Been to a Christmas Carol service, thinking of you Dad.

Money saving tip - memory cards etc

I was recently given some memory sticks by a friend (EH) for fixing her laptop (thankyou, EH). So I started looking on Amazon UK for dedicated USB memory stick pouches but all the suitable pouches were £16+. So I had a think. And I remembered I had some spare transparent pencil cases (which I previously used to hold unit cards when I was playing the Babylon 5 : A Call to Arms wargame).

It turns out the cases are cheap and better (you can see what's inside without having to open the case).

To coin a phrase - abandonment anxiety...

... is what people with mental health problems often have regarding their care in the community.

Miniatures

For the first time in years I have started to paint miniatures for RPGs. This time it is the Judge Dredd figures by Mongoose Publishing.

Relaxation

Have taken this weekend off from doing C++ stuff.

Yesterday was all 3 Jurassic Park films.

Been listening to BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge 2013 today.

Luxury :)

When I was a teenage coder, for English Literature I was told to read the classics... so I spent 5 weeks worth of pocket money on "The C Programming Language" by K&R.

Experience is a harsh mistress

This month's lesson is...

Act in haste, repent at leisure.

Reality Poisoning.

Since I was a teenager. I suffered from Reality Poisoning which I escaped by playing Dungeons & Dragons (and, later on, Mongoose Traveller).

I was having a Reality Poisoning spell over the weekend when I realised it was similar to what other people call Depression.

Neurocomic by Dr M. Farinella and Dr H. Ros

This is a graphic novel about the mind and the brain. It's something that I've been studying on Wikipedia for some time.

It's brief and easy to read. It may take concerted effort to remember the key parts - however, I think the effort involved is worth it.

Cinema and Mental Health

I went to see Blue Jasmine recently. It was a good film with a real life kind of ending. Cate Blanchett was excellent as Jasmine. We get to see the side effects of a mental health problem but it's not mentioned in the film's dialogue - but Jasmine does take a lot of pills.

Reasons why Sheldon is not like me.

1. Sheldon plays MMORPGs (World of Warcraft) online. I run a RPG (Traveller) IRL (In Real Life).
2. Sheldon has a Doctorate in Physics. I have a Degree in I.T (Information Technology).
3. Sheldon writes Java applets. I am a C++ programmer migrating from Windows to Linux.
4. Sheldon reads Marvell Comics. I read Sandman graphics novels.
5. Sheldon watches science fiction written by amateurs. I read science fiction written by gifted authors.
6. Sheldon says Bazinga. I say Woot Woot.
7. Sheldon endlessly promotes his high intelligence. I endlessly promote FLOSS (free) software especially Linux.

Reasons why Sheldon is like me.

1. We've both got OCD.
2. We're both highly susceptible to stimulants.

LGBT friendly.

It seems that prejudice against the LGBT people is still all too common. From my own limited experience of hate crime – as a schizophrenic – I have decided to delare myself as LGBT friendly.

Been neglecting my C++ studies doing householder stuff and basic systems administration.

Almost ran out of space on my main memory stick (16GB) so I ordered a 32GB stick from Amazon UK for just over £13. In the late 1980's, a Miracle Systems 40MB hard disc for the Sinclair QL costed £450. According to my calculations, my new memory stick was equivalent to just under 820 Miracle System's hard discs costing nearly £370,000.

Am back on the C++ trail.

Been a bit under the weather recently. Don't know what I would do without music to ward off the voices.

My C++ studies are making progress.

Been helping Richard C, tracking down a problem with his PC, getting a replacement monitor from PC World and setting it all up again. The instruction booklet was in Greek but fortunately there was a big diagram to follow.

R.I.P. Mary

I've just found out that Mary McCulloch, from Libris, has passed away.

Condolences to all she left behind.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) occurs when your sub-conscious and consciousness have a row and stop talking to each other.

R.I.P. Dad

Dad passed away a year ago. We all miss him.

spirituality is concerned with the mysteries of the soul.

science is concerned with the mysteries of the cosmos.

Great new book!

My copy of "The C++ Programming Language (4th Edition)" arrived today!

Fantastic!

My brain is a car and I am learning to become a rally driver.

accu-study-tcpppl has gone live! Now waiting for my copy to arrive. In the meantime we're studying some draft chapters.

Once a week, over a number of weeks I've been running a Traveller adventure. The players found themselves on a space liner that crashed out of hyperspace and onto a collision course with the atmosphere of a gas giant. It completed this week and I'm chilling out before getting ready for the next session.

Coping strategies for non-schizophrenics.

1. Do some exercise.
2. Eat fruit and vegetables.
3. Avoid smoking.
4. Drink in moderation.

Don't worry about your non-diagnosis - approximately 99% of people lack schizophrenia.

In the UK press there is some debate about a person with schizophrenia killing someone.

Most schizophrenics aren't dangerous. However, some are and strangely enough it makes it easier to predict when a schizophrenic is about to become dangerous. Here are the key warning signs:-

• Stopping taking medication for a certain amount of time.
• Being overlooked by mental health services or social services.
• Declaring that they are about to become violent.

If you know someone suffering with schizophrenia, try these coping strategies for non-schizophrenics out:-

• See NHS Direct's website.
• Ask your GP for advice.
•  Treat them as you would any other member of society.
• If you know them well enough, ask them how they are coping with their illness.

Here are some coping strategies for dealing with "hearing voices" (auditory hallucinations) that have been collated:-

• Ground self in present. (Look around you carefully to reassure yourself everything is OK).
• Think of consequences of actions. (Especially if you are feeling paronoid and/or aggressive).
• Try reading a newspaper, magazine or book.
• Watch TV, listen to radio or CD or mp3 player.
• If on a bus and you don't feel comfortable, look out of a window or change seats.
• Phone NHS/social services staff that you are in contact with.
• Try breathing slowly and deeply to calm yourself down.
• Remember all the achievements you have accomplished in the past. There will be more to come.
• Use PRN (medication prescribed for use "as and when necessary").

Been to my sister's for my birthday. Got some cheap CDs (3 for £5) from “That's Entertainment” in Eldon Square, just off Northumberland Street. Highly recommended!

Been supporting my key worker. She was running a course at University so I attended two days so her students could ask someone with experience of mental health problems how things are. The students liked it. And I had to get out of bed at an impossibly early hour.

HMV is closing down. I will miss it – need to find a new place to buy new music. Amazon perhaps?

iPod is getting full. Have found that by using RhythmBox to convert CDs into ogg files instead of mp3 files saves about 10% of disc space. The version of RhythmBox I'm running at the moment is a bit cranky – sometimes it fails to get track names from the Internet – and it crashed today as well. I really wish there was a native iTunes for Linux.

Been refurbishing some computers for use in Contact and the community. Am trying to help local Windows experts to learn Linux. And I also want to learn how to fix Ethernet cables.

Am currently reading the first part of “C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4 (2e)” when I can find time – there always seems to be plenty to do so I'm not making as much progress as I would have liked. Hope to have the basics learnt before the 4th edition of “The C++ Programming Language” is published.

I also need to find time to resume GMing my Traveller campaign sometime soon.

Have started having salad everyday. And a banana. And have started reading the Good Housekeeping “Bumper Student Cookbook”. We'll see what happens:)

PC Angel
Is a PC expert that helps out friends with their PCs.

Linux Angel
Is a PC Angel that is prepared to learn Linux and help other people with Linux based computers.