Why Do Credit Cards Get Such A Bad Reputation?

I guess it is about time I shared an opinionated blog post.  I don't set out to offend, and I doubt this post will offend.  I just wanted to put it out there that what I am about to share is my opinion and nothing more.

I often see people speaking negatively of credit cards.  Most recently, I noticed this on the message boards for Confessions of a Shopaholic, which was essentially a film about a young woman who abused her credit card (review coming soon).  I have no problem with people not using credit cards.  That is a personal choice, regardless of the reason behind it.  That said, it does bother me when people mention their non- use of credit cards in a way that implies that people who do use credit cards are idiots for doing so.

I believe that when used properly, a credit card can be a valuable tool.  There are multiple reasons behind this.  First off, credit cards will not charge interest on any charges paid off by the due date specified on the bill.  This allows for me to purchase items without being forced to carry cash, and I earn cash back in return.  Both of those are very major perks.  Last June my wallet was stolen.  I had a small amount of cash and a couple credit cards.  The cash was gone, but it was an amount significantly less than it would have been had I not been using credit cards for the majority of my purchases.  I promptly canceled all of my cards, and found that one was used for over $200.  I was not liable for one cent of it.  Had I been carrying cash instead, I would have been out $200.

Using my credit card also earns me cash back.  Up to 5% on certain purchases.  Many times, this 5% is available in a category I often purchase anyway, such as gas or groceries.  It could add up to an easy $20 dollars a month, just for buying the same things I'd normally use cash for.

Understandably, credit cards aren't for everybody.  Not everybody can be handed this magical card the allows them to buy as much as they want without paying upfront.  I can imagine that it could be easy to lose track of charges as well.  This is when credit card companies become the bad guy by charging interest.  It is their right, though, as they are loaning a user credit, which in the long run, the credit company is accountable for.  They are also known for changing their terms in a way that is unfair to the user.  This can also be avoided if the user is careful.

Honestly, in spite of the negative aspects, I find credit cards to be very useful.  I also know many people who have gotten themselves into trouble with credit cards, and have written them off with good reason.  Others choose not to use them for a wide variety of reasons, and I hold no objections to that.  On the other hand, I just don't like hearing comments such as "oh, this is why credit cards shouldn't exist" and the next time I pull out my plastic, I hope those who have negative opinions of credit cards don't assume I am up to my ears in debt, because that is far from the truth.

Readers:  No specific questions this time, I would love for you to share you thoughts

Post Chrismas Thoughts

Christmas has passed again this year. It always seems to go by so fast. At this time of the year, I try to reflect on the past year and think about ways I can improve over the next year. I also take advantage of this time to enjoy quality time with my fiancé and the post- holiday bliss.

We had a good Christmas this year, and received a multitude of gifts that will greatly improve our home. We have artwork to decorate our walls, utensils for our kitchen, and the newest edition of Wii Fit to help with our New Years Resolutions. It is sad to return home, and get back into the daily grind, but at the same time I am glad to be back home after the long weekend.

On to New Years... I hope to put this blog to good use in keeping up with the resolutions I make. I plan on posting a list of 101 things I plan to accomplish in 1001 days. I have attempted this in the past and failed miserably. This year (and then some) I will have my readers to hold me accountable, imagined or not. So, expect to see a list being published first thing New Years Day, if all goes according to plan. I will post follow up posts periodically that link back to the original and explain my progress. I am currently unsure of how I will go about doing so, but more on that when the time comes. This will by no means be the meat and potatoes of this blog, but will provide regular content in addition to my periodic reviews and meetings with my book club.

Readers: Do you have any resolutions for the new year? If so, by all means, share. I may need some inspiration in coming up with 101 items by the end of the week.

Review: Cube

This movie will be very difficult to review.  Mainly because I am not 100% sure how I felt about the movie.  Usually when I sleep on it, a review will come to me.  I watched it, I enjoyed watching it, but at the same time I found myself wondering what the heck is up with it.  In all fairness, I suppose I will have to write a neutral review, due to the number of times I found myself rolling my eyes (mentally perhaps) at this movie.  Read on for more.

Where does free time go?

First, I apologize for the span between posts.  When I started this blog, I anticipated a post a day.  I thought the simplest way to go about that would be to spend as much time as possible whenever I thought about it stockpiling posts, and then scheduling them to be posted later on.  This is a very effective method for me, as long as the post isn't relevant to some sort of current event.  If that were the case, I would schedule said blog to be posted earlier.  I know it seems silly to want to be so diligent about a blog that may not have many readers, if any.  If I don't care; however, than why should any potential readers?  I would like to be reliable, as that can keep readers coming back.  The fact that I fell behind a couple of days on my blog really brought up the subject that I am surprised at the lack of free time I have.

 

When I was in college I was balancing class for 18 credit hours (most of the time), working part time, homework, and a very active social life without sacrificing the much needed "me" time.  I also had that mentality that I was very busy, and my ability to balance straight As and my social life was something to be proud of.  I mean, if you took into account my work schedule and class schedule, not to mention homework, it came out to close to a 40 hour week.  Enter the real world.  I work 40 hours a week, and find myself with less free time than I've ever had.  I wake up at 6:00 AM (sometimes I'll hit snooze until 6:20 AM), leave my apartment at around 7:20 AM to catch my train.  I work nine and a half hour days in exchange for an extra day off every pay period.  Thus, I sacrifice a good portion of my day.  I arrive home at a little after 7:00 PM in time to eat dinner, catch up on a little housework, and then retire sometime between 9:00 and 9:30 PM.  I do not go in bed at this time, but use it to sip some tea and unwind before a fall asleep sometime after 10:00 PM.  Weekends are hit or miss as far as how busy they are.  Summertime we're often taking trips to visit family, and with the holidays coming up we've been booked many of the weekends.  My extra day off has been moved around to make up for Holidays that my fiance has off, but I do not for our trips home lately.  I dread how I will manage my time when in the (distant) future I have children.

 

Keep in mind that I am by no means complaining about my schedule (I know many people work and keep tougher schedules than this).  I am more remarking on how naive I was in college thinking that I was busy with school.  I do manage to fit in several of my hobbies in that short period between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM.  I will read, or work on my blog, catch up on DVR, or just spend that time chatting about my day with my fiance.  The extra hour and a half on the train each day also helps.  Unfortunately, I have no way to blog on the train.  I'm trying to see if I can find an app for my new iPod that will offer this capability (many may be rendered useless without an internet connection), but I fear the small keypad may become taxing.  We will see how this goes in the future.  Perhaps a good topic would be how I manage my busy schedule.

 

Readers:  Any time saving tricks you use to get through the day?  Do you feel you're far busier now that you were when you were younger?  Also, any recommendations for blogging apps for the iPod?

DVR is My New Best Friend

My fiance and I signed up for a new company to offer us cable upon moving into our new apartment.  The cost is about the same as what our previous company would have charged after the trial period, but offers at least 100 more channels.  It also offers us DVR, so we record and are able to watch a larger variety of show than we previously watched.  We can also keep an eye out for movies we want to see and record them.  Currently, our DVR records fourteen different shows.  Read on for a brief list of show I currently have my DVR set to record.

Freebies from the Internet

I recently joined a website called Swagbucks.  Out of all the internet "freebies" concepts out there, this one seems to be the most rewarding.  It may take a long time to stack up enough Swagbucks to earn something, but they sure do seem to add up quick.  The concept is that you earn points through various ways and can redeem them for a wide variety of items in the Swagstore.  They have various things from gift cards, to books, to magazine subscriptions, MP3s, TV show episodes.  Maybe you could even save up for a PS3...

There are various ways you can earn the points.  The first and easiest way is to use the search function.  It is a search powered by Ask and Google, so the results are decent.  I do find what I'm looking for when I used the search function.  For some reason there are only two or three pages of results, but I know that if I don't find what I'm looking for by the second or third page, it is time to reform my search.  I have earned close to twenty Swagbucks in just under two weeks by casually searching.  They offer special search sites that feature a specific band or sports team, and the Swagstore from that site will also carry specific merchandise.  For example, I search with The Who, and have access to a variety of The Who merchandise if I choose.

The next way is to refer somebody.  My referral link is on the side bar of the blog, and also where the link above will take you.  For every person you refer, you earn one Swagbuck for every Swagbuck they earn for the first 100 Swagbucks.  If you have many friends, this could add up quickly.

Swagbucks also runs many different competitions or offer random codes for redemption of Swagbucks.  I've gotten an email newsletter with a code, gone on a quick scavenger hunt on a t-shirt website (all I had to do was find a red shirt with Chuck Norris on it, the code was in the product description.)  They do Twitter word contests, trivia, prediction polls, and many other things.

The final way that I've found is through the completion of special offers.  I renewed my subscription to a magazine I normally read anyway, and earned a quick 20 Swagbucks.  Haven't tried Netflix yet?  Sign up for another 75 Swagbucks.  Disney Movie Club?  150 Swagbucks.  Those two things I had signed up to prior to Swagbucks, so I'm a little bummed I missed out.

In just two weeks I've already earned enough points to redeem for a $5 Amazon gift card, $25 dollar Resturaunts.com gift card, several different comic books or gift cards, and a Detroit Lions' pennant, just to give some examples.  This is two weeks of doing no extra work at all, just using Swagbucks in place of Google.  I'll have to post an update when I actually redeem something, but in the mean time, it is definantly worth a shot.

Review: Dragon Age Origins

This past weekend was a huge accomplishment for me.  I beat my very first RPG since Super Mario RPG for SNES.  Granted, I was 18 years old the first time I beat Super Mario RPG.  I'm not the most devoted gamer, especially when it comes to RPGs.  I will play until I get stuck, give up for months, and then come back again and feel the need to restart because I went without playing for so long.  It is a vicious, endless cycle.  Well, back on topic, I beat Dragon Age this weekend.  I had been playing this game quiet a bit, fighting it out with my fiance over who could play next.  This game was just amazing in my opinion.  Read on for the full review.

Oh, How I Love My Coffee

I hadn't always been a big fan of coffee.  I would drink it on occasion when I was high school aged, but it would require tons and tons of sugar.  I'm pretty sure the saying "would you like some coffee with your sugar?" would have fit me like a T.  I didn't realize how much of a benefit coffee could be until I had moved out of my parent's house for college.  My parents had bought me a little coffee maker before I left.  It was a really nice coffee maker, and made twelve cups.  I would drink around two mugs of coffee with a little bit of flavored creamer before heading off to class.  It became part of my morning routine.  Then I discovered when I ran out of creamer, drinking it black was not a completly terrible thing.  I found myself enjoying the taste of coffee.

I graduated from college, and moved out on my own.  I began to find myself more rushed in the morning.  My co-workers had started a coffee club, so I found myself neglecting my little coffee maker at home in exchange for coffee already prepared by one of my co-workers who was an early bird and always arrived early.  When staffing changes occured, I found nobody was willing to keep up with the coffee club, so I was on my own again.

At this point I had fallen in love with a single serve coffee brewer that a friend of mine had.  I purchased a little single cup brewer from Keurig.  I fell in love.  It was the cheapest one available.  The only down side was that I had to add water each time I used it and the brew time was a little long compared to the other ones.  I kept it for about a year, until Keurig ran a promotion in the city I work in.  They were handing out coupons for 20% off a brewer, so I decided that was enough justification to purchase an upgrade.  This brewer makes all the difference.  It has a resevoir, so I don't always have to worry about adding water everytime I make a cup of coffee.  It brews in about a minute.  I have a timer on it, so by the time I wake up it is already kicking on and warming up to make me a wonderful cup of coffee.  I would recommend one of these brewers to any coffee drinker.  It even has options for those who do not like coffee, such has hot chocolate or tea.  I have a cup of camamile tea every night before bed.

Readers:  Have you tried the single serve coffee?  Do you have a type of coffee brewer you just swear by?  If you haven't tried single serve coffee, would you consider switching or would you stick to what you know?  Why or why not?

Review: Brothers

I went to see Brothers with some girl friends last night.  This is a very difficult movie for me to review at the moment.  The acting was great, but I left the film with a bad taste in my mouth.  It may have just been the subject matter it was focused on.  I had never seen the trailer for this film, so I was unsure of what I was in for, even though friends were able to give me a brief synopsis.  The leading cast was great, though my personal displeasure of Tobey Maguire may have had an impact on my outlook.  I will attempt to approach this film without personal bias.  I will also not reveal any spoilers, as anyone who had seen the trailer (which I had watched after seeing the movie) will have the basic idea of what this film is about.  Read on...

Review: I Love You, Man

My fiance and I subscribe to Netflix, and thus watch plenty of movies in our free time.  Our most recent rental was I Love You, Man.  This movie was not quiet what I expected, considering it starred both Paul Rudd and Jason Segel.  I was expecting a movie similar to Pineapple Express or the Hangover, which are both very funny movies.  This movie, however; was something anybody could enjoy.  I would have no regrets watching this movie with my grandmother, for example.  Read on for the full review.]

X-Box Wars

Last year for Christmas I bought my fiance an X-Box 360.  He played it a little bit, but found he didn't have time to obsess over it the way some boys do.  I play on it probably about as much as he does.  Neither of us had touched the darn thing in a couple of months until we heard of the game titled Dragon Age: Origins.  Sure enough, we purchased the game with some gift cards I received through work.  The second I started playing I was hooked.  Upon beating the game, I will need to post a review.  In the meantime, all I can say is that it is a constant battle over who can play.

My fiance's argument is that I had spent more hours on it than he, and he needed to catch up.  He was out of town for a weekend, and I'll admit that I played a little bit more than I should have.  Heck, at the moment I am typing this blog he is playing, though I had my turn this afternoon.  That is the problem with this game is that there is no way to play together, and he would rather not watch me play as I am ahead of him and he doesn't want to spoil the plot.  At the same time, I don't like to watch him play since he is more diligent at discovering party members and techniques that I just passed by in my haste to advance the story.

I haven't been this addicted to a video game since Donkey Kong Country came out when I was in grade school.  That was when I experienced my first and only case of Nintendo Thumb.  Of course, it was very minor, and went away the second I quit playing (which I did).  No blisters or anything, though I'm sure if I continued that is the route it would have taken.  Unfortunately, the difference between now and then is that I didn't have to share my SNES with anybody.

Some Finale Thoughts About the Twilight Series So Far

I promise, this is the last post for a minute about Twilight.  Seeing the second movie and reading the second book brought up a couple of items that I figured blog worthy.  I feel as though Meyer should be given credit for coming up with such a great idea and she delivers it effectively enough.  On the other hand, she seems to play around with the rules of the Twilight world to fit her convenience.  Also, the main character is makes me roll my eyes a little too much.  Disclaimer:  There may be some spoilers.

Vampires

If you're anything like me and you read Twilight you probably had a similar reaction to the "sparkle" scene. I was reading the book  I remember reading the book, getting past that point, and setting the book down for a minute.  I looked at the nearest person at the time and saind "Okay, so the real reason vampires can't go into the sunlight is because they're shiny?"  Meyer is turning vampires into the next unicorn.  According to mythology, a unicorn was an untamable beast.  The only thing that could calm it was a virgin maiden.  But they weren't pretty white horses either.  They evolved into that overtime.  Originally, the description of the unicorn was similar to that of a Rhino, which may be where the myth had come from.  In the last few decades, unicorns were found postered on the walls in pre-teen girls' rooms all over the place.  Sound familiar?  Now Edward Cullen is postered on the walls in pre-teen girls' rooms all over the world.  In Meyer's defense, authors have been changing vampires to fit their story for years, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  To me, the sparkling thing just took the vampires too far.  Even the bad vampires glitter.  What point does it serve?

Continuity

This became very apparent to me in the book New Moon. Meyer attempted to explain that Bella is immune to the special abilities of vampires.  This is why Edward and Aro couldn't read her mind, and Jane couldn't torture her.  If this is the case, than why can Alice see her future?  Or Jasper calm her emotions?  Because it works for Meyer's story, that's why.  Same can be said for Alice's lack of seeing Jacob when he pulled Bella out of the ocean.  If werewolves were made only to fight vampires, it makes sense that he may be immune to their powers.  Then we find out Edward can read Jacob's mind...

Bella

When I read the first book, all I could think of was how much of a jerk Edward was, and how I couldn't stand his controlling nature. Then I found a lovely little article on cracked.com that explained it totally isn't Edward, it is all Bella. 

 Feminists often attack Edward for being a condescending, misogynistic jerk towards Bella. They often cite that fact that he treats Bella like a doe-eyed dipshit that needs to be kept on a leash to stop her from trying to play with oncoming traffic. What these people fail to realize is that Edward's treatment of her stems not from the fact that she's female, but because her favorite hobby consists of trying to find new and exciting ways to get killed by household objects. One of Edward's earliest encounters with Bella consisted of rescuing her from becoming roadkill, and subsequent outings have consistently shown her to have the intelligence and dexterity of an apricot. Edward treats her as if she is constantly in danger, not because he's sexist, but because her own ability to detect trouble usually kicks in about half an hour after it's been and gone. He can hardly be blamed for being a bit protective at times - although it is unlikely that Darwin would approve of Edward fucking around with his gene pool so much.

I hated that she spent most of the second book all "woe-is-me" and what not.  Now, it probably is normal for a teenage to be sad for a couple weeks, and tear up at reminders for maybe even a month or two.  Bella had a hole in her stomach for four odd months or so after being dumped, and spent so much time talking about it in the book.  Isn't that how long she had been with Edward before the dumping happened?  Honestly, I'm kind of insulted.  I love my fiance plenty, but I wouldn't ride motorcycles or jump off cliffs just to hear is voice if he left me.

Well, in conclusion, I really sound like I hate Twilight.  I don't.  I'll read the next book, and enjoy it, but for crying out loud Bella, pick the werewolf.  He's closer to human, and it isn't like cuddling with a slab of granite.

Review: The Second Twilight Adaption Seemed Subpar

So after rushing through the New Moon novel, I went to see the movie last Saturday.  I went into the movie feeling optimistic.  I enjoyed the first movie well enough, and since I liked the second book so much more than the first, I thought the same would be true for the second.  I guess I was wrong.

Review

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's chemistry was actually cringe worthy.  Aren't they a real life couple?  The saving grace of this movie was what made the book good as well, the increased amount of time Bella spent with Jacob.  Taylor Launter could act circles around the leading couple.  The movie seemed rushed.  They tried to cram everything into a two hour and ten minute film. I think an extra half hour wouldn't have hurt, and could have made for a more natural transistion between everything that happened. I do think the director managed to do a very good job being true to the book, at the very least, but the acting really brought it down for me.  Bella's mumbling and crazy blink thing she did, and Edward kissing her like he is making out with a lamp post or something were a couple examples.  Was the first movie really this bad?  Maybe the difference was that I rented the first one rather than seeing it on the big screen.  Either way, I walked out of the theater relativly pleased with my choice, but feeling that the movie lacked something.  3 out of 5 stars.

Finding a Social Life in the Suburbs

About a year and a half ago I found myself graduated from college, and facing a move to a big city thanks to my choice in career.  I chose to live in the suburbs as I am from a small town, and wanted something that would not overwhelm me too much.  I am currently very happy with that decision as I have the choice between a fun night in the city or a quiet evening in the quaint downtown of the suburbs.  The biggest problem I faced was meeting people.  I thought a book club would be fun, and had always been interested in trying one out.  I found a website for new comers to the town.  Unfortunately, everything was scheduled during the day.  It seemed to be targeting stay at home moms.  So, I continued to commute into the city and befriend my co-workers.  They all lived in the city, so if I ever wanted to spend a night out, it had to be in the city.  My now fiance moved in shortly after I did, so at least I wasn't completely on my own.

We eventually found out that a couple we knew from Michigan (where we are originally from) had moved to a neighboring suburb.  We spent many weekends having a wonderful time, and meeting mutual friends.  All of these friends happened to be significantly older than the two of us, though we managed to relate to them wonderfully.

A month ago, one of my co-workers posted something on facebook about wanting to start a book club.  I casually commented that I had been wanting to join a book club for a while, but figured that not much would come of it.  People often post statuses on facebook on the whim.  To my delight, I received a message about starting up.  A few of her former high school classmates were interested as well.  We had our first meeting in ealy November.

Now, to my readers. If you are interested, feel free to follow along and participate in a virtual book club. The review of the first book we read can be found here. Feel free to share your thoughts you have read it.  Currently, we are reading Devil in the White City.  We will be finishing up by the 20th of December, though I may not post our thoughts and my personal review of it until the following Monday.  Please follow along and let me know what you think.

An Explanation of my Review Labels

I enjoy reading, watching movies, and a wide variety of other activities.  Since many of the posts that seem to be coming out of this blog already are reviews, I wanted to elaborate on my reviewing standards.  I will be rating films, videos, and books on a five star rating system.  A rating of four or five will be labeled as a hit.  Therefore, one could easily use the label cloud to find something that I thought was favorable.  Three is something I did not feel too strongly about either way.  A one or a two will be labeled as a flop.

As my reviews go on, I may devise a more complex system.  Currently, this is simple enough.  If a reader finds their tastes similar to mine, perhaps they can use my blog as a way to check out a new book or movie.  If one's taste differs, then I suppose this will be a good way to know what films to avoid.

Review: New Moon - How the Twilight Saga Sucked Me In

 

I have kept myself far away from the Twilight mania that seems to be affecting women ages twelve to forty.  I overhead a co-worker talking about Twilight, and I did read it to see what it was all about.  After I finished the book, I found myself hating each and every one of the main characters.  Bella was superficial, Edward was a stalker, and all of Bella's friends were one dimensional.  I watched the movie out of curiosity to see what it was all about.  I found myself enjoying the movie very much.  Without Bella's constant narration, her and Edward seemed entirely different.  To add to the appeal, the baseball scene featured a song by my favorite artist.  "Super-massive Blackhole" by Muse.  Sure, it may be superficial of me to enjoy a movie because of one song added to the soundtrack, but that wasn't the sole reason I enjoyed the film. When the second film came out, I had decided I wanted to see it.  Before doing so, I had to read the book...

Review

I went into New Moon disliking many of the main characters, something that could have been a deal breaker for any other book.  I really did not want to like this book.  This did not matter in the end; however, because I loved it! The tension of New Moon sucked me in. I found myself able to ignore the skepticism I had of Bella and Edward (it is fiction, after all). The way Meyer handled the first few months after Edward left took my breath away. For a moment, I could feel that hole that Bella described endlessly. Then I found myself truly liking Jacob, and then disliking Edward less than I did before reading this book. It was entrancing. Though, I must admit that after reading this, I will have to join Team Jacob. 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Club: Manic

Recently, I joined a book club.  There is an interesting story behind my look for a local book club in the uppity suburbs at a later date.  At our very first meeting, we chose to read the book Manic: A Memoir.  The synopsis from the inside flap read:

"I didn't tell anyone that I was going to Santa Fe to kill myself."

On the outside, Terri Cheney was a highly successful, attractive Beverly Hills entertainment lawyer. But behind her seemingly flawless façade lay a dangerous secret—for the better part of her life Cheney had been battling debilitating bipolar disorder and concealing a pharmacy's worth of prescriptions meant to stabilize her moods and make her "normal."

In bursts of prose that mirror the devastating highs and extreme lows of her illness, Cheney describes her roller-coaster life with shocking honesty—from glamorous parties to a night in jail; from flying fourteen kites off the edge of a cliff in a thunderstorm to crying beneath her office desk; from electroshock therapy to a suicide attempt fueled by tequila and prescription painkillers.

With Manic, Cheney gives voice to the unarticulated madness she endured. The clinical terms used to describe her illness were so inadequate that she chose to focus instead on her own experience, in her words, "on what bipolar disorder felt like inside my own body." Here the events unfold episodically, from mood to mood, the way she lived and remembers life. In this way the reader is able to viscerally experience the incredible speeding highs of mania and the crushing blows of depression, just as Cheney did. Manic does not simply explain bipolar disorder—it takes us in its grasp and does not let go.

In the tradition of Darkness Visible and An Unquiet Mind, Manic is Girl, Interrupted with the girl all grown up. This harrowing yet hopeful book is more than just a searing insider's account of what it's really like to live with bipolar disorder. It is a testament to the sharp beauty of a life lived in extremes.

I'm not one to usually read memoirs, as I personally prefer fiction. For the sake of the book club I dove right in. We only gave ourselves a week to read this one, as it was short and the print was fairly large.

Review

Reading this book almost made me feel like I was bipolar. The author intentionally wrote the book so that the chapters were not in chronological order.  It felt as though she did it to give the reader a sense of how lost she was, and how her personality shifted drastically. This became a little confusing at the beginning.  As I read, though, all these mysterious people she'd mention became know.  The book comes together in the end.  By the time I finished the first chapter, it had drawn me in.  I was both mortified and hooked.  Throughout the book, the author makes some decisions that caused me to momentarily judge her decisions, but I had to remind myself of everything she had gone through, and that her brain chemistry was far different than mine, and there was no way I could emphasize.  This book is a really eye-opener into this mental illness that affects far too many people.  4 out of 5 stars.