Arcomo

Hey guys! ...and gals (would they wander here...)

I just got back from a SIGMA (medical assistance during disasters) drill, with the ambulance people and professional victims ("Lotus" victims, basically volunteer actors with bloody make-up and specific training). It was loads of fun, things went well and I learned that I need to pay some more attention to where things go in the logistics department (in the second drill we did I kept on searching for stuff). Then again I've always known 'dry', mundane knowledge like where things are, fails to stick in my brain. I'm better at remembering structures, which is what I'm noticing in physiology classes. I have no problems with abstract theories, as long as there is some logic involved, and it is at least slightly interesting.

I've been terribly busy (nothing new), school is taking its toll on the volunteer jobs which made me drop stuff at the Red Cross, the COC and scouting (which is all of them). Not all to my liking, but it's working out. School now has the priority it needs.

And I'm FINALLY getting psychologic help. I was halfway through a 12 week waiting period when someone arranged something for me with a different mental health practice, where the waiting period was two weeks - at the most. I got a letter back within a week and have the intake meeting next week. Now I hope my GP's referral is still good... (it's from march this year) The guy that referred to this new practice said it would be good to also have me screened for disorders outside the depressions, he thinks I might have ADD or Asperger. I guess the PDDNOS I was diagnosed with when I was much younger, might not have been PDDNOS after all.

I'm not into the whole mental health labelling thing. I don't feel like it is a problem, whatever abreviation I might be 'suffering' from. If it doesn't bother me or my surroundings, it's not an illness, for as far as my vision on health, healthcare and disease goes. So we'll see what the shrink thinks about it.

In other news, I've started on this lovely on-line game called Nation States, where the player is the single force behind the government's decisions. Every day, there are decisions to make (frequency can be altered by the player, up to two per day), issues to decide upon, which for the most important part shape the nation. Mine is still pretty young, many decisions are still before me, but it's much to my liking. My population is already among the 10% happiest in the world, or at least on the NS game. Check it out here.

And recently I came across this blog, with the below video in it. I have extremely strong feelings about ex-gay ministries and their reparative therapies, as you may know. Very little works me up more than the hate, even when it is sincerely brought as loving care, of people based on who they love by their nature. It feels worse than racism, it's more like anti-semitism, but still worse. And how governments keep allowing these forms of abuse, even endorsing them, blows my mind. How people can be so grossly stupid about this. It really disgusts me.

Concerning the below video. This got me a little torn. I didn't know whether to jerk off or cry (not that I would actually do either, but so to speak). The guy is perfect, except for his hair-do, but one shower or heavy rains will fix that. And his face was rated the least attractive? I don't agree. He's everything I look for in a guy (from the outside), and he speaks so calmly, I could listen to him all day. Then again his story is so sad. He's been abused by that monster of a man, wasted his time, energy and resources on this futile crusade; and I can't even begin to imagine the mental and social damage this 'reparative therapy' must have caused to him.

Mostly I just want to hug him, mostly.