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Tag: depression
Keeping out of the slump
December is upon us.
Days are getting shorter — and colder. Nights are getting longer — and colder.
This is actually an excellent time of the year for me, when I can focus in and really think about where I want my life to go, and how I want to live it.
So long as I can keep out of the slump, which invariably comes with the end of the year.
Like many people, I look back on the past year and measure myself against my intentions of 12 months ago. Last year, this time, I was pretty sure how things were going to go. I had a 2-3 year contract, I was getting up to speed with my job. I was adjusting and fitting in pretty well. And things were looking up.
Till they weren't. And then they were, again. My contract changed – cut short by a change in business plans that nobody really told me about. That freed me up to go looking around for What Else I wanted to do. And I found a fantastic opportunity doing the kind of work I wanted to do.
Now that may be changing, as well. I really don't know. Because just like last year, they're not telling us anything. And people at work are getting down and depressed. Nobody is wishing each other happiness in the holiday season. I wished everyone Happy Thanksgiving in an email before I left, last week, and only one person responded. Some would say, "Rude". I say, "Existential crisis".
So, I'm a little down in the dumps, these days. I'm drifting in and out of depression.
Fortunately, I'm not depressed as frequently as I used to be. I used to really battle depression on a regular basis, especially during the holidays. Some years, I actually wanted to bring my life to an abrupt end. Clearly, I didn't, but in years past, I wouldn't have complained if I'd had my life cut short.
It's been a while since I've felt that low, and that's helped me just get on with my life.
But in a way, it's more problematic now, because I'm out of practice, dealing with that stuff. And now when I fall prey to depression, it feels abnormal. Disorienting. Like there's something wrong with me… When really, it's just the time of year, and my schedule and routine are both out of whack.
I've been having headaches again. Probably because I haven't been exercising like I should. Or drinking enough water. I need to get back to that. I walked the stairs a few extra times yesterday — three long, steep flights — so that's progress. I'm also recovering from a week of being off my schedule, not having ample down-time, being over-social, and dealing with people's "stuff" that I usually don't have to mess with.
And things feel like they are dissolving around me. Job changes — who knows what will happen after they start the "business transformation" in earnest, at the end of next week? Personal changes — not having a doctor, and needing to find a new neuropsychologist. Money challenges. Marriage challenges — as my spouse continues their downward spiral that was arrested for a week, and now is back to the usual. And all the political stupidity that goes on, with everyone running their mouths and apparently making no effort whatsoever to try to understand others, or amend their own behavior to make a positive difference… or avoid war (of every kind).
I guess I'll just take it day-by-day. Just handle what's in front of me, and take as good care of myself as I can. I'm kind of losing track of what I'm doing at work, and it's bothering me. I'm very scattered… partly because I'm anxious about what's to come, and I'm tired. I have my notebook with my items I'm tracking and focusing on, and I need to fall back to that again, just keep it simple, and focus on the essentials.
And move. I don't move enough at work. I work in a big building. I could take long walks to clear my head. I think I'll do that today.
I also need to break up my day, when I have long periods of uninterrupted time. If I let myself just zone out, it's not good. I need to keep myself moving, keep myself on track. It's a mistake to let myself just zone. I need to really keep discipline in my life – go to bed earlier and let myself catch up with myself. It was a really long week, on the road, and I still need to recover.
So, there it is. I need to get back to my routine. Keep up the house. Do the chores, take care of business. I feel better, when I get things done. I also need to do things in shorter spurts — intervals of activity, interspersed with rest. Just use my head — and make a point of keeping disciplined through it all.
I have plenty of reasons to be depressed. And I know that there are biochemical reasons that people are depressed, including myself. But I know how to deal with them. I know how it happens with me. And I know what to do about it. I know what turns it around and gets me out of my slump. For me, biochemistry explains things, but it also shows me the way out. And the way out, is to keep to a schedule, really think about what I'm going to do for my days, be present in the moments, and stay steady. Stay clear. And know my limits, so when I need to take a break, I do just that.
Yes, things are a bit depressing, right now. I just don't think sinking into depression is the best use of my time.
Not by a long shot.
So, that being said… Onward.
And suddenly, it is fall
I have been so preoccupied this week with the work changes and catching up with old friends whom I haven't seen in over a year, that I have not directed much energy towards noticing this season.
I've been tired — with that kind of cognitive and physical fatigue that is particular to brain injuries. My head has been looking for ways to make sense of it all… past, present, future… and that's been taking up a lot of my time and attention.
It's a double-whammy. On the one hand, opportunities like I've had in the past weeks are rare — having three days of solitude to clean out my garage and basement… having friends from overseas come to visit… being part of the beginnings of a corporate merger… These are over and above the usual speed bumps and wrinkles that populate my days and weeks. These are different, and they demand a special kind of attention — the sort of attention I actually try to avoid: drama, excitement, speculation, intense work for 12-14 hours straight, without much of a break.
But because of their nature, I have to just go with it. Get into it. Be a part of it. Allow myself to be swept along in the current – like a proverbial kayaker who gets dumped from their craft in the rapids — as you get washed along in the current, keep your head above water, keep looking forward, and keep your ass up and out of the way of rocks.
The main thing is to keep your head up. Don't drown. Keep looking forward.
One thing you learn from TBI, is that when it comes to activities, you have to pick and choose. I suppose it's true of anyone who expends a lot of energy in their activities… or who is very effective in what they do. You mustn't squander your energy on things that don't matter. But especially with TBI, you have to be extra careful.There is literally only so much you can do, and if you try to do it all, you end up wiping out your reserve of extra energy — and then you have to spend even more time building back those reserves.
Because lack of energy and fatigue just make everything worse. It siphons off your cognitive abilities, it depletes your stores of happiness and joy, and everything can feel like a slog.
Even the good stuff, the fun stuff, the stuff you know you should be grateful for and happy about.
For me, that's probably the most depleting thing — knowing that I should be happy about things, knowing I should be pleased and excited and uplifted… but just not having the energy for it. Even energy spent on good things, is energy spent. And building it back is not a simple matter of sleeping in on the weekends. For every two days of extra energy I burn through, it takes two weeks to build it back. And if I don't have two uninterrupted weeks (like this past month) and exciting things keep happening to me, well, then everything gets that much harder.
In what ways?
- I get more distractable. I lose my focus and find it next to impossible to concentrate on the tasks in front of me. I get caught up in all sorts of side activities — which seem so important at the time, but are not actually relevant to what I'm supposed to be working on.
- I get more irritable. I can't deal. I get cranky and snappy like an arthritic terrier. I get anxious and difficult to live with — with others, and with myself.
- I get less attentive. My attention gets fuzzy, and I stop noticing details – like the leaves turning outside, or just how beautiful everything has suddenly become. Everything around me seems wrapped in hazy gauze, and my senses are not sharp. My sense are so busy just trying to attend to the basics, that the extra special things in life slip by me very easily.
- Joy sorta kinda evaporates from my life. I know (intellectually) that I have a lot to be grateful for, and I know there is so much that I have to be glad about, but I just can't find the joy. It's nowhere to be found. And any attempt at reasoning with me to get me to find that joy… well, that just makes me feel stupid and ungrateful. My neuropsych tries to do this all the time, and the net result is that I feel stupid and short-sighted… rather than realizing that I'm simply tired, and letting it go at that.
- It gets hard to sleep. The more tired I am, the harder it is to relax and sleep. When I should be getting to bed early, I end up getting on Facebook for 90 minutes — and completely blowing past my normal bedtime. And you guessed right — fatigue becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy where I get more and more tired and wired, as the days wear on. All of the above continue to escalate. It's awful, and it's very difficult to stop it.
- I end up in a downward spiral. Unless I can get a bunch of good nights of sleep, I'm toast. Things get worse and worse, until I finally just Give Up. And it turns out, giving up is the best thing for me. Some nights, I go to sleep hoping I never wake up again — I am feeling that depleted and used-up. But the very act of completely abandoning hope actually makes it possible for me to rest. And in the morning, everything looks quite different than the night before. Usually, anyway. Some mornings, I'm still not convinced I want to keep going.
So, fatigue is a thing. It's a very real thing. And if I don't stay alert to it, and recognize when it's getting to me, it can get the better of me, which is never good.
For today, I know I'm tired. I have a full day of things to do, but I can pace myself and take my time… really soak up this fine fall day, and enjoy what I come across, as best I can. Seasons change. It would be a shame to completely miss this one, because I'm distracted.
Taking it all in
Constantly striving and struggling takes a toll. It takes an enormous toll, in terms of energy and insight and being able to enjoy your life. When you're constantly GO-ing, when you're focused on being active and reactive and pro-active, you lose sight of the good that you can let in.
Sometimes you lose the ability to let it all in. There's a lot of good in the world, but we can be so busy fighting and pushing, that we've got nothing left for just sitting back and letting the good things be good — and enjoying the fruits of our labors. It's no fun, being literally unable to reap what you've sown.
It's like being a farmer in a country that never has a summer or fall. It's work-work-work, year-round, without any hope of harvest. I used to know a farmer who lived in a northern area that had something like three months of growing season. There was snow on the ground from September till May, and then the ground had to thaw. He was not a happy farmer. He was exhausted. Eventually, his barn burned, and he had to move.
I'm a bit like that farmer — but sort of by my own making. I have been pushing and striving and struggling for such a long time. Damage control. Chasing my dreams. Making the products of my imagination become real. And all that pushing has seriously worn me down… to the point where some days I can't see the point of anything, anymore.
Then something occurred to me yesterday, when I was feeling down and blah:
I am actually living my dream.
See, when I was a kid, all I wanted to do, was be a writer. I wanted to write things that were helpful to others and provided insight into everyday life. I also wanted to be free of editorial control, so others would not tell me what to write, what to say (or not say), and I could do so on my own terms.
My goal for many, many years, was to become a freelance writer. And for a while I was doing that. But I ran up against problems with editors and schedules, and I could never seem to finish a job properly. Whether it was a freelance editing job, or it was technical writing, I was just not good at being independent and keeping it together.
I wanted to be independent. How I wanted that! And for a while, I was. On and off, I have "done my independent thing" and taken contract jobs, while managing freelance projects on the side. That's what people did in my world of technology. And that's what I did, too.
But it was always a struggle. And my writing wasn't helped by the pressure to make ends meet.
For so many years, I felt like a permanent job was a millstone around my neck, that I was going to be pulled down by companies that didn't know how to run themselves. That was actually the case for years, because I worked at companies that just couldn't seem to figure it out. Now those companies no longer exist.
And for some reason, I thought that ALL companies were like that. Because that's all I'd ever known.
So, for a long, long time, it was a double-whammy of pressure to make ends meet with companies that couldn't keep their act together, the pressure to make it on my own — on m own terms — and the struggle to find the time and opportunity to write. I have written almost daily for decades, now, and it's the one constant in my life. So, dealing with the pressures at work and all the existential difficulties that go with trying to make ends meet, keeping the dream of writing alive was pretty much a challenge.
It's not that I couldn't write. It just didn't feel like I was a writer. It felt more like a task, than an art, and I lost touch with so much insight, over the years, because I was so stressed. If it wasn't problems at work, it was problems after another concussion — and the two fed each other, actually. I didn't have the same sense of writing that I'd had in my 20s, before I had the mortgage and disabled spouse to provide for. It was nowhere to be found, and I thought the only way to get out of that was to get going on my own terms and live the dream of total, complete independence.
Well, now things are very different. And although the company I'm working for now is going through its own reorganization (who isn't?), and my job and position may be very different in another 6 months, I feel more independent than ever before. It's not so much the company, as it is my position. The job I have now is truly on par with the work I've done in the past, which is nothing short of amazing. I thought that sort of position would never come 'round again. I thought I was toast. But now I know I'm not, and I have the opportunity to focus on a whole new type of work that demands expertise and skill in much the same way that my programming did in the past.
And the best part is, while I am bone tired by the end of the day, it's a good tired, and while it does wear me out, it also energizes me and gives me real hope for my future.
Plus, I can write again. I mean, I have been writing — a lot — for a number of years on this blog. And there's no lack of projects I have in various stages of completion. But now it actually feels like I'm writing. It's actually sinking in.
It's important to let it all in, if only every now and then. It's the thing that lets us see that all we've been working for, is actually paying off. That there is something to show for our efforts.
It's important to let that happen.
So our world can open up again, and we can know that all is not in vain.
Ah HAH! So that's why I don't have a lot of joy in my life, these days…
Lately, I've been feeling kind of "blah" — I'm engaged and involved in my life, but I don't feel like I have a ton of joy in each day. Things feel more like a slog than anything else, even though I logically know that there's lots for me to be happy about and grateful for.
It's disorienting… because even though I know that I have many reasons to feel joy, I don't. And it seems like depression to me, although I know it's not. I know what depression feels like — this is something different.
But surprise! Here's a tasty new piece of info that explains a lot. Here's the scientific abstract (from a paper I can't afford to download):
Attentional Modulation of Brain Responses to Primary Appetitive and Aversive Stimuli.
Field BA1, Buck CL2, McClure SM3, Nystrom LE1, Kahneman D4, Cohen JD5.
Studies of subjective well-being have conventionally relied upon self-report, which directs subjects' attention to their emotional experiences. This method presumes that attention itself does not influence emotional processes, which could bias sampling. We tested whether attention influences experienced utility (the moment-by-moment experience of pleasure) by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the activity of brain systems thought to represent hedonic value while manipulating attentional load. Subjects received appetitive or aversive solutions orally while alternatively executing a low or high attentional load task. Brain regions associated with hedonic processing, including the ventral striatum, showed a response to both juice and quinine. This response decreased during the high-load task relative to the low-load task. Thus, attentional allocation may influence experienced utility by modulating (either directly or indirectly) the activity of brain mechanisms thought to represent hedonic value.
What this tells me is that:
- When studying how well people feel, scientists have usually just asked the people and taken their word for it.
- Scientists have been looking for a more reliable way to measure this (seems wise, as we often don't know our own minds). They used fMRI.
- A group of subjects were given things to drink that tasted good (juice) and bad (quinine), and fMRI imaging showed that their brains registered a reaction to each.
- The thing is, when the participants were working on a more mentally demanding task, their brains didn't register as much reaction as when they were doing something easy. So, their experience was dulled — especially in the part of the brain that experiences pleasure.
And how does this affect me? What does it mean to me?
Well, I've been troubled somewhat by not feeling like I'm enjoying my life as much as I could (or should). There has been a lot going on with me, lately, and a lot of it is good. It's wonderful. I am incredibly fortunate and blessed. However, I don't really feel like things are going great.
It's weird. I feel ungrateful and unaccountably "flat" about much of my life. I know that things are going really well for me, and I have so much to be grateful for. And I am grateful. I logically know that I am incredibly fortunate, and I appreciate that.
But I'm just not feeling it.
And it's throwing me off.
What this research tells me is that it could be because I'm working so hard cognitively. I'm really pushing myself mentally, to pay attention to a lot of things, and it might be keeping me from enjoying the things around that I deserve to enjoy. I've really worked hard to get where I am, and I'm in a position to enjoy those experiences. But I don't have the enjoyment.
Perhaps because my brain is too busy working at tasks to "get" that there's more to life than work and progress.
I'll have to think about this. But not too hard. I need to find ways to lighten the load on my brain.
Maybe then, I will find more joy.
Making the most of everything you've got
So, you hit a rough patch. Maybe you literally hit something. Or it hit you. Or someone hit you. Or you got roughed up in some other way by this thing called Life.
It's not fair. And it's not fun.
No doubt about it.
And now you're left feeling like you're damaged. Broken. Down. For the count, or permanently.
I'm not going to give you a think-positive pep talk and lecture you on happiness being a "choice". I heard a conversation like that yesterday while I was waiting for my turn at the chiropractor. Someone in the waiting room was depressed — really struggling with that wretched sense that comes with depression — and one of the other patients (who apparently helps others with alternative healing modalities) started in on this lecture about how you have a choice between depression and happiness. You can choose to take action, or you can choose to "wallow" – not in those words exactly, but that was the gist I got.
I kept my comments to myself. I was busy reading an eBook about neuroplasticity, which was far more useful to me. And I did keep my eyes from rolling, as the person trying to help started in on this (seemingly) oversimplified explanation about a technique that supposedly helps "break up old patterns". But it got my blood boiling a little bit, hearing all the platitudes that they picked up along the way in who-knows-how-many Saturday morning workshops about all these different modalities.
I managed to put it out of my mind after that. I'm just now remembering it.
And I think about all the folks in the world who struggle with some hidden difficulty of one kind or another… who are just so beaten down by it, without a lot of fresh ideas about how to get past it, or manage it. The last thing I want to do is add to the heap of suffering by waxing eloquent about how choice trumps everything, we make our entire world with our thoughts, we manifest the lessons we need, etc. There is some truth to that, but some days, life just roughs you up and you have to work with what you have.
When you're just trying to stay functional, all that talk is like serving goose liver pate to someone who hasn't eaten in a month. It can seriously screw them up, when all they really need is some basic nutrition, eaten slowly, so the digestive system has a chance to catch up with itself. If you go too fast, or the food isn't right, you can do harm.
Not to mention it can sound pretty uncompassionate and clueless about the true nature of certain brands of suffering.
Anyway, enough complaining about that. In my own life, there have been plenty of ups and downs. Bumps in the road. Sinkholes, really. And I've spent a lot of time down in the pit. I don't like to think about it nowadays, but I used to be intensely depressed. A lot. To the point of suicidal thoughts. I didn't want to live anymore. There didn't seem to be a point to anything at all. I felt useless and clueless and lost, and I had no idea what the true nature of my difficulties was.
It's been several years since I felt the kind of desperation and despair that used to pull me down. The last time I seriously considered ending my life, was 3 or 4 years ago, when I found out some things about what was really going on in my marriage. There didn't seem to be any point to continuing, because being a capable spouse with a loyal partner is a huge part of who I am and how I define myself. When I realized that things were not as I imagined, on both counts, I decided to drive out to a bridge within a day's drive of me that spans a massive chasm with a river at the bottom. It's not hard to climb up, and there's a parking lot at one end, so I could just park my car, leave a note (or not), climb over the railing, and jump to the end of my suffering.
That's the closest I'd been to actually killing myself, in over 20 years. Back when I was struggling after a couple of automobile accidents (I got rammed two times in the space of a year), I was so low, screwing up on different jobs, lost, dazed, disoriented… I was planning on killing myself by driving head-on into oncoming traffic. I had the location all picked out, not far from my home, where I knew traffic sped up and there was a blind corner that everyone flew around. The health and safety of others in the oncoming cars never occurred to me. I just wanted to end it. Fortunately, I got some help and found people who could help me before I could act on it, but that sense of just wanting everything to be over was very other-worldly. And if I hadn't gotten the right help at the right time, I wouldn't be writing this, right now.
Anyway, over the years, severe depression has followed me — often following TBIs… the "mild" kind, no less. The world dramatically under-estimates the impact of mild traumatic brain injuries, just calling them "concussions" and shrugging them off, like they did with those two soccer players in the FIFA Women's World Cup. Because you can't see what's going on inside the skull, they think it's not that big of a deal. If you can get back up and walk, you're fine, apparently. And that mindset includes the folks who sustain the TBIs. Because our thinking is addled. Confused. Distorted. And we have about the worst judgment you could ask for — especially when it comes to making decisions about whether to play on, or not.
And for many of us, with all that confusion comes depression. Frustration. Despair. We just don't know who we are or where we fit, anymore. Likewise, the people around us don't understand who we are or where we fit, and because their own identities are tied up in their interaction with the person we used to be, they lose part of themselves, when we get hurt.
I believe that's why so many people abandon folks with TBI — we are all so interconnected, that our identities are tied up in how the people around us are, so when those people change, we lose part of ourselves, as well. We don't know who we are, anymore. It's uncomfortable. It's a scary thing. So, we drift away, rather than hanging in there and finding out who else we may all become, as our lives unfold.
Anyway, I realize I'm really going on, here. I started out wanting to say:
Life throws some tough punches, at times. So, what do we do with the aftermath?
I started this post wanting to explore the ways that we can use our own difficulties and suffering to reach out to others and help them. I guess maybe I am still saying that. Life is a challenge for so many, many people, regardless of how they look on the surface. And sometimes the folks who seem to have it the most "together" are the ones who are carrying the heaviest load of pain and isolation. There's no isolation like having everyone around you believe — or expect — that everything is fine and cool, and you're doing just fine… when you feel like you're dying inside.
For me, it comes down to this — because I know how hard it can be, because I have stood at the brink of my own self-destruction, because I have been through fire after fire, struggled through so many seemingly impossible situations, and I've pieced things together for myself, even while the rest of the world refused to see what was going on with me (and still does, in fact)… it makes it all the more possible for me to accept others' limitations and not jump to conclusions about how capable or "well" they are.
As someone dealing daily with hidden issues that I am either too proud or too busy or too confused to reveal and discuss with others (or even sometimes acknowledge), I can never be positive that the person across from me isn't in the very same (or similar) situation. It could be, we're both putting on a good show.
Knowing what I know makes it possible for me to hold my tongue and not lash out, when people are trying to be helpful (and doing a sort of bad job at it). It makes it possible for me to be patient with others who are "under-performing" or aren't living up to my expectations. It makes it possible for me to see past the scars and disfigurement to see that there is really a person in there who is very likely smarter and more capable than I can imagine, and who has been dealt a rough hand they can't help but play.
It also makes it possible for me to encourage others to expect more of themselves, to do more with themselves. Sometimes you just have to cut the B.S. and get on with it. There is no point in sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, when there is a whole world out there waiting. And while my experience makes me more patient in some ways, it makes me more IMpatient, in others. Because after all the crap I've been through, I know from personal experience just how much is possible, if we get the right information, really apply ourselves, and stop making lame excuses that are just meant to get us off the hook and relieve the pressure, rather than addressing root causes.
It's a double-edged sword, but it's a useful one.
And that's all I will say for now.
A good night's sleep… and a new direction
I had a very taxing day, yesterday. In the midst of telling my manager that I was leaving (and having them freak out, albeit in a professionally muted way), and also trying to get work done, so that I can wrap everything up for folks before I go, I had the constant interruption of people stopping by or sending me messages or emails or whatever, so that they could find out what was up… process… congratulate me… etc.
Everyone has been really great about it. Of course, we're only in the early stages of grief.
Denial… Anger… Bargaining… Depression… Acceptance.
We've only gotten to the first stage (though I know everyone handles loss differently, so the order can be mixed up), and I'm expecting anger, bargaining, and depression to ensue before long.
As long as I'm prepared, that's the main thing.
The issue is, all the interruptions, all day long, the emotion, the storytelling — getting the sequence of things correct, so that I'm telling a consistent story and don't sound like I'm lying to people — it's exhausting. Trying to focus, while people are all worked up and want to talk… good grief, it's tiring. And by the end of the day, I was wiped.
Which is part of the reason I burned supper… then had a minor meltdown when my spouse started yelling at me… then got all bent out of shape about that signalling the permanent end of my marriage, because I just couldn't take being yelled at when I'd had such a demanding day…
I felt a nasty migraine coming on, and retreated to my bedroom with the lights off and focused on my breathing and slowing my heart rate, to head the migraine off at the pass. It worked. And my spouse came to find me to talk things through because it made no sense for me to go to bed angry. And then I went downstairs and watched "Happy-ish" which is my new favorite show, because there are so many parallels between the main character and myself.
In the end, we finished the evening on a much more normal, loving note. I got a good night's sleep and woke up to a glorious day. Glorious! as my elderly aunts used to exclaim, when I was a kid.
I miss those venerable elders. I miss them a lot.
Anyway, while reading The Ghost In My Brain, I found a lot of similarities to the author's experience and my own — the nausea that sets in when people are talking to you… the balance problems… the fact that driving is actually okay, when you're not cognitively drained (it's actually a relief)… preferring blurry eyesight to glasses that make objects sharper, but don't address the full spectrum of vision issues… and having everything be in slow motion when talking, because there are all sorts of additional processes that need to take place in the background, while you're working through what someone is saying to you… and then there's the trouble planning.
The author talks about how he had regular appointments with a Dr. Miller to work through daily logistics with TBI, and he was often not 100% sure he was supposed to be there. I used to do that all the time with my neuropsych, for a number of years. I was pretty sure I was supposed to be there, but I wasn't 100% confident, so I just went — and if I was supposed to be there, then that was cool. If I turned out to be there on the wrong day, I was prepared to turn around and go home.
Fortunately, we always had appointments on Tuesday afternoons, so it was consistent. If it was Tuesday, then I'd go to their office and wait in the waiting room. Sometimes I would sit in the waiting room for quite some time, if I got there a little late. I wasn't sure if I should go knock on the door, or if they would come out to find me. Eventually, I got in the habit of knocking on the door — the thing is, I now realize, I would avoid it, because it hurt my ears when I knocked. Driving an hour through evening rush hour traffic really took it out of me, so my hearing was on HIGH. I'd just suck it up, though, and knock. The discomfort of the knocking, though, was actually preferable to the auditory shock of hearing their door open suddenly. It always startled me, because they have one of those noise-dampening brushes across the bottom of their door, and it makes a really loud noise when it opens.
At least, it's loud for me.
Anyway, all the discomfort aside, I'm considering following up with a neuro-rehabilitative optometrist to see if I actually have vision issues that are making my symptoms worse. After I was hit in the head with the rock when I was 8 (a year earlier I'd fallen down a flight of stairs and temporarily lost the ability to speak), I developed double-vision (diplopia, I think it's called). I was taken to an eye doctor who prescribed reading glasses, and I've worn them ever since.
In recent years, I've actually opted for not wearing my glasses whenever I can. It's more comfortable for me. My glasses help me see things in the distance just fine, but I prefer to do without them. Sometimes I will even drive for short distances without my glasses (if no one is around and the road is empty and runs straight ahead). I have been thinking it's because I just can't stand having them on my face… but now I'm wondering if maybe they are actually making it harder for me to see, because they are not allowing my eyes to get the kind of light I need to get.
Reading The Ghost In My Brain, I am finding so many similarities — especially with how vision and balance are so closely connected — that I think it makes sense to follow up with my vision. Just get my eyes checked out for that other aspect. Apparently, there are three ways our eyes help us — regular straight-ahead vision, peripheral vision, and then connections with sleep-wake cycles, balance, hormones, neurotransmitters, posture, etc.
And I wonder if maybe so many of my logistical problems — which I have never been able to articulate well to anyone, because they make no sense to me or anyone else — might have to do with vision issues. From the time I was 8. So, for over 40 years. If this is true, and my visual systems have been impacted, then it makes a lot of sense why I perform so high on visual-spatial tests. I've had to develop more abilities to offset the deficits I got from those TBIs. Add to that even more blows to the head, and you've got yourself quite a recipe for a very interesting life.
Additionally, I'm looking into the Feuerstein Method, which is a way of "learning to learn" — finding your strengths to offset your weaknesses, and restoring functionality that I really need to have, but which has eluded me.
My neuropsych has been incredibly helpful to me, in terms of helping me sort through all the psychological clutter, helping me retrain my executive function and beefing up my gist reasoning. The thing is, they take that approach, which is psychological, and the physiological aspects fall by the wayside. At least, that's how it seems to me. And anyway, I do a really poor job of communicating everything that's going on with me, at times, because I have a long drive to get to them, at the end of usually challenging days, and I've been so stressed out over the years with all my old sh*tty jobs, that I haven't had as much bandwidth as I'd have liked to.
I do a danged good impression of someone who's got their act together. Because I have to. If I don't, I can lose my job. I can lose my house. I can lose everything, and my spouse will lose it all, too. So, keeping up the appearance of being on top of everything is my top priority.
Of course, that can backfire, because then you can't always reveal the areas where you need help, when someone is there to help you.
But anyway, that's another blog post for another day.
Right now, I've got some new lines of inquiry to follow, and that's super cool. I also have some exercises I can do to help me — Designs for Strong Minds (the site of the rehab person who helped Clark Elliott retrain his brain) has a bunch of exercises at http://www.dsmexercises.com/, and I went ahead and paid the $13.99 for the full suite of exercises. It's easier and quicker than trying to piece things together for myself. Plus, it's a deal, because individually, the collections of challenges are $9.99 each.
Even the most basic ones pose some issues for me, although I've been scoring 87% or better. A number of my choices have been lucky guesses. I won't be happy until I can score 100% without doubts. Then I can move on to the next batch. There are exercises for NASA rocket scientists, and other pattern matching things.
And that reminds me about my Dual N-Back training I used to do regularly. I need to try that again. I was doing Dual N-Back training when I was learning to juggle. Now I know how to juggle, and I wonder if my Dual N-Back training is "sticking" as well.
New tests for a new day.
Interspersed with lots of rest.
I'm pretty happy about the progress I've made in my life, relative to where I was 10 years ago. Relative to where I believe I could be — and should be — I'm not happy. I know I can do more and I know I can do better. Getting there is the challenge.
And it finding out if I have vision issues that can be fixed, could be an important next step.
Woke up in a funk, then I decided to do things a little differently
So, I woke up at 6, after getting, oh, about 6-1/2 hours of sleep. Not great. I'm still thrown off by the overnight work on Fri/Sat night. Ugh.
And I had to get some things done, that I had neglected for … oh, months.
And I was in a funk about my spouse always snapping at my heels about every little thing. It's like living with a bee constantly buzzing around my head, sometimes. You know, how you're sitting there, relaxing and enjoying a sandwich, and then this bee shows up and starts buzzing around you, trying to get a bite of your sandwich, and you don't want to get stung, but you can't get rid of the bee… and you try to ignore it, and you try to make space for it, and you try to not be bothered… but it's still there, buzzing around… buzzing… buzzing…
That's how it was, pretty much all weekend with my spouse. Aside from a few times when we were able to just sit and be and enjoy each other's company, it was pretty much of a drain. Constant complaining. Constant worrying. Constant coming up with more things that need to be done — that I need to do.
Holy crap, was it tiresome. And all I wanted to do, was get away. Just leave. Put all this behind me. The constant complaining, the moaning, the worrying, the fretting. Oh my God, when will it ever end?
And it occurs to me that I really don't want to live this way. I can't spend the next 25 years of my life marinating in someone else's misery. No way, no how. Every time my spouse starts to complain and bitch and get all dramatic, it has the same effect on me that someone lighting up a cigarette does. I used to smoke, 25 years ago. I know and hang out with smokers. But I can't stand the smell of cigarettes, when I can't get away from them. And that's what it's like, every time my spouse starts to complain and find fault and pick at every little thing.
Like they're chain-smoking. And I'm getting a lung full of 2nd-hand smoke.
I think I'll buy a pack of cigarettes, and every time they start up, I'll just light one. They hate cigarette smoke — about as much as I hate their constant complaining and whining and blaming. So, to give them a taste of what it's like for me, I'll step outside and light up a cigarette whenever they start to complain and find fault and vent — basically throwing up emotionally all over me.
There's a reason I have a constant headache. And it generally gets worse, whenever my spouse is around.
I think I need a shield. Or full body armor.
So, this morning as I was trying to get things done — and my spouse was yelling at me for being to loud and waking them up (I get clumsy when I'm tired and out of it, and I bump around a lot), the thought occurred to me that I could just walk away. I don't have to stay in this situation. I could carry on elsewhere, on my own, and I could be very happy alone. I'm the one who does most of the work in this relationship; they're pretty much freeloading on me. So, stepping away and just living my life without someone draining the life force from me would be a welcome change.
It would be so nice to just have some peace. It really would. And I'm at the point now, with my birthday just around the corner, where I can't figure out why I stay around, to get dished the same helping of neediness and negativity, every waking hour.
I'm not staying because I have to. I've stayed for 24 years because I've wanted to. But I want to less and less, with each passing day.
I do all the work, and they sit back and enjoy the ride.
Am I missing out on all the good that's possible for me, because of some misguided loyalty to a person who just uses me, day in and day out, and then tries to make up for it by setting up a nice birthday for me? It doesn't make sense.
So, what do I do?
I don't really want to leave. It crosses my mind. I don't have a spouse. I have a dependent. A ward. And I'm sick and tired of it.
Then again, this is a terrible time to make any decisions. My birthday is right around the corner, and that's messing with my head. I also want to keep things stable for the next while and enjoy my time away, next weekend. My work projects are coming together, and that's feeling good. I've also realized that I really don't want to leave my current job. If the people I'm talking to actually offer me a buttload of money and benefits that make it all worth it, of course I'll consider it. I might even do it. But I don't have to leave. I'm good where I am, and I can stay here for the duration of my contract till the end of next March and be good with it.
The main thing is, I need to adjust my own attitude and how I relate to the rest of the world. If my spouse is miserable, that's their business, not mine. I don't have to get dragged down by it, and I don't have to let myself be tainted by their negativity. I can live in a completely different world and leave them to theirs, without needing to turn our lives upside-down. If I did go, where would I go? What would I do? I like where I live, and unless I moved out of the country, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather live.
So, enough of the burden that I take on, myself. Enough of that. I have a choice about how I will live my life and think about things. And I choose to be happy and stay the course. If my spouse chooses to join me, then fine. But I'm not choosing to join them in their abject misery. I know what it's about — it's because of their upbringing. I did not have that degree of abuse and neglect in my life as a child, so why should I experience life the same way they do? We both know how to deal with panic/anxiety — why should I suffer because I'm the only one who's making the effort to use the tools?
I work hard to keep positive and productive, but they can't seem to be bothered.
It's not fair to me. And it's not realistic at all.
Happiness is a choice, and today it's my choice. My spouse can do what they please, and they can live as they choose. It's literally killing them in front of me, which is incredibly painful to watch. (And it's probably a big driver behind me wanting to leave – so I don't have to watch them in the final stages of their mental/physical breakdown/demise.)
As for me… I'm going to live.
End of subject.
Finding work that soothes
The other day I was pretty riled up. Something just pushed me out of my Zone of Chill, and I felt like I do when I'm on prednisone – punchy and rarin' to grouse.
More people are leaving my employer, which is not a surprise. At the same time, it's making everything more "dynamic" and uncertain, so there's a fair amount of tension and cliquish "circling the wagons" and whatnot.
I've pretty much removed myself from those inner circle types of cliques – I don't go outside with the smokers to "debrief" about the latest developments, and I have stopped eating lunch with folks who are gossips. I have been eating lunch with folks whose company I enjoy, plus I'm taking time to myself, to think about making lasting changes to how I do things in my life.
Like the kind of work I do.
I've been working with people pretty intensely for about five years now, being a lot more social and involved with people than I'd been in years.The thing about working with people all day — especially the ones who turn to me for answers and rely on me for support and guidance — is that it's exhausting. I seriously need a break.
Plus, people can be so incredibly nonsensical and self-destructive at times, it makes my head spin.
Part of it is age. People 15 years younger than me may just not know any better. Come to think of it, most of the stress is about people not knowing any better, regardless of age.
Anyway, instead of getting sidetracked in a rant, let me say that I have rediscovered an old passion of mine — data mining from public sources. It's amazing, how much raw data is available on public websites, including government ones. There is so much info freely out there for anyone to download and analyze. Plus, there are new data visualization tools that do a fantastic job of helping you make sense of it all.
In my last job, one of my favorite things to do was compile data and analytics, make dashboards for marketing managers, and help them make sense of things. It was the perfect combination of skills and activities for me, and it was all good. I didn't get to do it as much as I would have liked, because it wasn't my main job (and the person whose main job it was kept pushing me out of the way), but I did really enjoy it, when I could do it.
Working all day with people, trying to motivate them, keep them on track, managing projects… good grief, how exhausting.
Working all day with data, trying to compile and parse it, make sense of it, and then construct stories out of it… now that's exciting.
It's also very soothing for me. I don't have to figure out anything special to get a machine to cooperate with me. I just need to figure out how it works, and it's going to work the same way each time (provided I am consistent, myself). It's not going to have moods, it's not going to hold a grudge, it's not going to be emotionally distant. It's just going to be a machine and act like a machine. And I can deal with that.
So, I'm collecting data and organizing it. Cleaning it up and finding patterns and creating different visualizations. Doing my modeling and design, and seeing what's there. It's such a relief. Plus, I'm using skills I haven't been able to use in quite some time. And I'm learning some new technologies which are incredibly cool — and may help me find better work, on down the line.
The best thing, though, is that this work really soothes me. It gets me settled down and calms my excitable system. It keeps me focused on tasks for extended periods of time — it holds my interest, and it keeps my brain learning, which is a good thing.
I've been pretty low, over the past month or so. I think the winter was just so long and dreary, plus everything has been so up-in-the-air with work. I haven't been exercising like I should, and that's depressing me, too.
Now it seems things have turned a corner, and I'm feeling good. I found something to do which lifts my spirits and recharges my batteries. It's all good.
Finding my zone again
An odd thing has happened with me, since I had my contract renewed at work. After being relieved and elated that I wasn't going to have to go searching high and low for another job, the surge in energy left me feeling pretty depleted… and also depressed.
That happens with me — I run a lot of energy — I "run hot" — and then when I run out of steam, my energy ebbs, and my mind gets to thinking that I feel like crap because my life is crap, and everything is wrong and nothing will every be right again. It's sorta kinda like bipolar stuff on the surface, but fundamentally, it's about me being tired, my brain getting irritable, and my head jumping to wrong conclusions about how crappy life is in general.
It's not true. It's just me being tired. And getting a lot of extra rest solves that issue — which is what I did this past weekend. I rested. And my depression went away.
Anyway, last week I got upset that I'm no longer a technical whiz, that I'm not doing the type of programming I used to do, and that I kept (and keep) getting calls and emails from recruiters about technical jobs that I want to take, but can no longer do.
The money is better in technical positions, that's for sure. And it's a simpler way of life that doesn't involve navigating the choppy waters of human interaction. But I just can't do it, anymore. My brain doesn't work like that anymore. I'm out of practice. And even the simplest examples which are given for "dummies" don't make any sense to me.
Insert giant sad-face here.
The thing that gets me even more than the money and type of work, is that ever since my fall in 2004, I have not had that kind of immersive focus in my work that I used to have. I used to have a "zone" I would go to, when I was deep in coding, when I was deep in the experience and working smoothly and confidently. But that hasn't been anywhere in sight (except for some occasional times), for over 10 years.
And that's the loss I feel the most keenly. It's heart-breaking. I used to love that way of working and feeling, and now it's gone. Like a pinkie finger that got cut off. I can live and work without it, but I like all my fingers, and it just doesn't feel the same.
So, rather than wallowing in that unhappiness and marinating in my discontent with something that isn't likely to change in exactly the way I want it, I did some research. And I came across a book called "Flow" by a psychologist whose name I cannot pronounce. I watched some videos on YouTube and found the book at a local library, and I've been digging into it, a little bit at a time.
See, the thing that I miss is not so much the technical work, as it is the experience I used to have while doing the technical work. And after reading "Flow" a little bit, I now realize that what I miss is being in the "zone" — being able to concentrate completely on my work with total confidence and skill.
That's what made that work magical, not just all the bits and bytes and algorithms.
So, that's what I'm working on, these days — getting back to a zone state. Finding where I am really confident and skilled — even in the little things like washing dishes or fixing things around the house — and doing those things "in the zone". Not zoning out, where I'm not present and I'm ignoring everything and everyone around me, but really being caught up in the amazingness of what I'm doing.
Finding that amazing quality to the world I live in, and really relishing the details — no matter how small.
Even the littlest thing, like brushing my teeth or sweeping the floor, can put me in the zone, if I have the right frame of mind. Or bigger things like doing my taxes or completing a project at work… that can give me a sense of Flow, as well.
It's really the quality of experience I'm interested in. And out of that can then come a sense of mastery, which in turn feeds the desire for mastery in other areas of my life.
But I have to start somewhere, and then build from there.
So, that's what I'm doing. I know what I'm missing, and I have a good idea how to restore that "zone" sense, that feeling of flow. It's probably going to be different, of course, because my new work is different from my old. But maybe it will be quite similar.
We shall see.


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- $149,000
- 2 Beds
- 2 Baths
- Questions?
4 - 912 SLOCAN Street
Townhouse for sale in Slocan
Something brand new for the beautiful Slocan Lake area. Thirteen townhouses to choose from in this newer development in the little hamlet of Slocan tucked into the south end of the pristine Slocan Lake. The outdoor enthusiast will love this location, close to winter and summer recreation like swimming, hiking, skiing, kayaking ATV, snowmobiling. Miles of the old rail bed to enjoy as well as trips into the mountains and Little Slocan Lakes. These townhouses have warm maple hardwood floors, each with it's own heating system. Unit 8 has a fireplace to cuddle up beside after a day of outdoor enjoyment. All units have a common basement area for storage and several have a crawl space. These homes are compact and have quality Kenmore appliances. Pot lights create a comfortable ambiance. Well insulated with an additional plus of Hardy Plank exterior. Convenient half bath on the living level with full bath that also has access off the master bedroom.
- Taxes Info not provided
- Maintenance $147
- Fronting Info not provided
- Poss. Date Info not provided
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- Age 3 years
- Parking Spaces 2
- Basement Info not provided
- Type Row / Townhouse
- Style Other
This is an MLS®-listed Townhouse for sale located at in Slocan It's listed for $149,000 and has been on the market for 184 days. The house is 1042 square feet and has 2 beds and 2 baths. Estimated monthly mortgage costs are $* per month.
Main level Level
Living room( 7' 10'' x 8' 6'' )
Kitchen( 31' 6'' x 22' 12'' )
Pantry( 13' 1'' x 13' 1'' )
2pc BathroomInfo not provided
Second level Level
Master bedroom( 32' 6'' x 29' 6'' )
Bedroom( 24' 11'' x 29' 6'' )
Unknown Level
Laundry room( 24' 11'' x 6' 7'' )
Full bathroomInfo not provided
- Gas Info not provided
- Sewers Septic System
- Hydro Info not provided
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- Heat Electric
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I have been reading the reviews (in particular the negative ones) for this enoteca/restaurant in the centre of the village and cannot believe that the reviewers are referring to the same place where we and our dear friends eat for two nights. We had delicious and very innovative dishes (along with excellent wines as the enoteca has over 400 labels... More
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P.zza Matteotti, 53025 Piancastagnaio, Italy
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Best Cleaning 4 U LLC
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Today, I was playing Slender, when I caught a glimpse of the Slenderman. I jumped in my chair, letting rip a huge fart in the process. Nobody heard it, but only because my shrieks of terror drowned out the sound. FML
by theydidsmellitthough / 02/08/2013 at 4:59pm / Israel (HaMerkaz) / Miscellaneous
Today, I woke up with an engagement ring on my left hand. The same one I refused last month. My boyfriend apparently waited for me to be drunk to propose again last night, and has already posted the pics on Facebook. FML
by Anonymous / 12/28/2012 at 10:14am / Canada (Quebec) / Love
Today, someone painted the "Dark Mark" on the side of my car. It won't come off and my kids refuse to get in because it means "a wizard died in there." FML
by spellbound / 12/19/2012 at 9:59am / Australia (Western Australia) / Kids
Today, I was getting out of the car when I saw a dark figure approaching me from behind a shed. I screamed and threw my bag. It also threw its bag, due to the fact that it was my shadow on the wall. FML
by ktreens / 10/19/2012 at 12:06am / Canada (Manitoba) / Miscellaneous
Today, I received another death threat for teaching evolution in college. I'm a geology teacher. FML
by satanworshipper / 10/18/2012 at 12:58am / United States (Florida) / Work


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Minion's Inn: Jewel of the Crown
System Requirements
- Windows XP
- CPU: 1000MHz
- DirectX: 9.0
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OCEANSIDE - Nassau officials and residents alike fear the nor'easter that is upon the region could bring even more damage.
Along streets all over the county, mounds of debris are piled high. Tree limbs and shingles, belongings and other items litter the streets in many hard-hit towns.Officials say the nor'easters whipping winds could create dangerous conditions by tossing debris about. Gov. Andrew Cuomo had signed an executive order mandating all debris be removed today in preparation of today's storm, and Nassau crews were out doing just that today.


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The Care Bears Movie (Bilingual)
The Care Bears Movie (Bilingual).
We're sorry! This product is not available.
Description & Features+
Starring everyone's favorite animated characters and featuring the voices of Mickey Rooney ("Babe: Pig in the City") and Georgia Engel (TV's "Coach"), "The Care Bears Movie" is "a favorite for tots!" (The Hollywood Reporter). Way up high where the clouds and rainbows live, the Care Bears watch over the Earth and make sure everyone is kind and friendly to one another. When they see an evil spirit who tricks a lonely boy into helping make people mean, the huggable heroes jump into action with some help from their friends from the Forest of Feelings.
From the Manufacturer +


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Bidi SFP 1.25g LC 80km 1000base ZR
Fri Oct 14, 2016 16:49
Basic InfoShaoxing ZKTel Equipment Company strives to be the leader in China and Internationally Excellent on Optical Communication Area.Established in 2009, ZKTel is an optical communication products provider,owning our own team of R&D, production and sales. ZKTel provides products like optical components(TOSA/ROSA/BOSA and Optical Quick connectors), also provides the optical transceivers(EPON,GPON,1X9,SFP,SFP+,XFP,QSFP+,CFP,DAC and AOC etc), which mainly be used in the building of fields like WAN,MAN,FTTx,SAN,Security, Video monitor and so on.ZKTel could offer series of solutions to Optical Communication Systems Manufactures,Security Equipment and Wireless Communications. ZKTel owns proprietary intellectual property rights, business on OEM and ODM. Product DescriptionModel NO.: Type: WiredInformation content: DataCondition: NewReach: 1550&1310Connector: LCSpecification: ROHSHS Code: 851762299Usage: Telephone, Computer, Workstation, Server, Mobile phone, LaptopSupport Network: Fiber Channel ,Gigabit EthernetCertification: CE, ISO, RoHSData Rate: 1.25gWavelength: 80kmTrademark: DatacomOrigin: Shaoxing , China SFP BIDI RoHS Compliant 1.25G 1550/1310nm(1550/1310nm) 80KM Transceiver FEATURES:1 ) Up to 1.25Gb/s data links2 ) FP laser transmitter3 ) DFB laser transmitter4 ) PIN photo-detector5 ) Up to 80km on 9/125um SMF6 ) Hot-pluggable SFP footprint7 ) BIDI LC/UPC type pluggable optical interface8 ) Low power dissipation9 ) RoHS compliant and lead-free10) Single +3.3V power supply11) Support Digital Diagnostic Monitoring interface12) Compliant with SFF-847213) Case operating temperatureCommercial: 0;C to +70CIndustrial: -40;C to +85C Products We manufacture Fiber Optic System products as follows:Active & Passive ComponentsPassive components Patch cords PigtailsSplitterTermination boxesPatch panel/ODFActive equipmentFiber convertersSFP/GEBIC transceiversReceiversWhy you choose us ?1.Factory, OEM/ODM available2.Steady quantities supply, Strict quality control3.Excellent Datolink or your own brand box/roller design and package4.Stirictly conform to ISO, Rohs CE certificates5.Long time experience at domestic and export marketWelcome you visit our factory !Relying on good prestige, creditable quality, perfect service and reasonable price, our company win the confidence of customers. We sincerely welcome old and new customers home and abroad to visit our manufactory and bulid the long term business relationshiop with us ! FAQ :1.Are you factory ?Yes,we are factory ,our factory located in Shaoxing .2.What products your factory mainly produce ?Our factory mainly produce LC,SC,FC,ST Connector patch cord ,pigtail ,SFP transceiver module and other fiber optic components . url:
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Buff nails with the Nail Buffer then clean hands with Almond Conditioning Hand Wash. Apply drops of Almond Nail & Cuticle Oil to cuticles and gently push down cuticle. Help seal in moisture with the Hand & Nail Cream.
Be the first to ask a question!
Please refer to the individual product entry within the main categories for detailed ingredient list.While every care has been taken to ensure product information is correct, products are constantly being reformulated, so ingredients, and allergens may change. You should always read the product label and not rely solely on the information provided on the website.


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Runes & Men Festival 2016 – Letzter Akt
Runes & Men Festival 2016 – Letzter Akt, 14 octobre 2016 19:00, Eventpalast Leipzig
Welcome to the last edition of the Runes & Men Festival 2016 in Leipzig.
After 5 years of Runes & Men and 20 years of promoting gigs as Equinoxe Organization we do feel the time is right to head into other directions. That said, the last Runes & Men Festival will be a decent opportunity to celebrate these two anniversaries and meet those who cared for Neofolk and supported the scene over the last couple of years.
The last edition of the biggest Neofolk festival is due on 14th and 15th October 2016 in Leipzig. Equinoxe Organization will present a great line up of collaborators and artists who are part of the Runes & Men family as well as others who did not play the fest before.
Expect more news on line up and general festival information within the upcoming weeks.
Blood Axis
Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio
Die Weiße Rose
Spiritual Front
Fire + Ice
Aftershow DJs
Friday: :Arcanum:
Saturday: DJ GEORGE P & DJANE MALICE F (Front Of House)


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Implementing integrated river basin management: lessons from the Red River Basin, Vietnam
AccessibilityOpen Access
MetadataShow full item record
Molle, Francois; Hoanh, Chu Thai. 2009. Implementing integrated river basin management: lessons from the Red River Basin, Vietnam. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 25p. (IWMI Research Report 131) doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3910/2009.131
Permanent link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10568/39918
The report focuses on the establishment of the Red River Basin Organization (RRBO) in Vietnam, but expands its analysis to the wider transformations of the water sector that impinge on the formation and effectiveness of this organization. A few reflections on the policy process are drawn from this analysis, albeit in a tentative form given the relatively limited period of time considered here. The report shows that the promotion of IWRM icons such as RBOs by donors has been quite disconnected from the existing institutional framework. However, the establishment of RBOs might eventually strengthen a better separation of operation and regulation roles. Institutional change is shown to result from the interaction between endogenous processes and external pressures, in ways that are barely predictable.


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Hotel Accommodation near Sports Palace Madrid
Search 7 hotels near Sports Palace Madrid
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Hotels within 0.5 kilometer of Sports Palace Madrid
- Most bookedNeoMagna MadridTop-rated for WiFi
358 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
Most recent review
"It has double windows so that keeps the noise out. Be cate when you shower as the shower floor is a an angle and slippery. Overall a great place to stay. "
A Traveller, Nov 2016, US
183 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
Most recent review
"right downtown, very well located. Rooms are large and spacious if you have the chance to have an executive room. Otherwise, the room is quite dark (according to colleagues). Note that the hotel is still under renovation so some areas are unavailable, for example the gym which is supposed to be d..."
A Traveller, Nov 2016, GB
Hotels within 1 kilometer of Sports Palace Madrid
- H10 Puerta de AlcaláTop-rated for business travellers
408 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
Most recent review
"There were two old water stains on the ceiling of our room, which we would not expect to see in a 4* hotel. We found the breakfast to be good but the breakfast room was noisy with uncontrolled children of other guests running around, which spoiled our enjoyment of the meal. The staff were, withou..."
A Traveller, May 2016, GB
275 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
Most recent review
"Everything was perfect. Reception staff amazing, all other staff good and very friendly and they spoke good English. The area was great for restaurants, shops and bars. After a busy day in central Madrid it was nice to walk out for an evening meal. Felt very safe."
A Traveller, Oct 2016, GB
- Vincci SoMaTop-rated for breakfast
197 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
Most recent review
"This hotel is an excelent choice when you come to Madrid for any reason! It's location is great, the cleanliness is what you expect in a 5 star hotel, the best of it is the breakfast wich was included in my booking fare! I will recomend it to everyone!"
C, Nov 2016, US
- Aparthotel Ramón de la Cruz 41Top-rated for families
197 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
Most recent review
"I stayed here with my teenage son and his friend as a base for seeing Madrid. We walked up some shopping streets, then through the park to the Sofia Reina Museum. A long walk, but pleasant. The apartment-hotel is near two metro stops, restaurants, bakeries and markets. We had a car and parked in ..."
A Traveller, Jul 2016, US
58 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
Most recent review
"This was the second hotel we stayed at in Madrid, and it compared unfavorably against the first, Hotel Mayerling. Despite that, it was oodles cheaper for a night, and guess location can make all the difference. This hotel is to the east of town and located a good 30 minute walk from the start of ..."
A Traveller, Oct 2016, US
14 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
- Apartamentos Goya 75No Guest Reviews yet
8 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
- Welcome Apartment Manuel BecerraNo Guest Reviews yet
7 people looked at this hotel in the last hour
- Plaza Mayor
- Prado Museum
- Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
- Lope de Vega Theatre
- Plaza de Espana
- Plaza de Santa Ana
- Complutense University of Madrid
- El Retiro Park
- Parque Warner Madrid
- Royal Palace
- Las Ventas
- U.S. Embassy
- Las Rozas Village Outlet
- Plaza de Cibeles
- Vicente Calderon Stadium
- Puente de Vallecas
- Madrid Amusement Park
- Universidad Europea de Madrid
- Plaza de Castilla
- Plaza Norte 2 Commercial Centre
Where to stay near Sports Palace Madrid
Whether it's a cheap hotels in Sports Palace Madrid, a 5 star Sports Palace Madrid hotel or a family friendly Sports Palace Madrid hotel, Hotels.com has the best accommodation for your stay.
If visiting Sports Palace Madrid is a must, then be sure to check out our detailed location mapping to find the best hotel closest to Sports Palace Madrid, Spain.
Our map based hotel search can be accessed from the above map image on this page (or via standard search results) and with the locations of each hotel shown clearly around Sports Palace Madrid you're able to refine your search within Madrid or Spain based upon other nearby landmarks and neighbourhoods as well as transport options to help you get around. If you're driving be sure to also check the hotels for onsite parking.
To get the best hotel deals near Sports Palace Madrid you can also filter by price/ average nightly rate and if you're concerned with quality, you can also filter by star rating and our own guest review rating.
As well as our Hotels.com guest reviews, we also display reviews from Expedia for Sports Palace Madrid hotels and the TripAdvisor Sports Palace Madrid hotels review score on each of our Madrid hotel information pages.
If you're visiting Sports Palace Madrid, Madrid with the family or in a group, be sure to check out the room options and facilities we list for each hotel to ensure we help find the perfect hotel for you.
When you've made your booking for your hotel near Sports Palace Madrid, in our confirmation email we'll also send you information on all nearby attractions as well as directions on how to get to your chosen hotel and the weather forecast, helping you to plan your trip.
To get yourself an even better deal on hotels near Sports Palace Madrid, Madrid why not sign up to our Welcome Rewards program? It's free and when you stay 10 nights at any eligible hotel you receive 1 night free*
We have Sports Palace Madrid hotel deals, even Sports Palace Madrid last minute deals and offers to get you the cheapest Sports Palace Madrid hotel with our lowest price guarantee.
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Midcoast lens: spring fever reliever
The nearly 50-degree temperature made for a much-needed walk on the Breakwater April 6 in Rockland. Whether it be a stroll all the way out or a meander on the beach, there was much activity outside.
Staff Profile
Staff Reporter
594-4401 ext. 125
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Beth rejoined Courier Publications' news staff in February 2013. She previously worked at The Courier-Gazette from 1981 to 1990.
Her coverage area includes Warren, Union, Friendship, Waldoboro, Washington and RSU40.
Beth has a passion for photography, and a degree from the University of Maine at Augusta, in affiliation with the Maine Photographic Workshop in Rockport.
Aside from photography, Beth enjoys working out, ocean therapy sessions and walks along the waterfront, as well as other outdoor activities. She has a daughter, Claire, who is 16.
Recent Stories by Beth Birmingham
Drinking ban lifted at MVHSDec 01, 2016
Roadside needles a sign of drug epidemicDec 01, 2016
Errant science project causes school closureNov 30, 2016
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'Do not drink' order still in effect at MVHSNov 29, 2016