Update?! you ask?  About what?  Well, about me.  I have gone from active
mode to mostly lurker mode and I thought I would let the group know I
haven't completely disappeared from the planet earth.

I am still owned by the magnificent three - Tony, Stripey Thing, and
Mattie.  Everyone is doing well even if they aren't entirely happy with
the new schedule of things.  They are used to me being home all day
every day and giving them attention whenever they want it.  Now I am at
work or school all day, so I leave at 7am and don't get back until 5:30
or so.  That's a lot of attention they don't get now.  They are very
happy to see me when I get home.

As for me, I am very busy.  Since January, I have been back in school
and working part time in an office on campus.  Vocational Rehab is
paying for me to go back to school to get some new training since my
Masters degree is out of date.  So I'm working on an associates degree
in computer graphics.  Since I am only going to school part time, it is
going to take me a few years.  But I have two semesters almost down.
The summer semester is half way over.  Yay!!!  I got A's in both my
classes in the spring.  I have an A in one of my classes this summer -
so high I don't see how I will possibly get less than an A in the class
and I don't know what I have in the other class but it is either an A or
a B and I don't care which since it isn't in my field.  It is a speech
class and I'm not very happy about having to retake it.  Everyone in my
office is laughing at me because I got the department head who is a bit
(LOT) quirky and they all know him.  It is pretty funny.  It makes me
feel better about taking the class with him.

In the fall, I will be taking three classes.  That is a step up from
what I have been doing,so it will test my time management skills and I
suspect I will lurk even more.  But at least I will finally be getting
into the classes I really want to take.

What I can't believe is that I am finally getting my life back.  I have
been out so long because of being sick and I've been on disability and
not able to work and I'm finally able to put in a 40-50 hour week and
not collapse from it.  And even have fun at it.  I still have to be
incredibly careful about my stress level and make sure I get enough
sleep or I will get sick again and go manic, but by and large, I am
doing okay.  My meds were readjusted at the end of last semester to
account for extra stress and in the last couple of weeks, we have
finally gotten the med adjustment down.  So, I should be somewhat more
stress proof.  We adjusted (increased) five of the eight psych meds I'm
on and I finally have the right amount of sleep vs awake and a decent mood.

So, even if the owners do not care particularly for the new arrangement,
I'm ecstatic.

Bridget