Archer's Asylum

Odd Thomas...

You quirky, slightly awkward loveable little medium.... 

Please continue to be awesome you beautiful bastard.

This community, this site, booklikes...

I mostly lurk here because of what happened to me on Goodreads, but I've made some amazing friends here. And you've all given me so much hope. In a week we have raised $735 towards bellas surgery and most of it is from here.

I have no words for the love I have for each and everyone of you. I feel like we are a family. I can't even... Literally I can't.

Everyone who has donated or has donated and then shared the go fund me link is a hero in my eyes. Lissa and I couldn't do this without all of you. I'm so overwhelmed with love and admiration. 

This is community of book lovers, nerds, and general weirdos who accept me for who I am and don't push me to read things I don't like and don't force me to review when I'm not ready... You have restored my hope for this world.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. 

You are all perfect to me.

And for that, I give you the gift of one of my favourite Deadpool moments.

You all help me to stop losing all faith in our species.

Thank you.

Moonlight Reader has been incredibly generous and offered a $50 giveaway to anyone who donates $10 towards this pretty kitty's surgery.

http://www.gofundme.com/y7eg8b8

Here is what she says:

OK, people - I feel like we here at Booklikes can do better than this for Bella!

So, here is my proposal. I am doing a giveaway of a $50.00 amazon gift card. The price of entry is a $10.00 donation for Bella's surgery. Donate $10.00, chance to win 5 times that amount to buy books at amazon.

Make your donation using your booklikes user name, and then come and comment on this post. I'll use the random number generator to choose the winner for the GC will happen in 72 hours.

Note: in the case of a non-US winner, you can substitute the amazon GC for any book seller as long as I can buy the GC from my computer in the U.S. I don't think that Book Depository does gift cards. So, that's out.

If Big Beardy Bloke doesn't get at least $50.00 in donations from this offer, I will cancel the giveaway & just donate the money to the gofundme. Go forth and participate.

And if for some reason this offer violates some random law or something, I'll have to cancel it. Sorry.

How easy is that? You can donate ANONYMOUSLY if you want (not for this giveaway), and it's super easy - you just need a credit/debit card (sorry, no Paypal, but I did hear Big Beardy Bloke will take Paypal privately and add it as a donation if you're desperate). No need to join anything, and even a small amount will help a beloved member of our Booklikes community get his sweet little kitty happy and healthy!

PS - i love a man who loves cats!

I'm sure most of you have seen this in the interim, but in case you haven't (and even if you have) ...

This is Bella.  She needs surgery to mend the effects of an improperly healed break in her leg and pelvis, and a dislocated hip that has settled out of the joint.  She needs surgery in order to improve her mobility and quality of life, and to stop any pain she may be feeling.  Her new adoptive parents -- Big Beardy Bloke Buried By Books and his wife -- would like her to have that surgery, but are struggling to cover the costs.  Their crowd funding campaign with GoFundMe.com (http://www.gofundme.com/y7eg8b8) is currently at a little more than 1/4 of the set target -- just short of covering the costs of Bella's diagnosis, or looked at alternately, a little more than 1/3 of the estimated costs of surgery.

All those of us who have pets know what those pets mean to us.  All of us, I'm sure, would spare no expense to give our own pets the veterinary care they need.  Having lost one cat to a belated and erroneous veterinary diagnosis myself, I understand very well that time is absolutely of essence in this regard.  Animals can tell us that something is wrong with them, even if they can't put a voice to precisely what it is -- and they shouldn't be made to suffer, any more than any human should be made to suffer.

Giving via GoFundMe.com is 100% pain-free, 100% anonymous if that's how you prefer your gift to appear, and as easy as hitting an online retailer's "buy" button.  Please think about what you can do to help.  Thank you!

Last Thursday Lissa (my better half) and I adopted a new cat.

She is gorgeous, the sweetest little thing ever. She loves cuddles and is so squee she made my heart melt... And I'm not swayed easily. 

But when we got her home we noticed something was wrong, see she sneezed on Lissa and the discharge was streaked with blood and one of her hind legs didn't move properly... We took her to the vet. They ran blood tests and determined she had a cold like infection. They did X-rays and then we got some bad news.

This sweet, adorable little one year old cat had been living wild in the middle of nowhere in Australia. She has scarred little ears. She's skinny and small... And she was hit by a car. Her pelvis and leg had been broken and her hip had been dislocated. The fractures healed quite well, if not perfectly, but the dislocation didn't. The ball at the top of the femur is out of place and needs surgery to fix it.

The diagnosis cost us nearly $600. The surgery could cost us another 1500. We need help.

We have set up a GOfundme account to help raise $2000 to cover all the vets bills. 

gofundme.com/y7eg8b8

We want to make her life as happy and comfortable as we can. And we want her to be healthy...

Please help us.

Last Thursday Lissa (my better half) and I adopted a new cat.

She is gorgeous, the sweetest little thing ever. She loves cuddles and is so squee she made my heart melt... And I'm not swayed easily. 

But when we got her home we noticed something was wrong, see she sneezed on Lissa and the discharge was streaked with blood and one of her hind legs didn't move properly... We took her to the vet. They ran blood tests and determined she had a cold like infection. They did X-rays and then we got some bad news.

This sweet, adorable little one year old cat had been living wild in the middle of nowhere in Australia. She has scarred little ears. She's skinny and small... And she was hit by a car. Her pelvis and leg had been broken and her hip had been dislocated. The fractures healed quite well, if not perfectly, but the dislocation didn't. The ball at the top of the femur is out of place and needs surgery to fix it.

The diagnosis cost us nearly $600. The surgery could cost us another 1500. We need help.

We have set up a GOfundme account to help raise $2000 to cover all the vets bills. 

gofundme.com/y7eg8b8

We want to make her life as happy and comfortable as we can. And we want her to be healthy...

Please help us.

Last Thursday Lissa (my better half) and I adopted a new cat.

She is gorgeous, the sweetest little thing ever. She loves cuddles and is so squee she made my heart melt... And I'm not swayed easily. 

But when we got her home we noticed something was wrong, see she sneezed on Lissa and the discharge was streaked with blood and one of her hind legs didn't move properly... We took her to the vet. They ran blood tests and determined she had a cold like infection. They did X-rays and then we got some bad news.

This sweet, adorable little one year old cat had been living wild in the middle of nowhere in Australia. She has scarred little ears. She's skinny and small... And she was hit by a car. Her pelvis and leg had been broken and her hip had been dislocated. The fractures healed quite well, if not perfectly, but the dislocation didn't. The ball at the top of the femur is out of place and needs surgery to fix it.

The diagnosis cost us nearly $600. The surgery could cost us another 1500. We need help.

We have set up a GOfundme account to help raise $2000 to cover all the vets bills. 

gofundme.com/y7eg8b8

We want to make her life as happy and comfortable as we can. And we want her to be healthy...

Please help us.

Last Thursday Lissa (my better half) and I adopted a new cat.

She is gorgeous, the sweetest little thing ever. She loves cuddles and is so squee she made my heart melt... And I'm not swayed easily. 

But when we got her home we noticed something was wrong, see she sneezed on Lissa and the discharge was streaked with blood and one of her hind legs didn't move properly... We took her to the vet. They ran blood tests and determined she had a cold like infection. They did X-rays and then we got some bad news.

This sweet, adorable little one year old cat had been living wild in the middle of nowhere in Australia. She has scarred little ears. She's skinny and small... And she was hit by a car. Her pelvis and leg had been broken and her hip had been dislocated. The fractures healed quite well, if not perfectly, but the dislocation didn't. The ball at the top of the femur is out of place and needs surgery to fix it.

The diagnosis cost us nearly $600. The surgery could cost us another 1500. We need help.

We have set up a GOfundme account to help raise $2000 to cover all the vets bills. 

gofundme.com/y7eg8b8

We want to make her life as happy and comfortable as we can. And we want her to be healthy...

Please help us.

I love time travel stories, and stories that share universes with other stories.

I absolutely adore The Witcher game series from Polish developer CD Projekt Red. 

So I figured I should read the source material, so far the translation hasn't been too bad. there have been some word choices that I would personally change but all in all it's very readable and it's everything I love about the character of Geralt.

1. Are you named after anyone?

Nope, my parents thought it was cheesy and cliche to name a child after other people. And it'd piss off the family members who the child wasn't named after

2. When was the last time you cried?

Friday. I was not having a good mental health day.

3. Do you have kids? 

Not yet but I want kids that I can pass on all my erm.... skills to.

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself?

Probably, I'm funny when I'm feeling social. I can be a bit of a distant prick and I'm not the best people person but I am tremendously loyal to my friends 

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Only when I'm breathing, or talking, or thinking... The fuck do you want from me? I'm British...

Muppet

6. Will you ever bungee-jump?

Eh... I dunno. Probably not. I think there are weight limits to that shit and I am waaaaaaay too heavy.

7. What’s your favorite cereal?

Honey Nut Cornflakes.... Or good old oatmeal. 

8. What’s the first thing you notice about people?

How tall they aren't.

9. What is your eye colour?

It varies on lighting. Sometimes its a deep sapphire blue, sometimes a deep gun grey and all shades of blue grey between.

10. Scary movie or happy endings?

Scary. Whats the point in Happily ever after if there's no struggle?

11. Favorite smells?

Vanilla, citrus, temple incense, wood smoke, BBQ

12. Summer or winter? 

Winter

13. Computer or television?

Netflix

14. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home?

I moved from the north of England to Tasmania... I can't go further without heading back to the UK again

15. Do you have any special talents?

I have no idea. I'm a hobbyist blacksmith. I can mix a good cocktail and I can slow smoke things to perfection. Other than that I'm pretty much a useless lump of sarcasm, caffeine and spite. 

16. Where were you born?

Whiston, Liverpool. 

17. What are your hobbies?

Blacksmithing, cooking, gaming, reading. Currently absorbed in The Witcher 3. I'm over 240 hours in and still haven't finished the story-line. 

18. Do you have any pets?

Two rescue cats.

19. Favorite movie?

No fair. That depends on mood and genre, but I will always Love The Shawshank Redemption. I used to watch it with my Grandfather before he passed away and it always make me think of him. 

20. Do you have any siblings?

A younger sibling who could, and can, do no wrong. I got in so much shit because of that little bugger. 

21. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Whats a grown up?

... No really, it is.

I have recently completed the diagnostic test for PTSD. That cutoff score being 38 points.... anything above that is a PTSD. 

I scored 56. 

So not only do I have clinical depression I have PTSD which exacerbate that and the associated anxiety disorder. 

This means, lots of time with a psychologist going through my worst memories and moments. Breaking them down, coming to terms with it and being emotionally wrecked afterwards. 

Honestly? I don't know if I'm strong enough for this. I'm worried about what it will do to me personally, I'm worried what stresses it will give my wife. I'm worried just plain and simple.

I have been voraciously reading though. I rediscovered Andy McDermitt's Nina WIlde and Eddie CHase series of archaeological thrillers and I've been devouring them. I'm back at work part time while this all continues and I'm smoking again.

Smoking will kill me, I completely agree, but smoking will kill me in 20+ years. My brain will kill me right now if it gets the chance. I'm on the mend but it's going to take time and perseverance.  I hope I'm strong enough, because if I'm not... I'm fucked. 

I'm not dead, i'm just not active atm

In October of last year, I decided to seek help. 

I suffer with pretty severe depression and I had reached the end of my rope. I was not handling it well. I was having anxiety attack, I was crying for no reason and most of all I felt an all pervading numbness. I got pleasure from nothing. It was bleak. 

Now, I started on 40mg Citalopram per day and within a few weeks an improvement could be seen. I was playing guitar again, I was coming up with poems and stories and I was engaged in things I had been disinterested in for years. 

Then in january/february that changed. I refilled my prescription at a different pharmacy. They gave me what was meant to be the same drug. The box said it shouldve been, but I started to back slide.

I became more despondent. I stopped reading, writing, playing guitar. I hid away in my nest more and more. I wanted to do less and less. I was anxious again. I was crying again. I was hurting deep inside my soul and I had no idea why. I had thought maybe I was just beyond help. I contemplated a lot of things. Things I am not proud of and things my wife would kill me for contemplating. 

I went into a pharmacist by my work today and got my usual brand when I refilled my script again and they asked me if I was OK. I told them what had been happening and showed me a box of pills. They were the ones I had been taking for a month. I found out that the formulation of them is garbage and that they usually do more harm than good. I felt so relieved, this means in a few weeks I should be better again when my body re-acclimates to the regular pills. 

My problem is now though, I know this is probably human error, and that I should've insisted on the ones I usually had, but what if I had done something? The pharmacist would technically be to blame and that kills me. It's not their fault because who could've known I'd react so adversely to that formulation? 

So now I have this problem that I am anxious about how things will be for the next few weeks. I am tired of feeling like this. This isn't me. I want to be the man my wife fell in love with, not this wreck. 

And Lissa, if you see this, I love you, with all my heart. I know it hasn't been easy for you. I am so, so sorry. I want to be better for you. You're my whole world, my life. I cannot wait to hold you tonight. 

Don Fey...

Her Dad...

Sounds like a total badass

It's hard to believe that this genius had such an awkward childhood and teenage years...

actually, no it's not because all the awesome people do.