I know all to well about the isolation. Since the illness and losing my job and moving to Pittsburgh, there is too much alone time. No friends to speak of here in this small town but it is quiet here and I have my own house now w/porches and decks now so I can enjoy the fresh air, sunshine and nature. Just the idea that I can pull into my own driveway, wake up to my own place and privacy and work in the flower garden is such a joy. Can't wait till my tomatoes are ready to harvest. One of my favo… Continue

I'm as annoyed as anyone about this expletive of a virus, but there are certain aspects to it which have actually proven to be the difference between not realizing something I wish I had earlier and now seeing something which used to be just absent from my life : in the words of one all time movie, 'There's no place like home' - when I went to China and fell ill there the first time with Gillian Barre, that was piss poor luck and I should have learned my lesson, come home to N… Continue

Went into a deep depression for weeks..... not going out of the house, not eating much and just overwhelmed with the feeling of giving up. Now, with regrets, I realized that the best thing to do was to have gotten into my car, got back out there and into nature and the world of the "living". Why is it that when I feel so depressed, I throw away my treasured belongings and clothing that was new and/or in good condition and kept my old clothing I've been wearing fo years. When asked by one of my f… Continue

The basic design for the tatoo is on Mandy's Page....the variations are in my photos, though I may do a slide show of them too. As I told Mandy, I esp. like the kaleidoscope ones, though you will find my comments/thoughts at the bottom of each picture.

I wanted the design to have as much symbolism in it as possible. I also wanted to keep it fairly simplistic since it will be tatooed on. It can be customized, made to be any size (large or small) and changed up in any way you desire. For example:… Continue

Hi i am going to have a tattoo to raise money for the encephlitis society here in the uk, just wondered if anyone had any idea's elizabeth has kindly said she will draw and design it, i want it to represent how we have all survived e and learning to live again with the new you, for me i want it as a reminder that i do have courage and strength , determination, AND IM STILL ALIVE, and im learning to live with the new me .
So if anyone has any idea's please let me know ?
thankyou mandy