Posted in Depression, Misc WoW, Movember, tagged Depression, Misc WoW, Movember on March 7, 2012| 8 Comments »
Do me a favor & check over my maths please, we’ll come back to this, so remember your 1st impression.
This is a post about many things, arguably everything, but I guess I will make a feeble attempt to relate it to topics this blog has covered in the past (more…)
Posted in Movember, tagged Movember on November 29, 2011| 10 Comments »
1st stroke is free
2nd stroke requires a donation!
Last chance for Movember donations!
Thanks to all of you, including WoWInsider, for your support and kind wishes for Movember.
Don’t stop sharing just because the Mo’s are going away for another year
Mo’mer and Out!
Just in case you thought I wasn’t serious
Depression in the family: Movember
Married with child and depressed: Movember
Depression in the workplace: Movember
Talking about it saves lives: Movember
Aware People are Supportive People: Movember
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Posted in Movember, PvP, tagged Movember, PvP on November 8, 2011| 6 Comments »
Bah Regular Scheduled Maintenance.
Sorry… Irregular Scheduled Maintenance
Well, it’s scheduled, we just didn’t mention it on the logon screen… just in the forums you never visit and the Twitter feed that scrolls faster than you can read.
Oh well… Irregular Scheduled post it is then…
F$%jING NOOB F$%jING BA$TARD CRAZY PSYCO BEARDLESS GNOMES!!!
Ohh hang on…
That’s me…
A little while back.. a couple of posts back.. (more…)
Posted in Movember, tagged Movember on November 5, 2011| 13 Comments »
I know I said I wouldn’t post again, but any excuse to avoid going outside on this beautiful Spring afternoon.
I realized while rereading my Movember posts from last year, plus a post from earlier this year, that my posts on depression were kind of, well, depressing.
So, where is the good news?
Here’s some around people understanding depression and more importantly with that understanding facilitating recovery (more…)
Posted in Movember, tagged Movember on November 3, 2011| 20 Comments »
Miss me?
I’ve missed you!
Unfortunately time is still not on my side, so no super dooper posts from me.
Still, I am squeezing out a little time to remind you of something.
I’M ALIVE!
And that, as I described to you in gory detail this time last year, is due in a large part to friends and medical practitioners with a good awareness of depression, the effects on an individual, and the wide ranging effects on the individual’s family and broader community.
I’m excited to be alive and once again participating in Movember, and invite you to share in the excitement of knowing you are making a difference by raising awareness of depression and prostate cancer.
I know I wont have time to do this justice this year, so I wont be posting about it again, but please read through last years posts.
Just in case you thought I wasn’t serious
Depression in the family: Movember
Married with child and depressed: Movember
Depression in the workplace: Movember
Talking about it saves lives: Movember
Aware People are Supportive People: Movember
I will briefly mention my ex-wife, who has been through a very difficult year this year dealing with mental illness. Intially battling to stay alive, then months of therapy and courses to help her develop coping mechanisms and redirect the behaviors that have prevented her from living what many people would consider a normal life, one where the thought of suicide never enters their thoughts. It has been a tough year for all around her, but we are hanging in, as is she.
One of the greatest challenges has been educating her mother about what mental illness is, why it isn’t cured overnight, why it isn’t her fault, why the abuse directed at her is a cry for help rather than true abuse. Of course, I am fortunate that I live in a society that can, more and more, talk openly about mental illness, that can make adjustments to enable people to heal and become fully functioning, whereas my mother-in-law comes from a culture where mental illness “doesn’t exist” and certainly never happens to a loved one.
Bringing the conversation about mental illness into public arena is one of the greatest strengths of Movember. Just as a pink ribbon, or pink bottle top is a great way of raising awareness of breast cancer, growing a Mo is a great way of raising awareness and letting all around you know that you are aware and care about issues affecting men’s health – and you don’t even need to say a word.
Everyone can contribute in some way.
Remember, this isn’t just an Australian event, it is worldwide… Even ForThePie is joining in this year in Movember U.S.A.! Of course there is Movember U.K as well.. go look… get the look… the Movember look!
Mo’mer and Out!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Posted in Misc WoW, Movember, PvP, tagged Misc WoW, Most Hugged Blogger, Movember, PvP on January 17, 2011| 14 Comments »
I started Saturday as the most hugged blogger of 2010 and ended the day as the blogger most in need of hugs 2011.
No, don’t panic, I’m fine, happy and healthy, if a little tired.
This is a story of support during depression with a little WoW twist thrown in.
As you may be aware I spoke a lot about depression, mine and my family’s back in Movember. I mentioned then that it can be a long hard journey and it is.
Saturday afternoon I was alerted by the police to my ex-wife’s latest suicide intentions. She had made it public via Facebook and the level of support and concern from her friends was astounding, with those that know her boyfriend or I, contacting us and those that don’t contacting the police who then contacted me.
Truly it was a wonderful thing to see so many people going to such lengths to save her life.
My evening was spent fielding Facebook enquiries and phone calls from friends and international family.
Remember, no matter how dark it gets, no matter how alone you feel, you are not alone, you are loved by all the people whose lives you have touched.
We will not be better of without my ex-wife, we will not be better off without YOU.
Those Movember posts…
Well there is a WoW argument for being better off without me.. (more…)
Posted in Misc WoW, Movember, tagged Movember on November 30, 2010| 17 Comments »
shattering had left me disappointed, confused and a little annoyed
That was my response to a tweet from Prelimar about the recent changes in WoW.
It also sums up the way I feel much of the time when I am depressed. No I’m not depressed right now, but right at this point of time my interest has waned for WoW, I dare say a temporary thing and I think much of how I feel is summed up in Bear’s post.
So back on topic… where to start…
My ex-wife tried to kill herself last Monday.
Things were going really well for her, but that black dog grabbed her and shook her till she gave up.
Luckily her boyfriend was home, he called me in a panic, then got her to hospital and she was released in the wee hours of the morning.
She is much better now, and determined to be around for a long time.
I hope she keeps it together and it was a good sign that she attended the Movember Gala event… what a good place to beat back the black dog, surrounded by people who understand, that are supportive and prepared to have a laugh in the face of depression.
OK, I accept that may have been a bit of an over the top introduction… maybe my wife’s recent state more so than my apathy for WoW, but I guess it was in part to show that some things, no matter how dire, shouldn’t just be covered up. They need to be talked about and we can talk about them without shame.
There is more shame in a black eye… there is a good chance you deserve that.
The Moscar is awarded to the best Movember video
Posted in Movember, tagged Movember on November 22, 2010| 1 Comment »
Ever been at work when you are ill?
Know people at work that are ill?
Maybe you/they have had a little time off occasionally, a sick day here or there.
Do you know someone that has been sick with more than the common cold?
Something that for a period of time prevents 100% attendance, 100% performance?
Australia is the land of the sicky. We, as full time permanent workers, get an allowance of about 10 sick days a year, give or take.
Australia is also a nation where the national pastime has been (this attitude is changing slowly) drinking. There aren’t many events in Australian life where you can’t find a glass of something alcoholic.
When you combine these two aspects of Australian life and work you get another Australian tradition, the “sicky”. Which is of course a sick day for no other reason than to allow you to get over the big night, to sleep out the hangover, or maybe just to hit the pub again for the hair of the dog.
Try to get time off or a little bit of leeway because you are depressed and you will get:
Get over it you wuss!
Even when you are providing doctors certificates for your visits to the shrinks.
Even when you make up the lost time with extra hours.
Even when you bust your gut just to get out of bed in the morning, to keep your job, to keep yourself going, to give yourself another tool against depression, you are looked at with suspicion.
Work is vitally important when you are depressed. You need things to point to and acknowledge that you are of value, that you have success, a reason to drag yourself out of bed every morning, cause god knows that’s hard enough some days (more…)
Posted in Movember, tagged Movember on November 20, 2010| 19 Comments »
The title of this may just give away the general theme of this post, but don’t let that dissuade you from reading it… hell there are a lot of reasons not to read my posts, don’t let me being blindingly obvious be one of them. Anyway, I’m here for the good news stories.. everyone loves a happy ending don’t they?
Last time I wrote of my apparently amazing, practically overnight recovery from years of depression.
If I gave the impression that a visit to a shrink solved my problems overnight, then I am sorry. I know some people do permanently overcome depression, but I’m not going to giving you a false sense of comfort. I changed, over a long period of time, from living with – accepting – depression, to managing it to the point where it doesn’t interfere with my life. Some times it doesn’t rear it’s ugly head for long periods of time, other times, when life is rough, it takes some conscious effort.
But, that 1st trip to the shrink did bring me back from the brink, I had a purpose again, I had assistance to get well, it was no longer hopeless… there was a future and there was an immediate lift in my mood.
Anyway, back in story telling mode…
A few years after getting help and sorting my life out, a time that involved timeout by myself, changing habits of a lifetime, working crazy hours on crazy hard projects, even nursing my brother-in-law through home-based palliative care (and staying on a while longer to make sure my sister had a good chance of getting back on her feet), one of those things that you only see in pathetic chick-flicks happened (more…)
Posted in Misc WoW, tagged Movember on November 18, 2010| 14 Comments »
So we have a family setting, you could say that depression was pervasive in the family, but we were either unaware (I certainly was) or in denial.
As I grew up it was just life. Outwardly extroverted and hyperactive, inwardly introverted and reflective.
I didn’t fit the family mold, I didn’t want to join the armed forces or play sport, I wanted to read and do art. I’m not sure whether this introversion was a “symptom” of my depression or not, maybe I was just a sensitive child.
Teenage years were a minefield, which is probably the same for most teenagers anyway.
When outside of school I spent the rest of my time in my room, reading, dreaming and planning for my next dungeons and dragons session.
I played a lot of D&D. Nearly 30 years later my D&D playing mates are still some of my best friends.
My family tried often to get me outside the house, but while they succeeded, my safe place was my room, or the D&D sessions.
As much as the D&D was probably avoiding the issue, it probably kept me alive, gave me an outlet to be creative, to mix with people and actually achieve things, like starting the D&D club and my Catholic high school (thanks to Father for defending the club against all the parents calling satanism in a Catholic school, you probably kept me alive).
At 17, high school finished, I went to University, but not a close University, one in the bush, I didn’t really know why, but I had to get away.
I went a little crazy then, but to be fair, that craziness only lasted about 13 years, most of it I don’t honestly remember.
I do know I only stayed as a student at Uni for 1 year, where at least I had the sense to realise that, where my fellow students were going without food to buy teaching aids, I was going without food to buy booze… maybe not the best way to start what I thought would be a teaching career.
There was lots of partying and bands, with lots of alcohol, lots. A standard night out was a large bottle of spirits and a slab of beer (24 cans). I was fortunate (though some may suggest unfortunate) to spend the next 20 years working in Universities. It didn’t particularly matter that I was out 6-7 nights a week. I did my job well (which was primarily interacting with students) and they weren’t fully aware until lunch time most days anyway.
In reality I was out of control.
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Armaggedon's coming! 