ADD Myths and What I Have to Say About Them

I am in no way shape or form a medical expert or related to the medical field in any way. The messages in this blog posting are purely my opinions. Please consult a medical professional for advice.

There are a lot of “myths” and misunderstandings about AD/HD, don’t you think? I’ve heard a lot of them throughout the years and read a lot about the truths, as well as experienced them myself. In those experiences I’ve formed opinions too – no surprise there, right? And here is a list of some the fables of AD/HD and my opinions about them.

Myth: ADD is just a lack of willpower. Persons with ADD focus well on things that interest them; they could focus on any other tasks if they really wanted to. (http://www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_adult_symptoms.htm)

My Take: There is a coping strategy called “hyperfocusing” which is an over compensation for the inability to focus. ADDers know they must focus and can get a sort of tunnel vision while trying to over come their fluctuating attention span.

Myth: Everybody has the symptoms of ADD, and anyone with adequate intelligence can overcome these difficulties. (http://www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_adult_symptoms.htm)

My Take: Well AD/HD has nothing to do with intelligence AT ALL. And a lot of folks do have symptoms, but if it isn’t impacting everyday life on a chronic level, then there is no use worrying about it. It is up to the individual as to whether to seek a diagnosis and/or treatment or not, it may just depend on the severity of the disorder and how well someone can cope. Just like a cold, it varies from person to person.

Myth: ADHD isn't a real medical disorder. (http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/873.html)

My Take: Yes it is and if someone still doubts its existence in this day and age then I think that person lives under a rock and should read the following articles. (http://help4adhd.org/en/about/science and http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec4.html).

Myth: Children who take ADHD medication are more likely to abuse drugs when they become teenagers. (http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/873.html)

My Take: Author Wendy Richardson makes an interesting point in her article “ADHD and Addiction” (http://www.addandaddiction.com/articles.htm) she mentions that early treatment can actually prevent a major cause of abuse – self medication. ADHD medications are monitored continuously (I’ve been on medication for 6 years and still see my doctor every three months) to make sure that abuse is not occurring or is not a possibility. Also, an article on MedicineNet states that possible drug abuse stems from ADHD itself and not necessarily the treatment. (http://www.medicinenet.com/attention_deficit_hyperactivity_disorder_adhd/page5.htm)

“Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels.” – Frank Sinatra

So may the prayers, tranquilizers and JD be with you and see you next time.
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Batman - The Dark Knight Box Office Food for Thought

The second weekend for “Batman – The Dark Knight” proved to be just as lucrative as the first. Here are some stats to think about regarding this box office smasher of a film!

As of July 27th – total domestic gross $314,245,000 – and this is only its SECOND weekend!

The highest grossing movie of 2008 so far (although it’s unlikely to retain this title next week) is “Iron Man” totaling so far $314,905,000 (which has been out for 13 weeks) – “The Dark Knight” has $660,000 more to go to tie.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” – in its 10 weeks of release has generated $313,626,000 – “The Dark Knight” in TWO weeks has already beaten it by $619,000!

“Spider Man 3” was the top grossing movie of 2007 and “The Dark Knight” only needs $22,748,626 more to match it.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” was the #4 top grossing movie of 2007 and “The Dark Knight” has already beaten it by $4,824,575.

Also, the top 5 and 6 grossing films of 2007 were “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and “I Am Legend” both grossed less than “The Dark Knight’s” 2 weeks.

2007’s Best Picture Oscar Winner “The Departed” only grossed $132,384,315 – I think “The Dark Knight” made more than that it’s opening weekend.

Stats thanks to Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/)

“Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels.” – Frank Sinatra
So may the prayers, tranquilizers and JD be with you and see you next time.
http://moviesworketc.blogspot.com/

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Tales From the Cubicle – Story One – Cubicle Pet Peeves

You are in the middle of your day and then it happens, one of the most frustrating aspects of not having an office – the annoying cubicle pet peeve occurs, not once, not twice, but over and over. You roll your eyes, you sigh loudly, but your subtle expression of annoyance does not deflect this individual from doing their bothersome thing…whatever it happens to be. I work in a cubicle too and it is a very common workspace layout that lends itself to overhearing, overseeing and interacting with others who may not have the same common courtesy that you do. Here is my list of cubicle pet peeves.

- IM/Email noises – In a day and age where everyone communicates online whether it’s through email, IM, Trillion, MSN messenger, etc, not having the sound turned off is incredibly distracting and irritating. The grating nature of these noises is probably due to its repetitive nature (chime high…chime low…doorbell…cow (repeat over and over and over). I work with someone whose IM sounds like the NBC theme and it drives me nuts. If someone is sitting in front of the computer screen is it necessary to have an audio sound when an email or IM arrives? I say no, turn that sucker on mute!

- Speaker Phone – Ever overhear a conversation about a doctor’s appointment, birth control pills, 2 week cruise vacation plans or accident information from someone working on the other side of the room? I have! All the time! Why is it that some people have no shame when it comes to private matters? Go into an empty conference room to make those types of calls, or wait until your lunch break or step outside for a minute. There is one woman at my office that has EVERY conversation on speaker phone. With cell phones as prevalent as they are, shouldn’t people be used to holding a handset to their head? (shrug)

- People Who Don’t Know When To Go Back To Their Desks – They come to ask a work question, then ask if you saw the last episode of “Lost”, then ask how your kids last soccer game went, asks about the four pictures on your desk and your screen saver and your backdrop and about 12 other topics – like they don’t have work to get back to, right?

- Reply All – Ah! I hate reply all! Scene - It’s the office potluck and EVERYONE hits reply all to tell the coordinator what they are bringing. There really should be usage regulations with Reply All.

- The Office Microwave and The Smelly Things People Cook – Do you have someone in your building that insists on cooking fish once a week in the common room microwave? How about the two or three people who over cook their popcorn almost every day? Have anyone ever reheat eggs in the microwave? If you haven’t – it’s coming. If you have, then you are ever-so familiar with the nauseating smells that they create and that emulate throughout the common room as well as into the actual office space. Stick to sandwiches and soup and non-smelly lean cuisines please!

- The Office Singer – Do you have an office singer? I DO! He walks around singing the most random songs at the top of his lungs. I once heard him IN the bathroom (I was at my desk). Why some people don’t understand this is rude, I have no idea, but what I don’t understand even more is why NO ONE says anything (I of course haven’t, that would also be rude)!

Who annoys you in your office? Do you have anyone that does the above? What about pet peeves of people who don’t work in offices, what do people do out on your jobs?

“Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels.” – Frank Sinatra

So may the prayers, tranquilizers and JD be with you and see you next time.


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“Batman – The Dark Knight” Review

Damn.
I apologize that the first word of my review is a cuss word, but “wow” would just be an understatement for the film “Batman – The Dark Knight.” I saw it in IMAX during opening weekend and was absolutely blown away by the acting, cinematography, writing and directing. This is a complete package, a near perfect movie.

Pros:
- The acting. This is an ensemble movie. From the gangsters to the convicts to the pretty ladies at the parties to the all star cast – the acting is superb. What an amazing group of actors who, no matter what small part they played, put their all into their performances and it comes together to make a very captivating movie.

- The Story. This is a villain movie. We've already learned Batman’s back story and now we get to see his limits tested. There is a changing and evolving city as well as changing and evolving criminals at Batman's heels. It’s fascinating to see Batman realize what Gotham City really needs.

- The writing. Witty yet subtle, just the way I like it.

- The directing. There is only one person to be credited with making this film a complete package and that’s director Christopher Nolan.

- Heath Ledger/The Joker – Ledger’s “Joker” is funny, likes to spice things up with a little bit of chaos and is a killer with no plan. Some actors relate to the character they play and therefore put that emotion towards their performance making it more genuine. The Joker is the complete opposite of anything that I might think that Ledger was. So to be able to create a completely different person and make that performance believable is the ultimate goal for an actor, I think. You do not see Heath Ledger on that screen for one second and that is the talent we will all miss.

- Aaron Eckhart/Two Face – Two Face is a torn man which is also reflected in Batman. They are both conflicted between what is right, what is fair, and what is just. I really like this parallel and Eckhart does a terrific job of showing the emotional hurt and complete break down of what was once Gotham City’s “White Knight.” (Awesome article on Aaron Eckhart by John at TheMovieBlog.com)

Cons:
- It’s a little long.

- Not enough Morgan Freeman or Michael Caine.

Unique Qualities:
- The cinematography is AMAZING and really IMAX is the only way to truly appreciate the images and scenery throughout the movie. The opening shot alone in IMAX makes you feel like Batman flying over Chicago…I mean Gotham City. There are also some spectacular shots of Hong Kong.

- I left the movie theater (and still a few days later) saying to myself “I cannot WAIT for the next one!! What’s going to happen?!”

Did you see it? Any thoughts or reactions to it? Any rumors about what will happen in the next movie?

“Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels.” – Frank Sinatra

So may the prayers, tranquilizers and JD be with you and see you next time.
http://moviesworketc.blogspot.com/

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Freelance & Paid Blogging Sites - A Review

Like a lot of Americans, I’ve been feeling the pinch of the crazy economy. So in an effort to counter balance that, I decided to look into freelance writing and paid ad blog posting. I signed up for a bunch of sites and services and below are my reviews of them. Please let me know if you have had any experiences with these services too!

Freelance Sites
Elance – It offers 8 categories (all with sub-categories) for freelance positions. There is a bid system for the freelancers looking for jobs but I’m not sure how it works yet. It’s a long registering process including watching some tutorials and then taking a quiz, which I just recently did, so I haven’t had the chance yet to bid with my new quiz certification. You cannot bid on projects until you have passed the quiz. This, however, seems to be the best site of all the ones mentioned in this blog posting and the one I will be sticking with the most.

iFreelance – This one is a little odd because there are no posting dates, so it’s hard to see what’s new. I haven’t even read any of the postings. It doesn't look like a lot of new jobs are posted but there are a lot of bids for each job.

Guru – Guru seems to offer the highest quality job postings, however, in order to bid for most of the positions (I would say 95% of them) you have to have a paid membership. I’ve been using this now for about 2 weeks and have yet to see one posting that I could apply for (I don’t have a paid membership). I’ll remain persistent though because there are a lot of offerings on this site.

Paid Ad writing or Pay per Posting Sites
Bloggerwave – I hate this site. I’ve been registered for an entire month with no job offerings, no response from Customer Service, nothing. The site is bare bones and there seems to not be a whole lot going on with it. STAY AWAY!

Squidoo – I still don’t fully understand Squidoo, but somehow you can earn money from it. It’s set up like a regular blog where you can type out posts. It comes with a bunch of other things like an eBay section that you can have on your blog (or Lens as they call it). I wish this site came with step by step directions though because I’ve been registered for about a month and just found out 2 days ago that you are supposed to hit “Publish” after you’ve posted new information. There’s a lot going on with this site and I’m still not sure how you earn money. It’s pretty neat looking and there’s a lot to do on it and the way they word things is pretty funny.

PayPerPost – What seems to be a reputable company, they always answer my emails, but I have yet to receive an opportunity that wasn’t already full. Although a few opportunities come in each day there aren’t any open spots by the time I get to them.

Blogsvertise – Another one I would stay away from. I’ve been registered for a month now and have not received one single opportunity. I can’t see any of the open opportunities even if they are filled or unavailable to me (most sites allow you to at least see what all is out there even if you can’t apply for it). They have only answered 1 of my 3 emails.

To summarize, I will stick with the freelance sites and services and probably give up on the pay per posting advertising.

I need advice! Has anyone had any experiences with sites like these even if they aren’t mentioned? Have you made any money freelancing or posting paid ads?

“Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels.” – Frank Sinatra
So may the prayers, tranquilizers and JD be with you and see you next time.
http://moviesworketc.blogspot.com/

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Top 10 Movies I Can’t Wait to See

Since I didn’t see any movies this weekend, I thought I’d write a list of some of the movies I am highly anticipating during the next 12 months.

1. The Dark Knight – Now who ISN’T anticipating this one? I don’t think I’ve heard one negative thing about this movie yet. I know it comes out this upcoming weekend, but this will be the LONGEST week ever!

2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – I am currently 3/4th the way through this book and so far it’s GREAT! Look for it November 21, 2008

3. X-Files – I Want to Believe – I was a HUGE fan of the TV show (owning some of the series on VHS too), I am stoked that the original actors agreed to this new installment. The best thing though is that the movie is supposed to be an independent story, so even if movie goers weren’t huge fans of the late-90’s series they can still enjoy the sexual tension and sci-fi twists that made it famous in the first place. Release Date: July 25, 2008

4. Angles & Demons – The precursor to “The Da Vinci Code”, Dan Brown’s Vatican city novel is on the big screen. Full of the same controversies that The Da Vinci Code brought on, this book poses even more challenging because it takes place in Vatican City as well on the actual grounds of the Vatican itself. Tom Hanks is the only familiar face but Ron Howard is bringing in Ewan McGregor to round out the cast. Release Date: May 15, 2009

5. Twilight – This makes the list because of my dearest friends who are obsessed with the novels by Stephenie Meyer. This teenage vampire saga has received a lot of attention from the MTV youngsters, but has also got those of us in their 20’s and 30’s reading as well. The series, made up of 4 books has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for 47 weeks, will now be making huge grounds on the big screen. Release Date: December 12, 2008

6. Eagle Eye - Shia LaBeouf stars as a guy who is suddenly being ordered around by some mysterious woman on the phone who can see his every move. This truly do or die flick looks very intense and I have a feeling it’ll have a twist no one is expecting. Release Date: September 26, 2008

7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – This just looks interesting, like a very unique story. Release Date: December 19, 2008

8. Australia – Finally Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman don’t have to fake American accents since this is a movie about their home country. It’ll be nice to see these two highly talented stars make a film together about their homeland. Release Date: November 14th, 2008

9. Mamma Mia – Theater was my minor in college, so it’s always a pleasure (well not always) to see an acclaimed production in movie theaters. This energy filled play seems to have a cast that loved making the movie, so it’s sure to be filled with high impact acting, singing and dancing and let’s not forget – romance. It only has the unfortunate fate of coming out the same weekend as “The Dark Knight.” Release Date: July 18, 2008

10. Tropic Thunder – Really, all I have to say is Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. Oh wait let me add something – Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, Mickey Rooney, Nick Nolte, and Bill Hader. Enough said. Release Date: August 15, 2008

What are you looking forward to within the 2008/2009 film season? Did I miss anything?

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Freelance Writer and/or Blogger

Hire Me to Blog or Write for You

Looking for a freelance writer or blogger for your website, newsletter, ezine or other publication? I am now offering by abilities as a freelancer to write or blog for you. Below are my credentials. My fee is low and I am a quick learner so topics are not limited to just movies, work and AD/HD. Please post a comment to this posting if you are interested and I look forward to working with you.

Writing Experience:
- Website Content
- Radio and Online Ad Copy
- Research papers (topics include: movies, gender communications, theater, etc.)
- Poetry
- News Stories
- Blog Postings (http://moviesworketc.blogspot.com/) Read more!