That’s the second most frequent comment I hear after my revelation that I have Parkinson’s, the first being “I’m so sorry to hear that.” And it’s true, I appear to be just fine. My gait looks fairly normal, sprightly even, though I occasionally veer off into a wall. I manage to keep up with my …
Author: Andi Brown
I was born in 1951 and raised in Providence, RI. I retired in early 2022 from a long and successful career in fund development, helping nonprofit organizations secure the resources they need to fulfill their missions.
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in July of 2021. I am attempting to box and dance the disease into submission despite being horribly uncoordinated. I'm a graduate of Colgate University and live in Brookline, MA, not too far from my adult son and daughter. When not “moving and shaking” I can frequently be found writing fiction, or with knitting needles in hand, eating chocolate.
Update from your (mostly) faithful correspondent at
Moving and Shaking Hello friends and followers, I haven’t thrown in the laptop on the blog, which honestly is one of the most satisfying activities in my life right now, along with helping to plan my - how could it be - fiftieth college reunion. But the weekly post has become a bit too high …
Continue reading Update from your (mostly) faithful correspondent at
(Meh)ditation and me or…I hate yoga
Apple - check. Ditto, small white handkerchief. The year is 1973, and I'm a newly minted college grad, about to embark on what will turn out to be a lifetime effort to meditate successfully. The apple and hankie we were told to bring with us to the lesson. This will be their last appearance in …
Not a bot
Yep, I'm a real human being, churning out words to amuse myself and maybe even you too. But sometimes I wish In could just turn over this wordsmithing to someone else. Because sometimes I am just too damn tired. Since such a someone else does not exist, I'll do the next best thing. I will …
Cuppency. Gynecup. Guppen. Pencey (surely that’s a word now).
And these, ladies and gents, are some of the daily determinants of my mental acuity. In other words, the New York Times Spelling Bee puzzle. But first, I feel compelled to treat (subject?) you to the last batch of France pictures, specifically of the aptly named Nice and nearby Vence. Promenade des Anglais, the place …
Continue reading Cuppency. Gynecup. Guppen. Pencey (surely that’s a word now).
Cruisin’…..but maybe not
A boat the size of a small town? Nah. Cheeky and/or cheesy entertainment? Nope. Formal attire night? Gag! So no, when I vowed to eschew the cruise for the rest of my days, I wasn’t kidding. I’d stick with the small group hiking/ walking trips which typically numbered between 10 and 20 companions. My favorite …
Paris: Parkinson’s miracle or mystery
When I left for Paris eight days ago I was experiencing tremendous stress, and a good number of Parkinson’s symptoms, by which I mean muscle stiffness, extreme aching from my waist to my ankles, and twitching in my left foot. All of these symptoms were painful and lasted, cumulatively but not consecutively, about 2-4 hours …
Mrs. Brown paints the town!
But what color does she paint it? I’m having a delightful time in Paris with no loneliness, though I did see a friend a couple of days ago. Few words in this post, mostly pictures. Green at Restaurant Anne. Tres yummy were turbot on bed of puréed potatoes, snail balls ( the green things) with …
A funny story about
depression. Okay, gotcha, it’s not really funny but it might make you feel a little better about your own down-in-the-dumps moments in a misery-loves-company sort of way. We Parkinsonians tend to look for patterns in both our bodies and our minds. We may establish that the late morning “off” time (those painful/disgusting/ yucky sensations) occur …
Cheese, Cheese, Cheese
Fromage! To die for (or maybe from) Cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese Cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese Cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese A haiku for you, appearing as a pinned tweet on Twitter What the French have perfected Fromage Where I'm going next week France What my sister gave me for my birthday. …
Moving and Shaking 