Category Archives: Random Randomness

Autistic Anxiety and CBT

I'm 6 sessions into my anxiety CBT and I feel like I've made no progress. My therapist said she doesn't know anything about autism and she's not here for that. She also dismissed my social difficulties as "overthinking". Unlike my phobia CBT, where I was making visible progress each session, I feel like I've made none with this therapist. I'm starting to realise that CBT is maybe not the right approach for what I used to describe as anxiety, but might be better described as "overwhelm".

In search an article explaining autistic anxiety, I found this brill article by Dr Megan Neff. Continue reading →

I Got CBT for My Needle Phobia

CONTENT WARNING FOR BLOOD/NEEDLE PHOBIA

It's been a long time since I blogged. I got my Moriah post up, but I didn't even get round to posting about my Dodgers winning the World Series. I've just been lazy.

In the meantime, I finally got CBT for my blood test phobia!

I started this at the point of being so scared that even being told I had to have a blood test made me have a panic attack. On the first session, I listed my fears:

Continue reading →

I Bought a Moriah Mystery Figure

moriah figurines in asda £4
They were only £4 in Asda.

I actually bought two. I originally bought one for my niece. She really wanted Lemon, so I spent ages in Asda Living feeling up the packages to see which one was Lemon.

thinking i found the lemon figurine
Uh oh.

Only when I got halfway through the queue (it's a rare day when you have to wait less than 10 minutes in that place), I gave it another feel and realised it was Continue reading →

I Made Another Treasure Chest

Here's a new treasure chest I customised for the toddler. I didn't take the hinges off this time. As always, I started with sanding and adding a base coat of acrylic gesso. Unlike last time, I didn't bother to seal it with PVA first. I don't think it really has a noticeable effect. I made this in July, but I've been really lazy about posting on here lately.

treasure chest base

I asked the toddler if she'd like an under the sea theme or a fruit theme and she went for the under the sea theme.

Continue reading →

I Finally Did the Squishy Makeovers + Bonus Magnets

These have been on the backburner for literally years. I finally decided to give it a go. I finished these at the end of June but I got lazy and didn't post it. Anyway, these are squishy pen toppers I got for the kids a few years back and now they're worse for wear.

Here are the patients. They have cracks, tears and missing appendages.

damaged squishies Continue reading →

I’ve Been Playing Euro Truck Simulator

Lately, I've been really into the game Euro Truck Simulator 2. It's not the kind of game I'd usually play, but it's strangely gripping.

super trucker

I dunno what else to say, except wait till it goes on offer on Steam. I got the base game, plus 3 EPs for £17, plus the Special Cargo pack for £1.45. It's a fun game! Try the demo to see how you like it.

Continue reading →

Supermarket Vegan Megapost!

There are so many vegan options in supermarkets now. Here's a rundown of some of the ones I've tried.

Falafel

Lidl Falafel

I've been having these Lidl falafels on my lunch break for a few months now. They're really nice. They're quite oniony, but it's not overpowering. I'm not sure what style they're meant to be. They're from the chilled section. They're £1.25, which is a really good price. Continue reading →

Ann Reardon Sold Out

you were the chosen one

Gotta chase those sweet advertising dollars, amirite?

Unless she distances herself from this nasty company, I've lost all respect for her. I'm glad to see she's being called out. Plenty of youtubers are happy to take money from shady companies, but Ann has built up a brand based on calling out BS and exposing misleading videos and scammy products. Now she's shilling for one of the shadiest companies on the net and deleting comments that call her out.

Nice to see even you have a price, Ann.

Now even Nerdecrafter (who also built up a brand around exposing low quality scam products) and The Why Files (who built up a brand around don't trust the government) have sold their souls for the sweet $$$. White House bad but CCP money? Fine, I guess, right, AJ?

Ah well, maybe enough of my favourite channels will sell out so that I'll just be able to give up my YouTube time-wasting completely. My prediction for next sellout: Moriah Elizabeth.

Edit: I'm super happy that Moriah so far hasn't sold her soul to them! Respect!

I’ve Been Binge-Reading Jacqueline Wilson’s Books and They’re Bizarre

I loved Jacqueline Wilson's books as a kid. The first one I ever read was The Mum Minder, followed by The Suitcase Kid, and I was hooked.

I wish the Stevie Day books were still in print, they were great. I read How to Survive Summer Camp before she partnered with Nick Sharratt.

the good old days

As an aside, when I was a kid, I loved Sharratt's illustrations and imitated his style as best I could for many years, but I'm so tired of his one-trick-pony style. I know I'm not the target demographic, and the fact that I found his style so appealing as a kid shows he got it right, but man, it gets tiring very quickly. Especially how for instance Tracy Beaker and Ellie Allard are supposed to be the ones illustrating their own stories, but they have the exact same art style and handwriting. I'm sure there was even a book where two characters had the same handwriting in the one book.

Continue reading →