Bloggy Book Club : Rage Against the Meshugenah

This month's Bloggy Book Club choice was Rage Against the Meshugenah by Danny Evans who is the author of a very popular blog Dad Gone Mad. His writing has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Southwest Airlines Spirit, Orange Coast, and other national and regional publications.

From the back cover:
In his revealing, funny, and no holds-barred memoir, Danny Evans takes us on his "heartbreaking and hilarious" odyssey from having it all one moment and plunging into a crushing depression the next. He confronts his dependency on beer and porn, his innermost demons, and the hidden truths about his family in a raw and honest account. Nothing is off limits on his quest- not even analysis of the most embarrassing and inconvenient sexual side effects of his get-well medication. It's enough to drive a man insane. But Danny learns the hard way that he may have to go a little crazy in order to find his way home.

While my brother was in college and I was living the life of a busy young mother, my brother recommended I read A Time to Kill by John Grisham. It has a lovely dedication to his wife, and then on page two a 10 year old is raped and... I.stopped.reading. My brother asked me a month later how I liked it and I told him I couldn't read it...it was too difficult. He begged me to pick it up and finish it and I did and to this day it remains one of my favorite books.
That experience taught me a lesson, when I get to a difficult part... I... keep... reading.

Rage Against the Meshugenah had some difficult parts for me but I kept reading and I am so glad I did. This is a very good book about a topic I don't think many people have written so graphically and honestly about.
Depression affects many people and I think even more go undiagnosed in this country and we all have different methods of trying to cope or self-medicate.

I was uncomfortable with the authors detailed description of his porn dependency issues...
I am sure I am some kind of repressed feminist but it still made me uncomfortable. But, this author's honesty was transparent and I appreciate the courage that took to express that struggle.

That being said..."It is laugh out loud funny"....
I was reading this book in public many times...laughing loudly.
Someone would always ask what are you reading...I would explain it was a memoir about a man's crushing depression and his dependency on porn and beer!

That would look genuinely perplexed and I would reply...

"It's a comedy!"

This is a great book but not for the faint hearted!

PS...At the end of the book he has a touching acknowledgement to Sharon his wife...
Well, let me just say John Grisham couldn't have done better!

I Am Glad He is Not Sorry He Married Me!

I have made my blog public again after a falling out with a fellow blogger...I have enabled comment moderation and while I hate it...I hate her comments more! :)
I am sorry if anything I have written ever offends as it is never my intention. I am just sharing my opinions and you know what they say about opinions...


Early in our marriage...My Hubby and I discovered that, he did not like, understand or know how to make or even fake an apology. This became a problem as mystery of all mysteries I needed one to get over whatever happened. We will define "get over" as anything that prevented me from pretending there was not anything wrong...I should also suggest here I am not good at faking or pretending. It was a difficult time for both of us.

My husband has learned to give "good apologies" since this time in fact he is better at giving a sincere apology than anyone I know. When I am sorry...I truly try to give the apology in the manner my Hubby has shown me.

First...
Do not say I am sorry you got your feelings hurt!
This is like saying "I am sorry you were run over by a car!" while you were the driver of the car!

Second...
Don't apologize unless you are.
This is when you say "I am sorry but ...you started it! "

Third...
Don't apologize and then continue doing the behavior.
"I am sorry you were run over by the car!" Now stand here while I get back into the car and hit you again.

To apologize you say "I am sorry that "whatever happened" occurred and I admit "my responsibility" and I hope you accept my apology as I will not let this happen again."

It is okay to say it was unintentional but to say to someone " You shouldn't feel whatever you are feeling"... is not okay!

You accept apology and you should!! ... (in a perfect world)

Maybe, like My Hubby you are married to someone like me who wants to revisit said injury.
He patiently listens and says while smiling..."And, I am still sorry for all of that!"

I can't think of anyone who could still be angry with a person like that... Well, I can but he loves me anyway!!!

I do love you Bob!!

Does This Outfit Make Me Look Racist?

Maybe...but I have to say wearing a flag on your butt does make it look big!
Also, the guy next to you looks like the punch line to
"You know you are redneck when..."

It would seem that some people object to former President Jimmy Carter stating that some of these people's anger comes from race rather than just plain old disappointment with our President.

I don't know if some people protesting are racist or not but I know all them aren't...most are just mad about what is "going on" and "they want to "take" their country back.
Now what they want to take it back to might be a concern to some folks! Especially to people like 80 year old southerners who remember what it used to be like. Would this frighten an 80 year old black citizen of this country who lived through our history?

I would like to point out that when I protested the war in Iraq and questioned why we were in the wrong country...as in "They-went-that-a-way Cowboy Bush!" And when I chanted "How are we going to pay for this George Bush?" I was called Un-American, aiding terrorists and anti-military! I was dressed in Jeans and a T-shirt and ...
yes...it made my butt look big too!

Squatters Rights?

It has been a busy, humbling week and ...then I got this picture on my cell phone from my son. So...I called my Mom to tell her that..
"Dad, is doing "his business" on the front lawn!"
Mom said "He is NOT! "
"He is and I have the photo!" I reply.
My Mom screams...
"OH, MY LORD!"
The moral of the story when you think you just can't be humbled anymore...you would be wrong!

I am kidding...My parents are having their bathrooms remodeled and my Dad has a wicked sense of humor!

For more friday fotos visit cute Candid Carrie.

Happy weekend!

Word...That Girl is Cute!

This picture was taken by Russ Robinson at my grandson's birthday party and I think he has great timing...and it does not hurt that the girl is so dang cute!

She is out-going, fearless, inquisitive, spunky-as-the-day-is-long and has the best laugh in the world!

Papa and Gigi love you sweetie!

Visit Russ Robinson's blog!


For more Wordful Wednesday's visit the ever perfect Angie at Seven Clown Circus who has an unwelcome visitor this week!

The Cutest-Boy-in-America

Today is the Cutest-boy-in-America's birthday and he is four as in...

"I am four, Gigi!"
He has made the world a better place and I am not exaggerating at all!
His mother once said "He will save the world!" and I laughed and I think I hurt her feelings!
She was right of course ...
as he did save the world!
I love you "Carter Pie!"

Thank you to my son and Daughter-in-my-heart for this amazing grandson of ours!

friday foto

When we were at Disney my oldest son stood for about 40 minutes trying to get a picture with my camera of his son going down the flume ride.






That's not them!








Not them either!







Nope.

































and there were about 30 others like this and then...woops...he missed it!
While the Cutest-Boy-in-America loved this ride... I loved watching my son try hard to capture his son's enthusiasm on film while I made a mental image of my son that I will cherish!
For more friday fotos visit Cute Candid Carrie!

This and That

My Hubby and I are old. Getting older by the minute, in fact there are times when we are together that I begin to wonder what we will be like as ancient people.

Scene:
Two people home alone.
Sitting at two desks.
On two separate computers.
at least one of the two are having a conversation, the people not the computers.

Wife: "Do we have plans for next week?"

Hubby: "Some...I need to mow the lawn!"

Wife: "Can we go to Disney?"

Hubby: "Sure...How about Saturday?"

P A U S E (I mean just that long of a pause...not any longer I promise)

Wife: "How about we go during the week? There will be less people there."

(The sound of silence....crickets...birds chirping....car drives by...more silence...a dog barks in the distance...that kind of silence)

Wife: "Hubby.."

Hubby: "What?"

Wife: Just staring.

Hubby: "Are you talking to me?"

Wife: "Do you see anyone else here?"

Hubby: "What?"

Wife: "Never mind..."

A younger woman would have fought over this or at least this woman when younger would have fought over this! But not anymore...
Maybe we will make it to Disney next week.

The Lure of Dark Chocolate!!

The news gets me down but nothing this cute girl and dark chocolate can't cure!!

Like most of the women of our family...she likes Dark Chocolate!

Seriously...How cute!!!

Visit Angie at Seven Clown Circus for more Wordful Wednesdays!

Bloggy Book Club

Because as Angie reminds us....It's Not All About You (ME)




September's Bloggy Book Club is a recommendation from one of my favorite bloggers, Coachblogger. He has a friend who wrote a book and Coachblogger said it was GREAT!

He actually said many good things about the book but I am just summing it up!

Danny Evans, who's blog Dad Gone Mad is very funny and irreverent has written a book Rage Against the Meshugenah...Why It Takes Balls to Go Nuts.

(I haven't read it yet but this might contain some four letter words...which I of course will be shocked...shocked to read!)

Please join me in reading Rage Against the Meshugenah and blogging about it September 27th!

Danny Evans

MESHUGENAH [meh-shuh-geh-nuh] adjective

1. mad; crazy;
2. mentally deranged; demented; insane

[origin: 1892, from Heb. meshugga, part. of shagag "to go astray, wander." The adj. has forms meshugener, meshugenah before a noun]

In his early thirties, Danny Evans had it all—a hot wife, a new baby, and a steady advertising job. Then, in the span of one week, a series of inauspicious events plunged Evans into a crushing depression. At turns poignant and uproarious, RAGE AGAINST THE MESHUGENAH vividly traces Evans' journey through the minefield of mental illness from a modern man's point of view.

The stigma surrounding clinical depression is ominous enough to prevent many men from discussing it, but Evans (author of the wildly popular DadGoneMad.com) holds nothing back. Through his confrontations with sexual side effects, his self-medication with beer and porn, and even his private therapy sessions, Evans boldly details his odyssey to get back to being himself.

More about Rage Against the Meshugenah