He has lost his, “verified” tag which means nothing. But a very interesting step taken by Twitter!

@trent_reznor did help help raise money and awareness to the #ERIC campaign by creating a site for people to donate money for the #ERIC cause. One fact that is very much overlooked is he also GAVE SUICIDE tips for, “cutters” shortly there after!

#ERIC died on July 4th. A sad day for his family, but not totally unexpected. His family saw the signs well in advance and began speaking out against the system that was holding him back.

This, “celebrity” has apparently been stalking those that speak out against him AND that, “quit social media sites” comment… Really?

He has once again attempted to show his power (or lack there of) by attacking people  on line.

@trent_reznor tweets;

@RemySoho @AndreaUrbanFox – you are both ignorant, insensitive uniformed cunts. A “prostitute” and a pig.

about 1 hour ago from web in reply to RemySoho

First off… DID you mean to  insult them by calling them, “UNIFORMED CUNTS”? I think you meant, “UNINFORMED.”

This coming from a guy that has, “Not reading replies at this time. If you follow known trolls, you will get blocked” on his twitter profile.

(Of all the times to do this, TR decided to, “tweet” during the Micheal Jackson funeral).

Now, I follow BOTH of these people. @RemySoho is paid for sex., that is what she does. @AndreaUrbanFox is an outspoken, candid and very blunt person. What they share in common was one question that made Reznor upset. They were both curious (as are many others) as to what EXACTLY is going to happen with the #ERIC money.

The question is a valid one. You see, NOTHING was ever mentioned about the FACT that once #ERIC made his way over to California and was on the list for a transplant that the money that was raised in HIS name was no longer needed. None of the #ERIC supporters mentioned this in so much as a, “tweet.”

Why not?

I am positive they have plans for helping others in need of transplants.

Reznor decided to announce his additional tour dates for NIN and attack these people during the Michael Jackson funeral. This is a very calculated move by a very cut-throat business man.

On a side note: This was pointed out too me and I wanted to give kudos to his fiance for having a sense of humor.

@mariqueen ; “just got a pair of these! http://bit.ly/XXmZM they go great with my new persona.”

That had me rolling!

My blog was suspended by someone(s) claiming I had violated the TOS of WordPress. I have been in contact with WordPress. This should not be of issue again, they are aware of the kind of traffic I receive and are taking the measures needed to stop this from happening again.

A contest held by @moontweet caught on BIG on Twitter. Blowing the trending topics away for many days in a row. This is an EXCELLENT maneuver of product branding. However, this has seemed to make twitter take a step back and start changing policies.

Mashable explains here that some  pranksters assembled to create havoc on twitter. This has led to some very tough choices for Twitter. Apparently #moonfruit gets to be the guinea pig for this censorship. The company has altered their contest in an attempt to comply with Twitters new rules.

It really is a shame that these kind of things happen. If Twitter had taken the time to build a site that could not easily be taken under control, this would never happen. Spam is and issue… Just ask Craigslist. I fear that if this issue is not handled properly, Twitter will die a quick death.

I personally hope Twitter takes a step back and thinks about what they are embarking upon. What they say about the road they are traveling on is most true at this very moment.

Is this the proverbial shark being jumped by Twitter?

OH! I will be tweeting this blog, along with #moonfruit too @moontweet…

RIP #moonfruit… Rest in piece.

Sincerely,

@fredgarrett

This morning I had grand plans of waking up early and really getting into today.

I had a late start (Well, early for me. 8:30 am wake up). Not to be deterred from my original goal, I took charge and began getting ready for the day.

I am supposed to avoid a lot of caffeine. Not an easy task for a guy that drinks a LARGE iced coffee with 2 shots of espresso in it. I ordered my coffee sans the shots.

The 2 medications I have been prescribed are Lamictal (Bipolar 2) and Vyvanse (ADD). I was informed it could take a few weeks for everything to start working.

WRONG!

My resting heart rate for the last 5 years has been 66-72 bpm. An hour after taking the meds, my heart rate was at 102bmp. I am experiencing clarity in my thought process and I am very excited by this. I am also in less control of my emotions as I am very regretful for not doing this sooner. I keep getting goosebumps when I start and FINISH chores. I believe I am on a pink cloud and this will fade eventually. Although, I must admit, it feels damn good being, “normal!”

I have begun monitoring my heart rate every hour. It has kept me on task for finishing chores around the house. I think this will be one of my coping mechanisms as it seems to keep me busy enough to keep going on my list

I have also noticed I am a bit more forgetful and have a slight problem spelling (That has been the most interesting part). I am more aware of my appearance and this is something that I would not have thought would happen.

My thoughts? This is the best birthday present I could have given myself.

With the encouraging comments I received on my last ADD post, I wish to thank you all for your support. YOU have helped me immensely! My family has also stepped up and they have really helped  me. I never knew how much my family cared until I, “broke” this news too them. I am in AWE!

This will not be pretty, I assure you.

I was 5  years old (1979) when I was originally diagnosed as, “Hyperactive.”

I received many years of tests and medication for this, “medical term.” The years of Ritalin and many other drugs I was on were a time I do not look back upon with warm thoughts.

At the age of 11, my father died from a massive coronary. His heart literally exploded. He was 33.

When I was 12, I decided to stop the medication and my family agreed to let me stop. I had never second guessed that decision, until today.

I have tried explaining how I see things too people in the past. I seem to out think everyone when it comes to many subjects and I get labeled, “genius.” They are actually very wrong, you see, I have roughly 200 (?) thoughts going through my mind at any given moment. I have gotten used to it over the years. IQ tests are a breeze when you can recall information that is already going through your mind.

Because of the monumental amount of information passing through my mind, I am able to over analyze situations and  blow conversations into oblivion when a subject interests me or when I focus in on it. That is also another part of this, you see, I may not be interested in something yet I will possess enough knowledge on a subject that I will even make experts on a subject take a step back and reevaluate their stance on a subject.

I was recently talking to my wife and trying to explain exactly how my mind works. She, by the way is a genius and can put together, “logical” arguments that usually lose (unfortunately) to my circular and sideways logic (at least, that is the way I see it).

I had avoided being re-diagnosed all these years. I figured I had, “out grown” my, “hyperactivity.”

NOPE!

Now days, they have new terms for old maladies.

ADD, ADHD and Bipolar.

WHOA! You mean to tell me, I am days away from being 35 years old and my, “hyperactivity” is catching up with me once again?

“Focusing in” on something may be very easy for most people. For me, it is like having a television on, with 200 channels all going at the same time and understanding each and every one of them. When someone comes in the room and says, “What are you watching?”  I reply with, “Yes.” I think this is funny and those around me do not get the joke.

This has been a normal state of affairs for me for my entire adult life.

My wife has seen what happens when I focus on something. I am able to tackle great odds when I do. The thought that I can be focused all the time…

Scares me to no end.

I know this is an irrational fear. I even know that I will benefit vastly from being able to focus. I am most afraid of losing, “ME.” As I am right now, I am able to be freely creative in my thoughts. I am worried that if I follow the medical advice I will likely get today, that I will lose that edge.

Today, I will be going to an appointment to find out if I indeed still suffer from, “Hyperactivity” and finding out if I should consider doing anything about it.

Tomorrow… I will be 35.

This will be an ongoing topic as I detail what happens from my perspective…

Unless I scrap the advice I get from the, “Medical professionals.”

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

UPDATE:

Being that I finished this post only hours before my appointment, I thought it only fair to update my progress…

Diagnosis: ADD/Bipolar 2/OCD*/PTSD*.

I was prescribed medication for these maladies. I must admit… I could have guessed at the OCD, but the PTSD took me totally off guard. That term in many usages relates mainly to combat veterans, of which, I am not.

*These were only acute forms, potentially, not worth mentioning but it was part of the diagnosis.

I guess I did indeed out grow my Hyperactivity! Now I get to take a long look at whether or not to treat the illness, or, ignore it.

UPDATE:

Post Diagnosis;

http://fredwgarrettiii.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/my-adventures-in-add-bipolar-2-ocd-and-ptsd-24-hours-post-diagnosis/

I embraced this song when I first heard it on the radio simply because it had a, “catchy beat.”

Once I found out it was from one of the bands I listened to in high school, I was enamored. It has joined the ranks of favorites on my iPod.

Now that I have seen the actual lyrics, I am even more impressed with the song.

I watched the video today, and was a little confused by it. Reading the lyrics, it seemed as though the song is about someone that is Bipolar or has ADD/ADHD. Watching the video it looks more like someone that is trapped in a Saw like situation.

What are your thoughts?

Here is a link to a version of the video with the lyrics on the right side of the panel.

@PerezHilton vs. @iamtherealwill

The following is a good summary of what happened;

B-Side Blog

Violence stemming from written word.

I do not want to be the bearer of bad news too, “Perez Hilton” but, what did you think was going to happen?

SERIOUSLY!

When my son called me, one day a few years back, very upset with the death of his favorite television personality (Steve Irwin)  in a, “freak” accident. I offered my condolences and then proceeded to look the guy up on-line.

What did I find?

THE CROCODILE HUNTER. This guy grabs WILD animals and pulls them from their natural habitat to, “teach” people about them. Animals able to kill him, should he break his concentration for even a moment.

I had to call my son that very day and explain to him that, while I was sorry he had lost his favorite television personality, this guy obviously knew what he was getting into. MOST people do not walk around grabbing poisonous snakes and then proceed to walk around with them. Let alone grabbing WILD creatures and acting like they are docile.

Think about what happens when a bee flies around you. Do you grab it, and take it to a flower and let it go? Or try and shoo it away or run in a crazy fashion to escape it?

Written words and reactions…

Anyone ever hear of a document titled the Declaration of Independence?

How many people have DIED because of that particular document?

How many people die due to religious reasons, and most of those reasons are detailed in… WRITTEN WORD.

Writing is one of the MOST powerful forms of expression there is. It can and does wage WAR against nations. Relationships are gained, lost and saved through written word. Massive companies can lose or gain money and power based on written word… Just ask Steve Jobs.

If my point is not clear as of yet…

The pen IS mightier than the sword although a CCW is always a good thing for any writer too look into.

The world is not all rainbows and unicorns my friends.

UPDATE:

A strange social networking/blogging nightmare happened to @perezhilton last night. He hurriedly wrote a blog about the heart attack of Michael Jackson being potentially faked.

See; http://twitpic.com/8et2f.

OOPS… He did die.

Now, as if making a mistake isn’t bad enough. Remember that thing I said about written word?

@perezhilton went and picked up a new fan. A very vulgar one at that. Posting his address phone number acting like a schoolyard bully.The amount of obscenities frothing from his account alone will likely get his account banned.

I will not be posting his tweets, But you are welcome to view them @ http://twitter.com/FoxxFiles, I highly doubt this account will be active for too long as the amount of violations I have seen occur. What is interesting about this person(s) is they attack the very people they need to help further their cause.

#fuckfred

Then someone approached me with a VERY serious offer and a great looking website for something JUST like this.

The shirts are VERY good quality and the customer service is AMAZING!

I am thinking of buying Trent Reznors name on www.leapfish.com to advertise these. (Thoughts?)

Check out the site;

http://bit.ly/RABMv

Please feel free too tweet or promote this into oblivion!

It can also be viewed here;

http://fredwgarrettiii.slightlysick.com/home

Their homepage is hilarious as well…

UPDATE:

I was going to buy Trent Reznors name on leapfish.com to advertise the blog, then I did some research and found that his name was not searched nearly as much as the term I ended up buying;

http://bit.ly/15Oft4

I own that term FOR LIFE!

I am officially 5 years sober as of writing this.

Alcohol for me is death in a glass. If I drink, I become a monster, very literally Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One minute I am fine, just enjoying what I am doing and then suddenly, I am ready to fight anyone and everyone around me and they never see it coming!

This is an odd phenomenon to those that know me. I am always the guy that stands up to bullies. I see someone getting bullied and I jump right in, full force and never backing down. But when I drank, I became that which I loathe.

What showed me the light to quit drinking?

One night, while highly intoxicated, I wrote myself an email (I do not remember writing that email, but I sure remember reading it!). That email detailed what I would do to myself if I ever drank again. I believe me and it scared me senseless.

THAT was the very last night I drank. 3-29-04.

I smoke, yes. I began smoking around the age of 17. I never picked up smoking cigarettes though (here comes my justification)…

I smoke cloves, NOT cigarettes!

I also smoke a pipe (tobacco) and cigars now and again.

OK, so those are just as bad as cigarettes. I had grand plans of quitting them at my 5 year mark of sobriety. That plan failed.  I will continue to cut back, significantly.

I am an addict too many things. Some addictions are OK. Many are not, and her is the kicker folks. ONLY you can tell if an addiction is bad for you.

I began cycling a few years back. I enjoyed riding long distances. I would ride for hours on end. I would ride as far as I could push myself to ride, and then go a little farther. Then, one day I noticed I was looking at a 12k dollar bicycle and thinking, “That bike would be great for longer rides!” I noticed I was becoming obsessed and backed down. I still ride, but not nearly as much or as far.

I read books. Lots and lots of books. I read about a book every 2 days, give or take. This addiction is okay in my eyes as I am actually bettering myself while doing it. If Lee Child, J. A. Jance, Clive Cussler, Dean Koontz, Bukowski, Stephen King and Terry Pratchett could ever be construed as educational.

Yes, that is the BIGGEST problem we addicts have. Figuring out just which addictions are ruling us.

That tired, old saying, “Sick and tired of being sick and tired” is, well, the truth.

What is an addiction?

Is THIS?

OR THIS?

OR how about THIS?

Twitter has become my newest addiction. I am @Fredgarrett *by the way

What is your addiction and what are your plans for dealing with it?

*Disclaimer: I have a contingency of people on line that would like to see me and anyone that follows me off of Twitter. If you add me, you will likely be seen as a collaborator. I just want to warn those that may not know.

I had planned on never having to write Trent Reznors name again. Best laid plans and all…

SO.

Tonight, I got home and saw that the same contingency of #eric supporters were attempting to have anyone that, “trolled” Reznor from Twitter… BANNED! NIN fans have joined in the assault as well. As the target of the attack I ask;

What about free speech? Being an American I spoke out against something and it appears as though it was heard LOUD AND CLEAR.

Want to see a bunch of people leave Twitter? Start banning account for people speaking their mind.

ATTENTION: NIN followers and #Eric people that are trying to censor people,

Do you people really want to try silencing someone for speaking out against something?

Really?

SO…

EFUSJON!

I called their corporate office only to be told to send an email for a request of information (The email I sent detailed who I was attempting to reach and why). I received an auto reply stating that I would be getting a call back in the next 48 hours.

Since I had my hands full with other issues, I could wait.

Well, a week went by. No email, no call.

I called back and explained who I was and what I was doing. The young woman said she could answer any of my questions. So I began…

Efusjon, why is it spelled like that. It seems very confusing.

Efusjon is Gaelic. It means pouring out.

Try as I may, I can not confirm this… I will continue. ANYONE SPEAK Gaelic?

Why is Efusion not spending any money on online advertising, keywords banner ads etc?

Efusjon depends on the word of mouth from its independant distributors. They must note that they are independant distributors in all of their advertising. This is covered in their training.

But in your policies, you have strict guidelines not allowing them to use the name Efusjon.

As long as they follow the guidelines they can advertise how they see fit.

What is your projected growth for this next year? Rep? Product? Website ranking?

That information is not available to the public. One statistic I can release is that we have 32k active distributors.

What makes this drink any different from say Monster, NOS or any other energy drink I can buy from a convienince store?

Efusjon is a healthy supplement and energy drink.

Who is Robert Towels?

Our CEO, all the information about him is posted on our website.

Yes, I know he is listed as the CEO and Co-founder. But who is he? Where did he come from what is his background?

My only answer is… It’s on the website.

I hear what you are saying. Yes, I can plainly see on the website where he is listed, but there is zero information about him online or on your website, unless you count my blog and 3 other mentions of the name being attached to Efusjon as the CEO.

I am sorry sir, that is all I have here.

SO…

This leaves me with an odd feeling. Who is this guy?

Robert… Feel like talking?