Monthly Archives: December 2010
Kindle Books of 2010
On Christmas Day it was my Kindle’s 1st birthday. Here are the books I have read this year. I’ve provided links to the best ones. A lot of people have asked me about whether having a Kindle is worth it and my answer is unequivocally YES!
In chronological order. . .
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – Stieg Larrsson
The third in the Millennium trilogy. All great books, I loved Salander as a character. Wouldn’t mess with her though!
Wolf Hall – Hillary Mantel
Hard to get into but worth a read.
Blood Sweat and Tea – Tom Reynolds & More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea – Tom Reynolds
Nice easy read books. Real life accounts of an Ambulance man.
Amsterdam 2010 – Ruth Francisco
Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris
You’ll see quite a few of these True Blood books by Charlaine Harris in this list. Worth a read but strangely for me I prefer the TV versions. (Probably because of the nakedness though!)
Living Dead In Dallas – Charlaine Harris
Basic Dowsing – Rhondalyn Teel
I bought a dowser at this year’s Mind Body Spirit festival so I thought this book may help me to get my head around it.
Club Dead – Charlaine Harris
Mark Thomas Presents The People’s Manifesto – Mark Thomas
Coincided with the General Election. Most of this made more sense to me than any of of the existing crap we have to vote for.
Dead to The World – Charlaine Harris
Dead As A Doornail – Charlaine Harris
Definitely Dead – Charlaine Harris
All Together Dead – Charlaine Harris
Gruesome in places as the title suggests, it’s about a serial killer in Boston. Great read.
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner – Stephanie Meyer
Shite.
The Silver Linings Playbook – Matthew Quick
As recommended by my bookworm cousin Charlotte. Ace.
Hide – Lisa Gardner
A self help book for those that can’t be bothered to read other self help books. I mean that as a compliment to him. Loved it.
Anyone Can Do It – Duncan Bannatyne
The tall Scottish one off Dragon’s Den. Inspirational. Makes you actually believe anyone can do it. Cliche but true.
This one kept popping up in my recommendations and I kept putting off getting it but I’m glad I did. Really lovely book. Interesting characters in a different setting and time to other books I tend to read. Brilliant.
One Day – David Nicholls
I liked the style of this book and I missed the characters when I had finished it.
My Shit Life So Far – Frankie Boyle
Good book, funny in parts as it should be. He’s still let me down with Tramadol Nights though.
Confessions of a GP – Benjamin Daniels
I read as a way of switching off so rarely read that many drug related books in my spare time but this for me was my book of the year. I wish everyone would read it. This is a real life story of someone who went through so much with his drug use, offending and homelessness and has come out the other side. Awesome.
In Stitches – Nick Edwards
Soul Identity – Dennis Batchelor
Strange.
Despite reservations it really helped me and I would go as far as to say was instrumental in my decision to leave work. This is my post about it.
Scary, gripping, exciting.
Gone for Good – Harlen Coben
Harlen Coben’s book are always a good bet if you like thrillers.
The Final Detail – Harlan Coben
The Redbreast – Jo Nesbo
Not as good as The Snowman but deffo worth a go.
F**k It – John C. Parkin
Well, it’s called F**k It, of course I had to read it. Enjoyable.
An Idiot Abroad – Karl Pilkington
Oh he makes me laugh so much. It helped to watch the series as well just to picture his expressions and the amazing places he travels to.
The Last 10 Seconds – Simon Kernick
The Basement – Stephen Leather
All three of his books were quick and easy reads and cheap too. Bargain.
Once Bitten – Stephen Leather
Still Missing – Chevy Stephens
Dreamer’s Cat – Stephen Leather
and the final one of the year…
Sister – Rosamund Lupton
Really enjoyed this but the news coverage of poor Joanna Yeates made it a bit too possible.
Here’s to another year of reading some great and not so great books.
If any of you have any to recommend then I would love to hear about them.
Stace x
Seven Hopes for 2011
These are my seven hopes for 2011.
1) Continue to be happy and healthy and inspire others to be the same.
2) That my already great relationships with my lovely man, family and friends continue to be so.
3) To further develop my work as Inspire Health and Mind including Drug Training, expanding EFT for recovery, and involving service users and volunteers.
4) To complete the Post A Week Challenge and blog at least once a week about whatever the hell I like.
5) Learn to sing properly with my Mom. We start on the 10th January at Solihull Music School. Very excited.
6) House and garden improvement.
7) Earn enough money to pay my bills and be comfortable as a self-employed free spirit.
There, that should do for now.
I’d be interested to hear your own hopes for 2011. You know where I am. ; )
Stace x
I’m posting (at least) every week in 2011
I’ve decided I want to blog more in 2011. I enjoy writing blogposts but I think I have become too concerned with what I should be blogging about. Should it all be drug posts related to my work or dedicated to my music and metal or telly or books or my everyday life or what?? Well the obvious conclusion I have come to is that I’m going to blog about whatever I feel like blogging about. No restrictions.
Having come across the WordPress Post A Week Challenge it’s given me the kickstart I need.
SO.. I will endeavour to post on this blog at least once a week for all of 2011. The Post A Day Challenge seemed a little bit much to take on although somewhere in between would be great.
If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes. If you don’t read my blog then haha you just did.
You can also follow me on Twitter @StaceInspire and @InspireHandM.
Signed,
Stacey E Smith
Drugs, Metal, Telly, Books, rantings, ramblings, and anything else I feel like blogging about Blogger.
Happy New Year everyone.
Peace, love, empathy
x
Misjudging people who ‘do’ drugs! – Don’t get me wrong
This may get a bit ranty.
An issue that has again reared its head this weekend and recently is how some people who know me, including some I consider friends still don’t really understand what I do. It’s been nearly eleven years FFS! Maybe it’s because I don’t talk about it much at social occasions because of the misjudging thing, I hate people getting me all wrong. Hmmm.
Anyway, the two groups I’m going to refer to that I feel are misjudged are people who take drugs and people who work in the drugs field. (There is a crossover of course!)
People who ‘do’ drugs as in take drugs
Now I’m talking about what most of society consider ‘drugs’. Usually they mean illegal drugs. Obviously though this is not the case. Drugs, substances, whatever you want to call them can be legal, illegal, over the counter and prescription. So really most of us take drugs. The people my work supports are those that have suffered due to their use. My cause is to help society realise that they can treat them like humans rather than something you scrape of your shoe. People assume that if an individual uses a drug then they somehow deserve to be treated badly. If I know someone snorts Coke, I don’t treat them differently just because it’s not a choice I make. That’s their business.
People who ‘do’ drugs as in work in the drugs field
(When people ask what I do for a living I say ‘Drugs’. Then I try to briefly explain.)
For some reason, maybe an after effect of the widespread coverage in the 80′s of the ridiculous Just Say No campaign some people automatically assume that it’s about being anti drugs, that if you work in this field you just talk non stop about how drugs are bad. This is hilarious to me. I think drugs are great, without them I would be sprogged up several times over, my heart may have chosen not to work properly and when I get one of my super headaches I may not be such a well bunny. Luckily the fellow drug worker colleagues that I know are not anti-drugs either. We tend to just want people to be as happy and healthy as possible.
So to clarify….
- I train people who may come into contact with those that have addictions so that there is less judgement. As well as helping them understand what the effects can be my main passion is to highlight the effects stigma and discrimination can have and help them to find their empathy so they can support people as anyone with a health issue is entitled to be supported.
- I work with young people so they know their stuff so they can make informed choices whichever they may be.
- I train staff who come into contact with people with drug problems so that they can support them more effectively. If they can do this they are more like to get treatment and therefore have more chance of recovery. This helps the whole of society.
- I work with services users who are still in treatment, or who have been in treatment in the past and who are trying to deal with their shit. A lot of people shy away from dealing with their issues. Problematic Drug and Alcohol users don’t have this option, sometimes because it is life or death they are choosing between.
- I also use a technique called EFT which helps people with all sort of emotional issues, including addictions and cravings. It’s really quite effective and although I know it could help a lot of my close friends and family I do not inflict it upon them. They can ask to try it by all means.
- 4 o clock on a Sunday morning when I’m outside a club isn’t in fact the work hours I set myself, especially now I’m self-employed. Yes I will help my friends but my work doesn’t mean I have to deal with everyone who is drunk or high. Just like if the toilets in the club got blocked a plumber reveller wouldn’t necessarily have to be the one to deal with it. .. I could think of more examples but you get my gist.
- It’s both funny and frustrating to me that whilst most of my work involves helping people to be less judgemental of those that use drugs that I myself can be judged so poorly.
- Yes I take drugs. I drink Caffeine everyday, I take beta blockers everyday. I quite like a nice Co-codamol or two for my previously mentioned super headaches. Occasionally I drink the drug Alcohol which enhances a night out for me as it and other drugs may do for other people.
If anyone would like to know more about what I do please drop me an E-mail or even better speak to me face to face.
Peace, love, empathy
Stace x
