MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Random Reminiscing Ramblings' source. Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:13:24 +0100 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2008/08/biases-in-autism-research.html Before wondering whether this post has anything to do with recent discussions anywhere, please note that it was written in January and just wasn't posted until now.I think science is a Good Thing and I think the results of scientific research can be very helpful to autistic people. That being said, much of current autism research suffers from a number of serious problems, none of which I've barely even seen being mentioned outside of the autistic community.These problems are sufficiently severe, especially in combination, that I cannot bring myself to take large amounts of this research seriously. There is good work being done, but as I see it, it's being obscured by all the rubbish.I will consider taking autism research in general seriously when...Researchers control for common causes of stress, anxiety, depression and detrimental obsessiveness before assuming that those conditions are inherent to, caused by or just mysteriously connected to autism, and without once considering the possibility that they're caused by the same things as in non-autistic people; i.e. discrimination, bullying, abuse, sensory issues, being surrounded by unpredictable people, etc.Researchers performing studies of autistic people in institutional settings (including places that function like but aren't called institutions) control for the results institutionalisation has on everyone, such as depression, anxiety, side-effects of medication, fear of staff, learnt helplessness, passivity, Stockholm syndrome and many more, before assuming that either those things or the further results of those are in any way due to autism.Researchers presume competence and purposefulness when they encounter difference. Starting with the assumption that everything not like yourself is inferior and broken and then forcing all your findings into that mold may be fine according to one's equally ableist peers, but won't impress the people who are trying to deal with the consequences of this practice.Researchers stop assuming that skills and deficiencies of autistic people generalise the same way as those of non-autistic people, and take this into account when designing, performing and evaluating studies. For an example of what happens when one doesn't do this, see this discussion of theory of mind. For an example of what happens when one does, see this study.Ethical review boards include autistic people, in a non-tokenistic manner, in the decision making process for whether to conduct a given study of autistic people in the first place. This process of inclusion will necessarily involve thinking about accessibility in ways far beyond ramps, and will have to include reimbursement for transport and loss of income for those who participate.Funding bodies make non-tokenistic attempts to solicit feedback and opinion from the autistic community at large. To use a (still somewhat) recent example, giving less than a month's time for feedback and conducting the inquiry during the winter holiday season, while certainly better than nothing, does not speak highly of their interest in actually receiving feedback from a wide variety of autistic people.Funding bodies realise the inherent dangers of having a privileged group conduct research on an unprivileged one, especially in a climate of media hysteria and relatively unhindered discrimination, and start funding autistic people to conduct our own research; both medical, psychological and sociological. For an example of just how much of a difference this can make, see the work by Michelle Dawson.Until these issues have been addressed, I will continue to look very carefully at the methodology of any studies performed on autistic people before even considering taking their results seriously, regardless of whose opinions they support.PS: No, I'm not back, just clearing out the post queue. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1723369 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1723369 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2008/08/why-im-not-doing-autism-self-advocacy.html Last autumn I returned to autism self-advocacy, being fed up with the way I was treated post-diagnosis. I knew that a single person can't accomplish much on eir own, and no one else seemed interested in helping, but I wanted to have another go at changing people's attitudes nonetheless.The thing is, I belong to a number of other minorities, not all of which are apparent. I'm well aware that there's a prohibition against multiple differences, but they're still there. That was fine until I started to accept myself for who and what I am. While fear and a lack of self-acceptance had long kept me from affiliating myself with some of the more stigmatised groups to which I belong, suddenly that was no longer the case, and as a result the prejudices, fear and outright hatred between their various activists and advocates finally got to me. In the end, after a lot of consideration I left. It just seemed increasingly pointless to me to do it one step at a time.Hence the silence.So-called normal people, of course, continued to behave as before. This time, however, I didn't have anywhere to go, or at least I felt like I didn't. I began considering alternatives and I'm still in the process of doing that, but I've found precious few ways to advocate without having to force-fit myself into an already existing group's mould.Sometimes I find tiny glimmers of hope, where all manner of odd people reach out to one another and join hands, if only for that brief moment recognising their shared goals. For the most part, however, I see much destructiveness and little actual progress, with many being more concerned with distancing themselves from "those people" than with seeking allies or even improving their own situation.Perhaps one day I'll be able to participate again, voluntarily cutting myself into tiny pieces for the benefit of intolerant people, but right now I just can't bring myself to do so. For those of you who are still at it, I admire and applaud every bit of progress you make, but I also mourn every time one group tries to gain acceptance by speaking ill of another.PS: If you think this entry is specifically about you, then you're very specifically wrong. No, really. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1708887 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1708887 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2008/01/history-of-project-empowerment.html I'm not sure if this is new to anyone, but I found an English translation of a document describing the history of Project Empowerment, a former project within the Swedish national autism society. It was originally initiated by Gunilla Gerland and was intended to increase the influence of adult autistic people within the organisation itself.Some notes on the translation:The term functional disorder is a mistranslation of the Swedish "funktionshinder," meaning disability.Communicator should probably be lecturer. Unfortunately, from what I've seen and heard from the Dalarö based school, it mostly means self-narrating zoo exhibit.LSS administrators are the people whose job it is to judge who gets access to the forms of aid granted by the LSS legislation. Unfortunately, they today frequently and illegally do so based on the local budget instead of the person's actual needs. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146157 Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1146157 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2008/01/podcast-salt.html For those who enjoy listening to speeches, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Seminars on Long-Term Thinking series by the Long Now Foundation. It's a big part of my usual audio input when I'm travelling nowadays.A surprising number of these talks touch directly on subjects relevant to activists and self-advocates of any kind, and most of the other ones have various amounts of geek appeal.All of the talks given so far are available in their archive. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1142302 Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1142302 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/12/quickie-i-can-has-labels.html I've now tagged (labelled in Blogger-speak) nearly every past entry on this blog. Hopefully that'll make it easier to find older posts on a particular topic.Now, for some reason the tags won't appear on the actual posts. Not sure why, but I'm working on it. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1097621 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1097621 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/12/concerning-ransom-notes-campaign.html Here is the letter I (finally) wrote to Dr. Harold S. Koplewicz of the NYU Child Study Center concerning their offensive and misguided campaign. Only the signature differs. It ended up in the "nice" category, for complicated reasons. Feel free to voice your annoyance of that.Dear Dr. Koplewicz,I am writing to you as an autistic self-advocate deeply concerned by the NYU Child Study Center's recent campaign titled "Ransom Notes." While I am sure it was originally conceived with good intentions, the context chosen and the both inaccurate and sensationalist way in which it portrays these conditions will have a most detrimental effect and I urge you to retract this campaign immediately before it causes additional damage. Speaking more specifically about autism, far from encouraging acceptance and inclusion of autistic people, this campaign will add to the current stigma of disability and difference, and will damage or destroy the work of thousands of self-advocates and allies. Many autistic people and other disabled people say that the most disabling thing isn't the disability itself but rather the attitudes and prejudices of others. The "Ransom Notes" campaign will foster and strengthen such damaging attitudes. Additionally, by falsely describing us as incapable of interacting socially with other people, it is perpetuating extremely damaging myths. If people believe we are incapable of friendship, they will make no effort to befriend us or reciprocate when we make the attempt. If they believe we are incapable of saying anything, they will have no reason to listen to and certainly not to seek out what we are saying. I am not shut in by autism; I am shut out by prejudice. There is no need to resort to false statements or conjure images of kidnapped children in order to raise awareness of these conditions, nor is there anything to gain from doing so. A realistic and positively framed message, encouraging acceptance, inclusion and respect for human diversity while still clearly advocating for aid where appropriate would benefit not only the people with these specific conditions but their families, friends and communities. Such a message would also indirectly benefit many individuals whose lives are affected by other forms of difference or disability. I strongly encourage you to put and end to and retract any existing material from the "Ransom Notes" campaign, to make contact with the disability rights organisations who are now joining to petition against it and to actively involve them in the development of a new campaign with a balanced and truly helpful message. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely,elmindredaIf you agree that this campaign is misguided, damaging and offensive, please join in the effort to write and urge them to retract it and also sign the petition calling for the same.PS: The lecture notes are coming, but words like "shortly" take on a different meaning during fibro flares. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1091281 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1091281 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/11/shedding-that-striped-skin.html When do you know enough about a subject that you're able to engage in the public debate or give talks about it with good conscience? I know intellectually that it's a silly question, because "there's no tangible point" and "everyone has to start somewhere", but emotionally it's always plaguing me, and especially when I'm writing something for public consumption.I've been reminded of this in a none too pleasant way recently, as I've been reworking Reflections, a site that grew rather organically out of a thought diary started as I was discovering autism and the autistic community for the first time. While I don't regret the things I wrote there, I no longer agree with much of the older material (now removed or being reworked), either in content or tone.This question feels even more pressing when I give a talk to psychiatric staff about autism, as I've done a few of times in the past, most recently today. Earlier today I spoke for two hours (longest yet) to some thirty odd psychiatric staff persons, most of whom work with at least one autistic person to some degree and all of whom probably will do so at some point. The people at this particular agency take turns between giving in-home support and working as staff in a small group home.It had been made abundantly clear, if never explicitly stated, that I was assumed to give an "inspirational" talk about my life and the ways in which I'm supposedly broken, i.e. to be their self-narrating zoo exhibit for an afternoon. This in itself wasn't surprising, after all, "that's what people do," right? Even the more sensible and experienced Swedish autistic lecturers I've heard have tended towards zoo exhibitness. Not doing that, then, both felt and was received as somewhat radical.I tend to look on the occasional opportunities granted me to speak to staff and mental health professionals as damage control. When given (say) half an hour with such people, while I'd love to make a compelling case for the social model of disability, argue passionately for ethics, human rights and the fallaciousness of the concept of normality, I tend to focus on simple, concrete advice that hopefully will make them more likely to not hurt the individual autistic people they encounter as much as they otherwise would have.It may be poor self-confidence on my part, but I find it unlikely that I'd be able to make a lasting dent on a philosophical level in such a short time, especially considering that they'll go back to being surrounded by the institutional culture and might not hear another autistic advocate or self-advocate speak for many years if at all. Thus I focus on teaching them stuff they may remember the next time they find themselves in a particularly precarious situation with an autistic person.Things like we are human beings, we do the things we do for good reasons, be aware of potential sensory issues in the environment, provide time for real answers to be given, be aware of the difference between superficial and actual communication, verbal communication is often difficult, we self-injure for the same reasons as anyone else, make things predictable and available in writing whenever possible, stims have purpose and should not be prevented, a direct style of communication doesn't mean hostility, etc., etc.I do try to get across that I'm comfortable with and unashamed of the way I function (not proud, pride is for accomplishments), both explicitly and through the way I approach and talk about the subject, but I have to admit that I have at times fallen into the zoo exhibit trap, as it's horrifyingly easy to do so. I think today is the first time I didn't, and I got a number of surprised compliments to that effect from listeners who've probable never heard the term but seemed very aware of its meaning.This time, for the first time, I also had a section on the explicit and implicit forms of power staff hold over us, the damage caused by being unaware of or trying to ignore this fact, and the ways this interacts with the likely present history of bullying and abuse. This is something I'm still very much looking for words to describe properly, so it was rather... inelegant, but judging from the questions people asked at least a few of them seemed to get it. A few others seemed offended, which might mean I wasn't overly careful, so maybe that's good too.I really, truly wish I'd had time to finish the lecture notes a good while before today, as I wanted to post them here and let you guys critique them (I wrote them in English and then translated them into Swedish, it was easier that way), but there just wasn't time. I will put it up here shortly, though, in slightly edited form. I just need to rest for a day or so first.If any of this sounds boastful then please hit yourself over the head with a herring until that feeling passes because it isn't meant that way. Rather, if anything, I'm seeking advice and feedback from others in the autistic community, and I know that many of you know a lot more about what to say and how to present it and have done so far more often than I probably ever will.I'm just a n00b. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1058244 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1058244 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/11/shedding-that-striped-skin.html When do you know enough about a subject that you're able to engage in the public debate or give talks about it with good conscience? I know intellectually that it's a silly question, because "there's no tangible point" and "everyone has to start somewhere", but emotionally it's always plaguing me, and especially when I'm writing something for public consumption.I've been reminded of this in a none too pleasant way recently, as I've been reworking Reflections, a site that grew rather organically out of a thought diary started as I was discovering autism and the autistic community for the first time. While I don't regret the things I wrote there, I no longer agree with much of the older material (now removed or being reworked), either in content or tone.This question feels even more pressing when I give a talk to psychiatric staff about autism, as I've done a few of times in the past, most recently today. Earlier today I spoke for two hours (longest yet) to some thirty odd psychiatric staff persons, most of whom work with at least one autistic person to some degree and all of whom probably will do so at some point. The people at this particular agency take turns between giving in-home support and working as staff in a small group home.It had been made abundantly clear, if never explicitly stated, that I was assumed to give an "inspirational" talk about my life and the ways in which I'm supposedly broken, i.e. to be their self-narrating zoo exhibit for an afternoon. This in itself wasn't surprising, after all, "that's what people do," right? Even the more sensible and experienced Swedish autistic lecturers I've heard have tended towards zoo exhibitness. Not doing that, then, both felt and was received as somewhat radical.I tend to look on the occasional opportunities granted me to speak to staff and mental health professionals as damage control. When given (say) half an hour with such people, while I'd love to make a compelling case for the social model of disability, argue passionately for ethics, human rights and the fallaciousness of the concept of normality, I tend to focus on simple, concrete advice that hopefully will make them more likely to not hurt the individual autistic people they encounter as much as they otherwise would have.It may be poor self-confidence on my part, but I find it unlikely that I'd be able to make a lasting dent on a philosophical level in such a short time, especially considering that they'll go back to being surrounded by the institutional culture and might not hear another autistic advocate or self-advocate speak for many years if at all. Thus I focus on teaching them stuff they may remember the next time they find themselves in a particularly precarious situation with an autistic person.Things like we are human beings, we do the things we do for good reasons, be aware of potential sensory issues in the environment, provide time for real answers to be given, be aware of the difference between superficial and actual communication, verbal communication is often difficult, we self-injure for the same reasons as anyone else, make things predictable and available in writing whenever possible, stims have purpose and should not be prevented, a direct style of communication doesn't mean hostility, etc., etc.I do try to get across that I'm comfortable with and unashamed of the way I function (not proud, pride is for accomplishments), both explicitly and through the way I approach and talk about the subject, but I have to admit that I have at times fallen into the zoo exhibit trap, as it's horrifyingly easy to do so. I think today is the first time I didn't, and I got a number of surprised compliments to that effect from listeners who've probable never heard the term but seemed very aware of its meaning.This time, for the first time, I also had a section on the explicit and implicit forms of power staff hold over us, the damage caused by being unaware of or trying to ignore this fact, and the ways this interacts with the likely present history of bullying and abuse. This is something I'm still very much looking for words to describe properly, so it was rather... inelegant, but judging from the questions people asked at least a few of them seemed to get it. A few others seemed offended, which probably means I wasn't overly careful, so maybe that's good too.I really, truly wish I'd had time to finish the lecture notes a good while before today, as I wanted to post them here and let you guys critique them (I wrote them in English and then translated them into Swedish, it was easier that way), but there just wasn't time. I will put it up here shortly, though, in slightly edited form. I just need to rest for a day or so first.If any of this sounds boastful then please hit yourself over the head with a herring until that feeling passes because it isn't meant that way. Rather, if anything, I'm seeking advice and feedback from others in the autistic community, and I know that many of you know a lot more about what to say and how to present it and have done so far more often than I probably ever will.I'm just a n00b. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1057250 Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1057250 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/11/quickie-downtime.html I just wanted to let people know that I'm currently unable to respond by email, as Sherka (my primary workstation) needs to be sent away for repairs and I refuse to post via the Gmail web interface unless absolutely required to, as I want to keep local copies of sent email. I still read my email, I just don't write much of it.You may at this point make comments about OCD, but that won't change my mind. I hope to get Sherka repaired soon, though. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1018786 Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1018786 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/10/on-accessibility-of-vlogs.html Video blogging is getting increasingly popular, even on the Hub. However, video blogs unfortunately still have a lot of accessibility problems. Here are a few of the ones I could think of right now, but there are others:The text is burned into the video file, and so cannot be enhanced by style sheet overrides or read by screen reader software.Unless you actively pause and resume, you have only as much time to read every screenful as the creator saw fit to give.Sometimes a part of the message is in narration or the lyrics of a song, which is incomprehensible to people with hearing impairments.Playback often requires a closed source plug-in that's only available on a few platforms, excluding the people using non-standard systems or mobile devices.Even on those few platforms many security conscious people won't run it, and older computer may not be powerful enough to properly play back the video.Therefore, the next time you're thinking about making a video blog entry, please consider if you could get your message through using text, or text with properly decorated images instead. If that's not possible, please try to include captions in the video file or a transcript in the post.Now, I'm far from perfect myself, but I've never been sure why only perfect people are allowed to point important things out. Also, as an added bonus, you get to point out all the things I'm not doing to make my content accessible.Seriously, please do.Update: Linguistic tinkering, added narration (thanks to codeman38). (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=944451 Thu, 11 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 944451 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/10/quickie-turning-tables.html I found this two-part short film:Talk - Part 1Talk - Part 2...and this commercial:Pub institutionnel EDF...courtesy of the No Pity community. They're focused on physical disability, but still brilliant.I wonder how a similar film about autism and other neurologically based disabilities would look. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=921615 Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 921615 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/09/robert-jordan-vende-ortekerana-donye.html "The Light shine on you and the Creator shelter you. The last embrace of the Mother welcome you home."Leyanade nay imino.Akonade nay onaniar, vendesma so yasterana.Kite lendiar? Robert Jordan passed away earlier today. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=877473 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 877473 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/09/look-its-really-very-simple.html People have innate, equal, unconditional value. All of us. Yes, all of us.Being different from the norm doesn't mean you're better than other people. It also doesn't mean you're beneath them. Difference shouldn't be a loaded word.Being disabled rarely means being incapable. It very often means having to do things differently. Whether or not you're able to do so depends on your environment1.One's contributions to society cannot be constructively measured by one's salary, title or level of fame. The world is much more complex than that. Success should be something each person defines for themself.Countless groups of people face prejudice, abuse and violation of their rights. Fighting to improve the conditions for your particular group at the expense of another's isn't solving the problem, it's just moving it around.The instinct behind most of these problems is the fear of losing power and privilege, especially to people "not like me", because "they'll favour people like them over us". Don't prove them right.If people start at least considering the possibility of achieving a society open and accessible to all, instead of focusing solely on the situation of their particular group, we as a species might actually get somewhere.Yes, that means recognising the equal, innate and unconditional value of your sworn enemy. It doesn't, however, mean you have to agree with them.1. It also depends on your knowledge of alternative strategies, but it's the responsibility of your environment to teach and provide those. That's called parenting and education. In some cases it's called support. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=875141 Sun, 16 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 875141 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/08/new-record.html I finally have a home of my own again, and I've spent the past two weeks moving my possessions here (gradual and relaxed moving was worth every penny of double rent) but only started living here a few days ago.Today was the first time I was verbally abused by a complete stranger in this area. That's impressively quick. Usually it takes a month or two. You have to admire their efficiency at identifying socially acceptable targets.Or not. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=778554 Sat, 04 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 778554 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/07/quickie-ten-suggestions.html While I certainly don't agree that these changes will be instantaneous if attempted, it's still good advice and well worth the time spent on working towards them.The link was picked up from Eugenia's blog. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=755548 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 755548 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/07/aspie-first-post-form.html I've been wanting to post this for a long time, but I was worried that it would be considered mean, but considering these entries, I think I'll post it after all. Keep in mind that it's written tongue-in-cheek and, before you get offended, realise that I and every spectrumite I know went through this phase as well (and I made an entire website in this style, not just a few mailing list posts).Hi everyone, I'm new to this( ) group( ) mailing list( ) IRC channel( ) forumI joined because I recently found out that I may have Asperger's Syndrome( ) through my child getting a diagnosis( ) by reading on the Internet( ) from my therapist( ) when I read the book ________________because[ ] I'm really interested in ________________[ ] I tend to talk a lot[ ] I don't talk very much[ ] I'm really good with computers[ ] I've always found socialising difficult[ ] I'm just like that guy in ________________[ ] I'm really sensitive to ________________[ ] I'm not very sensitive to ________________and when I was a child ( ) I was bullied because I was differentI also have ________________ and ________________, do you think they could be related to having Asperger's?I don't have an official diagnosis yet, but it's wonderful to have an explanation of why[ ] I've been so weird all my life[ ] everything has been so difficult my whole life[ ] I haven't been able to understand how I'm supposed to act[ ] everyone's been calling me a moronNow I understand that I can't help acting strangely and I can explain to people that it's because I have Asperger's. When I tell people this, they say that( ) they suspected it all along( ) it explains a lot about my weird behaviour( ) I'm just trying to be special( ) I can't have it because I'm not a childI'm thinking of getting a proper diagnosis. Do you know of any good therapist close to ________________ that deals with Asperger's in adults?It's really cool to have other people just like me to talk to about all of this.PS: I don't necessarily consider the above viewpoint healthy, but it seems to be a mandatory phase [to view one's difficulties in interacting with the world as personal flaws instead of indications that society needs to become more accommodating of diversity].Update: Humour tweaking. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=733489 Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 733489 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/06/gifts.html Today, thanks to a combination of wonderful people at my favourite campus, I finally have the comfortable chair I've been unable to afford for many months now, and it didn't cost me a penny. My lower back would like to convey its everlasting gratitude to all those who helped. Thank you all.However, as wonderful as that is, it's the lesser of two very wonderful things that happened today. I wish I could blog about the major one, but right now that would be a very bad idea.The Leya provide what is needed and Yana smiles on those who seek the skies, or so it would appear. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=650531 Sat, 02 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 650531 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/04/distractions.html Passion, always shifting, always pulling (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=545487 Sun, 15 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 545487 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/02/public-extermination-announcement.html THE ALF (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487042 Tue, 06 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 487042 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/01/first-step.html Lots of people claim that light exercise helps to alleviate the symptoms of fibromyalgia (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487043 Sun, 28 Jan 2007 05:00:00 +0100 487043 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/01/low-road.html What can they do to you? (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487044 Sat, 20 Jan 2007 05:00:00 +0100 487044 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/01/just-to-let-you-know.html Today is January 17, or in other words the day after the deadline for submitting comments to the IACC (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487045 Wed, 17 Jan 2007 05:00:00 +0100 487045 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/01/revealing-expectations.html There's a rumour going around that the story of Ashley (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487046 Sat, 13 Jan 2007 05:00:00 +0100 487046 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2007/01/dear-ableist.html You should be glad that I exist. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487047 Wed, 10 Jan 2007 05:00:00 +0100 487047 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2006/12/intermission.html This is the closest I have to a broadcast medium, so here goes; if anyone has contacted me and is waiting for a reply, please be patient with me, as due to toothache and shutdown I'm quite a bit behind even for me. Also, if you contacted me via anything except email, I've probably managed to forget it by now, so please do remind me. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487049 Sat, 30 Dec 2006 05:00:00 +0100 487049 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2006/12/in-other-news.html Sandbox Island, an area well known for its production of gigantic robot insects and humongous cubes, was swarmed today by Super Mario and his 1,701 identical siblings. We tried to reach Mr. Mario, but he was unavailable for comment, and indeed entirely unresponsive to right-clicking, given that he was a particle effect. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487048 Sat, 30 Dec 2006 05:00:00 +0100 487048 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2006/12/blog-splitting.html I've decided to split my blogging in two, both to make it easier for me to feel like I'm staying on topic, and to help people choose what they want to read about. I want to start writing a whole lot more about CG programming (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487050 Sun, 10 Dec 2006 05:00:00 +0100 487050 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2006/12/tool-or-tragedy.html I bought a cane yesterday. A very nice and stylish one that, like most of my favourite possessions, is all black and folds up to fit into my backpack. I bought it because due to fibromyalgia (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487051 Mon, 04 Dec 2006 05:00:00 +0100 487051 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2006/09/alf-information-pack.html I have a long list of autism related topics I want to blog about, and a directory of quarter-finished drafts, but I just cannot mold my thoughts into comprehensible words and haven't been able to do so for quite a while now. I'll keep trying, of course, but in the meantime, I'm going to do something a bit more constructive. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487053 Thu, 14 Sep 2006 04:00:00 +0100 487053 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2006/09/of-course-you-are.html It's nice in an odd sort of way that the people currently assessing me decided pretty much right away that it was so obvious what they'll end up diagnosing me with that they didn't initially seem to feel it was necessary to say what the obvious diagnosis actually was. (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487052 Thu, 14 Sep 2006 04:00:00 +0100 487052 http://elmindreda.blogspot.com/2006/09/hey-wait-how-did-i-end-up-over-here.html So I started out on a journey of self-discovery (Source: Random Reminiscing Ramblings) Random Reminiscing Ramblings blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=487054 Fri, 01 Sep 2006 04:00:00 +0100 487054