"I find myself wishing I’d read Carla Ulbrich’s medical memoir several years ago when I began dealing with a complex of health issues. In How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This?Carla, also known as The Singing Patient, outlines realistic coping strategies and supportive advice along with anecdotes of how she deals with several autoimmune diseases. Her unique approach is sincere and instructive...
Carla Ulbrich earned the right to tell her story, and this authority wrapped in friendly humor makes her medical memoir that most accessible one that I have ever read." read the entire review here:
"I find myself wishing I’d read Carla Ulbrich’s medical memoir several years ago when I began dealing with a complex of health issues. In How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This?Carla, also known as The Singing Patient, outlines realistic coping strategies and supportive advice along with anecdotes of how she deals with several autoimmune diseases. Her unique approach is sincere and instructive...
Carla Ulbrich earned the right to tell her story, and this authority wrapped in friendly humor makes her medical memoir that most accessible one that I have ever read." read the entire review here:
"Carla Ulbrich is one woman who knows when to decide that feeling sorry for yourself won’t heal you. In her book How Can You Not Laugh at a Time Like This, she writes about navigating the healthcare system and coping with long term health challenges. She knows that a sense of humor can make all the difference in the world. In addition to her book, she wrote a collection of funny songs she wrote while dealing with lupus, fibromyalgia, kidney issues, strokes and bankruptcy as a result of her illnesses.
How Can You Not Laugh at a Time Like This isn’t a memoir. Instead it is more of a book of essays of all the things that helped Carla keep sane as she navigated through the health system and dealt with challenges – some from her health and some from trying to find the help that she needed."
And now for something really different - January 3, 2012
This has nothign to do with medical humor- just humor. Dating humor, to be specific. Joe (hubby) was organizing his cassettes (remember those?) and found this unreleased version of "Love Connection," which I recorded in Nashville in 1998 with a really hot band. Very jazzy version. So... 14 years later (!), here it is! Stream it or buy it at thefump.com.
New review of the book and giveaway contest - December 12, 2011
"Before I even begin to tell you why I loved this book, I want to take a minute to thank Carla Ulbrich for writing it!!!! My mom is staying with me while she recovers, and we spent a lot of time this last week sitting together reading Carla’s book. This book is about the only thing that made her really smile or laugh all week. For that I am more grateful than you can imagine!!!!"
Book featured in IG Living Magazine - December 4, 2011
Alongside some other really great books, including "How To Be Sick" (a Buddhist approach), Carla's book is featured in IG Living, a magazine distributed to people living with immunoglobin disorders, and the health professionals who care for them.
Article in the Alternative Press - November 21, 2011
"Ulbrich said that the hardest part about writing the book was “deciding whether or not to out myself as having lupus.” She added, “I didn't want to be the girl with the scarlet L, the poster-child for lupus.” ...
When she was in the hospital, Ulbrich wrote parodies of songs. She said laughter is important. Ulbrich's CD, “Sick Humor, The Lighter Side of Illness,” was recorded five years before she wrote the book."
new singing patient music videos - October 25, 2011
You asked for it! You wanted me to post more Singing Patient medical songs on youtube so you could share them with friends on facebook, etc. Here are a couple of the videos below. See them all at
After competing and winning at the Club and Area levels in 2 Toastmasters contests- The Humorous Speech Contest and Table Topics- Carla advanced to the Division level, where she competed in both contests again On Sept. 12.
Results? Carla took 2nd place in the Humorous Speech Contest, and 1st Place in the Table Topics Contest. Carla now advances to compete in the Table Topics District contest at the District Convention on Sept. 25. Thinking about attending? It's in Central New Jersey.
In addition to the Saturday night Humorous Speech Contest (Carla is not participating in that contest, but it is sure to be entertaining!), and the Sunday morning Table Topic Contest (Carla *is* in that contest), there are workshops and on Saturday, meals, and the chance to hang with other toastmasters. Public Speaking is Americans' #1 fear, even before death. Toastmasters makes speaking not just possible, but fun. Register at www.toastmasters83.org
New interview archived on blogtalkradio - September 9, 2011
Had a great chat with Trudy of Living With Hope radio on Sept. 9.
video from interview with Michael Stock - August 28, 2011
Carla sweeps Toastmasters contests- again - August 25, 2011
In July, Carla competed in 2 Toastmasters contests in her club: The Humorous Speech Contest and Table Topics. (Table Topics is when you are asked a surprise question and you have 1-2 minutes to give a cohesive answer). She won both club contests and advanced to the Area contests, held on August 24, where she won both contests again.
Carla now advances to compete in both of the Division contests (Humorous Speech and Table Topics) on Sept. 12.
Some people ask why in the world Carla would join Toastmasters- isn't she already comfortable in front of an audience? "Yes, but ... preparing a cohesive, speech with a logical train of thought is a whole different ball of wax when compared to getting up and just introducing a song, playing it, then introducing another completely unrelated song, playing it, etc., until your set is over. I have yet to learn the art of writing a great speech, but have at least so far, in the trying, gained new respect for great public speakers."
New Review of the Book on the Serious Comedy Website - July 21, 2011
"How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This?" is an easily read collection of Ulbrich’s personal experiences liberally peppered with a charmingly twisted wit, wisdom, refreshing candor, insight and clever musical ditties set to common melodies anyone can sing. They serve to illustrate her journey through severe health crises which would send most of us sprinting to the nearest shrink, clamoring for the latest, greatest, and fastest-acting mood altering substances known to man. How does she do it? With humour.
Carla sweeps Toastmasters contests - July 20, 2011
Today at Somerset Toastmasters, Carla competed in 2 contests: The humorous speech contest and the Table Topics contest. For the humorous speech contest, Carla gave a prepared speech between 5-7 minutes entitled "How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This?"
For the Table Topics contest, none of the contestants knew the topic ahead of time, and were let into the room one by one and given the topic, then were to speak 1-3 minutes on the topic- which in this case was "vacations."
Carla won both contests and will advance to compete in the area contest on August 24.
Carla's book earns the LFA Education Committee Seal of Approval - June 28, 2011
Carla's book earned the Lupus Foundation of America's Education Committee Seal of Approval.
Very pleased to be on a short list of books to earn this seal.
Carla featured in nationally syndicated article - May 31, 2011
From Workwise, a nationally syndicated column by Mildred Culp, PhD
"Becoming a professional patient is essential if you have a health condition that impacts your ability to work.
Carla Ulbrich, the singing patient at Romantic Devil Records Inc., in Somerset, N.J., incorporates this concept by applying project management and relationship skills to her recovery from lupus, an autoimmune disease. These principles ring out in her songs and lively book, “How Can You NOT Laugh at a Time Like This?” (TellMe, $14.95)."
Blogger Joy Corcoran (of "Chronically Inspired) writes:
"It's a very funny but thoughtful collection of essays about navigating the health care system and learning to cope with long term health challenges. A sense of humor, a sense of self and a lot of funny songs keep Carla Ulbrich sane as she deals with Lupus, Fibromyalgia, kidney failure, 2 strokes and bankruptcy..."