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"Short Notes" | will's diary pages

| mar 1-16 | mar 17-31 | apr 10-16 | apr 17-26 | apr 30-May 5

5 may 00 | Florida Bound! By the time you read this I'll be on my way to some points east of Lake Okeechobee, home of orange groves, ranchers and snowbirds ready to zoom north for the summer. We plan on staying near Stuart a couple of days, then meander north through Georgia, the Carolinas, and on to Maryland's Eastern Shore. Folks who want to write me during the week can temporarily write me at Will at Operamail but I don't expect to be reading the mail as regularly as I do at home.

2 may 00 | Governor's Commission on Mental Health | Tonight was an evening for clever metaphors: "Cruella DeVille's Nursing Home," "pushed off the bank in a boat with no oars". But the subject matter was generally serious. We talked about specifics regarding advocacy. Of how to pare down language and using appended documents to provide detail to a report limited to only a certain amount of space.

and we spoke about people who all too typically get ignored but service system careerists now. People such as:

• folks whose "cultural diversity" has resulted from long years living in institutional settings;

• folks who straddle the mental health/substance abuse programs fence;

• teenagers who have mental health issues but don't fit the description of being "seriously mentally ill"

• and of people with AIDS or who may be HIV+ while also diagnosed with mental health problems.

Deaths in East Haddam Now, in each of these examples events occurring every day were brought to the fore. For me the one closest to home (today at least) was that related to adolescent suicide. This, in large measure, as a result of two teenagers who drove a car into a tree in front of East Haddam's First Church of Christ, Congregational. The site was no random location, for only last November the brother of one of the two dead teens was killed in a car crash in the exact same location.

I know this diverges from what I started talking about this evening, and apologize for this. My condolences go out to the families of kids, and I remain perplexed and disenheartened about their deaths. I want to explore some other thoughts about this subject in particular, but shall wait until some of the general anguish has worn off.

30 april 00 | Sprucing up the yard | Well, now's the time. Spent way too much time yesterday getting to work on the lawnmower, in part because I was pissed that I couldn't find my favorite set of rachet wrenches. And no, the picture you see here is neither where I live nor who works on the yard. It's just the only pix I had on file to show mowers. | briggs and stratton

Unsolicited plug: We have used old clunkers for years. There's a feller in town who snaps up old mowers and repairs 'em then sells 'em back to people, cheap. The brand of mower to me is secondary, but I wouldn't be without a Briggs & Stratton engine, which seems to go forever and requires very little maintenance; even puts up with lots of abuse. Since the area we mow is on a rocky hillside, the ability to go without much repair is essential. And although we ought not do this, sometimes its just a matter of putting the mower away in autumn, and expecting everything to work just fine next spring.

Dan Fisher at CVH | Pat Sepowski and I put in a grant request last year and were able to get Dan Fisher, Executive Director to the National Empowerment Center to come to CVH and talk with people about recovery from long term psychiatric disabilities. It was invigorating. About 20 psychiatrists actually came to a meeting with him. 56 people came from the wards, and teh workshop he held the next day was filled to capacity.

What is most important, perhaps, about the visit was the fact that we were able to get so many people in to hear the discussion, of having clinicans listen to those who have had first hand experience dealing with disabiling conditions. The next step is perhaps more daunting ~namely to adopt the concepts of recovery into practice with clients.

"An appeaser is one who is feeding the crocodiles ...hoping they
will eat him last" ~ winston churchill

Gay Rights March on Washington | A little context here. The above quote was used by a guy dressed in leather while critiquing those who would have us assimilate and look like everyone else. He raised the fact that the Stonewall Riots in 1969 started after a bunch of drag queens (transvestites, that is) ~fed up and angry with continuous police harassment and exploitation by corrupt bar owners~ rioted in Sheridan Square outside a tavern named the Stonewall. For a couple of historical accounts: Stonewall Reminisces or Stonewall Revisited [Takes a long time to download]

In today's political climate this warning of Churchill's still needs to be heeded, for there are those who shall feign acceptance if those they oppose "...will just behave...." but who shall leave us alone when real bigots come around to oppress us. Not all who hate gay folk are as extreme as the Ku Klux Klan, but their hearts aren't far away from KKK sentiments, not are they above pandering to fear, distorting facts, and even doing away with people they do not like.

Moral of the story? It is often more important that you stand up for what you believe and who you are. Don't back down when someone tells you they might be more corey johnson

tolerant if you would only "lighten up". On a more positive note: and bringing us up to today's news, the story of a gay teenager "Icon Recast: Support for a Gay Athlete" that's how the headline ran in this morning's Sunday New York Times. The article speaks of breaking down yet annother barrier of prejudice by having a high school football team captain come out to his family, friends, teammates and now ...the world. He was scheduled to be a speaker at today's Washington DC March for Equality.

A radical change from when I was a kid in high school ~then it was much more gruesome ...where one learned to survive by either being a jokester, a druggie, or by complying whenever someone bigger and stronger than you forced you to, um, service their needs.

This is kind of a date rape, usually done by a "straight" guy, except he won't talk to you later; he'd more likely threaten to kill you if you told anyone (but who wasn't above telling others himself about you). So it is all the more encouraging that Corey's experiences have been more positive, and they set a standard to go by when kids first realize, then later come forth, with their sexual identity to others.

Until this positive experience can happen for all gay kids coming out,

there are sites for gay teens where a kid can get some support and encouragement, and no feel so alone.

<<< Coleman Brothers Carnival held in Middletown, CT every spring is usually the harbinger of the season. It is also a weekend that usually brings rainy weather. This year, fortunately, was an exception. We went to the Carnival to watch the Carneys, and were not disappointed. But it was early and the sausage & onion subs didn's suit our fancy this time. So we skipped out to Taj of India ..which I promise I'll write about some other time.

New websites I've recently come across

WebServer Online > is not for the neophyte webhead. But if you are serious about managing websites, web communication and commerce, this is a URL you won't want to miss. The site first came to my attention from Brad Gulliford. Brad knows I'm very interested in typography and typographic design and sent me the link to an essay by Paul Trunfio on The Written Word on the Net. The rest is history. Thanks Brad.

Theocentric Solutions | Finding our spiritual centers in order to combat mental malaise. Not a new approach perhaps, but in the materialist culture we live in, one that is radical for stepping in the nonmaterial realm for solace. No, it's not a religion, it's a recognition of the fact that we have ~we are spiritual beings. Recovery starts from there. It's a new site. Shall watch it's growth with interest.

mar 1-16 | mar 17-31 | apr 10-16 | apr 17-26 | apr 30-may 5

Catch you on the rebound!

~Will Brady

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about "Short Notes"

"Short Notes" was the title of a column I wrote while working for a newspaper in the Adirondack Mountains some years ago. The format was similar to what you'll find here, except augmented with pictures and maps. The subject matter shall sometimes be personal, at other times comments on events or situations of which I am aware. Comments, suggestions welcomed but not always acted upon.

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