Hello

So, uh, where do I start?

A little about me. I'm in my late 30s. I am a straight white male. I am single (divorced) and live alone in a fairly large city in the upper midwest, with two cats who seem to be very good at producing large amounts of hair and shit, but are still filled with love for their papa (that's me). I work in technology in the public sector.

I am blessed with perfect pitch, and consequently I play a few musical instruments. I also sing and have a four-octave range. I write music, and have put out a CD with my band. I play music at least a couple hours every day.

I am also bipolar. This is a fairly new diagnosis for me. I have had at least six major depressive episodes (that I can count) since my teens. I've taken psych meds for the last fourteen years, and have been on most of the most popular anti-depressants (including Paxil, Effexor, Wellbutrin and Cymbalta). The anti-depressants would work for awhile (sometimes as long as a couple years), and then they'd stop. I'd head right back down.

Finally, a couple years ago, I did a little research on recurrent depression, and came to the conclusion that I don't have depression, but bipolar II disorder. A consultation with a couple psychiatrists confirmed this.

The past few years have been a bit difficult, but are getting better. I decided to start this blog in an effort to work through the different things I feel about this diagnosis, to share some stories and insights, and maybe help other people understand what this whole thing is all about. Oh, and to have a couple laughs about some of the weird stuff I've done because of (or in spite of?) this strange affliction.