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Things I Will NOT Give Up

Christmas is over, some say at last, and its back to the grind on Monday.  Of course that is after another monsterous drive, on my own this time, from Darvel back down to Bath.

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Needs must however.  It works out about £50 one way by car, so I feel it's worth it.  There goes the remaining Christmas money....

Anyway, back to the subject of interest.

I have a diagnosis at last!  Autoimmune Hepatitis.  Don't panic, i'm not contagious.  Its not one you can get from a needle or anything else.  Its just a result of my retarded immune system attacking my own liver for no other reason than boredom.  Unfortunately, i have apparently had this for a while, without symptoms, or at least, without symptoms easily noticed.  So it has got to the point that my liver has cirrhosis.....YAY! So no drinking for the rest of my life.  I can handle that.  At least this is treatable though.  I mean the liver is not going to magically cure itself, but the AIH can be controlled, so i'm on steroids and i have to say, i'm feeling the better for it.  I didn't honestly think i would feel any different, but i feel like something is working.  Perhaps its all psychological.  Even the swelling in my legs has reduced though.

So to conclude this post, I would like to make a list.  AIH is something a lot of people have, and some people take it lying down.  I'm not going to be one of these people.  Fair enough, i may need a replacement liver at some point (DONATE ONE HERE), but i'm not going to just wait until i need one.  I fully intend to continue a normal life.  Why should i change it?

Things I have continued through my diagnosis:

• Work - I am not going to let my PhD slip away from me
• Relationships - Friends are needed more than anything, i need them as they are and were before, i don't want them changing either!
• Planning for the future - I do intend to have a life and a family - i refuse to put it on hold.
• Volunteering - Working with young people, helping where needed, can distract and take your mind off it.  Cant hurt the Karma either.
• Scouting - Related to above - i have taken up a leaders position at an Explorer Scout group in Bath.  A great bunch, good for keeping you on your toes.
• My girlfriend - Without her support, i would have fallen down a deep dark hole.

Things I will never give up!

• Xbox - Stress relief by headshot
• Scouting - it has been a part of my life since i was 5 years old, i'm not stopping for a mere flesh wound.
• Love - it is a phenomenal source of strength
• Optimism and a factual and logical approach to things.  Panicking helps nobody, neither does dramatics.

And with that, I press the'resume' button on my life.

Swims and Rounds (swings and roundabouts)

So after a brilliant anniversary weekend with the wonderful Stephanie (@yougrowwilds), I'm waiting.  But the wait has been interesting and not entirely without its highpoints.

The weekend was really good, we went out to dinner and saw the fireworks on Saturday, and on Sunday we went to the Roman Baths, in Bath.  A more interesting museum I have never found!  It really is amazing being able to go just a few meters beneath the city streets and find the unspoilt remains of the preserved Roman architecture.  You can even see the markings on the stone, almost as clear as they would have been at the time.   The image below inspired me in two ways:

1. If that writing, some scribbles in a bit of stone, can last the thousands of years it has been buried under the ground, then we can last a couple of years together whilst living apart.
2. To be able to read such a fantastically preserved thing would be amazing, so I am now trying to teach myself Latin.  The ultimate goal is to be able to read the book I bought.  "Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis", however right now, all I can manage is "Ego non sum et agricole et nauta".  But I can swim, and plant flowers...

The other good thing happening this week is Battlefield 3.  I am now fully internet enabled, and playing the most graphically stunning game I have ever encountered.  This game really puts CoD: Modern Warfare 3 to shame.

Although, I am about as useful in one of the aircraft as a fart in a lift!  Plenty of time to learn though.

All change...

So a lot has happened since i lost interest in this blog and essentially gave up on it.  I moved to Bath, a really nice place, but not by choice, and I am continuing the 3rd year of my Ph.D. here.  Okay, so change isn't in itself a bad thing, even i know that.  But change can be difficult, especially when you are moving away from all you have ever known or cared about, to the opposite end of the nation, 370 miles away from the significant people in your life.  And boy, there are some significant people left behind.  I no longer live with my best friend, Cameron.  I no longer get to spend my free time with the love of my life, Steph, and I am now essentially cooped up in a room less than half the size of my previous one, at an added cost, with a lack of a reliable internet connection.

That's not the half of it though.  After 3 short months down here, i already had to retreat home for two months due to an un-scheduled hospital visit.  Bath's RUH is a good hospital, but their games of "guess the illness" were not exactly my idea of fun.

Essentially after returning home for some outpatient investigation, i have been diagnosed with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis with a few associated complications.  So I'm off the booze and on the drugs for the rest of my life.  A small price to pay...

Internet is installed on the 8th however, so expect more rants on here....now that I have plenty to rant about....

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This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Systematic Absences of Royal Mail Postmen

This week's rant is dedicated to the inability of postmen working for the Royal Mail to actually deliver post.  It seems any time I get a package delivered here to the flat, they end up telling ridiculous lies on those little red "Oops you were not in" notes and make me drive to the distribution office at ridiculous times to pick it up!

First of all, they say they couldn't get access on Saturday.  Usually a believable thing since they attempted to deliver it at 10:30am, however i was up at 8:30 that morning.  I know this because I was rudely awoken by a marching band, and not the usual type.  Yep, it's that time of year, the tango men are out in force!  But I was in all day!!!!  However, the cunning postman's ruse is immediately destroyed when you turn to the back...

As can clearly be seen, under You can:  Collect the item.

Please leave "Now" hours before collecting.  

Now hours?  You mean you are actually going to have the gall to tell me you never bothered bringing it to my address in the first place?  Muppet.  Maybe I should just return to my "Safeplace".

On a happier note, I finally worked out what systematic absences are!  Achievement unlocked!

Anyway, this rant will be ending with the clip of the week.  I think he has the right to complain about this one!

Until next week!

Alan

Highlight of my day!

This you tube video made my day!