If it looks like a duck… in my case, I resemble the healthy looking duck. I try to pass as a person who’s never had a twitch or a body that aches deeply several times a week. Yes, there is the occasional get out of jail free card, what I call a pain free day …
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.
ADHD with or without PD
To give you a sense of what it’s like living with ADHD, let’s take inventory, shall we? Over the last 35 years or so, I have lost approximately 15 pairs of sunglasses (counts double because some were prescription and therefore very expensive) 42 pairs of gloves 5 hats 6 sweaters, including some I knit myself …
It’s the little things
I was reading the Sunday paper, or more accurately scanning, glancing at, glimpsing the NYTimes and agonizing over the most important decision of the day: What to make for dinner? None of the smidgeon of foodstuffs in the fridge appealed. Ditto the wares on offer from the 1001 online menus whose pizza, sushi, saag paneer …
Hot flash for you
Dating tips for the older man* *all examples are true. I was there. Dos and Don'ts Don't start the get-acquainted phone call with a discussion of hearing aids. Likewise pacemakers, stents and teeth (false, in need of crowns, etc.) We know we're old. We don't need a reminder. Don’t start the date by asking her …
No more multi- tasking
Let’s just say you have spent a lifetime enjoying a very specific form of multi-tasking, that is, knitting and watching TV. Knitters will get the allure - maybe even necessity - of pairing those activities. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. All you knitters - and other ardent multi- taskers - out there …
Challenges challenges
The Parky Conversations podcast provides excellent holiday party chit/chat material. Listen to even just one episode and you’ll be the most interesting person at every gathering. ************ We all know that challenging our brains and our bodies is important in maintaining plasticity - the ability to adapt and learn. But when faced with a challenge …
Hidden Parkinson’s
First, thanks to all of you who have supported my efforts to shine a light on the stranger and less well known aspects of Parkinson’s disease via my blog, Moving and Shaking and, more recently the podcast Parky Conversations. And a special shoutout to those of you who helped spread the word about the podcast …
Laugh it up
Who couldn’t use a good laugh? (and don't forget about my podcast, Parky Conversations.) So I’m taking responsibility for your positive mental state by providing you with a menu of laughter-inducing content. You may find none of it to your liking- humor is after all very personal. Or you may say “Thank you Andi for …
I make my own Woodstock
Today's Parky Conversations podcast: Hallucinations in PD. So very weird...and fascinating. We’re talking about hallucinating without the aid of substances. Yes, Jefferson Airplane, no LSD from your roommate’s stash required. We Parkies effortlessly produce our very own homegrown “shit”. all we need to do to “trip” is wake up in the middle of the night …
Identity
Identity refers to our sense of who we are as individuals and as members of social groups. It also refers to our sense of how others may perceive and label us. In other words, who am I? As Walt Whitman put it, we contain multitudes. First, the basics. Gender: Female Sexual orientation: Hetero Age: Here, …
Moving and Shaking 