Literature Network Veterans' Club

[NikolaiI]

Ah, I'm too late - I was going to say, Kiki, you also have the same number of posts as TheFifth and firefangled. . this year's date plus 1000 :-)

I hope they come back.

[Virgil]

Sorry for your loss, Virgil.

Your son must be so grown up by now!

No he's only five. Here from a recent personal blog:
http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot....hat-wasnt.html

[Virgil]

Received infraction points which I'm still miffed about because I didn't see it coming. Lost a bit of interest after that but now I'm back.

Hehe, join the club.

Have been diagnosed with keratoconus (bulging cornea which results in conic eyes). Looks bad but it doesn't always become that bad. So my hubby bought me a Kindle for Christmas so I can increase text size. I finished the book I was reading for a whole friggin' year in two weeks flat.
Though I miss the book cover and my bookmarks that brought me into the mood. So I now put one with my Kindle.

Oh my gosh, that sounds horrible. I've never heard of it but I hope it doesn't effect your vision as time goes on. Can laser surgery help? They do amazing things with laser surgery these days.

[kiki1982]

Oh, as long as you've got them as well, Virgil, I know I'm not really in the baddies' club .

Oh my gosh, that sounds horrible. I've never heard of it but I hope it doesn't effect your vision as time goes on. Can laser surgery help? They do amazing things with laser surgery these days.

No, unfortunately they can't help with laser surgery. I keep getting spam from Optical Express, but in my case it's entirely useless. The cornea bulges because it's not strong enough, and laser surgery deals with the lens. My lens is alright, but the huge refraction error is down to a scissor effect because of a(n increasingly) conical cornea, so you see several reflections of the same thing, which makes reading difficult.
People can become legally blind from it, but it depends how far it progresses. I'm apparently in the 'good' camp, because mine started when I was 19 (that's when I can pinpoint my sight getting worse) and it's liable to progress until about 40 when the cornea thickens naturally due to age. I'm 32 now so fingers crossed.

There is a new treatment which has existed for about 10 years with riboflavin drops (vitamin B) and a UV light and it would stop progression because it strengthens the cornea with collagen, but a) it's not refunded by the health system here (in the UK it is), which means complications are entirely at my expense and b) how can I be sure it won't start progressing again afterwards, make it worse or cause me cancer or something? No long-term studies, so no info. I'm not prepared to risk it if I'm going to be the one having the problem later. It's not the first treatment that turns out to be worse than the condition.

For now they can still hep with glasses, but rigid lenses would help too, although I'm not prepared to start with them yet. They're painful, you're partially sighted when you take them out (I'm rather partially sighted all the time than half the time, saves me the trouble of working out when I can be partially sighted). You can only keep these lenses in for around 12 hours at best (as if a day is only 12 hours long). And you've got more problems with infections and other nasty stuff like too many blood vessels in your eyes because of low oxygen rates. And they would possibly make the condition worse because they 'scratch' your cornea (although topography scans these days have made adaptation to individual patients better). If lenses can't help you anymore because your eyes become intolerant, it's curtains and you can have a transplant . On their nelly! Maybe when I'm 80 and I'm really desperate and I'm not liable to live the first one out. Rejection for a second is around 50% according to an Australian study (for a first it's 2%). I'm not going to do that, even when I'm 50.

It's not too bad at the moment. I don't get myself beaten up by it, but it's best to keep doctors at bay sometimes. Just to make sure they don't give you more trouble by treating you.

But now I have a party trick. 'My eye bulges, you wanna see it?'

[SilentMute]

I've been here since 2010, but probably only a few people know me because I pretty much stay in the Writer's Lounge where I post summaries and quizzes for LitNet. I've done most of the works of Dickens, all of Edgar Allan Poe, Don Quixote, and I have just finished The Odyssey. I'm currently working on the works of Jane Austen--which I used to hate, but I like some stories of hers now. I still hate with a passion Emma and Persuasion, the last I'm currently doing.

My mom--whose username I've forgotten--used to be here. She encouraged me to join after I had a bad experience on another forum. Maybe I'm living up to my username, for I don't find I really enjoy discussing things anymore.

A lot of major changes have happened to me, though.

In 2010, I got my medical coding certificate--but that year they wanted coders to be certified (certificate and certified are two different things). I was so proud that I got through the course, which had been demanding--it was the first time I hadn't quit something. I am a recovering underachiever, and that was my first triumph. I became very bitter when the rules changed at hospitals, and those allergic to a TB test could no longer take chest x-rays.

I volunteered at my local library, and that changed my life in two ways. One, it exposed me to paper mache...and two, it revealed that I had a talent in sales. I now sell on ebay, etsy, and Amazon...and every year I'm making more money. My goal is to become self-sufficient. I plan to open a store next week.

I am also a Youtube Partner with the network ForelaDigital. I have over 1,000 subscribers, and I am starting to finally see more earnings. I never became a medical coder, but my videos are very popular and highest paying. Many people compliment me on how much I help them.

I've self-published two books that aren't getting much attention (The Ghastly Family and Jessa The Reindeer Shark), but that doesn't bother me. They are only suited to particular tastes. I'm slowly working on a book that I feel might have more appeal to a general audience.

Last week, I turned forty. I used to dread this because I thought it was inevitable that one was going to go insane, act in a way that they should know better than acting, and make a complete jacka** of themselves. However, I am cautiously optimistic that my forties will be a time of self-enlightenment.

[MANICHAEAN]

Yep, I remember you in the "old days" Silent Mute and remember quite a bit of banter and laughs went on between us working on a shared story on one occasion. Glad things are working out better for you now. Don't worry about 40. I'm into my 70's and every day still holds promise.
Best regards
M.

[SilentMute]

Thanks, Manichaean! That was a lot of fun!

[Pensive]

It feels good to catchup with people especially now when I don't visit litnet as much as I'd like to (or just lurk around and not post).
As for me....hmmmm...been almost ten years. Seems pretty long.
Looks like I have aged almost twice as much as when I first joined this board.
Finished my secondary education, entered university and almost finishing my bachelor degree (hopefully will graduate this semester if everything goes alright).
Moved countries. Got a chance to explore around some of the East European side of the world.
Met lots of new people, made new friends, tried to stay in touch with old ones which I didn't succeed too well in and still feel a bit guilty about sometimes.
Met up with Anna and Tal in real and got a chance to explore their real life awesomeness as well.
Had my first job experience
Got engaged (just recently and its already almost at the point of breaking). Its an arranged engagement and turns out I have kind of already fallen with the guy I was arranged by parents to marry when my engagement is at the point of breaking mainly due to family issues.
Tried to learn a new language.

[Taliesin]

Pensive reminded me of the forum, had to check it out. I am a member since 2005, which makes it 11 years, I guess? Oops, I think I'm supposed to say we, right?

Well, we have forgotten how this forum works but we try to remember.

We haven't been here for years, really. Anyway, We have graduated school, gotten a bachelors degree, a masters degree, moved out to a place of our own, foolishly have entered PhD studies, gotten a job, taken up acting, tried to learn nine different languages and failed at almost all of them, never cut our hair short, read not as much as We would have liked to, played larps, dnd and the flute, sort of grown up, We guess?, lived in France for some time (can't say We recommend it), lost two wisdom teeth, two tonsils and our last living grandparents, met loads and loads of people, Pensive among them. Don't think we've met anybody else from litnet, although it could be nice to meet some (hint-hint).