Showing posts with label lifesatwitch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifesatwitch. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Oh, Joyful Joyness . . .

Hello People,

Oh Joyful joy, happy, happy, joy, joy.

So, I've always had this tic that kind of comes and goes that has always scared me. I felt the need to scream so I pushed squeaks out of the back of my throat to mimic the feeling of screaming.
See, this tic would always come and go. Now it's staying with me.
I'm afraid if it keeps getting worse that I may disrupt class and even more questions will be thrown at me. I can nonchalantly disguise most of my tics... but a screaming tic? No way, Jose!
This tic has probably reached my top ten worst tics. I'd have to say it's almost number one. I mean, screaming? Really?
I only let myself squeak. It kind of scares me, because I've never had such a loud tic. It also annoys me because I can't just scream anywhere. I have such an overwhelming urge to scream! I can just squeak and it will pretty much satisfy my tic, because it feels like screaming.
You know how people say, "I'm so overwhelmed, I need to just scream into a pillow!"?
Well, I really do need to scream. Literally.
A little while ago, I was squeaking and my brother said, "Dad, is that Phin?"
Phin is the name of our dog.
My dad replied, "No, that's your sister."
And just now my brother though the sound I was making was my chair.
Sometimes I think it's funny, well... not funny... but unbelievable that people say, "Oh, I had the worst day ever today! I had a bad hair day and I got my period!"
That's not the worst day. Well, for some people, that is their worst day.
I pray for those kind of days.
Days where I won't have to tic anymore or stress out and become overwhelmed beyond compare. Where instead of not having total control of my body, my Tourettes is cured- and even if I get my period, have a bad hair day, and my boyfriend breaks up with me... That would still be the best day of my life. Not that I want to have ugly hair, bloody pants, and be forever alone... but if that all happened on the day that my Tourettes was cured, it would still be the best day of my life. I know that people have it way worse than me... trust me. I know that. At least I'm not starving or dying of Cancer. I thank God for that.
But, I don't do these things called "tics" for my own amusement.
I am not crazy.
I am not too different than everyone else.
I am a human being.
Not just a twitchy freak.
I have Tourettes.
But Tourettes does NOT have me.
Why do I blab on and on about Tourettes? Why do I have a blog about it? A YouTube channel for it? A Twitter for it? A Facebook page for it?
To raise awareness, so people know not to make fun of people with Tourettes. It's wrong. We're the same as everyone else; we just tic.
For so long I have dealt with people who don't understand Tourettes and make fun of it, but I've decided not to stand for that anymore. I've decided I'm going to make an impact.

The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.

And hey, life is such a twitch! Even so, you gotta keep livin'. While I live with Tourettes, I might as well do something about it.

Thank you for reading, and please tell your friends about Life's A Twitch!

Also...

Follow @ItsLifesATwitch on Twitter

Subscribe to @lifesatwitchemma on YouTube

And Like "Life's A Twitch" on Facebook

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.


You're all awesome!

Love,

Emma<3

Monday, September 5, 2011

Labor Day!

Hi People!

So... a lot has gone on lately. High school has been great, and today is Labor Day.

I wrote a poem-type thing, but it is stored on my laptop, which I am not on right now, so I will post it some other time.

So... life.
High school, as I said, has been great. There is this one girl in Chorus that irks me though. She is a sophomore and everyone loves her, but she is very negative towards me. I just don't deal with that crap.
Last weekend, Hurricane Irene came. I was at home, about to leave for a football game which was later cancelled, when my best friend, *Holly (*name changed), invited me to her lake house. It's north of where I live, so I thought, "Hey, what the heck! I can just avoid the hurricane up there!" So, I kissed my family goodbye and went to her lake house.
Boy, was I wrong.
There was a ton of wind and rain pounding down on the earth with brutal force. Holly's mom screamed when a tree came down on the power lines in front of their house. And then we lost power. Her parents pulled out the generator, Thank God, so we got to watch the news, and then a movie.
There was one phone in the house that worked, because it was hooked up to the wall. My iPhone has AT&T, so I don't get service at the lake, and Holly's phone was dead. So, I used the wall phone to call my parents.
"Hey mom! How is it down there? We have lots of rain and wind and a tree fell down right in front of the house!"
"Oh, wow! Well, we haven't seen a drop of rain. It's sunny."
Of course.
But at least I got to make origami and play boardgames with Holly, like people used to do in the old times. Ha. Boardgames. More like Boredgames.
By the way, Twister is really hard to play when a puppy is running into you 24/7.
We still had a good time though, and on Monday we went back to school. Yes, I survived my first week of high school. My birthday was on Thursday, September 1st. I got some money, and my parents bought me "Sims 3" and some clothes. Also, they ordered me a new laptop battery, which I think is an essential, not a gift. You should be able to get a laptop battery whenever you need one. But I was grateful for everything I got.
This weekend, being Labor Day weekend, I went up to Lake Gaston, which is where Holly's lake house is located. But, I went up with my *Aunt Veronica, otherwise known as "Aunt Ronnie", her husband *Uncle Jermajesty, their kids, *Bucket and *Shania, *Sha-nay-nay (AKA Missy G) and her husband *Tim, plus their two kids *Kat and *Breezer. Of course my family came up too. (*names changed)
Shania and my brother, Sam, are really good friends. Shania is 7, and Sam is 8. Shania's little brother, Bucket, is 3. I think Kat is 11, and Breezer is 8.
Anyways, we were all having fun, and the parents were inside the house, while I was outside with the kids. Sha-nay-nay and her family hadn't gotten there yet, so it was just Aunt Ronnie's family and mine. Sam was wearing one of Bucket's life vests, and Bucket kept whining to me that he wanted it back or else he would sink in the water. I kept playing with my mom's camera, taking pictures of him and the other kids. Then, Bucket ran off while I was viewing the pictures. I heard a splash, then gurgled screams. It took me a second to realize what was going on, but then I sprinted towards the deck, threw my mom's camera on a chair, and jumped into the water. Bucket had been horrified and his bright orange shirt looked like a mushroom floating in the water. His head was almost under, so I grabbed him and swam towards the ladder, which isn't as easy as it sounds. Bucket isn't exactly a baby anymore. He didn't swallow any water, so I rushed him up to his parents. I didn't think he would jump in, since he had already acknowledged the fact he would sink.
Yeah, super life saver heroic person award goes to Emma! I know, I know. Thank you. I was just really glad Bucket was safe.
Ha, yeah, wanna make fun of the Tourettes kid now that she saved a life? That reminds me, I was thinking of doing a Tourettes Girl YouTube channel to show up the Tourettes Guy. I'd make a bunch of inspirational videos, and just some things that show that even though I have Tourettes, I'm pretty normal. Although, I don't like the word normal. I always say "Never strive for normal. Be better than normal."
Later, while on the dock, everyone was discussing sleeping arrangements, and Aunt Ronnie offered to sleep with me. The house was a bit cramped for twelve people.
I rejected the offer, since I didn't want to ruin her sleep. I clap a lot during the night, because that is one of my Tourettes prime times, so I just offered to sleep with Kat and Breezer on an air mattress. It ended up Breezer laying down on the couch, and Kat with me on the mattress. Whenever I would clap, Breezer would yell at me to stop. I told her I couldn't help it since I have Tourettes, and Kat said the same thing, but Breezer kept yelling at me.
Clap, clap, clap!
Irritated screams
Clap, clap, clap!
"Stop, you maniac!"
Clap, clap, clap!
"Stop, you crazy person!"
Clap, clap, clap!
"Stop, you weirdo!"
It eventually got to the point where Kat and I just ignored her whining.
I totally understand that she is only 8 and doesn't understand why I was clapping. I get it. Trust me, ever since I was five, I've come across hundreds of people who don't understand what I'm going through, and don't know how to deal with it.
I love watching TV with Holly, though. My OCD makes me ask all of these questions and she never gets mad. My parents, on the other hand, are extremely irritated by my question asking. I try really hard not to ask the questions, and sometimes I can actually hold it back and push it to the deep depths of my brain.
Anyways, the next day, I met up with Holly at Goat Island to go to her lake house. Goat Island got its name for a very literal reason. A bunch of goats inhabit it.
That night, I went to a party with Holly and her family. It was fun, but there was this twelve year old kid who was one of those non-understanders. This is why I must educate the population about Tourettes Syndrome.
We were playing football, and it hit my head, but he picked it up.
I'm not sure if I've gone over this yet, but whenever someone or something touches my head, chest, or wrist, I have to blow on whatever touched me. It's strange, I know. But, when I was younger it used to kind of be a game, which makes me wonder if I started it. If I triggered the OCD. I used to pretend that whatever touched those main arteries had my chi, which is the word for your natural energy. It's some Chinese thing. But, I would blow it up to God or something. It was strange. Maybe even then that was part of my OCD and I didn't know it at that point.
But, that's not the only time that has happened. When I was little, I also used to pretend that on one side of my mouth was a very rich family, and the other side was a very poor one, and I would even out how many bites I would take, but I would sometimes give more to the rich family, since they were rich and had a huge money vault, and if I gave all of it to the poor, then they wouldn't be poor. Sometimes, I'd give more to the poor family since they were struggling. I also would sometimes pretend there were two bright white molar towers, and every time I took a bite on one side, that side's tower would grow a bit. I kept making things equal. I'm sure I didn't give myself those parts of the OCD, but it's still a coincidence that those little games would turn into something that would affect me for the rest of my life.
Anyways, way off topic, Emma!
The twelve year old who stole the football... right. I just kind of sat still on the edge of one of the golf carts, and tried really hard not to have to go blow on the ball. Sometimes it feels like a little piece of my brain goes missing, or it drains out, and I have to get it back.
Holly tried to get it from him.
"Seriously, brah! I need that football!" she told him.
But, Holly, some other girls and I had been tackling him for the football and running away with it, so he didn't trust us. Eventually, one of the other girls gave him his hat back, which he was bargaining to trade the ball for, so he tossed Holly the ball. I blew really hard on it and threw it into the lake. This happened a few times, and then he intentionally poked me in the head even after we told him that he couldn't touch my head. I tried really hard not to get mad.
He doesn't understand, Emma. He doesn't understand. But, when someone tells you not to do something, you shouldn't do it. They might blog about it.(;
"He's trying to be funny," Holly whispered to me.
I rolled my eyes, which I seem to do a lot. He was failing miserably at being cute and funny. It was all a joke to him.
"Hey, can I have your finger real quick?" I asked without thinking.
We all giggled and I just mumbled, "Uh, never mind."
But, Holly eventually grabbed his wrist, which was balled up in a fist, so all I blew on was his knuckles, not the fingertip that touched me. Whatever. I tried hard not to do it anyways.
The party was still fun though, and had really good food. The night ended well, with Holly and I falling asleep on the couches in her garage loft.

I know. I know that you don't know. I get it. I get it that you don't get it. I understand. I understand that you don't understand.

Yeah, well you know what they say...


Life's A Twitch.


Emma<3

Friday, August 5, 2011

The Angry Family

Hey Everyone!

Today I did a play at Raleigh Little Theater during my camp and the parents came to see. My fellow campers and I wrote a play called "The Angry Family" and performed it.
I must say though, there is one guy there where it was hard for me to even look at him.
No, I'm not saying he's so friggin' ugly I can't bare to even be in his presence.
He had a tic.
A tic that I have.
That's why I could barely look at him.
I don't think he had Tourettes. Just a tic, or maybe even a chronic tic disorder.
But putting two people who have TS- or in this case one who has TS and one who has a tic, can end disastrously.
When I see someone doing a tic I have, or even just a repetitive movement, I have to do it. It's so annoying, and this dude had this eye tic that I also have. We scrunch up our eyes and blink and stuff. Whenever I looked at him it kind of made me angry inside, not because I hated him, but because I couldn't bare seeing him tic. He was a nice guy, but I just couldn't look at him.
Awkward when you have to work in a group with him...
Anyways...
The play went pretty well. I was LeRoi, the family hobo.
It was extremely fun!

Thank you for reading my blog.(:

Emma<3

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Guys These Days

Hey Yinz,

Yes, I was born in the Burgh. Pittsburgh, that is.(:

During the eighth grade, I rode the bus with these total jerks, and I'm so nice that I'll change their names while talking about them, even though they deserve to be publicly humiliated. I'm about to go to highschool, where they will probably ride my bus again... Oh Lord.

So, "Carl" and "Jack" are total idiots.

At school, we were doing these things called Multi-Genre projects, where we picked one thesis about a specific topic and wrote different pieces about it answering the thesis question. So, to make friendly conversation, I asked Carl and Jack what their topic was, and they said theirs were both on the KKK. So I told them I did mine on Tourettes and they just laughed and laughed and totally made fun of it. This was not the first time they had been completely rude to me, but on some small occasions they would actually be decent, so that's why I was actually talking to them. Jack had been going to school with me since Kindergarten, and should have known that I had Tourettes since my elementary school guidance counsler would come speak to the kids each year, but no. This insensitive tool, who probably did remember I had TS, and didn't care, went on making fun. They started cussing insanely and loudly acting like they had Tourettes, and I told them to stop, and that they were immitating Coprolalia, which was an uncommon form of Tourettes. Carl kept saying, "You don't have Tourettes, you don't have Tourettes!"
Do you know how many times people have told me that? Well, yes I do, dumbass, I know myself. I live in my own body, thank you very much. I know what goes on, and I'm. not. kidding.
Anyways they kept saying things like, "Could **** I go to the ******* bathroom, please ****?" and just inserting swear words into normal everyday sentences. It really ticked me off, so I ignored them for the rest of the bus ride since they wouldn't stop.
Eventually near the end of the bus ride, Carl said, "You really have Tourettes?:
No duh, jackass, I've only been saying that for the past twenty minutes.
So I replied, "Yes, I do, duh!"
He apoligized insincerely and we got off at our stop.
But life goes on.

Oh the tools you'll meet in this life.

Emma

Thursday, July 28, 2011

This is The Stuff

Hey everyone!

I am posting a video on YouTube right now of me singing "This is The Stuff" by Francesca Batiselli! My YouTube name is emmasinger2.
Just because you have Tourettes, that doesn't mean you can't do the things you want to do. I was diagnosed with moderate to severe TS when I was five. I still manage to do all the stuff I love, even though sometimes it can be hard.
I have Tourette's, but Tourette's doesn't have me.
Always remember that motto, it will help you out in the worst of times.
In my video, you may notice a few tics, but I try really hard to focus on the singing and distract myself. I am medicated, so it definitely doesn't look that bad. I have learned to mask my tics and make them look like normal everyday movements.
I know that it can be really hard to live with Tourette's, but you have to brave through it.
You can't let TS take hold of your life, it's your life, not those darn tics'.
Yes, I may sound like some nagging parent, but it's true. YOU get to live your life, not Tourette Syndrome.
Live your life, you only get one.<3

God Bless!
Emma<3