Department of the Weird

I spent most of last week at a convention for addiction therapists. Strange event, really. It seems that many of the people who were either therapists or aspiring therapists (attendance was open to those who wish to enter the field) went straight from needing help to providing help without working on their own issues. Sure, sobriety might be established and maintained, but the underlying psychological issues did not seem to be addressed with not a few of the people with whom I spoke. Even one individual whom I thought was quite sane snuck out of the workshops to have a fling with another attendee! I later told One Ring and a couple of friends, "What is this ... band camp?"

Still, the conference was not without its good parts, and I ended up filling up a notepad with ideas for a lecture I'm going to be giving at Vanderbilt sometime in November on the topic of Addiction and Spirituality. I'm really excited about that opportunity, as it affords me to once again return to my alma mater and simultaneously do something completely new and exciting. Even better, it will get me out of the way of the back stabbing nonsense that makes up much of my day (Today's quote from annoying coworker - not said to my face, of course - "I don't see how someone can get his work done and still have time to go get a latte from (the campus) Starbucks."). Makes me wanna hollah! as my yankee relations would say. Or maybe they wouldn't. It's been a while since I've seen them.

But wait, there's more going on here!

Halloween is rapidly approaching, and I am already in full readiness. I'm hoping to have the Haunted Mansion model completed by this year's pumpkin carving extravaganza, and the horror movies of choice are lined up on Netflix and ready to go. Last night we watched The Orphanage, which was uber creepy without being gory. It was, unexpectedly, also sad in a way that del Toro (who produced this picture) pulls off quite well in many of his pictures. Tonight (maybe) is a redo of The Ninth Gate, with Johnny Depp and Frank Langella. I tried to watch one DVD over the weekend, only to have it skip and jam in the middle. Hopefully Netflix sent me a better one this time!

Well, I was going to write more, but it's quitting time. To the Doom Buggy!