M.E Awareness Week - The York Flyer

For the past couple of years I've spoken to my local paper as part of M.E Awareness Week. This year I haven't quite had the time and energy, but I did manage to write and submit a piece to our local community magazine - The York Flyer. You can read my piece online at the following link or, if you live in York, in May's issue which is available now.

http://www.theyorkflyer.co.uk/latest.html (the piece is a few pages in)

I just wanted to say thanks for all the support and sharing of my poem from my last post! I got such a lovely response and some really nice comments, and thanks to the power of the internet it's gone all over the world. It means an awful lot, and hopefully it's had an impact and raised some awareness! A big well done to everyone blogging and tweeting for MEAW - I know it can be so tough to find the energy to do it all when you're ill, so it's so great to see so many people getting involved.

Hopefully I'll be able to blog again before the week is out!

Until next time,

Sarah x

M.E - A Poem

To mark M.E Awareness Week 2012 I have written this poem as an expression of the emotions felt whilst suffering with M.E, based upon my own experiences. Please take a look and share with others if you can. Thank you!

M.E

Virus, not well, mild frustration,

Missing out my education,

Visit GP, desperation,

Blood tests, waiting, agitation,

Still so sick, a bad sensation,

Return to GP, preparation,

Bloods clear, now what? Anticipation,

Hospital the new location,

See consultant, evaluation,

“You have M.E”, a revelation,

Explains the illness, grabs attention,

I’m not alone, a celebration

List of symptoms, expectation,

“No cure yet though”, hope deflation,

Just more waiting, stirs emotion,

Wiped out, pain, poor concentration,

Sickness, joint pain, bad digestion,

Fatigue, weak muscles, debilitation,

Insomnia, sleep deprivation,

Bedbound, housebound, isolation,

For some comes hospitalisation,

Have to stay strong for duration,

Where’s the help, consideration?

Benefits battle, messed up nation,

Struggle through the registration,

Misunderstood by population,

Media writes words of fiction,

“M.E not real” a fabrication,

Still I fight, no liberation,

Too ill to learn, no graduation,

No job at all, no work promotion,

Charities help, make a donation,

Volunteers at their station,

To help with my incarceration,

Recovery the destination,

For now in my imagination.

M.E often (but not always) develops after a virus, as was the case with me when I came down with glandular fever which developed into M.E. Diagnosis is initially a relief, after being ill for so many months not knowing just what is wrong with you. But then comes the realisation that there is no cure for M.E. It is an emotional rollercoaster that lasts for years.

M.E Awareness Week - 6th-12th May 2012.

http://www.ayme.org.uk

http://www.meassociation.org.uk

http://www.actionforme.org.uk

Sarah x

M.E Awareness Week 2012

It's that time of year again! This coming week is M.E Awareness Week, and if you've been following this blog for a while you'll know that I like to use it to spread awareness of the illness, which I lived with since 2005.

M.E affects around 250,000 people in the UK and currently has no known cause or cure. Symptoms incluse post-exertional malaise/extreme fatigue, muscle pain and weakness, joint pain, cognitive problems such as poor memory and concentration, nausea, headaches, sleep disturbance, sore throats, digestive problems and many more.

I hope to put up a few posts throughout the course of the week to help spread awareness, but I admit MEAW has come at a tough time for me. I'm currently undergoing orthodontic treatment and will be having braces fitted this week (something I was meant to have done years ago but which has been delayed for years because of my health) and so my energy this week will be spent surviving that. I haven't managed to speak to my local paper this year which is a shame, but I have written a short piece for a community magazine which I will try and share once I have a copy to hand.

And I'll be taking to Twitter of course! Follow me @ThatSizGirl to see those updates.

In the mean time, please visit the following websites to find out more about M.E.

http://www.ayme.org.uk/
http://www.actionforme.org.uk/
http://www.meassociation.org.uk/

Thank you.

Until next time!

Sarah x

25 Questions

I borrowed this quiz from my friend Molly who posted it on her blog, and thought it'd be nice to do it myself!

1: Do you have any pets? No, sadly. I love cats and dogs, though, especially westie dogs! Having a westie one day is an ambition of mine :)

2: Name three things that are physically close to you: Pink blanket, mirror, window.

3: What's the weather like right now? HORRIBLE. It's raining. It was hailing earlier.

4: Do you drive? If so, have you crashed? I don't drive, haven't learnt yet. When my health improves, maybe!

5: What time did you wake up this morning? About 10am.

6: When was the last time you showered? Years ago. That's because I take baths, not because I'm gross ;) I used to shower with a shower seat because I can't stand in the shower, but I prefer baths now.

7: What was the last movie that you saw? Best Exotic Marigold Hotel this afternoon. Brilliant film! Hilarious - I recommend it :)

8: What does you last text message say? Something about how amazing Graze boxes are. My friend and I recently signed up for free ones and she got hers today.

9: What is your ringtone? Some generic Sony Ericsson one that came with my phone.

10: Have you ever been to a different country? I've been to France and the Turks and Caicos islands. Both in 2005, before I got ill.

11: Do you like sushi? I've never tried it, but I can't say it appeals!

12: Where do you buy your groceries? Morrisons or the co-op.

13: Have you ever taken any medication to help you fall asleep faster? Yes, I'm currently on amitriptyline. Sleep disturbance is one of my main M.E symptoms and taking ami allows me to get a decent amount of sleep, although even on ami I have phases of really bad sleep.

14: How many siblings do you have? 2. I'm the eldest.

15: Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop? I have my own laptop, but we have a PC in the house. I use both but mainly my laptop as I can use it in bed/in my room.

16: How old will you be turning on your next birthday?  22, which makes me feel old!

17: Do you wear contacts or glasses? I wear glasses and have done since I was about 13, only occasionally at first but now I'm dependant on them.

18: Do you colour your hair? Nope. I have done in the past, though. I went blond for a bit when I was 17 (it wasn't a total success).

19: Tell me something you are planing to do today? Watch The Apprentice!

20: When was the last time you cried? I honestly can't remember, is that bad? I have sensitive eyes, though, so I can tell you the last time my eyes stung and watered. It was at the bus stop earlier ;)

21: What is your perfect pizza topping? Cheese and tomato or ham and pineapple.

22: Which do you prefer, hamburger or cheeseburger? Neither, I'd rather have a chicken burger.

23: Have you ever had an all-nighter? I once tried to stay up all night before I had to catch a flight early in the morning. I ended up falling asleep on a kitchen floor. These days sleep takes priority.

24: What is your eye colour? Brown.

25: Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke? I might have been able to at some point in my lifetime but I don't drink either of these now - I steer clear of heavily drinks with lots of caffiene in.

Thanks for reading! Until next time,

Sarah x

Once Upon a Time...

In my last blog post I talked about TV - specifically The Voice UK - and how recently I'd fallen out of love with television. First of all, I'm still keeping up with The Voice, despite its flaws, and have grown to love certain aspects of the show (no rubbish auditions, Jessie J) but I still have a few problems with the format, all of which are mentioned in the previous post and which I don't need to go over!

So in my opinion, TV hasn't been great lately, but over the past few weeks I've started to see change on the horizon, the light at the end of the tunnel if you will! It's very rare I find a new TV series I stick with. I'll admit this is mostly due to me missing the start of a series and just never bothering to catch up (I like an early night, shows that start at 10pm take an awful lot of effort for me to watch, a genuine excuse!) and so these days I try and make the effort to catch the first episodes of shows when they air. So far Glee is the only success story from this plan, the only show I've watched that I've been there from the beginning, but last week I added Once Upon a Time to this list.

Thanks to the Internet, I'd heard a lot about this show, mainly through fansites/entertainment sites such as Digital Spy and Hypable, as well as through Twitter (I follow a lot of Americans!). It seemed to be getting good reviews, and the lead star, Jennifer Morrison, drew me in as I was a huge fan of her whilst she was in House. So, what was Once Upon a Time all about? Even through reading bits and bobs about it online, I wasn't entirely sure. It had something to do with fairy tales - I'd figured that much out, the title pretty much gives it away! - but I didn't know much about the story, and I didn't want to know.

Any fan of American shows who lives in the UK knows the lengths you have to go to to avoid spoilers (if you're like me and actually wait for the shows to debut on British TV, rather than seek them out elsewhere) and so I decided to wait for it to appear on my telly, and avoid all spoiler-ish news posts about the show itself. Eventually, a month or so ago, trailers started appearing on Channel 5, and it was reported that the show would debut in Spring. And here it is! Episode 2 aired this past Sunday, and I've managed to see both episodes as they went out - an I achievement, given my feeble record with these things.

The show grabbed me straight away. We follow two stories, present day Emma Swan, working as a private detective, who is surprised when a young boy shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her son. Alongside this, we see the story of the past, the fairytale characters who were forced to leave their world thanks to a dark witch's curse, exiled to a present day American town with no knowledge of the fairytale characters they once were. Keeping up? Holding the story together is Henry (the young boy on the doorstep), a super sweet little kid obsessed with a fairytale book he received from his teacher. His fascination with the book? The story is real, and he's the only one who knows it. As the story goes on, we see Henry try to convince Emma that the people he's introducing her to are real fairytale characters. Understandably she sceptical. It really is a great story, and wonderful for those who love fairy tales (Snow White and Prince Charming, Rumplestiltskin, Sleeping Beauty all appearing or mentioned) and for those who love a great modern day, American drama. The flashbacks to the fairytale parts of the plot are visually stunning, making the whole thing feel even more magical.

How long this show will stay on terrestrial television is anyone's guess - it wouldn't surprise me if it turned up on Sky a series or two down the line (House, Glee) but I hope the wider audience gets a chance to see it whilst they can, it's unmissable. Once Upon a Time is on Channel 5, Sunday, 8pm.

Until next time,

Sarah x

Opinion Piece - The Voice UK

In recent months I've found myself watching less and less television, as the quality of shows seemed to nbe on the decline, and I often found myself watching programmes that left me, well, bored. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few glimmers of hope in there, found mainly in documentaries (such as One Born Every Minute and Junior Doctors), American shows (House, Glee, New Girl) and returning shows (The Apprentice) but I wanted something NEW to jump out and grab me, and reunite me with my long lost love, good TV.


The Voice UK, which debuted on BBC One on Saturday night, seemed to fit the bill. I'd heard bits about the formula from the US show, but hadn't seen it in action, and having grown tired and fed up with X Factor, a fresh take on the reality singing show was just what I wanted.

So what's the premise? Blind auditions! Coaches instead of judges! Handpicked contestants! Sounds good so far, right? Big name coaches drew me in, too, with Jessie J, Tom Jones, Danny O'Donoghue and will.i.am making up the panel. So, the show kicked off, what did I think?

 What the format did have going for it was the contestants. They're handpicked by BBC talent scouts, meaning all the acts and can sing, and to a pretty decent degree. Even the ones who didn't get through weren't being rejected because they couldn't sing. It was refreshing to go through a whole show and not have someone victimised by putting them through several rounds of off-screen auditions only for them to be laughed at by an audience and the judges. The joke acts became stale on X Factor years ago, and these days it verges on bullying. And there were some real stand out performances! For me J Marie Cooper stood out, belting out Jessie J's own song "Mamma Knows Best" and doing it in style.

There was one thing that left me hugely dissapointed, though. One of my biggest gripes with X Factor is the over-dramtic build up as we're introduced to each contestent. "Oh look, here's them pacing around looking nervous! Here's them in their bedroom singing! Here's their tale of woe accompanied by sad music!" It's been done before. I was under the impression that The Voice would be sob-story free, or there would at least be LESS of it. It's something that's been mentioned in all the promos. In reality, it's all still there. Yes the judges hear their voice without seeing them or knowing their name/story, but once they've turned around all that comes out anyway. So from now on, those who have got through WILL be judged on their image/sob story because they went and told the judges as soon as they were done singing. I don't know how the show works at later stages of the competition, and I hope it will stand apart from X Factor and continue to let the acts be themselves, but I could have done without all the build up and emotional waffle. My personal opinion, obviously.

As for the coaches, I thought Jessie J really stood out. She's clearly somebody who's passionate about music and wants the best for her acts, and as a singer songwriter who's fought her way to the top you can completely believe she's being truthful in all she says. Jessie clearly empathises with a lot of the acts, making them feel comfortable and I hope this will be reflected throughout the series as we see more of her influences on the acts. Tom Jones and will.i.am seemed to spend most of the time name-dropping, which got very boring very quickly, and the show is in danger of focussing too much on the coaches and not enough on the acts, but will.i.am showed a lot of personality and a surprising sense of humour. I'm still waiting for Danny to shine, which I think he will when it comes to acts who specialise in rocky/guitary stuff as that's really his forte. I'm glad there's somebody there so passionate about the musical side of things, and who will be great guidance to those who wish to incorparate an instument into their act.

It's not what I was expecting, and I'm not hooked. Those disappointments will stay with me but I hope that as the series progresses it turns into something I can take more seriously. I'll still be tuning in next week.

JKR's New Book!

The day has finally arrived! J. K. Rowling has announced she has written a non-Potter, adult novel. This is big news, as you would expect, as it's her first novel outside of the Potter series. As a huge Potter fan, I've always been on the side of the fence that doesn't want a new Potter book, just because I feel that story is done and the ending was satisfying enough, and to go back to it wouldn't accomplish anything. Of course I love the story and the characters, and re-reading Deathly Hallows and getting to the end is just heartbreaking, but the time has come for something new!

I'm an avid reader anyway, and so the prospect if something completely different to the Potter books doesn't scare me. But what am I hoping for/expecting from her mystery new book? With no title or genre yet released, it's speculating time!

1. Genre: I'm pretty much open to anything, but what I'm expecting is along the lines of contemporary fiction or crime fiction. A blog on the Guardian website explores the latter option more thoroughly, and I think a crime novel would be a great way to go. The Potter books contained a lot of mystery and suspense and huge reveals, so I think her writing style would suit the genre perfectly.

2. Main character: Personally I'm hoping for a female perspective for her next novel. Potter proved she could write incredibly strong female characters, and yet we never got to get inside their heads. What better than a lead female character written by JKR who has the whole story to herself?!

3. The hype: So Twitter pretty much blew up yesterday when the news was announced, and that was only the announcement that a book exists. Her website has been replaces with a screen allowing you to sign up for email updates (which I've done, naturally) and she's tweeted about it (a rarity) so what's next? Clues to the title like Potter books? Midnight releases? (I hope so!)

4. Series or standalone: I was talking about this with a friend after the news was announced. Of course Potter was a series and so the end of each book came with an expectation of more, but what about this one? If it ventures into the crime genre then that leaves an opportunity for more novels. I think a standalone book would be interesting, though.

5. Writing style: We've all come to love JKR's style over the course of 7 books, and although the latter Potter books were not strictly children's books, I'm really excited to see how her writing fares when aimed at adults. Will it still feel like JKR?

There's so much more to think about, but those are just my initial ramblings. I'm so excited for this book!

Read more over on HogwartsRadio.com.

Until next time,

Sarah x