It can be hard to come to terms with a mental disorder that you may be facing. This is certainly true for me! Several weeks ago, I was diagnosed by my therapist with GAD, otherwise known as General Anxiety Disorder, and Panic Disorder on top of that. There were several steps leading up to this diagnosis. It started with a panic attack on such an extreme level that it sent me to the ER. While I was there, I decided it was time to ask for help. The ER nurses and doctor were very kind, referring me to a therapist here in Pueblo for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.  Since she has diagnosed me and put me on a small dosage of Prozac, which I take daily to help manage anxiety, I have done a lot of research about these conditions. What I found was startling. First, I want to begin by defining…

Freaking stop. Stop posting your mistakes all over Facebook. Grow up and fix them like a mature adult. Stop whining. Stop complaining. Everyone’s got problems. Literally everyone on this entire planet makes mistakes. Instead of posting your obscure statuses about whatever you might have just screwed up or whoever you might have pissed off, get off the internet and work it out like every other freaking person. We get you want to be a special snowflake and you want people to feel bad for you, but there’s a limit and all I see scrolling down my news feed are these stupid statuses like “Oh I’m such a screw up” or “oops I made a mistake.” Congrats, do you want a pat on the back? An ice cream cone maybe? Someone to hug you and tell you everything is going to be okay? Too bad. Why don’t we act our age?…

Just a few things I feel I need to remind myself every day, in no particular order. 1. Smile, even if you feel like breaking. It’ll help you feel better, I promise. 2. Even if it feels like the end of the world now, it really isn’t. Smile, laugh, and brush it off. 3. Seriously, everybody makes mistakes. Let it go. 4. Sometimes, it’s okay to bend the rules, if there’s a really good reason behind it. 5. It’s definitely okay to pull all-nighters every once in a while. You don’t always have to be on a strict schedule. 6. Live like you’re young, and dance like nobody is watching. This is cliche, but it’s always better to have more fun than it is to worry about how others may perceive your actions. 7. If it’s meant to be, it will be. 8. Don’t stress so much, you’ll only wear…

Music education programs are failing in schools, performing arts programs are being cut, all because schools are no longer choosing to fund these. Can we talk about this for just a minute? The reasoning behind these cuts are obscure, and the ones that are clear make any music educator or musician cringe. Schools have become a place where a grade is more important than the value of the education given, and arts don’t fit into the mold of standardized testing. “Music education is pointless” some might say. “What does this do for my child?” parents are asking. Music creates individuality and gives the freedom of expression. Without these, the world is dull at best. Without expression, without music, think about how boring your life would be. No more dancing around as you clean your house, or jamming to your favorite song in the car. Just silence. Maybe talk radio. Maybe…

A serial killer can be defined as “a person who murders three or more people in a period of thirty days with a ‘cooling off’ period between each murder and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification.” (http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Serial_killer.html) Serial killers are generally thought of as some deranged and psychotic man, but many female serial killers have gone down in history too. One of the most well known, and America’s FIRST female serial killer, was Lavinia Fisher. Lavinia Fisher’s youth records have been lost, but historians and researchers believe she was born in 1792. She married John Fisher and the two lived in Charleston, South Carolina managing their hotel the Six Mile Wayfarer House. The legend of Lavinia Fisher, no matter where it is found, is told as follows: Lavinia and her husband housed visitors to Charleston. Eventually, men began to disappear from Charleston, leaving the citizens and…