Monk

I realize the show "Monk" has been on for quite a while. I watch a lot of A&E so the show is advertised a lot there. Before I even saw it I knew the premise. Monk is somewhat of a particular person, to the point of it controlling his life, and he is also in some kind of police work. That said, I watched part of an episode for the first time the other day.
So he's seeing a psychiatrist or therapist, probably about his OCD. He appears tortured, not being able to relax when something is out of place. This has taken over his life. The Dr. suggests medication, which is quickly dismissed by Monk. "Just the thought of all those chemicals in my body..." that is his excuse for not trying the meds. But the good Dr. gives him a small bottle and urges him to take one when he feels ready. After screwing up an investigation into a cop shooting by not wanting to physically apprehend a suspect (for fear of soiling his clean hands) he decides its time to take the pills.
The next few scenes shows Monk doing things very uncharacteristic of him--eating off someone else's place and using their (used) utensils, being overly jovial, you get the picture. This is where I had to turn it off.
I ventured to guess, although I might be wrong, that Monk loses his "edge" for noticing the small things while he's on the meds, and although he is happier, he is less efficient in his work. It can only end with Monk deciding not to take the meds any longer (because then it wouldn't be a show, then, would it?). Since I didn't even watch the rest of the episode, one twist could have been that the pills were actually a placebo, and the OCD is really all in Monk's mind (where else would it be?).
This episode is a disservice to those people who have OCD and those who have it and decide to treat their disorder with medication. You don't get goofy, lazy and careless after taking one pill. You don't get goofy, lazy or careless at all. What does happen, what is supposed to happen, is that you don't get so hung up on things mentally. Think about an endless tape loop of your own voice telling you things that need to be done. Not just a friendly reminder, "You really should take that laundry out of the dryer" but more like standing at the dryer with a stopwatch telling yourself that the dryer timer must be off about 2 minutes because I know it's been more than 20 minutes since I put that stuff in there! Just a little bit different.
Don't be fooled by Hollywood making a fool out of someone with a disorder that has a full spectrum of manifestations. For some, it means they are able to do 14 stitches per inch in a hand-quilted blanket. Others can concentrate for hours, writing, mixing, arranging or playing music. A lot of people that are like this become doctors. Unfortunately, some people with OCD also work for the IRS.
I like to embrace it as a strength, not a weakness, and you should too, Monk.

What? No Photos?

I haven't blogged in a while because I haven't had the time to wait for my photos to upload, which at Blogger can take a while. So I decided while I have the time but not the camera, I'll write about what's been going on since last posting, Nov 2007 (yikes!). A good blog entry doesn't always need photos, right?
We held Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year. We haven't done that before, but were happy to oblige. Hubby made homemade cornbread stuffing that was to die for, along with the normal fare. I ended up making 3 pear-cranberry pies that week (I have awesome step-by-step photos that I will include in a later post). Everbody loved them! I love cranberries and pears and thought the combination couldn't be wrong.
We had the large Christmas party on 12/23 this year, still fewer than what we've had before. Two weekends before that my brother-in-law and his wife moved here permanently from Japan. It is so joyful knowing they are here now and we can see them more often. Santa came down the chimney with lots of toys, but my daughter's favorite is Buzz Lightyear.
Our choir performed Vivaldi's "Gloria" in its entirety before the service on Christmas Eve, then my all-time favorite song in the world sacred and profane, "Here is the Little Door" by Herbert Howells, a transcript you will find in a previous post. Then a sweet little number written by our choir director "Holy Child".
I tried contacting some old friends who live at great distances to see how they are doing, and didn't hear from either of them. I seem to care for these people a bit and always wonder how things are going for them.
Also we got a new central AC/heat for the house and a new shed! Not a woman's idea of Christmas presents but both badly needed.