MENTAL MEOW
Thoughts of Song, Games, Well-being, Law, and Life
Pepper & Twix
Chia
LATEST POSTS
Mental Meow?
I made it up!
Pepper, Twix, and Chia meow when they really need to get their feelings out. They have Something Important to say, and I'm not perceptive enough to pick it up from the scents they put around. But they just can't keep it to themselves; they have to say it.
​
Mental Meow is how I decided to get things out. I probably don't have Something Important to say, but I need to get it out.
​
Here it is.
ME
Cat-lover, singer, lawyer, gamer. In recovery, mentally ill, getting stronger, helping people.
I’m a cat dad. My boys are Pepper and Twix, and they’ve lived with me about twelve years. They were about 4-6 months old when I adopted them. I’m also Chia’s cat dad, and she visits me and the boys throughout the year, sometimes for weeks. They all remember each other, and their cuddles are the best!
In my day job, I’m a Contracts Attorney with the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families. DCYF is a new state agency, it’s only existed since July 2024, and I’ve been the only Contracts Attorney in the agency.
I sing with VocalEssence in the Chorus. A couple decades ago, I paid the rent during law school singing in the Ensemble Singers.
I’ve played Dungeons & Dragons since 2nd Edition. I love video games, though I’ve not been able to tear myself away from replaying Skyrim on an endless loop.
I live with mental illness. Looking back, I know there were signs as far back as elementary school. I live with Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and ADHD. These are current diagnoses, and I take no less than five different prescription medications for them.
I also lived through a couple decades of progressively worsening alcohol dependency. I got help through Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, and they referred me to an Intensive Outpatient Program that worked for me. I don’t keep track of a sober date, but it’s less than two years ago.
In the last couple years, I’ve become a radically different person. I’m finding more of my authentic self. I share my experience about any and all of this because I can. Some people can’t. That’s not a deficiency, and it’s not a moral failing. I don’t speak for anyone, but I share to support people like me that can’t share.
