My neighbor filed a "formal complaint" against Skittles

[NightEule5]

From their website, it looks like you can but you'd have to contact them. Here's where I found it:

Greyhound - Customers with disabilities
It's under service animals.

 

[Kiwibird]

See, it did the opposite for me. I can't remember how I realized exactly, maybe because of my Dad having anxiety too, but I suspected I had symptoms of it and looked them up. This was a year or two ago. Turns out, looking back, I've had anxiety for a long time too. Hitting teenager years has amplified it for obvious reasons. I finally built up the nerve to go to the doctor and he said it's likely that and he gave me antidepressants. They're not working (not for anxiety anyway, depression is virtually gone now) so I'll have to switch, but the effect of that was knowing that's what I had. Otherwise you obsess over whether you actually have it or not, which feeds back into the anxiety. But that's just me.

I guess I'm unusual in that way. I don't want to know if the cat is dead or alive and if I never open that box... (Schrodingers paradox). In other terms, I don't want some arbitrary label based on some arbitrary 'checklist' of 'symptoms'. While it is certainly uncomfortable at times and disruptive in some ways, in moments of complete mental disarray I often find myself having the most brilliant moments of pure creative genius or points of extreme mental clarity too. Perhaps it is not even a "problem" at all and is just the way my brain is wired. Perhaps for me as an individual, it's perfectly normal and the real problem lies comparing myself to others rather than focusing on my own strengths and weaknesses and how to interact with my own neurochemical makeup properly. Who dictates what normal is or what constitutes a problem for any given individual anyways? I have no memory of life without these feelings and over the years have learned how to control them fairly well and even (to an extent) use them to my advantage. Would I be as creative if I din't have these issues? Would I have developed such powerful self control?

I lost my mind in my pre-teen/teen years though. I can't even believe some of the things I did. Zero impulse control, serious anger issues and a general disregard for my safety/life. It calmed down a lot once I was about 17/18/19. Something I've found increasingly helpful (with increased 'practice' of the "technique") is to detach from whatever extreme emotional state I'm feeling and place myself in a space of being an objective observer and letting those negative feelings exist in a different space. When I'm in a state of extreme anxiety, I can disconnect and choose not to engage in what's happening over there in irrationality land. I acknowledge the feeling is there, but simply choose not to participate in it. Again, this has taken many many years of focus, self discipline and practice to achieve and it's really only been in the past few years I've been able to really control it well. I like the anxiety feeling more like a dull throb in the background rather than feeling like I'm being mentally eviscerated and I firmly believe FOR ME PERSONALLY, that could only have come through practicing emotional control and mental discipline.

 

[NightEule5]

Perhaps it is not even a "problem" at all and is just the way my brain is wired. Perhaps for me as an individual, it's perfectly normal and the real problem lies comparing myself to others rather than focusing on my own strengths and weaknesses and how to interact with my own neurochemical makeup properly. Who dictates what normal is or what constitutes a problem for any given individual anyways?

Is that not what a mental illness is? How I always understood it was some people's brains are wired differently than the average population, and that people that have the same general symptoms because of this can be classified as having a certain mental illness. I'm not an expert on this stuff though, and will likely never be, so I may be wrong. Not sure.

I see what you're saying though.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I saw on an episode of "The Golden Girls" that the "mentally ill" are the "chosen".

Personally, I think mental illness is totally normal. It's the 'so-called' normal folks that are the crazy ones! lol. (thats sarcasm, no offense intended)

Mental illness, emotional disorders and neurological defects ALL have to do with the brain. Bipolar disorder, which I have, is a mood disorder caused by a "chemical imbalance" in the brain. The bipolar brain does not produce enough 'seratonin' and that results in the imbalance of other chemicals in the brain including dopamine, melatonin and norepinephrine. Even schizophrenia is a neurological illness that can be seen in brain scans. Also, contrary to what many people believe, schizophrenics are rarely ever violent when in proper treatment.

I call Skittles my 'natural anti-depressant'. He makes me happy, eases anxiety and even has side effects which include financial and aggravation factors. (If you've ever owned a sun, you know what I'm talking about!)

My friend teases me, she says "you'll spend $15 on a pack of white tshirts for Skittles to chew on when you wear them at home, but you won't spend $10 on a nice tshirt for yourself to wear when you go out". It makes me happy to buy him things. Buying things for myself often makes me feel guilty.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

From their website, it looks like you can but you'd have to contact them. Here's where I found it:

Greyhound - Customers with disabilities
It's under service animals.

I'll have to look into that. I read the guidelines posted at the local greyhound station and they implied that ONLY service dogs are allowed on their buses and you need special permission. Maybe that has changed since I last checked. I do worry, however, that other passengers might complain if he screeches and there is NO WAY he is going in with the luggage.

I just wish my sister would come and get me and bring me. I offered her money. She lives in the same town as my mom in CT and comes to Maine sometimes to see friends and family. She and I were NEVER close and had a rotten relationship growing up. I was an obnoxious prick as a kid, but I was also not yet diagnosed. Many people in my family blame me for being mentally ill and as a result I only maintain contact with my mom now since my dad and my maternal grandmother passed in 2007 and 2000 respectively. They blame me for other things too (for being the result of an affair and childhood abuse I suffered). Truth is, some people are just rotten and miserable human beings. Even with all the problems I have and all the obstacles I've had to overcome I find myself to be extremely fortunate. I have a stable home, effective med cocktail, health insurance, steady income and a decent support system. Far too many people fall through the cracks and don't get to have any of those.

Bottom line is this, I am a COMPLETELY different person since getting Skittles and I attribute so much of that to him. He's taught me so much and helped me grow in ways I never would have been able to before. It's amazing how much a 12" long, 120gram bundle of feathers (who eats like a pig) can change your life for the better.

 

[Kiwibird]

Is that not what a mental illness is? How I always understood it was some people's brains are wired differently than the average population, and that people that have the same general symptoms because of this can be classified as having a certain mental illness. I'm not an expert on this stuff though, and will likely never be, so I may be wrong. Not sure.

I see what you're saying though.

I'm not an expert either, so take what I have to say with a big grain of salt. Everyone's brain is wired differently from everyone else's. That's what makes us all unique individuals. I guess that I feel they've lowered the bar for what constitutes a "mental illness" so low it includes virtually anyone and everyone these days. When I go downtown and I see all the mentally ill street people not receiving treatment who's lives are being horribly impacted and who are having a negative impact on the lives of others as well, somehow my compulsive anxiety driven desire to rearrange furniture and cabinets constantly or fear of grass feels more like irritating idiosyncrasies than genuine mental health problems, though I'm almost certain they do fit diagnostic criteria as having one (or more).

I'll have to look into that. I read the guidelines posted at the local greyhound station and they implied that ONLY service dogs are allowed on their buses and you need special permission. Maybe that has changed since I last checked. I do worry, however, that other passengers might complain if he screeches and there is NO WAY he is going in with the luggage.

I just wish my sister would come and get me and bring me. I offered her money. She lives in the same town as my mom in CT and comes to Maine sometimes to see friends and family. She and I were NEVER close and had a rotten relationship growing up. I was an obnoxious prick as a kid, but I was also not yet diagnosed. Many people in my family blame me for being mentally ill and as a result I only maintain contact with my mom now since my dad and my maternal grandmother passed in 2007 and 2000 respectively. They blame me for other things too (for being the result of an affair and childhood abuse I suffered). Truth is, some people are just rotten and miserable human beings. Even with all the problems I have and all the obstacles I've had to overcome I find myself to be extremely fortunate. I have a stable home, effective med cocktail, health insurance, steady income and a decent support system. Far too many people fall through the cracks and don't get to have any of those.

Bottom line is this, I am a COMPLETELY different person since getting Skittles and I attribute so much of that to him. He's taught me so much and helped me grow in ways I never would have been able to before. It's amazing how much a 12" long, 120gram bundle of feathers (who eats like a pig) can change your life for the better.

I'm guessing you don't, but if you do happen to have a drivers licenses could you rent a car for the weekend? I'm pretty certain if you get Skittles declared as an ESA with a letter from your psychologist, it would be illegal for Greyhound to refuse him coming with you. Also not sure of what exists in your area, but is there any public transport route you could take via multiple transfers to get there? Public transport here allows all animals provided they are in carriers and not disruptive even if they aren't service or support animals and there are routes way out to pretty far away areas (like 1 1/2-2 hours away from city center).

I love love love your commitment to Skittles. The perfect match, it seems!

 

[NightEule5]

I'm not an expert either, so take what I have to say with a big grain of salt. Everyone's brain is wired differently from everyone else's. That's what makes us all unique individuals. I guess that I feel they've lowered the bar for what constitutes a "mental illness" so low it includes virtually anyone and everyone these days. When I go downtown and I see all the mentally ill street people not receiving treatment who's lives are being horribly impacted and who are having a negative impact on the lives of others as well, somehow my compulsive anxiety driven desire to rearrange furniture and cabinets constantly or fear of grass feels more like irritating idiosyncrasies than genuine mental health problems, though I'm almost certain they do fit diagnostic criteria as having one (or more).

You've got me reading now, lol. There's some interesting information on it here if you like reading. It's funny actually, because that's the exact way my Mom thinks. Nothing wrong with that, my Mom is an amazing person.

I'm guessing you don't, but if you do happen to have a drivers licenses could you rent a car for the weekend? I'm pretty certain if you get Skittles declared as an ESA with a letter from your psychologist, it would be illegal for Greyhound to refuse him coming with you. Also not sure of what exists in your area, but is there any public transport route you could take via multiple transfers to get there? Public transport here allows all animals provided they are in carriers and not disruptive even if they aren't service or support animals and there are routes way out to pretty far away areas (like 1 1/2-2 hours away from city center).

I love love love your commitment to Skittles. The perfect match, it seems!

How I always read it was that the law extends protection towards ESAs with regards to housing only, I'm not sure if it applies to transportation or not. It would be worth a try I think.

Edit: If I'm understanding this correctly, it's just housing by law, although many businesses do allow them.

 

[Kiwibird]

A few more considerations/places to contact:

Public transport in your state: GO MAINE.org | Commuter Connections

Not sure if these services include rides to visit relatives, but I would imagine if your mental illnesses prevents you from driving that would qualify you for disability ride services: Living in the Community: Transportation

 

[Scott]

You've got me reading now, lol. There's some interesting information on it here if you like reading. It's funny actually, because that's the exact way my Mom thinks. Nothing wrong with that, my Mom is an amazing person.

Fascinating and very comprehensive link! I shudder to think how ancient societies treated mental illness or folks perceived as "different." If you've ever seen pics or actual skulls victim of Trephination to let out "spirits".....

We seem to be in an era of Big Pharma treatments, somewhat driven by the higher cost of talk-therapy. Yet the industry has provided life-changing protocols to deal with chemical imbalances. Will be interesting to see what evolves during the 21st Century.

The last linked topic, just before the footnotes touches on animal self-mutilation and the intractable issue of avian plucking.

 

[Squeekmouse]

AmyMyBlueFront, to be fair the lady might have had some kind of phobia of birds. I had a friend who was deathly afraid of any bird with a long neck, stemming from an incident he had as a child where a swan attacked him quite severely. Another friend of mine was terrified of dogs. I myself have a phobia of spiders, if someone showed me their "cute" tarantula picture I would be hard-pressed to not cringe in revulsion. Still, even so I would try to explain my revulsion to that person and assure them that I'm sure their pet was very cute if I weren't terrified of them.

For a long time I refused to seek any treatment for my issues also, but I swear the quality of my life and my husband's has been like day and night now that I am properly medicated. I'm an artist also, so I was afraid medications might change me or affect my creativity, but I just worked with my doctor to make sure I found the right cocktail for me. Even so, medications just make it easier/possible to deal with things. It still takes discipline and self-control that can only come from within. I think that's where I find strength from my Yoda.

SkittysDad.... your description of Skittles listening to your heart.... wow, that's SO beautiful! Just... wow.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

We DO have public transportation in my area that covers the twin cities I live in. They are public buses and animals ARE allowed on the bus as long as they are properly restrained (cats in carrier, dogs on leash, birds in cage etc). I've even brought Skittles into Walmart before without any incident. I've seen others bring animals in too, always properly restrained of course.

We also have other public transportation that will take you to doctors appts, family visits, shopping places etc for a small fee but its limited to the twin city area. If you have medicaid, they pay for the doctor transport. You can bring animals with you provided you have prior permission.

We don't have Metro, Zoom or Uber in my area. Southern Maine has a LOT more options than the rest of the state. I live in Central Maine and there is really only one way to get to Portland (aside from taxi or hired driver) and that is by Greyhound. Greyhound only goes as far as Boston before I'd have to transfer to Peter Pan bus lines cause Greyhound doesn't go to CT, at least not to Hartford which is where I'd have to go. I haven't looked into Concord Trailways though and I probably should.

I'll certainly look further into it and check out those links as there may be something new I don't know about OR things may have changed with the ones I checked when last I checked them or things that I missed. I can't take him til its warmer anyways.

I just know that Lewiston does NOT have the same opportunities as Portland or Bangor. Even though Lewiston is bigger than Bangor. But Bangor is out in the middle of nowhere with no other major cities around to compete with.

Lewiston is halfway between Portland and Augusta so we suffer from lousy location. There is talk of bringing the "Downeaster" (a train) to Lewiston but that talk has been going on for years with nothing ever developing other than more talk.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

For a long time I refused to seek any treatment for my issues also, but I swear the quality of my life and my husband's has been like day and night now that I am properly medicated. I'm an artist also, so I was afraid medications might change me or affect my creativity, but I just worked with my doctor to make sure I found the right cocktail for me. Even so, medications just make it easier/possible to deal with things. It still takes discipline and self-control that can only come from within. I think that's where I find strength from my Yoda.

SkittysDad.... your description of Skittles listening to your heart.... wow, that's SO beautiful! Just... wow.

I used to write beautiful poetry that won several awards and I even had a few published (but never got any money off them). Since being properly medicated I can't write like I used too. My poetry was raw and emotional and it was written when I was in a very dark place and I can't write like that anymore. I was once on medication that made me "numb" and I felt like a shell with no soul. It was just as painful as being un-medicated.

Here is a video of Skittles doing his heartbeat thing. (You can also see he doesn't like being spied on, lol)

[ame="https://youtu.be/pbkVdCu4ob8"]Skittles In T Shirt Attacking Camera - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Squeekmouse]

LOL! Oh man that is so cute.

When Yoda heard you making the little kissy noises to Skittles, Yoda started making them back. Then when I laughed, Yoda laughed. So I think he thought it was very cute also!

 

[DiscoDuck]

.I just put it up to they are just lonely and bitter and dislike anyone who seems happier than they are and thrive on drama

That currently is exactly what i see and hear said numerous times about people who have taken sides.