Weight and health update

2 Bits of good news for my readers.

1 - My health seems to be mending itself without the need for steroids. My "spaz attacks" have retreated on their own which fills me with a lot of hope that maybe the answer does not always have to be drugs!!! I have noticed over the last week that I have barely had one. In my car, it feels like one is coming on every now and then but then it does not materialise. I am very happy about this as they have also passed on with no after effects.

2 - I have lost some weight, well quote a lot actually, at the weigh in today (it was meant to be tomorrow but I am away) I clocked in at 17st 7lbs!!! My target is 16st so we are well on the way and this time I will get there....its a promise I made to Kerris!!!

So its good to write with uplifting news, it makes life a little easier for us all!!! I am now off to Telford for the MLA show, lets see how my weight looks after 3 days of corporate binging!!!

Locksmiths

Locksmiths are a breed that I am well used to. Ever since 1994 when I first entered the Colin & Son building in Southport, I have never been able to escape them. 

Every job I have ever had, with the exception of the CCTV one that lasted for 6 months, has been dominated by Locksmiths and Salto seems to be no exception. 

Friday, Saturday & Sunday see the Annual Master Locksmiths Exhibition at the Telford International Centre and yours truly will be there with Salto doing my best to ensure that anyone who takes the time to stop by our stand is given the once over in the ways of Salto. 

For once though, I am actually looking forward to it. I am really enjoying myself at Salto and if you believe in the product you sell then you do get a sense of excitement when you introduce it to new people. It is almost a perverse pleasure to know that I am working with an exceptional moment and there will be a "Eureka" moment for everyone who sees it when they realise just how it works and how it does its job. One day on this blog, to pad some space, I will tell you all about it.

The other reason that I am looking forward to it is because I am going to the MLA Banquet on Saturday night. Lots of people will be there who I know in one way or another and also.....Kerris!!! Yes, my wife is coming and this is great because I get to wear a dinner suit and Kerris gets to spend all those hours only a woman can fill glamming up. 

Pics will follow!!!

Diet!!!

Here is a two pronged story for you.

Prong 1 - Illness swept through our house last week. I think it came from across the road as Janines daughter (my niece) Annabel (know to me as Bobbel.....another story) was laid low with sickness the week before. Anyway, Jay got it first and for the first time in his life, he chucked up!!! This was bizarre in itself as Jay has never really vomited so to see him stood in the conservatory with a small pool of blackcurrant-juice-tinged puke around him was a very sorry sight!!!

After a decent night of sleep for Jay in our bed with me (and no sleep for me) he seemed to recover. Next, I came home in the afternoon and Kerris told me that Mum was asleep. In fact, she slept for 4 hours, I went into her room to check on her and she looked like she was lying in state!!! Thankfully, people lying in state dont have rising and falling chests when the breathe so I assumed she was OK. Mum felt ill, got the trots and slept it off.

Later that evening, Kerris was next, she just hit bed and later in the night, emptied the contents of her bottom and stomach in a way that can only be appreciated if you hear the noises that go with it, she was not good. Kerris actually took the best part of 2 days to get better. Finally, around 9.00PM, my tummy started feeling ropey too and after retiring and doing several trial runs to the loo, I did a Kerris at 2.35AM.

So as you can see, it swept across us in a matter of hours. The only good thing to come of it is that I didnt eat for 2 days and had emptied all excess from my body so it was just ripe to start losing weight again!!!

Prong 2 - Kerris worries about me. Actually thats wrong, Kerris worries about all sorts of things but to be blatantly honest, if I pop my clogs of any heart related illness then my life insurance wont pay out as my medical history showed high blood pressure for 10 minutes when I was younger and its been an exclusion of my insurance policies since!!!

So, without going into detail, it seemed like a good time to get back on the wagon and see what we can lose. On Sunday, clothed, I was spot on 18st. Watch this space!!!!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

If you take a look at my favourite movies on the profile page, then you will see that the original trilogy of Indiana Jones films rank highly in there.

Last night, Kerris and I went to see Indy 4 and seen as though a lot of people seemed to have a lot to say about it, I thought I would add my two penneth!!!

Movies have moved on a lot since the last movie and the same way that we were no longer stunned by the effects of Star Wars when the prequels were released so Indy 4 had a lot to live up to.

I have to say, I loved it, it was very enjoyable and Harrison Ford still pulls it off as our hero very convincingly. The same things that we love about the original 3 movies are still the backbone of entertaining us in the 4th.

We love to watch our hero overcome ridiculous odds to survive another day, we love to see him beaten senseless only to get up and floor someone twice his height and strength and we love the fact that everyone he trusts ends up double crossing him in some way.

So well done to Lucas and Spielberg for keeping true to the story, I am happy to say that I will add this 4th installment onto my faves and it will indeed slip in easily where the Star Wars prequels (good as they are.....let down by Jar Jar Binks) failed to.

No spoilers here though!!!

Visual Evoked Potentials

Regular readers of my blog might recall that I have always felt that my eyes are somehow connected to my condition. Until now, I haven't managed to convince my consultant that there is a link. Recently, he seemed in the mood to try things so we arranged a Visual Evoked Potential test to see if indeed my condition had affected my eyes.

In a nutshell, I have trouble with dark colours, especially black or grey colours in the dark. Now you may be saying.....everyone has trouble with black and grey colours in the dark but I know my eyes and since all this began, I have always felt that there has been some trouble there.

Specifically, in low light, if a shadow is projecting onto a dark surface, I have trouble making out what the dark surface is. Its all complicated but hopefully you get the jist!!!

So the Visual Evoked Potential tests involves connecting pads to your head and measuring electrical readings as colours change in front of you. In this way, using the old speed = distance divided by time equation, it can be calculated how long it takes my eyes to recognise colour change and how long it takes for this signal to reach the brain. There is obviously a standard speed for healthy people and in my case, if the optical nerve is damages, it will take longer for the change to register in my brain.

I dont really know what the point of this, however, my consultant is convinced that there is something non standard about my condition and hopefully this test gives him a pointer!!!

I also had blood taken at the same time to be tested for some other disease that it worse than MS. What could be worse? Well, lets not get excited and hope for a negative result!!!

IFSEC 2008

I dont write half as much about my work in and extensive knowledge of the security industry on here as I dont think it would interest too many people but you never know.

Last week was the annual IFSEC (International Fire & Security Expo) at the NEC in Birmingham and for the first time in a long time, I spent the whole 4 days of the exhibition manning the stand for my new employers Salto.

Now just so you get a small idea of the size of this beast. It spans over several halls of the NEC, I think it was over 7 halls this year. If you go to see a concert at the NEC, it occupies 1 hall and seats 10000 punters. So take that and multiply it by 7....big!!!

We had a large stand at Salto and a truly international flavour. As well as the UK team making up the backbone of the stand, we had representatives from Spain, Russia, America, Dubai amongst others.

I have to say, its probably my 12th IFSEC, I have never in all that time been so amazed at just how busy it was from the word go!!!

Our stand was jammed out nearly all day every day. People were actually waiting for periods of around 20 minutes for representatives to become free to talk to them. It was chaotic!!!

It was also exhausting, it wiped me out for a few days afterwards, my body let me know all about that!!!

The upshot of the show is that we meet new potential clients, make new friends, entertain old ones and generally build the business. I would say it was a 100% success and next year, our stand has been booked to be a third larger than it was this year. The cost? £48.000.00.

Now that is the real crime of the security show!!!

Week off....

Today is Sunday and this marks the end of a week off from work for me.

Everyone has time off work but there are not too many people who have run through the gauntlet of the last 6-8 months without a break and survived to tell the tale.

Anyway, its been a wholeheartedly pleasant experience as because the kids are at school, its given Kerris and I the chance to spend some quality time together.

And its been an eventful old one too!!!

Monday - UK Bank Holiday, fed children McDonalds and watched planes land in Liverpool!!!

Tuesday - Cleared the loft!!! 4 Very full car loads, I estimate about a tonne of stuff and in doing so we lifted the mental stigma that has been with Kerris for as long as I have known her about the clutter of the loft. Needless to say then, the vast majority of stuff thrown from the loft was not mine!!! We did find a signed Real Madrid football up there though!!!

Wednesday - Acted like a young and happy man and wife as we wandered around various spots in Formby and Southport stopping for coffee and lunch on the way. Lots of looks from people with small ones that said "we hate you sitting there enjoying yourself while I have to work or look after these brats". Believe me, we looked chilled but we feel your pain!!!

Thursday - Surprised Kerris with a trip to Alton Towers and a night away in that most romantic of hotspots.......Uttoxeter!!! Alton Towers was great, we did not go on too many rides as Kerris would have slaughtered me if she got her hair wet and also a ride called Air completely disorientated my who being and left me feeling physically sick for the remained of the afternoon!! It was a lovely hot day though, we walked about 3 miles more than we should have as we took a wrong turn and we had a great time and a lovely meal in the evening. My favourite ride was Rita....Queen Of Speed as it was ludicrously fast. 0-100Mph in 2.5 seconds!!! We will go back next year, we will avoid Air and next time I will be well enough to ride Oblivion!!!

Friday - A bit more of a treat for Kerris really. We left Uttoxeter with fond memories and drove to the Trafford Centre where I took part in the age old male practice of following a wife around shops!!! We did have lunch though and saw Chris Kirkland (huge fella plays in goal for Liverpool occasionally). Then we came home!!!

On from there, its all regular as the nippers are back in our command but I have had a lovely week and just as Kerris is getting used to having me back, I will be away for most of next week. Its IFSEC week (the annual security exhibition) at the NEC in Birmingham.

Never have so many gathered, from so many places, to see so many companies who all make the same sh*t!!!! With the exception of Salto of course!!! I will take some pics and post them here.

Liverpool

I dont harp on about footy too much on here, in the main Liverpool do well and come out fighting when the chips are down.

Last night was the Champions League semi against Chelsea. We lost 3-2 on the night (4-3 over 2 legs) and in typical Liverpool fashion there was a late show of hope and extra time ensued.

I am bitterly disappointed that we did not progress to face the scum in Moscow but don't take anything away from Chelsea, they deserved their win.

What does force me to scribe here though is the tactical calamity of Benitez in subbing Torres immediately after we conceded a goal. The man is a prat. I don't care that he had a "slight hamstring problem", it did not show and he looked gutted to be pulled off the park. We needed our best player to do a job and taking him off cost Liverpool the tie. He only had to play 15 minutes more and then, even if he did not make the final, he would have 3 month's off to sort the problem out.

As I said....PRAT!!!

So his prat like decisions took league hope away from us and his prat like decisions cost us all the cups this year.

For the record, I state it now, he is not the man for the job. Sorry Rafa, I love what you have done but don't lose the respect, stand aside.

Progression.....

It looks like I am getting back into the old routine of using the blog to track my progress again.

As I said in my previous entry, I know what is happening to me, I know its early stages but I am also fully aware of what it can turn into.

As I recapped on last year, I forgot all about the severe coldness in my hands and the loss of any kind of accuracy in my typing. It frustrated the hell out of me.

So with both of the above in mind, I am very aware of how things change day to day.

At the moment, my symptoms (we will call them spaz attacks) seem to really only occur when I am combining being in my car and talking (legally of course) on my phone. Its only a slight amount of discomfort but enough for me to say...oh God here comes another.

I have had a few spaz attacks outside of the car too. I seem to have them in bed (same as last year) and occasionally just in a random place at a random time.

As yet, I don't feel the need to demand the steroids but it is nice to know they are there when I need to call on them. I will know the point at which I need them as I know what level I can tolerate so perhaps its all in my hands!!!