500…

 

500 followers of this blog is quite an achievement and I am extremely proud that so many of you want to read my moaning, depressing stories 😀

I hope (okay I KNOW), that I have helped some people with my experiences and I am so grateful to all the new friends that have come into my life as a result of this blog. People from all over the world, even some in my home town of London have become firm friends and without this blog I would never have met them.

So thank you for putting up with me, supporting me and reading my story without judging me. There has only been one person who has “trolled” me in the whole period of this blog so I know I am fortunate to have so many good visitors to this site. Keep the comments coming I enjoy reading them, and wish I got more to be honest.

It is heartwarming to be at the end of such support and long may it continue. The more people (especially men) we can get talking about depression the less stigma we will face and we can continue to educate the ignorant…

Thank you!

A Liebster Award

Liebster award

my good blogging buddy Madd nominated me for this wonderful award via his blog here and as it has been a while since I have been nominated for anything other than “sexiest depressed moose” (ok I nominated myself), I thought I should accept.

Madd nominated me because, in his words “(I know he likes an award)” but hopefully the real reason was because he thought I deserved it LOL

WHEN NOMINATED, THE FOLLOWING RULES APPLY TO THE NOMINEES:

1. Post 11 things about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions posed by your nominator.
3. Choose 11 blogs and link them in your post.  Don’t forget to let them know they’ve been nominated.
4. Create 11 questions for them to answer.
5. No tag backs!  We wouldn’t want people to get double nominations.  Too much work for them anyways.

so here goes as I try to find 11 interesting things about me that I havent already shared with you

1. I like to argue with traffic wardens, even though I no longer have a car! Just the other day I kicked off outside Tesco as they happily slapped tickets on cars parked illegally outside the shop even though they were themselves parked illegally! said the moose to the traffic wardens “I hope you intend to ticket this shit bucket of a car as its parked illegally like all the others” its amazing how quick they can get into a car when they are being confronted! bastards!
2. I own more pink clothing than Sheryl! yep its true I do love a pink T-shirt despite the fact it makes me look like Mr Blobby when wearing it!
3. I love 80s movies and can happily sit and watch Karate Kid and Back to the Future trilogies all day long! wax on wax off and all that 😀
4. I secretly watch Disney films on Disney Cinemagic when the flat is empty – what can I say I’m a big kid at heart!
5. When I was a child my nan would not let me watch “Masters of the Universe”, the film with Dolph “Ivan Drago” Lundgren in it as she thought I would get nightmares!
6. I set fire to an abandoned car when I was 8 years old! bad moose bad bad!!
7. my favourite sandwich as a child was marmite and beetroot! mmmm
8. I once got my twin brother sent off in a football match as the referee thought he was me 😀
9. my favourite drink is jack daniels and coke
10. If I could meet any famous person it would be Robert De Niro or Al Pacino, both amazing actors and real idols to me.
11. I can fit a whole donut in my mouth and eat it without licking my lips! hey that should be my next vlog post 😀

Here are the 11 questions madd come up with for me to answer

1. How are you right now?pretty damn good! feeling positive and, despite the IBS playing up, the good cycle is in full swing!
2. What’s your favourite song/piece of music?  (If you have one)music plays a huge part in my life. There are too many songs to list that I could mention. When I am in a good cycle then I can sing along to anything!
3. Do you have a favourite country? (Outside of your own)for me I would love to visit America, especially new york for all the mafia sights but all over the states I have friends I would love to visit!
4. What do you enjoy doing the most?writing this blog, and helping other people
5. I’m finding this difficult to think of questions, are you?im actually impressed you found as many as this to ask!
6. Do you prefer inner cities/countryside/beaches/other?as a london boy i am used to inner city life but as I have got older I do wish for a place not so hectic! I would say the beach but with my current weight I would worry about being harpooned if I bent over!
7. Can you speak another language?when i left school i was fluent in french but that was many moons ago
8. Are you relieved there are only 3 questions to go?very relieved
9. Can you think of 3 words (any words) to sum you up?

   amazing super moose!

10. Would you prefer fame or obscurity?  Or somewhere in between?

    I would love to famous weird huh? or maybe i just want the money and not the fame

11. Woohoo!  Last question.  Isn’t that great?

    it sure is although you did come up with some good ones!

it says I have to nominate 11 blogs but to be honest I think every single blogger who reads my posts deserves an award!

but a special mention to my twin brother David who started a blog about his stammer which can be found here, i am very proud of him for doing this as it was a huge step for him.

I will revive my moose seal of approval award later this week for some deserving folk! keep an eye it for it!

Thank you again Madd for my award!

Moose Award Time

I haven’t done this for a while now but I am pleased to announce the Moose Seal of Approval Award has been dusted off and is ready for a new ceremony.

Moose Seal of Approval

I just love the awards on wordpress, especially giving them out to people whose blog inspires me. They are after all a bit of fun but good for recognising a job well done!

I have 1 nominee today, I have only recently connected with this person as their blog is brand new but really enjoy reading it! A fellow sufferer of depression who writes from the heart and I really relate to his words.

The rules for accepting the award

1. Thank the person who nominated you

2. Link back to this page on your acceptance post

3. Reveal 10 interesting things about yourself

The award goes to Maddsuspicions who I hope will accept it with pride! You’re doing a great job Madd and this is my way of showing you some recognition. Keep up the good work!

 

Brotherhood of World Bloggers Award

I feel very proud of myself this afternoon as I have been kindly nominated as one of the first recipients of a brand new award created by Kevin at voiceofglass. This is a wonderful award and I am delighted that Kevin has seen fit to award this to me!

On accepting the award, recipients are asked too…

1. Thank the blogger who awarded them with the award.
2. Link back to that bloggers blog post in which the award was given.
3. State what receiving the award means to them.
4. Say why they starting and/or continue blogging.
5. Make a statement as to why they feel men blogging is important.

In following the requests from Kevin here are my responses.

State what receiving the award means to them.

Receiving this award makes me very proud because it has come from such an esteemed blogger who has recognised something in my blog that he feels inspires other people.  Recognition from your peers is always an honour because there are so many people out there writing blogs so being chosen gives me that nice warm happy feeling inside!

Say why they starting and/or continue blogging.

I started blogging because I was in a bad state of mind mentally and wanted to document my daily thoughts and feelings as a way of therapy to help me get to the root of my depression. Originally I did not expect anyone to read it and then suddenly I was getting messages from people who said they were surprised about how honest and open I was about my issues and that they recognised a lot of me in them! Especially men which gave me the inspiration to carry on blogging with the aim of helping others, men in particular, and of course myself.

Make a statement as to why they feel men blogging is important.

It is nice to know that other men are going through the same battles that you are and without other male bloggers I would still be sitting in a dark room and a dark place.

Blogging from a male perspective shows other men that it is ok to talk about depression and that it is not a sign of weakness to have it.  We need more male bloggers talking about mental health issues to show the world that we will not be held back by the stigmas that surround mental illnesses and the more we talk about these things, the better understanding from our peers and society in general, we can generate.

Thank you Kevin for creating this award and for choosing me as a recipient!

Seven Things About Me Award

 

Wow what a hectic few days it has been I completely forgot about this award kindly given to me by Kathy from Bipolarandbreastless. Sorry for the delay Kathy BUT I have finished my book now so I had a valid excuse.

So here’s what’s required to accept this award:

1.  Thank the blogger who nominated you.

2.  Share seven things about you.

3.  Nominate other bloggers you think deserve the award and post on their blog to let them know they’ve been nominated.

There are already a few posts with things about me and soon I will be running out of “interesting” things to share

For a reminder of my other posts please visit My First Award as a Blogger, Another Award and It’s Raining Awards

So lets try and come up with 7 more interesting facts about myself.

1. I am a twin, some of you already know that BUT my dad is a twin and my son was also a twin until a miscarriage. When Sheryl and I were trying for a baby we were both worried about the twin gene but thankfully we had just one baby. Although she makes enough mess for two!

2. I was branded a pervert at junior school (when I was 10) because my dad had a watch with “wicked willy” (basically a penis on the face with a warped sense of humour” and I wore it to school and was humiliated by this teacher in front of around 60 kids! (Not that I am bitter now of course but if I ever find him…..)
3. I once choked showing off my party trick of being able to eat a donut without licking my lips. I stuffed the donut in to mouth, started chewing and what felt like a jar of jam came shooting out. I didn’t know it was a jam donut and wasnt expecting anything to happen. A near death experience I tells ya!
4. I cannot swim and the last time I even went to the local swimming pool I fell off a mat into the deep end and my friend, who was on the top diving board had to dive in and pull me out. My hands were less than 5 inches away from the ladder to climb out LOL

5. I was once arrested and fired from a job when someone grassed me up for something naughty that I was doing. It was one my last day before I was due to leave for another store when the police came and took me away. Luckily I was only given a caution but it is still one of my worst ever mistakes in life.

5. I once won a competition called “Guess The Song” at a massive exhibition in London beating radio DJ s as well as everyone else in the arena. I was gutted to realise the competition was sponsored by Halfords and I had won a set of car speakers! At the time I was 17 and did not have a licence to drive OR  a car!

7. And best of all I added number 5 twice and you didn’t even notice!

 

 

Award? For Moi? What a Good Way to Start The Day

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

 

I love getting these! Not only does it show mutual respect towards me, it is also a great way for new people to find my little blog and enjoy my journey!

Even better is when you wake up and find someone has given you the award which is what happened today.

Kevin at Voicesofglass has given me this award and made my day! Thank you Kevin!

 

 

So the hard part…..Trying to find 7 more facts about me that I haven’t already shared so here we go again. For the record I will never get bored of writing about myself 🙂

 

1. On a first date I was so nervous I did not see the steps in the pub garden and proceeded to fall down them and spill the drinks I was carrying all over myself! Luckily she didn’t notice this but was concerned at the 20 minutes I spent in the toilets trying to dry myself with the hand dryer.
2. On a tour of Wembley stadium (the old one) I took a tile out of the England dressing room.
3. I was heading for a walk along the Strand in Central London when a bus was blown up by the IRA. I was 5 minutes away from it and it was one the scariest days of my life.
4. I once had two grey kittens called Ronnie and Reggie Grey. A fox got them 😦
5. I sent wedding invitations to Al Pacino and Robert De Niro! Needless to say they did not come or reply LOL
6. If I could change one thing about my life I would go back in time and kick that first cigarette out of my mouth and beat the 10 year old me all over the park where it started!
7. I always thought I should have been in a boy band despite not being able to sing, or dance and not having the looks! I did however once find the perfect band for me but didn’t get in.

Photo Credit: wikipedia

 

I hope Kevin does not mind me not giving this award to others as I have my own special award and gave it out to my latest winners yesterday.

 

=================================================================================

Related posts

New Moose Award Ceremony

The Moose Seal Of Approval

My First Award

Another Award

Its Raining Awards

 

New Moose Award Ceremony

I am in a good frame of mind today, seems my 3 day rut is over thankfully so, that being said I wanted to nominate some more people for the Moose Seal of Approval Award.

Moose Seal of Approval

“The rules of the award”

• Thank the person who nominated you
• Answer the following questions

1. If a film was made about your life what would the title be?
2. Who would play you? (Can be an actor/actress that is dead or alive)
3. What genre would the film be?
4. Who would direct the film?
5. Who would play the love interest in the film?
6. Which song would feature most heavily in the film?
7. If you could have played a part from any film what would that be?

 

 

The recipients are blogger who write from the heart, sharing their stories with honesty, sincerity and inspire me and a whole lot of their readers. Each blog needs to be visited and tell them the moose sent you!

First Award is given to Roxy for her blog AdverseUniverse. A lovely person who is quick to comment on my blog with words of support, advice and the odd virtual hug! And we all know how much I like my hugs!

The second person is Bourbon over at crazyinthecoconut. It takes a lot of courage to write so openly about such difficult issues and I admire her so much for this. Besides that her blog photo always makes me laugh!

If you get the chance please give them a visit! When you are sitting at the feeder waiting for new posts from people you know they are doing a good thing.

Previous winners can be found here

 

Congratulations Roxy and Bourbon keep doing what you do best!!

 

 

My Month in Blogville – A Bad Poem to Celebrate

There is more to this “poem” than meets the eye. I think it is very clever but I may be slightly (VERY VERY VERY!) biased. Amazing the difference a nice power nap can make in your mood! Anyhoo I hope you like the subtle hints (links).

 

A month already it’s sure gone fast,

48 posts its been a blast!

4 pages, countless hours spent writing,

Expressing my thoughts sure has been exciting.

 

 

Sharing up days and down,

The tears of a clown,

Semi naked pics,

For the good of the chicks.

 

 

From zero to Hero,

With the words of Robert De Niro,

Improving my life,

With the help of my wife!

 

 

Each step shared side by side,

You have come along for the ride,

I had a shave ,of sorts, to impress,

The moose even spoke to the press.

 

 

Knowing people are reading,

Giving me the support I am needing,

I am proud I haven’t lied,

Even when wanting to hide.

 

 

I have made some new friends,

I hope this blog never ends!

It almost made me cry,

When an elephant gave me some pie.

 

 

Depression and me,

The occasional poetry,

Please remind all your friends to look,

At this moose’s virtual book!

 

 

Sometimes battling depression,

Is like chasing a wild goose!,

But together we are learning,

A lot more about the moose.

 

 

When I struggle for sleep

I count my viewers like sheep,

Having readers by the hoards,

As I am accepting awards.

 

 

But enough with the links

As this poem now stinks!

What more can you do?

Easy, Contribute towards my next tattoo!

 

 

This has been such a fun post to write I don’t care how bad the poem is look at all the links I have added to my other posts. Genius I tell you!!! Well maybe not but as I just told someone on Facebook it is “genius in its childishness”

Photo Credit: Google Images

The Moose Seal of Approval Award

Moose Seal of Approval

The giving and receiving of awards is a great part of the wordpress community with that in mind I have created the “Moose Seal of Approval” award for blogs that inspire me, make me laugh, make me cry and generally make me want to read them!

“The rules of the award”

• Thank the person who nominated you
• Answer the following questions

1. If a film was made about your life what would the title be?
2. Who would play you? (Can be an actor/actress that is dead or alive)
3. What genre would the film be?
4. Who would direct the film?
5. Who would play the love interest in the film?
6. Which song would feature most heavily in the film?
7. If you could have played a part from any film what would that be?

My first recipients of the award are 2 bloggers who have helped me grow as a blogger especially as a newbie but just reading their blogs have taught me so much!

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you…………..

Weegee – who you can read here

DottyHeadbanger – who you can view here

Both of the ladies are mental and loving it with fantastic blogs to the extent that I sit around waiting for their next post!  Posts that interest me, put a smile on my face and sometimes even make me think!
They are also lovely people who take the time to help me be it just replying to a comment or a message I have sent!

I hope you take the time to visit their pages one day I hope to be in the same league as them!

Congratulations on your well deserved awards I for one cannot wait to read your answers to the questions…..

UPDATE!!!

Before I forget a massive THANK YOU for Sharon who did the image for the award based on my suggestions she came up with exactly what it looked like in my head, and also created the image on my background!  I really appreciate you doing this for me!