Sunday 21 December 2014

Deep Breaths

I've been penning a weekly blog going back to the end of May and I've just been looking at the title of the thing - 'MS and me and us' (it was going to be called My MS, but I had a sneaking suspicion that a certain High Street store would probably discourage me by sending round one of the burlier offspring of either Mr Spencer or Mr Marks). My point, though, is that of the thirty posts, precious few have so much as mentioned the condition.


This could be a factor of me preferring the written word to the rotten condition - it's certainly not that I could ever forget that I'm a sufferer because as any of my 100,000 plus fellow cross-bearers in the UK alone could tell you, it's not something you can forget about for even one waking second (and quite a few sleeping ones). Perhaps my naturally sunny disposition (oh, do shut up at the back) makes me think pretty thoughts instead of the dross brought about by multiple sclerosis.

Whatever, as my more youthful and transatlantic-influenced friends and colleagues (not mutually exclusive, before anyone points that out) might say.

Anyway, I have thoroughly enjoyed writing about anything and everything that popped into my head - and before anyone comments on that, yes, I am aware that thirty things is not exactly a pop-fest of thoughts and ideas. I've filtered out some of the odder thoughts lest any of you begin to think that MS attacks the brain-stem, leaving you champing at an imaginary bit strapped over your mouth very much a la Hannibal Lecter. Even MS is a tad kinder than that. Just not much.


That Doctor Who and the music of Queen and Kate Bush have featured strongly (alongside giving cats pills, motor racing, charities, Sir Terry Pratchett and, unsurprisingly at this time of year, Christmas - to name but a few) is more a product of what's sitting in front of my eyes at any given time than any pre-planned assault on sensibilities, or scheduled attempts to gratify certain segments of the population. And to judge by some of the feedback the gratification element has proved impossible within one or two subject matter areas - never, ever, try to please all Whovians, and I still say Matt Smith was not a Doctor I enjoyed.









My point though is that Christmas really is fast approaching - and if I maintain my normal schedule, will have passed by the time my next post is published - and I have been having a re-think about my scribbles since I have the luxury of a couple of work-free weeks in which to put plans into action.

It's clear, I thought, that many of my posts are relatively light-hearted mutterings about particular likes and hobbies (and yes, Whovians, I include the Doc Who posts in that category because he is NOT a real person, okay?) while others are darker and, some might say, necessarily more realistic. One or two are even focused on this blessed (I use the term both lightly and blown-Davey-Lamp-at-1000-metres-deep darkly) condition after which the blog was named.


One of my posts even describes what I would like to be doing in the dim, distant future when work as we know it (Jim - the Firm got a mention one week) becomes impossible - writing full time.

And so I've been considering my options, blog-wise and online generally, and have decided that I will spend a large part of the next two weeks getting organised. I'll pause here to give everyone who knows me a few seconds to pick themselves up and stop giggling.


I'm being very Martin Luther-ish just now, in that I have a dream (for the more historically aware, I'm not nailing anything to a church door in Wittenburg, I'm referring to ML King). It's time for me to cast aside my online stabilisers and wobble my way into the 21st Century with a new website featuring blog posts segregated by a happiness and topic factor, and start to introduce the writing plans and services that I and a few of my friends, both old and new, will be offering in the years to come.


I think the last time I was actually excited by anything that was vaguely related to computers was quite some time ago - as in nineteen-something - but this really does get my mind whirring (yes, as opposed to its usual clanking and crunching). Or in other words, I'm really looking forward to a Christmas break where I can get organised and happy - and that's before the whisky (which tends to score high on the happiness front, but doesn't do nearly so well in the organisation stakes).

I've even got a long list of potential website names ranging from the sublime to the far more appropriate for me.


In any case, come 2015 I will be the proud owner of a new site full of the bells, whistles and plans which will satisfy my needs in the medium term. I really don't want to put a dampener on your celebratory plans for your own festivities, but I will continue to undertake my weekly scribbles - so that you will still have something to snort derisively about every few days - and I will add to that some links to the new services that the gang will start to offer.

I'll still look for the image that makes me smile and there'll no doubt be posts written just to accommodate them because it's great to laugh - even if the topic sometimes makes you cringe a little. Beer anyone?


So, right now I need to work out how this new mains plug actually fits together, and after that, try to find the on-off switch on my new laptop. I have the strongest feeling, though, that these will prove the least of my IT stumbling blocks in the days to come...

Anyway, now you know what I'll be up to, but rest assured that I also genuinely wish each and every one of you the Happiest Christmas of your own.

Cheers!






and finally, do remember to play the Christmas games, like hide and seek.,.


No comments:

Post a Comment