Articles written by kieryn graham

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About me - kieryn graham

I love writing more than food, sex, and Disneyland...combined! To me, writing seems as normal, natural, and essential as breathing; and, if I am not writing every day, surely I am slowly suffocating.

Once upon a time I attended graduate school at Berkeley,

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Health & Fitness > Bipolar Disorder Bipolar disorder: Illness or excuse?: 1 of 13

Right there, big and bold, top of my file: "Moderate to severe bi-polar disorder with depression dominant." First thing a doctor or nurse learns about me, probably even before my name. "Bi-polar. Depression dominant." That's my excuse. It's by far my favorite. I consider my diagnosis the moral equivalent of begging your pard...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: Recognizing the gifts you receive from parents: 1 of 13

My parents raised me for the Ivy League. Somehow, I drank-in my Ivy League destiny with my mother's milk. Well, okay, in a pinch Stanford or maybe, but only maybe, Cal would suffice. Really, though, growing up right down the street from Hilary Rodham's childhood home, her legend still hanging thick in the Midwestern air, I u...
Relationships & Family > Dating Psychology Do nice guys really finish last?: 5 of 43

If this is bad-ass Bill in a leather jacket competing against thoughtful Tom in khakis in a cardigan, then we all know it's no contest: We will love Bill and give him all the sex he craves until he Harleys on down the road to the next tramp-stamped, pool-shootin' little cutie. Play a pathetically sad country song and turn th...
Relationships & Family > Couple Communication Understanding the male mind: 2 of 16

Congratulations, Miss America, on your acquisition of a new male mind. With proper care and service, your new XY system will deliver years of reliable service and may become a source of constant joy and satisfaction. Please, take some time to review this operator's manual before using your new male mind for the first time. [...
Jobs & Careers > Health & Sciences Jobs Job outlook for people in the health-care industry: 1 of 5

The United States desperately needs 100,000 doctors to meet its immediate needs; and that number will double in the next ten years. The situation looks even grimmer for nurses: To meet its current needs, the US must recruit and train 400,000 new caregivers, and that number also will double in the next ten years. If, however,...
Relationships & Family > Dating Dilemmas & Advice Tips for dating a married woman: 4 of 8

One word, dude: Don't! Just don't. Trust me: I'm not talkin' morals, because that's between you and your conscience. I'm purely practical. Dating a married woman, you invest way too much work for way too little reward. Unless you have a death wish that goads and drives you like moth to flame, when you blah-dee a married woma...
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values The benefits of being the other woman: 3 of 6

I AM the other woman. I am the wife. I have all the benefits, and you have the very best of our man. Yes, you get elegant hotels and stolen weekends at the cottage along the strand. But I have the strong, sturdy house on the pretty little cul de sac, the one with the manicured lawn and the towering tree in the front yard. I ...
Relationships & Family > Talking with Teens & Children Recognizing our own beauty through the love of our children: 1 of 2

Four sets of mothers and daughters make-up our freshman car pool. I have it on pretty good authority that we are widely regarded as "the cool moms," translation: we seem to stay out of our girls' lives. That irony makes the four mothers laugh out loud, because no four mothers on the planet ever more thoroughly wove themselve...
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Raising daughters: 20 of 35

When I hear myself using one of my parents' pet expressions, I try to stop myself mid-sentence, sometimes choking on the words. When my mother or father channels through me, I terrified-tremble and get more than a little sick to my stomach. I feel like melting into a little puddle of myself and seeping into the ground, so mu...
Education > College Courses & Majors How to know if a degree in nursing is right for you: 11 of 17

Call it a ritual, an annual autumn rite, predictable as sorority rush and getting kicked all around Qualcomm by BYU's behemoth footballers. Every fall, Dr. Lewis, the College of Science's "Pre-Health" advisor, invites wanna-be Nursing majors for a "discussion" of what becoming an RN really requires. On a sweltering Santa Ana...