Health Update 18

I haven't been feeling too bad recently. I still get very tired but I don't think I've been as sluggish as I have in the recent past. I think trying to cut out a lot of the crap from my diet has helped a lot. I've managed to make inroads in eating healthier. There is still the odd lapse but all in all I'm quite chuffed.

I take vitamin supplements every day to help boost my immune system and make up for the nutrients lacking in my food intake. I also take Evening Primose oil which I read is supposed to help people with ME/CFS. I definitely sleep better and as I've mentioned before my general mood has improved.

All chocolate biscuits have been consumed in the house and only 1 packet is bought in the shopping (for when we have visitors) a week. I've even managed to resist overdosing on chocolate... hmmm chocolate... while at work and out of sight from Lesley. Must try harder though. Onwards and upwards.

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS
• Vitamins

Football Euro 2004

I've been enjoying these European Championships. It's great to see overpaid, puffed up superstars get humped by much less glamorous players and teams. One by one the big guns have fallen; Spain, Italy, Germany, France and of course England. England, oh England... you really should have won this trophy, it had your name written all over it even more so than the last World Cup which you also threw away. You actually have a solid little team there which unlike the other superstar nations, listed above, are the right side of 30.

So what went wrong? It was plain to see through my eyes of a Northern Irishman living in Scotland. Beckham wasn't fit or interested or very good and your manager, Sven, was scared, cautious, blind, tactically inept etc etc. Scollari had the balls to hook the useless Luis Figo and won the match (and probably the Championship). Sven didn't have the balls to hook Beckham and lost.

I actually predicted before the England v France match kicked off that Beckham would retire from International football at the end of the Championship. It is looking like he won't, but he should. The writing has been on the wall for him for a long time now. Ferguson knew it and acted upon it, Sven now knows it but will never act.

England will easily qualify from their World Cup group (along with my beloved Norn Iron... I can dream can't I?) but unless Sven ditches Beckham for good, the same painful story of Referee bias, unlucky breaks, crumbling penalty spots, long season etc etc will be replayed over and over again. I can hardly wait.

Category:

• Sport
• Football
• World+Cup
• Euro+Championship

Weekly Task Update

Still no conclusion to the task I set myself a few weeks ago to learn AutoCad and complete a floorplan of my house.

However, the business idea I mentioned is starting to take shape and a former colleague who is currently unemployed is very keen to get it up and running. So, my actions are to complete the floorplan along with a number of other small projects to use as examples of some of the services we plan to offer. I'll also be responsible for getting a website up and running, designing the company logo and stationary etc. All very exciting and now that I have someone on board to the boring planning stuff it might just fly. Watch this space.

Category:

• Personal
• Business
• Autocad

Health Update 17

Another long period of non posting to this blog. Again, no excuses, in fact I've been feeling much better these past couple of weeks. Still get very tired, still have my "bad" days (mood swings) but all in all much better I think. I've cut way down on take-aways and have actually stuck to it at both work and home which is good. I haven't weighed myself in a while though but hopefully I'll post on that soon.

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Spread Betting

I mentioned a few posts ago that my boss had become hooked on financial spread betting and he was doing very well at it. At one point he was up by over 1000 quid all in a matter of 4 days. Then came the inevitable losing streak which has reduced his winnings to 250 quid. He is now re-evaluating his strategy.

Being much more cautious myself I have been playing with a few fantasy bets to help me understand how the whole thing works and to formulate a consistent trading plan to hopefully allow success. I am concentrating on Binary Bets of the hourly FTSE and Dow indices. In a binary bet you buy and sell an index to fall or rise in an hour period. So if you bought the FTSE 100 to rise at 45 points, and by the end of the hour it did rise above it's hourly starting point the binary bet would pay out at 100. That would mean a profit of 100-45*5(your stake per point)=220 quid. Seems quite simple and looking at the intra day graphs for the FTSE and Dow I have identified a strategy which should allow me to win 10 points at least on average 3 times a day. If I bet 5 quid a point I could make 150 quid tax free a day while keeping a limit on my risk of losing the original stake.

I've registered with IG Index as my dealer of choice if you want to learn more.

Category:

• Spread+Betting

Weekly Task Update

I still haven't managed to complete the floorplan task I set myself a few weeks ago. I have had a business idea floating around my head for months now and creating an AutoCad 2D floorplan of my house is an important part of proving out the validity of the idea. To aid me I discussed the idea with a former colleague who was very enthusiastic about the whole thing. Suffering from ME though I find it very hard to devote the huge amount of energy required in holding down a full time job and creating a business empire. The plotting I can do it's just the actual doing that I struggle with.

I will try and get the plan done by the end of this coming week (football permitting) and begin to firm up some of the plans I discussed with my friend.

Category:

• Personal
• Business
• Autocad

The differences between men and women

They say bad luck comes in threes. My Sky box is buggered, the kittens have just smashed a large table lamp and now the microwave (depending from which point of view you look at it) is knackered. Let me explain.

Lesley: The microwave is buggered
Me: Oh, is it? What's wrong?
Lesley: Only the number 3 works on the keypad.
Me: Oh!
Lesley: We will have to get a new one.
Me: Eh? *looks scared*
Lesley: It's broken.
Me: But it still works... look...beep beep beep (Power level 3 for a time of 3 minutes 33 seconds)... there you go, perfect.
Lesley: Eh? *looks puzzled*

I ask you, all it takes is a bit of lateral thinking.

Category:

• Personal
• Men+Women

Sky and the art of Customer Service

I'm an easy going type of guy. It generally takes a lot to get me really riled but when I am, watch out. Haggling is not something I do, as I am too shy and just want an easy life with no confrontation. But when a company takes 40 quid a month off me and then wants a further 65 for an Engineer visit then all my related buttons are pressed. Sky and their ever expanding subscription fee have just pressed all my buttons and suffered the backlash as a result. My digibox is buggered, has never really worked properly for ages (modem burnt out) which never really bothered me, but now it has gone kaput. Cue the obligatory service call to a nice lassie in Scotland who did the normal script finishing with we'll need to book an Enginner's visit and that will be 65 quid sir. Oh no it won't sez me. Sorry I can't help you sez her. Fine I'll cancel my subscription...click. Ring ring ring press all the buttons on your phone simultaneously while whistling the semi-crotchet version of Les Marsellies etc etc. I get through to some poor git in India... I want to cancel my subscription... puzzled silence, I'll just pass you over to the relevant department ( he was the relevant department)... click.. ring, some guy in Scotland comes on... what's the problem?.. I'm not paying 65 quid for you to continue taking 40 off me a month, I want to cancel... blah blah blah... I'll speak to my Manager to see if we can reduce the call out charge... zero is the number I have in mind... it won't be free sir... fine I want to cancel then... I'll just speak to my manager.... dum de dum de dum.. hello sir... yes... my manager has agreed to make it free of charge... thank you sez me, click.

It was while looking for the service number to call that I discovered on the net that Sky are about to increase the subscription price again in September. Bastards. I will wreck my current Sky box totally, get a new one free from them and then reduce my package to something a bit more sensible (no movies). I hope a lot more subscribers start biting back at this company. It must be a thankless task working in a call centre (I once read a report that described call centres as the new dark satanic mills of the 19th century) and I really don't enjoy giving people a hard time doing their job but when it's my cash (or lack there of) that is at stake, watch out.

Category:

• TV
• Sky
• Customer+Service

Health Update 16

No update for 5 days, no excuses, I can't think why I haven't. Been a bit busy I suppose. I got a loan of the LCD projector from work for the weekend and watched the England-France match in glorious 10 feet wide technicolour... oh yes, and the manner of the result just topped it off. Perfect.

Work has deteriorated to such an extent that the boss spends his time spread betting on the FTSE hour by hour. He was 900 quid up after 2 days though so I am investigating this phenomena with interest.

Sleep: 23:00 to 7:30
Eat: Breakfast- None, Lunch- Fruit, Dinner- Burger
Exercise: None
Comment: Feeling OK

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Health Update 15

Not too bad tonight. Tired now, ready for my bed.

Sleep: 24:00 to 7:30
Eat: Breakfast- Toast, Lunch- None, Dinner- Bacon Butties
Exercise: None
Comment: Tired but not bad

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Weight Update 2

I'll not beat about the bush. Still stuck at the same weight with ZERO loss (much to Lesley's amusement whose favourite phrase has become fat arse)... cheeky cow.

All is not lost though, no gain is a cause for celebration and the in-house biscuit supply is dwindling rapidly with a strict no purchase-zone in place around the biscuit aisle at Tescos. Not be long now before I emerge like a beautiful butterfly from this cocoon of lard (I can dream can't I?)

Category:

• Health
• Weight

Health Update 14

A bit tired tonight and I had a huge tea so that always make me sluggish. Currently in the middle of a sneezing fit so I need to find some screen wipes before I can continue. Flipping freezing up here today as well.

Sleep: 23:00 to 7:30
Eat: Breakfast- Toast, Lunch- Fruit, Dinner- Cottage Pie
Exercise: None
Comment: Tired but not bad

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Health Update 13

Not too bad tonight. I was tired this afternoon at work and when I got home but I seem to have perked up a bit now.

Sleep: 23:00 to 7:30
Eat: Breakfast- Toast, Lunch- Fruit, Dinner- Chicken Sandwiches
Exercise: None
Comment: Tired but not bad

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Health Update 12

I'm very tired tonight, exhausted in fact. Lesley was working a lot this weekend so I did some of the housework, cleaned the fish tank out and made a cover to prevent the kittens from jumping in the tank and drowning (Clyde has already tried this once). Today I even managed to cut the grass for the first time in ages.

Sleep: 02:00 to 9:30
Eat: Breakfast- Pancakes, Lunch- None Dinner- Roast Chicken
Exercise: Cut the grass
Comment: Exhausted (but pleased with myself)

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Weekly Task 2 Update

I haven't managed to finish this week's task as it was quite involved so I've decided to carry it over until next week.

I have the ground floor walls all drawn but I still need to add the doors and windows. I could do it quite quickly and messy but for what I want to use the plan for it is better to do it properly with continuous lines, split up on layers etc. Once I have the ground floor completed it should be very quick and easy to complete the first floor.

Deadline for the task to be completed is now Sunday 13th June at 8:00 PM

Weekly Task 1 Update

The item I placed on eBay for auction last week has now closed with 5 bids. I got a good price for the item as well. Fingers crossed the payment, shipping and feedback goes smoothly. Once the first sale is completed I'll try something with a bit more value.

Category:

• Personal
• Business
• Autocad
• eBay

We Will Remember Them

As I sit here writing this, 60 years to the moment, when hundreds of thousands of troops were all ready on the ships and landing craft somewhere in the English Channel, paratroopers were beginning to land inland, the French Resistance began their campaign of sabotage and so on, I can only feel humble and give thanks for their efforts and sacrifice. I hope everyone who has benefited for what was done on this day 60 years ago will do the same, either privately or publicly, in some small way, today.

They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
we will remember them.

Category:

• Personal
• Remembrance

Weight Update 1

I have decided to create separate posts for my 3 day weight updates.

Well, the scores are in and have been verified after 17 recounts, hopping on one leg, stripping to the bufty, I can reveal that I lost/gained zero lbs since the last weigh-in.

I'm not down hearted as at least I'm still the same fat b*stard I was 3 days ago and not some even fatter b*stard. I'm confident that with some graded, light exercise I can do something about this.

Chocolate biscuits remain my ultimate downfall (along with Pizza, Chinese, Kebabs and the single most important food group of them all... chips with everything). Why is it that ME destroys my ability/appetite for anything except food? Never a break.

Next weight update: 08/06/04

Category:

• Health
• Weight

Health Update 11

Went down hill rapidly this afternoon as it seemed to drag on forever. I slept OK and felt not too bad in the morning. I didn't do much at work apart from filling out my appraisal (7 months late) as there is pressure to dot the i's and cross the t's as redundancy stalks the office for the SEVENTH time in 3 years. F*ckwit managers!

Sleep: 22:30 to 7:30
Eat: Breakfast- Toast, Lunch- Rolls Dinner- Sausage Rolls
Exercise: None
Comment: Feeling tired
Weight: I'll post this in the morning as I think I read somewhere you are lighter in the morning... straws at grasping (re-arrange to create a well known phrase).

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Health Update 10

Feeling OK. Slept well but I didn't want to get up this morning, that is par for the course though. Bad news at work, but I'll not say anymore until things are clarified a bit. We said goodbye to one of our Engineers today (well there was only three of us) so we went out for lunch to send him off (jammy git is getting out just at the right time to take up a better position).

Sleep: 22:30 to 7:15
Eat: Breakfast- Toast, Lunch- Chicken Sub with Chips - None
Exercise: None
Comment: Feeling OK (bit down about work).

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Health Update 9

Feeling OK today. I think cutting down on my food intake has helped a lot by lessening the bloated, doped up feeling I get when I eat too much. Slept well and even woke earlier than normal this morning.

Sleep: 22:30 to 7:00
Eat: Breakfast- Toast, Lunch- Baked Potato Dinner- Bacon Butties
Exercise: None
Comment: Feeling OK.

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Health Update 8

Not feeling too bad today considering the stress at work. Got off to a slow start this morning though but I think I slept OK and the temperature was just fine. I have decided that my weight situation has now reached a critical point. I will lose weight. I will, I will, I will.

I've never exactly been thin and I never will be but the state I'm in at the moment is out of control. My large appetite for all the wrong things at the wrong time and a lifelong aversion to exercise, work etc got me off to a bad start. But, with the onset of ME my activity levels have reached near zero levels and so the weight has piled on. It is going to be hard juggling the physical and mental exhaustion caused by ME with the task of eating less and exercising more but it has to be done as it will only compound the damage being done by the ME. I don't want to reveal my current weight as it is so gross but I will publish my weight loss (or gain) in lbs, every three days on this weblog.

Sleep: 22:30 to 7:45
Eat: Breakfast- Croissant, Lunch- Working Business lunch Dinner- Nothing
Exercise: None
Comment: Feeling not too bad.
Weight: Zero (next update Friday)

Category:

• Health
• ME
• CFS

Fame! (will it corrupt me?)

Fame at last. A nervous morning at work waiting for the new Financial Controller to appear and make us all redundant (not yet though) and I open the latest copy of The Engineer (Magazine related to all things technology and innovation, 28 May - 10 Jun 2004) and what do I see on the inside page? Something I designed, oh be still my beating heart.

Smug git maybe, but a smug git whose work has appeared in the best read Engineering Magazine

Yes folks to demonstrate the skill of Britain's finest die-casters they show a picture of a casting I designed for a light mixing desk along with a picture of the finished article. My boss' face was a picture as I enquired if he had ever seen anything of his in The Engineer. Smug git maybe, but a smug git whose work has appeared in the best read Engineering Magazine... and I usually only read the job adverts and wile away the afternoon trying to do the brain teaser on the back page.

Category:

• Personal
• Business
• Engineer