Living with ADHD can be difficult and frustrating, especially if you have no idea you’re living with it. But believe it or not there are advantages, like the non-stop adrenalin rushes. With ADHD life is one adrenalin rush after another. You’re constantly re-inventing yourself, changing relationships, jobs, cars, and housing, all at a mind-blowing rate. The downside of ADHD is that you are constantly in motion re-inventing yourself changing relationships, jobs, cars, and housing at a mind-blowing rate.

My resume is long, really long. I’ve never not worked. My prior work experience includes a variety of positions. Here is a partial list; pancake flipper, steel mill laborer, pool boy, insurance underwriting, travel agent, press operator at a box factory, ferry boat worker, Ball bearing factory worker (i.e. worked in a ball bearing factory), Speedo wearing cocktail waiter at Key West gay resort, mystery shopper, retail, manager for charter airline, model, flight attendant for United Airlines, and even a gig working as Gorilla Caregiver for “show me your nipples” Koko and her non-companion Ndume. Surprisingly this was not a difficult transition, going from cranky airline passengers to cranky gorillas I mean. The similarities will boggle the mind, we really haven’t evolved all that much.

I’m nuts about dogs and Oakland. Soon the pack will have to get nuts about our next location. I’ve purchased a tiny house on wheels and will be living in it. More on that later. Back in 2013 I settled into a cute spot in East Oakland with my two pups. It was an easy commute to my gig and I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be, living with mutts and loving Oakland. I’ve got two budgies too, not planned but they’re two really cool feathered friends.

I didn’t choose ADHD , circumcision, or being gay. This is my life, my journey, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Well maybe one thing, I’d have a “smooth swimmers build”.

Enough about me. Below are tribute vids to my ‘golden girls’ Ruthie and Nina may they RIP. I lost them in 2014, a month a part. Well I mean I didn’t ‘lose’ them, I let them cross the bridge. Ruthie first, she was 13 years old and developed a serious neck injury or condition that was causing her too much pain. On her last day I took the day off and we went to an outdoor cafe, shared a turkey sandwich, and sat on the grass people/dog watching at Lake Merritt.

One month later Nina’s pancreas stopped working and my little girl was suffering. She gave me so much unconditional love for 11 amazing years. In the end I let her go, she would not be okay if I had pushed her to stay.

I’m also passionate about gorillas Koko and Ndume. I was a Caregiver at Patterson’s Gorilla Foundation. Loved the gorillas, Penny and Ron not so much.

RIP “Ruthie” 1999 to June 09, 2014

RIP “Nina” 2002 to Aug 25, 2014

See below video, Nina and Ruth- neighborhood watch.

Ruth and Nina, together again.