Happy New Year

Happy new year to all my readers, may 2012 bring you all you hope and wish for!

Editing

I'm in the process of editing the manuscript I have recently digitised. It's a tedious process of correcting typos, spelling mistakes and OCR errors.
I've done 3 chapters so far, still hoping to have it published sometime in January.

Weight Maintain

Weighed myself today and I have actually lost about half a kilo, so I'll count that as a maintain over the Christmas period.

Not bad really, I put it down to sensible excess!

Water Cooling Project

I've converted my number crunching machine ti water cooling.

Well actually it's a hybrid of water and air cooling.

CPU and 1 GPU are now watercooled.
The second GPU, RAM, Northbridge, Southbridge and hard drives are still air cooled.
Plus the case still has 3 fans, one of which is controlled by the temperature on the CPU water block.

The project has been successful as the GPU running temp has dropped from 70 C to 50 C and the CPU temperature is more stable, although a couple of degrees higher around 45 C.

This is the ZALMAN Resorator 1 V2 basic kit.

Blackberry 8520 and iphone 4

Blackberry 8520 and iphone 4 now available in my online store. http://astore.amazon.co.uk/andhilstrsur-21?_encoding=UTF8&node=104
More phones coming soon.

Rich Food

The rich food of yesterday has made my IBS play up a bit, but I should be able to keep it under control with medication.
We're off out for a meal again this lunchtime, then it will be back to normal eating routine until new years day, when we are off out for another meal.
I wonder what next thursday's weigh in will look like?

Christmas Dinner

Went out for Christmas dinner with my cousin and parents.
Had a great time stuffed full and tired out! Just woken up from my afternoon nap!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays
Seasons Greetings

(whatever is appropriate to your culture)

Computer Fixed

System Image restore was successful, it's been working fine all day today, apart from my video capture program causing lockups, that project still needs a bit of work obviously.

Computer broken

Following my success with the water cooling project, I decided to do some work on my video digitising project and managed to break windows!
I'm now on the second attempt to restore from a system image.

Water Cooling Project

Water cooling project completed successfully
Of course it was more difficult than expected!
Things had to be adapted to fit, a couple of cards had to be swapped over to make things fit, which confused the hell out of windows when I eventually started up again, until I loaded the correct network adapters again.

Anyway all working now. A good job done with help from my cousin Stu... Great teamwork!

Almost Christmas

It's getting dangerously close to Christmas now, my cousin has come to stay for the holidays as usual. No last minute shopping to do, so can laugh at all the panic going on!

Touch and go as to whether my liquid cooling system arrives this week. As long as it arrives before the end of next week, while I have help to install it. Need to change my mains supply arrangements too. It will probably turn into an all day job, hopefully without too much frustration.

Visitors

Clair and possibly Abi coming today.
Cousin Stu coming tomorrow for the holidays.

I like visitors! But I like my own space sometimes too.

Short Term Memory

Had a really annoying short term memory issue earlier, I was going to look something up on the internet, it seemed really important at the time, but something distracted me and I completely forgot what I was going to look up. I have racked my brains tried to retrace my thought steps but it's completely gone.
It's really bugging me, I'm trying to forget about it, things usually come back when I do that. But I just can't get it out of my head! So Annoying!!!

Liquid cooling project

Well I've done it I've ordered the components for my liquid cooling project eeeek....

Hand improvements

It was one year ago today that I was discharged from Hospital, and what a journey that year has been.

Just recently I have noticed more marked improvements in my hand and arm.
One problem I have had is that I have been unable to get a glove on my left hand, my fingers just curl up when I try.
However today I wanted to throw some bleach around in the bathroom, so I tried putting my marigolds on, my left hand just slipped in... well like a hand into a glove... another small step forward!

Next big computer project

My next big computer project is going to be converting my number crunching machine to liquid cooling. I'm going to have a waterfall and everything!!
Have to save my pennies up though!
Help fund this project.... Shop at my online store http://astore.amazon.co.uk/andhilstrsur-21?_encoding=UTF8&node=103 

***Special Promotion***

***Special Promotion*** Until Friday 23rd December My Surviving a stroke trilogy can be downloaded for FREE http://astore.amazon.co.uk/andhilstrsur-21?_encoding=UTF8&node=103

Eventful Day

Went to hospital with my dad to have his prostate markers inserted in preparation for his radio therapy.
All went OK, journey back in wet, dark and mist a bit scary. I'm not a good passenger, be glad when I'm driving again.

Just looked at my book sales report, I've had a sudden sales spurt, still time to get them in time for the holidays http://astore.amazon.co.uk/andhilstrsur-21?_encoding=UTF8&node=103

3rd Book Available

The third book in my surviving a stroke series, One Year On, is now available on Amazon Kindle https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006NFB5BO

Third Book

The third book in my surviving a stroke trilogy, One Year On, has been sent for publishing. Should be available on Amazon Kindle Next week.

Writing Target for Christmas

I have set myself the target of getting my third book in the surviving a stroke aeries ready for publishing and to complete the scanning and digitising of the old manuscript I found, by Christmas, both are jobs that I find tedious, but I'm pushing myself to get them done. It is a good exercise in Concentration.

Computer Housekeeping

Having to do some housekeeping on my number crunching machine this morning, my 1Tb System drive is nearly full already!
Where does it all come from?

I feel like I've got a bit of a cold coming on.
I'm even more snuffly than normal, got that tingle at the back of my mouth/throat and I have that feeling on my chest that theres something constantly there that you need to huf off.

Boo... hate colds!

IBS

Went out for lunch with my parents today, I just had a chicken baguette, in line with my diet, it came with mixed leaf side salad which I enjoyed at the time.
Unfortunately this evening my body "rejected" it, and has left me with moderate IBS discomfort. I've had IBS for 30 years now and since the stroke it seems to have got worse again. Sometimes I just wish I could eat what I liked without repercussions! 

Facebook

I've fallen out with Facebook!
I'm sick and tired of random bits of it not working.
For such a big organisation they should concentrate on making the features they have work properly, instead of constantly developing new features that no-one likes or even wants!

I've stopped short of deleting my account at the moment, I'll wait until the red mist clears and see if I still feel the same about it before doing that.

AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Target Weight

I've reached my target weight of getting below 75kg today, I tipped the scales at 74.4kg. I can relax a bit for Christmas now as long as I avoid a major blowout!

STROKE - The new wonder slimming aid!
Don't think it will catch on though!

Bad Night

My parents have an ongoing problem with a noisy neighbor above them, who has now taken to ranting to his noisy mates that he has round about them.
They have started complaints procedures with the council, the police don't seem that interested, do they have to wait until they are physically attacked before anything gets done?

Anyway they were so frightened by the noise, the amount of people upstairs, about 5 in total and the ranting, last night, that they came and stopped at my place.
The whole thing caused me to have an anxiety attack, the worst I have had since being on medication.
Anyway they have gone back this morning and all is quiet and we are all well.

It's all a nightmare situation and we don't know what to do!

The Freeview Project

The Freeview PC project is going quite well, the hardware seems good the software is OK, but it integrates well with windows media centre, which is pretty good.
I just need to wait for the ariel splitter to arrive now, at the moment I have to disconnect the TV ariel in order to connect it up. Which is annoying to say the least!
Anyway with the initial tests I am quite impressed.

Freeview enabled PC

My latest project is to freeview enable my main PC the hardware has cost less than £30 and it's HD as well.

Vivid dreams

I have always been a frequent and vivid dreamer.
However one of the aftereffects of the stroke had been to increase the apparent vividness of my dreams.
For the most part they are good if rather weird, at worst they are a little disturbing, but rarely what you would call bad.
I have actually started dreaming as I am just falling asleep and still continuing when I am just waking up, giving the impression that I am having waking dreams.

I have to say that I enjoy these dreams, and actually look forward to going to sleep and dreaming.

Following the suggestion of someone on the TalkStroke Forum, I'm going to try to record some of them in a book.

Old Manuscript

I have recently found an old manuscript of a book I wrote back in 1994.
I have searched everywhere but failed to find an electronic version of it, so today I have started the long and tedious task of scanning the pages and OCRing them.
I have done the first chapter as a test, it wasn't quite as hard or tedious as I had expected, my plan is to publish it on Kindle early in the new year.

Coping

My parents have gone to a family do down in Telford, I havn't gone because I can't be coping with the travelling. and all the people, I would feel like I was the star in a freak show. I'll just keep an eye on their flat, as they are having problems with a noisy nutter neighbor at the moment.
Just the sort of hassle we all don't need! Still they're away from it for a couple of days and I'm far enough away not to be affected.

Why is there so little consideration in this world?

4od

Just watched a program on 4od  for the first time in ages. Not that impressed, compared to BBC iplayer, the buffering and general responsiveness seems quite poor.

Bad Thursday

In order to achieve the balance in things, yesterday was not such a good day.
Full of little niggles and annoyances, computer crashes, general frustrations and EVERYTHING!
Still, nobody died.

The Bargain Monitor Saga

The replacement power supply for the bargain monitor arrived today and so far it appears to be working fine. It's been on for several hours now. So hopefully now the saga is over, and my main machine is up to it's full compliment of 5 monitors.

Had quite a good computer day all round, got a few little jobs done including getting Bluetooth working on Clair's laptop.
The video capture device for my video digitising project has arrived too. Haven't got the audio working on that yet though.

All this without any major frustration upsets today too.
I'm going to officially declare a good day!

Third Book

I've started work on my third book in the surviving a stroke series,,"One year on" Hoping it will be finished early in the new year.

Work

Spoke to my boss at work on Skype this morning, it's deathly quiet there but at least they're ticking over. In an odd way I'm glad I'm out of it at the moment. I'm going to take my time and get my brain working again, before I rush myself back to work, I don't want to set myself up for a fall!

The exclusive club

Had a visit from my Stroke Association volunteer friend this morning. It's good to chat face to face to a fellow survivor. We are an exclusive club, that no-one wants to join.
He thinks I'm doing really well.

New Monitor

My 3rd new monitor should arrive today, all I need then is the replacement power supply for the bargain one, and I'm all set up!

What a saga!

Prejudice against the disabled

A newspaper article about prejudice against the disabled has been brought to my attention, and prompted this comment on the Stroke Association forum!

Being disabled has certainly open my eyes to the intolerance of the general public, although thankfully I have not been directly abused as of yet, people barge past , barge in front, walk straight at me and huf under their breath,

I feel like shouting at them, I'm sorry if the fact that I've had a stroke has inconvenienced your life for a bit, because it sure as hell has kicked the arse out of mine!

That government and press should reinforce these prejudices is unforgivable.. and we call ourselves a civilised country... HA!

Read the article here http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/04/ian-birrell-prejudice-against-disabled

Christmas Bonus

I have just received a letter from the DWP, my first thought was one of dread! "What's gone wrong now!"

But surprise of surprises it seems I am getting a £10 Christmas Bonus for being on DLA / ESA allowances.
Not an earth shattering amount by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a pleasent surprise for a change.

The bargain monitor saga... continues

I have been in touch with the supplier and the power supply is going back for testing and replacement.... in the meantime I have ordered another Hanns-G monitor to match my other 2, once I finally get the Acer working, my machine will be up to it's maximum compliment of 5 monitors.

24 hours without painkillers

I've managed to get through the last 24 hours without painkillers, been a while since I've done that!
I think as I've started to do more I have got more muscle aches. Hopefully it's reached a plateau now.

Frosty Morning

It was probably the worst frost of the winter this morning, but it was safe underfoot, so I ventured outside.

I have no intention of going out if it gets slippery, the last thing I want is a fall that sets me back months!

The bargain Monitor saga.

A couple of weeks back I picked up a bargain monitor on eBay only £20 17" LCD.

It arrived quickly, looked good but came with no power supply, (My fault for not reading description properly)
Ordered what I thought was the right power supply from Amazon, arrived quickly, right spec voltage etc, but wrong plug to connect to monitor, this was an Acer Laptop supply not Acer Monitor supply (My fault for not reading properly)
Looked more carefully on Amazon, and ordered correct power supply. Arrived today, correct spec correct plug. Connected up, switched on all working fine..... For about 15 minutes..... then monitor went off! Light on power supply was off, tried other power leads but power supply was dead!
Now contacting Seller on Amazon market place to find out about replacement, wish i'd just bought a new monitor like the other 2 I have!!! AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!