Hi everyone, thanks for looking at the about me page, a page that notoriously everyone hates. I started writing blogs back in 1999 when Blogspot was still a thing. Is it still a thing? Then I was on Vox for ages and then came to find WordPress. I like just dumping my brain onto the keyboard and find it therapeutic to just have a place where I can store my thoughts and leave them there for a while. Typing things out and then reading them back really works for me.
I guess the whole point of the blog is giving people an insight into the mind of someone who has several mental health problems, tries to be a good dad, and who has had massive issues with addiction in their life. I battle with myself most days, and most days I’m okay. So long as I am on my meds (and it’s a long list), I’m fairly stable. Maybe if someone can see that someone like me can do it, then they can. Live, that is. Not just exist. My official labels are EUPD, Schizo-affective Disorder, CPTSD from teenage years trauma, Anxiety & Depression, and the best one, night terrors. I’m not my labels. I’m just me, which I need to tell myself often, as I’ve made peace with being a little bit odd.
If you are into honest answers, aren’t too scared to delve into the dark world of things, or you would just like to see the world in a different way, then I promise not to disappoint!
I’m currently living in Bolton, UK. As the content on here will be quite personal, I’ll always keep things a little bit vague. I have three teenagers—Suzi (17), Rebecca (16), and Ben (15)—who have successfully transitioned our bonding time from watching Mr. Bean and Hey Duggee to forcing me to play highly complicated cargo shipping simulators on Steam. I also share my space with two extremely demanding pet birds named Mojo and Blobette who dictate the lighting schedule in my flat.
My top 5 things in the whole world? Being close to my family (even if I’m distant or my mood is off), comics, trading cards, collecting cool toys, and relaxing. Or being lazy. Depends on how you look at it. But personally, sitting with my favorite people, real or not, makes me calm. The best movies in the world have to be V for Vendetta, Night Watch, Heat, and Jurassic Park. I love Whitby and Scarborough. Both are my favorite places in the whole world to be. Might not be the warmest places on earth, but I just love being next to the sea and thinking of the history of the place.
A few years ago, after a suspected stroke, I was diagnosed with FND (Functional Neurological Disorder), which has thoroughly complicated my life. I walk with a stick, have seizures, and fall over often. I manage it with a heavily guarded supply of cheese, a lot of dry humor, and a very strategic relationship with my sofa. But hey, it’s better than a stable, boring life.