like many of them had lost their magic, while I felt early Pixar was akin to the Golden Age of Disney, charting the course for the future of animated films, while remaining highly appealing to kids AND adults.
Toy Story 3 was superb, I thought. It really brought the trilogy and its themes full circle. I didn't get a chance to see it in theatres or in 3-D, but on BLU it looked absolutely fantastic. I must say, I heard a lot about people crying during this movie and it never really got that emotional for me, though I will say that it did make me experience a lot of emotions–in the best of ways.
I can relate to you GoneWiththeSun. My parents knew about my insomnia, eventually and inherently. They would “send me to bed, must have lights out” even though they knew I couldn't fall asleep. It was a sticking point with them and myself for years, same thing goes with my mood disorder.
I would say that maybe you can schedule an appointment with your general practitioner doctor to ask about what options might be available for you. I don't remember what country you live in, but I don't think 21 is too young for sleeping medicine. Just be very specific and thorough when you bring it up. The downside to being young (and I'm still marginally young) is that all too often doctors and psychiatrists will see a request for sleeping meds, anxiety meds, etc. as drug seeking behavior.
One suggestion I have for you, as much as I personally HATE doing this kind of thing, is keep a chart or graph tracking all of your sleeping habits–naps, bed times, waking times, times you are awake and asleep…if you show the doctor a well documented record of how poorly you are sleeping you might have a better response.
