No, you're probably NOT 'OCD' or 'bipolar.' Stop using those terms in improper ways.

When people proclaim, "Oh, I'm so OCD about this, that, or the other!" it makes my teeth grind in frustration. NO...stop it. Stop using 'OCD' incorrectly. Chances are, you are a perfectionist OR a neat freak, but you are NOT clinically diagnosed with OCD and you're using the term in an improper way. It's certainly NOT a joke nor something to brag about when a person truly has obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Same goes for when people say, "Oh, I'm so bipolar!" when they're not and they're using those terms improperly to mean something entirely different. Having bipolar disorder is NOT a walk in the park or to be taken lightly. It is a serious mental health condition.

And yes, it DOES matter. Especially to people who DO have those serious conditions, which are infinitely more severe than your predilection for having things 'just so.' It also matters to the people who love others who have those mental health conditions.

When you know people – as I do – who have obsessive-compulsive disorder or bipolar disorder, you realize how insulting it is for others to use the terms or acronyms in jest when what they're referring to is NOT actual OCD. They are, instead, perfectionists and/or neat freaks.

Proper terminology matters. Most people who suffer from OCD don't think it's cute or funny at all. It can be disruptive and makes life hellish for them, sometimes driving them to suicide.

A woman speaking her truth as she sees fit

"Gosh, Bev, you sound so angry at times."
(What's your point?)

"Don't you think you can say stuff without using the word 'fuck'?"
(Yes, I say a lot of stuff without using the word. What's your point?)

"You could be a little less blunt."
(I could be, but in certain cases I choose not to.)

"Shouldn't you speak in a more ladylike manner?"
(I'm a lady, and this is the manner in which I speak.)

...and countless others.

Wouldn't it sound weird if I said those same things to a man? Yes, it would. Plus, he'd look at you like, "Who the hell do you think YOU are?" But when you're a woman, some people want to put you into a box that makes them more comfortable.

I'm not here to make you comfortable. I'm here to make you think, make you laugh, make your faint, expectation-laden pulse wake up and react or, perhaps, dance to a new beat. I'm not here to behave in order to make YOU feel comfortable. What you see and read is what you get.

Nobody tells me how to express myself. If you can't handle it or don't like it, that's your issue, not mine. This is me, and you are you. I've always been outspoken. I'm all woman and I say "fuck" when I want to say it. I don't need anybody's permission.

[Dream] Yasuldation means...?

The word 'yasuldation' showed up in my dream last night. It is common for various words, names, and phrases to pop up in my dreams. Usually, they're written out, and I read them in my dreams and try to remember what I read afterward.

I woke up and strove to remember the word because I'd never heard of it before. I was curious about whether it was a real word. The answer is no; it's not an actual word. The closest thing I discovered is that 'yasul' is a Korean word that means metallurgy.

I suppose one could say my subconscious loves to make up new words. As a writer, that's exciting and interesting. At least I think so!

The best thing about my dreams is that they're so intense and rich in the images, words, and stories that happen in them. I never know what I'll dream, and each night I go to bed with a sense of anticipation over what adventure awaits during my slumber. Keeps things interesting!

[Dream] Who is John Kavorsky, and why is his name in my dream?

John Kavorsky. I do not know anybody by that name, but I read his name in one of my dreams the other night. 

My old FB friends will know that I have a habit of seeing names, addresses, and random words in my dreams at times. I try to write them down or record them in some way just in case I need to refer back to them. 

I also saw "Ft. Ord" written on an old stone sign at my former university, Phillips University in Enid, OK. Why "Ft. Ord" would be written at the bottom of that sign is beyond me. Doesn't make sense. Then again, Trazodone-fueled dreams usually don't make sense.

Elemental Muse's Word of the Week for 2.25.11 -- tachyphrasia

Each week, I'll choose a Word of the Week. I'll post the word on my blogs and on Facebook. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to find out what that word means, employ the word in a sentence (or paragraph) and use it to jump-start a freewriting session. Build a short story from it, build an article from it, build *something written* from it. The main thing is to USE that word to think about what the word means, how it feels to you as a writer, how you could use that word in a piece of writing (could be a sentence, could be a longer piece) and go from there.



This week's word is tachyphrasia



Have a good end of the week, everyone! :)

Elemental Muse's Word of the Week for 2.17.11 -- fulgurites

Each week, I'll choose a Word of the Week. I'll post the word on my blogs and on Facebook. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to find out what that word means, employ the word in a sentence (or paragraph) and use it to jump-start a freewriting session. Build a short story from it, build an article from it, build *something written* from it. The main thing is to USE that word to think about what the word means, how it feels to you as a writer, how you could use that word in a piece of writing (could be a sentence, could be a longer piece) and go from there.

This week's word is fulgurites

Have a good end of the week, everyone! :)

Last Word of the Week for 02.10.11 -- Quadrumane

Definition:

quadrumane: An animal having four hands and feet with opposable digits, specifically a member of the now obsolete order of mammals Quadrumana, comprising all non-human primates; a primate.

Source: http://www.wordnik.com/words/quadrumane

Was this a new one to you?



Elemental Muse's Word of the Week: quadrumane

Each week, I'll choose a Word of the Week. I'll post the word on my blogs and on Facebook. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to find out what that word means, employ the word in a sentence (or paragraph) and use it to jump-start a freewriting session. Build a short story from it, build an article from it, build *something written* from it. The main thing is to USE that word to think about what the word means, how it feels to you as a writer, how you could use that word in a piece of writing (could be a sentence, could be a longer piece) and go from there.

This week's word is quadrumane

Have a good end of the week, everyone! :)

Last week's word: knissomancy

Definition of last week's word:


knissomancy: Divination using burning incense


Source: phrontistery.info


Hope you had fun with it! ;) I burn incense all the time, so this one was of special interest to me.