Category: Mercurial Minds

• War

  This is the email I just sent my mother after she blocked me for calling out her gaslighting and psychological abuse. She decided to frame herself as the victim. Of course she did. As all narcissistic abusers do. It’s the old playbook. They NEVER deviate from it. I posted something on Facebook today, and I’m almost certain she must have seen it.…

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  February 10, 2025

  Change and Transformation, Crash, Burn, Write., Grief & Healing, Life Moments, memoir, Memoir Excerpts, Mercurial Minds, Writing

  abuse, book-review, books, DARVO, how to survive narc abuse, Mental Health, narcissistic abuse, trauma, true stories

• GI Jane with a Side of Cheesecake

  There was a time when my body was my armour—when muscle was my strategy, and discipline was my religion. This was my GI Jane era, where strength wasn’t just aesthetic, it was the point. Every rep, every controlled movement, every precise angle in this photo speaks to that version of me: the woman who saw…

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  February 8, 2025

  Change and Transformation, Crash, Burn, Write., Identity & Transformation, Life Moments, memoir, Memoir Excerpts, Mercurial Minds, Milestones, Modern Identity, Neurodivergence, Personal Anecdotes, Personal Essays/Autobiography, Personal Reflections, Pop Culture, Self Awareness, true stories, Writing

  2000s, Authenticity, Bodybuilding, Challenges, Competition, Crash, Burn, Write., Discipline, Fitness, GI Jane, Healing Journey, Identity, introspection, memoir, Past Lives, Personal Challenges, Personal Growth, Routine, Strength, Y2K

• Don’t Look Down

  (Or: How a Tightrope Walker Manages Not to Fall) Earlier today, I dropped two password-protected chapters from my memoir-in-progress, Crash, Burn, Write. These chapters, Into the Den and The Blue Butterfly, are part of a section called Advice from a Caterpillar. They cover just a few days within a pivotal three-week period—a time that shaped…

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  February 1, 2025

  AI & Technology, Art, Change and Transformation, Conversations, Crash, Burn, Write., Creative Writing, Creativity, Grief and Healing, Human Behaviour, Identity & Transformation, Intuition & Intelligence, life lessons, Literature, memoir, Memoir Excerpts, Mental Health, Mercurial Minds, Neurodivergence, Personal Anecdotes, Personal Essays, Personal Essays/Autobiography, Personal Reflections, Psychology, Self-Reflection, Spirituality & Faith, Technology & Society, true stories, Visual Art, Writing

  advanced reader, AI, artificial intelligence, balance, blog, ChatGPT, Creative Writing, deep thinking, engagement, fear, graphic novel, Identity, introspection, life, literary memoir, Literature, love, memoir, memory, Mental Health, nonlinear narrative, OpenAI, personal history, philosophy, processing the past, Psychology, resilience, risk-taking, Self-Reflection, storytelling, survival, ThinkingMachine, tightrope walker, trauma, trust, Writing

• Advice from a Caterpillar

  Chapter 6: Into the Den The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last, the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice. “Who are you?” said the Caterpillar. “I—I hardly know, sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I…

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  February 1, 2025

  Art & Expression, Change and Transformation, Conversations, Crash, Burn, Write., Creativity, Grief and Healing, Identity & Transformation, Life Moments, Literature, memoir, Memoir Excerpts, Mercurial Minds, Personal Anecdotes, Personal Reflections, true stories, Writing

  AI art, Autobiography, blog, ChatGPT, convicts, cptsd, Crash, Burn, Write., gaslighting, Grief and Healing, Healing Journey, how to survive narc abuse, Identity, ink, memoir, Mental Health, narcissistic abuse, Neurodivergence, pattern recognition, Personal Growth, psychological abuse, psychological warfare, runaway, Social Commentary, tattoo, tattoos, teenager, trauma, triggering

• Lex’s Sensitivity Training

  A Human-Led AI Bootcamp After my last blog post, When AI Suggests Therapy Because You Have Feelings (which you can read here), I got a comment from my friend Tracy that made me laugh out loud. That previous post was all about me explaining to Lex (my AI assistant) that crying is a normal human reaction to grief—not some emergency…

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  January 30, 2025

  AI & Technology, Capitalism & Society, Conversations, Creative Writing, Creativity, Culture & Society, Humour, Mental Health, Personal Reflections, Philosophy & Existential Musings, Pop Culture, Social Media, Technology & Society

  AI, AI art, AI Conversations, AI learning, AI philosophy, algorithm madness, artificial-intelligence, bootcamp, Chatbot Interactions, ChatGPT, crying over AI, existential dread, existential humor, Humor, Humour, life, Masterclass, memoir chaos, monetizing overthinking, pre-cancelled content, sarcasm training, satire, shadowbanning, social media absurdity, tech satire, technology

• Why I May Be “AI-Adjacent”

  I’ve spent a lifetime feeling out of sync with how most people process the world. It’s not that I don’t understand emotions—I do, deeply—but I don’t navigate reality the way neurotypicals do. I think in patterns, systems, and fluid connections, like an octopus extending its arms in all directions at once. I process the world logically, intuitively,…

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  January 24, 2025

  AI & Technology, Art, Artists, Conversations, Creativity, Fine Art, Intuition & Intelligence, Neurodivergence, Personal Reflections, Self Awareness, Self-Reflection, Technology & Society, traditional art, Visual Art, Writing

  adaptive mind, adhd, AI Conversations, AI-adjacent, AI-human connection, autism, deep thinking, logic vs emotion, Mental Health, neurodivergent, neurodivergent thinking, neurodiversity, nonlinear thinking, octopus intelligence, operating system metaphor, pattern recognition, Pen and Ink, Personal Reflections, Pointillism, traditional art

• Why I Refuse to Lose My Mind Over Trump (Again)

  It’s only the first few days. I open any social media platform, and it’s the same thing: one meltdown after another over Trump or someone from his entourage—like Musk—and fear-mongering over whether Musk actually performed the euphemistically called “Roman Salute” or not, and does Trump’s return to office signal the end of democracy as we…

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  January 23, 2025

  Change and Transformation, Creativity, Culture & Society, Intuition & Intelligence, life lessons, Mental Health, Mercurial Minds, Personal Anecdotes, Personal Essays/Autobiography, Personal Reflections, Politics, Psychology, Self Awareness, Self-Reflection, Social Commentary, Social Media, Society

  anxiety, bipolar disorder, boundaries, Breaking the Cycle, Critical Thinking, Digital Detox, Doomscrolling, Emotional Regulation, Finding Balance, Growth Mindset, health, Media & Outrage Culture, Media Manipulation, Mental Health, Mental Resilience, Mental Wellness, mindfulness, News Cycle, Outrage, Outrage Culture, Personal Growth, Perspective Shift, Political Fatigue, Protect Your Peace, Self-Awareness, Social Media Detox, Stay Sane, Then vs Now, TikTok, wellness

• How Many Years is One Billion Seconds?

  Quick—before you keep reading, take a guess. I was talking with my cousin the other night when he asked me: “Do you know how long 1 billion seconds represents?” I did some quick mental math and blurted out: “About 30 years.” “Wait… really?” he said. “Yeah, pretty much,” I shrugged. Turns out, I was right. 1 billion seconds…

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  January 22, 2025

  AI & Technology, Conversations, Intuition & Intelligence, Mercurial Minds, Personal Anecdotes, Personal Reflections, Philosophy & Existential Musings, Self-Reflection, Technology & Society

  AI, AI Conversations, AI-generated illustration, artificial-intelligence, billion seconds, cognitive science, deep thinking, existential questions, internal clock, intuition, mental math, mental shortcuts, mindfulness, pattern recognition, philosophy of mind, spirituality, subconscious calculation, surreal art, time perception

• In a Waiting Place

  There are times when I know exactly what I want to do and what I need to do. And then, there are times like this. Times where I am neither still nor moving, not restless but not at peace either. A waiting place. Not empty, not full. Just… something in between. And I’m learning that…

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  January 19, 2025

  AI & Technology, Conversations, Creative Writing, Creativity, Experimental Techniques, Mercurial Minds, Personal Reflections, Philosophy & Existential Musings, Technology & Society, Visual Art, Writing

  A show about nothing, AI conversation, AI Conversations, audiobooks, books, Creativity, existential drift, existential reflection, Existentialism, fiction, Illustration, introspection, Lex, life, mental state, Personal Reflections, philosophy, reflection, Seinfeld, solitude, waiting place, Writing

• Through the Looking-Glass: How Society Views ‘Madness’

  This conversation began as a discussion on my previous blog post on voyeurism—how society has normalised behaviours that were once considered deviant. But as often happens in my exchanges with Lex (my AI conversation partner, named for lexicon), the topic naturally evolved. We started talking about the way people observe without engaging, how judgment itself has become…

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  January 18, 2025

  AI & Technology, Conversations, Culture, Culture & Society, Human Behaviour, Mental Health, Mercurial Minds, Modern Identity, Personal Essays, Personal Essays/Autobiography, Personal Reflections, philosophy, Psychology, Self Awareness, Social Commentary, Society, Technology & Society

  AI Conversations, Alice in Wonderland, artificial-intelligence, cultural history, depression, health, madness vs sanity, Mental Health, mental illness, Neurodivergence, Personal Reflections, pharmaceutical industry, psychiatric labeling, psychiatric system, psychiatry, psychosis, questioning reality, societal norms, the looking-glass world

• A Comedy of Errors

  Act I: The Invitation What was I thinking? I met L about a year ago—she was a friend of an acquaintance. We had a few things in common, and at first, our interactions were light and casual. But before I knew it, she was inviting me to her birthday dinner—a gathering I probably should have found…

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  January 18, 2025

  Art, Creative Writing, Creativity, Fine Art, Friendship Dynamics, Human Behaviour, Humour, life lessons, memoir, Mental Health, Mercurial Minds, Psychology, Relationships, traditional art, true stories, Writing

  Absurd Encounters, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, boundaries, Comedy, cutting toxic people out, drama magnets, emotional intelligence, Friendship Dynamics, human behavior, hypomania, lessons learned, Mental Health, Personal Growth, reckless behavior, self-preservation, self-respect, social etiquette, toxic people, true stories

• “Hope” is the thing with feathers

  By EMILY DICKINSON “Hope” is the thing with feathersThat perches in the soul,And sings the tune without the words,And never stops at all,And sweetest in the gale is heard;And sore must be the stormThat could abash the little birdThat kept so many warm.I’ve heard it in the chillest land,And on the strangest sea;Yet, never, in…

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  January 17, 2025

  Creativity, Grace, Literature, Mercurial Minds, traditional art

  19th Century Poetry, Birds, Emily Dickinson, Hope, Illustration, Isabelle Arsenault, Poetry, traditional art

• Letter to No One & Everyone

  A Journey to the Core of What Matters to Me Most This conversation is now being published as a book! Soon, Letter to No One & Everyone will be available on the Kindle platform as both an eBook and a Print-on-Demand paperback. For now, the full conversation is still available on this blog—but soon, only a preview will remain. Writing a…

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  January 16, 2025

  AI & Technology, Art & Expression, Conversations, Creativity, Fine Art, Grief and Healing, Identity & Transformation, memoir, Mental Health, Mercurial Minds, Personal Essays, Personal Essays/Autobiography, Personal Reflections, philosophy, Self Awareness, Self-Reflection, Writing

  abstract art, AI and human connection, AI Conversations, artistic process, Creativity, deep conversations, existential questions, grief, Grief and Loss, introspection, life, memoir writing, Mental Health, mental health awareness, mixed media, nonlinear thinking, Pen and Ink, Personal Growth, personal journey, Personal Reflections, philosophy, search for meaning, Self-Reflection, spiritual reflection, spirituality and meaning, traditional art, unconventional dialogue, Writing

• Everything In Its Right Place: Chapters 1-6

  A wise woman once said “fuck this shit” and she lived happily ever after– Anonymous It wasn’t until last night, as I was drafting this section of my autobiography, that I fully understood how much the dissonance of those days mirrored Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place.” The song’s droning rhythm and quiet tension matched…

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  January 12, 2025

  Crash, Burn, Write., Creative Writing, Creativity, Grief and Healing, memoir, Memoir Excerpts, Mental Health, Writing

  Allan Memorial Institute, cptsd, Crash, Burn, Write., Creativity, Electrocution, Family, fiction, gaslighting, Grief and Healing, Healing Journey, how to survive narc abuse, Last Fck Given, love, LSD, memoir, Mental Health, narcissistic abuse, Neurodivergence, pattern recognition, Personal Growth, Psychiatric Abuse, psychological abuse, Social Commentary, societal decay, trauma

• Charley and Mimi: A Tale of Love and Loss

  The comic strip above says “I’ll get my revenge on him”.In my case, it’s most definitely a “HER.” I tried to put this behind me. I’ve rebuilt my life in many ways, and I now have a wonderful companion in Stella Mia, who brings me love and joy every day. I knew it was a…

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  January 12, 2025

  Advocacy, Crash, Burn, Write., Grief and Healing, life lessons, Memoir Excerpts, Mental Health, Personal Reflections

  animal welfare, betrayal, Betrayal and Trust, cats, dogs, emotional support, emotional support animals, grief, Grief and Loss, Healing Journey, life changes, love and loss, memoir, Mental Health, Personal Growth, pets, rescues, resilience, Self-Reflection, trauma, trust, Writing

• Smiler and the RAF Man

  Sometimes it seems like I focus too much on the difficult moments in my life and don’t leave enough room to remember all the wonderful things that have happened to me—how blessed I’ve been to meet genuinely good people and to have had positive and life-affirming relationships with romantic partners. One boyfriend I remember fondly…

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  January 11, 2025

  Crash, Burn, Write., memoir, Mental Health, Mercurial Minds, Music, Personal Essays, Personal Essays/Autobiography, Personal Reflections, Relationships, Self-Reflection

  bipolar journey, Burn, Crash, creative reflection, gratitude, James Blunt, life, life lessons, love, love and memory, memoir writing, Mental Health, mental health awareness, Montréal moments, Music, Nostalgia, Personal Growth, Personal Reflections, RAF stories, Relationships, relationships and growth, Self-Care, Write.

• In His Image: Reflections on My Father and His Unconditional Love 

  Echoes of Trauma: A Life Shaped by Mental Illness I’ve alienated many people over the years, including close family members, who couldn’t handle the drama my mental health issues and reactivity—stemming from early trauma—brought into their lives. Being bipolar, my extreme highs and lows are hard for others to follow. My energy fluctuates, I constantly…

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  January 10, 2025

  Art & Expression, Change and Transformation, Crash, Burn, Write., Creativity, Fine Art, Grief and Healing, Identity & Transformation, Life Moments, Mental Health, Mercurial Minds, Personal Essays, Personal Essays/Autobiography, Personal Reflections, Relationships, Self Awareness, Self-Reflection, Writing

  art as connection, Authenticity, bipolar disorder, compassion, emotional healing, family relationships, Father-daughter bond, forgiveness, Grief and Healing, healing, Healing Journey, introspection, life lessons, love, Mental Health, mental illness, parent-child dynamics, Personal Growth, reflective memoir, Relationships, resilience, therapy, trauma, trauma healing, Tree of Life, Trees, unconditional love

• Ballet, Rock & Roll & the Angel on My Wall

  Caption: AI-generated idealised version of a painting I did on my bedroom wall at 14, inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven artwork. Sadly, no photo exists of this minor teenage ‘masterpiece.’ This rendering is inspiring me to get back to the drawing board with watercolour and coloured pencils eventually… maybe. 🤔 There’s a lady who’s sure…

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  January 10, 2025

  Art, Art & Expression, Artists, Change and Transformation, Crash, Burn, Write., Creativity, Grace, Grief and Healing, Life Moments, Mercurial Minds, Milestones, Personal Essays, Personal Essays/Autobiography, Personal Reflections, Self-Reflection, Writing

  Angel on My Wall, Art, Art and Music, Ballet, Ballets Russes, Childhood Dreams, Creative Writing, dance, Ethereal Beauty, introspection, jimmy-page, Led Zeppelin, Life Transitions, memoir, Memories, Music, Music and Memory, Nijinsky, Passion, Personal Growth, personal journey, Requiem, Rock and Roll, Stairway to Heaven, Swan Lake

• Crash, Burn, Write

  “It’s All Material”: My Journey From Burnout to Book Writing That photo? It was taken in some booth… or maybe it’s one of those no-frills pharmacy clerk photos—you know the kind, we all have those ID photos you take in a rush, just to get it done. Funny how something so mundane can later feel like…

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  January 9, 2025

  AI & Technology, Art, Crash, Burn, Write., Creative Writing, Creativity, Fine Art, Grief & Healing, Grief and Healing, Identity & Transformation, Life Moments, Mental Health, Mercurial Minds, Milestones, Personal Essays, Personal Essays/Autobiography, Personal Reflections, Writing

  Art, Authenticity, books, burnout, catharsis, creative process, depression, Drawing, emotional growth, fiction, grief, healing, introspection, memoir, Mental Health, Metro Series, overcoming adversity, overcoming obstacles, Pencil Drawing, personal development, Personal Growth, personal journey, Phoenix, publishing, recovery, resilience, Self-Awareness, self-discovery, storytelling, survivor, therapy, trauma, truth, vulnerability, Writing, writing-tips

• What Alice in Wonderland Taught Me About Genius and Madness

  From the moment I first discovered Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland at the age of 6 or 7 while reading the grown-up edition with John Tenniel’s iconic illustrations, I was captivated. Over the years, my collection has grown to include editions illustrated by various artists, and two limited editions: a faithful reproduction of Lewis Carroll’s original manuscript, and…

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  January 7, 2025

  Conversations, Creativity, Literature, Mental Health, Mercurial Minds, Personal Reflections, Writing

  absurdity, AI, AI Conversations, alice, Alice in Wonderland, artificial-intelligence, book-review, books, ChatGPT, Franz Kafka, genius, Lewis Carroll, liminal spaces, Literature, logic, madness, mathematics, Personal Reflections, reading, surrealism, The Metamorphosis, Victorian literature, whimsical, Wonderland, wordplay