I spent 4 hours on the tarmac at NCL airport on Weds evening just as the snow started and it has got worse since then. Up at 4am and back at mid-night grrrrrr. No desire to go back to NCL before March

Naim NAITs go for silly money these days, if we are talking NAIT 1 and NAIT 2s. The Nait 3’s could easily be had within your budget but they do not carry the same “cache”

If you were going down the NAIM route you may be better off with a Chrome Bumper NAIM NAC 42 or 42.5 and either a CB 110 or 140. Not sure your budget would stretch to a 32.5 plus suitable power amp.

Otherwise an Olive NAC 62 with an half boxed size NAP 90 power amp.

If you are interested in the CB NAIM amps I have a pristine NAC 42.5 pre-amp for sale. This model, unlike the 42, can be upgraded with a suitable power supply in due course if you desired.

Yes I am a NAIM fan!

Friend at work said it was still in effect on Monday evening – but 7:30pm was 8:00pm last year IIRC.

In the last couple of weeks I have just bought Dark Side of the Moon (well overdue) and the best of Neil Young (some amazing works on that), so plenty of good stuff to be had, if you look back over the decades.

These purchases were alongside Kate Walsh, Lissie and Rumer with some Fink, more Floyd and Everything but the Girl on order.

Hard Fi’s debut SOCCTV was also one of my favorites when it first came out.

I really rate the Rumer album, which is odd because whenever there are old clips of Karen Carpenter on TV I wonder what all the fuss was about, plus I have no tolerance for bad 70’s dress sense.

I take 1000mg of Ester C and 15mg Zinc each day. I have been doing this for about 9 months now and so far no colds, still get the “sniffles” and the off day but none as taken hold. So far so good.

Kate Walsh – Peppermint Radio

Have you considered s/h? £1200 and less can buy you a seriously good bike

Wot no pancetta and sun-dried tomatoes 😆

I built a new bike from a new Thomson seat post and stem I had lying around. By the time I had finished I must have been close on £2k down and to cap it all the post and stem were the wrong sizes.

You’ve got no excuses. Shops aren’t shut yet.

emma82 – you have my sympathies, it is crap time of year for depression sufferers. I also seem to slide quickly into a deeper depression a couple of weeks just after the clocks go back, although this year it hasn’t been too bad so far, but early days.

I don’t have a light box, I probably should but have never got round to it, but other things I can suggest are

1/ Get outdoors irrespective of how cloudy. cold and miserable it is, even on the worst of days 30 mins of natural light can be helpful. A short walk at lunchtime maybe?

2/ Get your GP to check you vitamin D levels, I suspect we are all lacking at this time of year, but if you are prone to SAD low vitamin D will not make things any easier.

Gary

I have real wood throughout my flat, but I bought it that way and is in character with the Art Deco features etc.

It seems reasonably hardwearing as to the best of my knowledge it has been down for 70 or so years now. If it get lightly scratched I just rub it out with some oil.

I love the warm feel it has underfoot.

I have never seen a laminate floor in my life where I thought it looked good rather than just cheap and nasty. Some friends of mine had all their ground floor done with engineered as they have underfloor heating. Not really sure why but 10 years on and theirs is looking very worn and tired in the heavy use places.

What do I need to do to get MIB after my name? I quite fancy that one 😆

Oh shite … no wonder we are fcuked. It’s like asking accountants to be the next Picasso.

I would have to disagree.

The Theoretical Physicists I know, and I admit we are only talking three close friends and their peers, have probably done so well as they combine an incredibly fierce intellect with a high degree of emotional intelligence.

One is perhaps the toughest business woman and best negotiator I have met, but she is not ruthlessly career minded, just determined.

I think this notion that PhDs are nerds/geeks isn’t really warranted but I am sure there are some as in all walks of life.

When I did my PhD at Business School the then Prof of Strategic Business & Marketing was earning over £300k per annum and this was in the late 1980’s. He was certainly no academic oddball etc

CharlieMungus – Member
and a real Rocket Scientist
Wow! that must make you just about the most unemployable person on here

Not sure if you are being sarcastic there or not Charlie, but from my own experience PhD Theoretical Physicists seem to do very well once they leave academia.

I have three close friends all with PhDs in Theoretical Physics. Two from Imperial and one from Oxford (so we are talking top UK schools here) and they all hold very senior management positions in “Big Brand” blue chip companies, whilst the rest of their peers went off and made mega $$$$ in the Investment Banks as Quantitative Analysts.

**** knows where I went wrong 😡

Dr P, but we already have one of these on STW, so I guess it has to be Dr GJP.

PhD Management Sciences – Loughborough University of Technology

Baum cycles. Mosquito bikes did them for a while (I think). Things of beauty, probably no different in truth to a Seven or a IF, but I have always like them.

It really doesn’t seem to bother me in the slightest, but then again I have been doing it for so long now I don’t even give it a second thought

The first time I lived alone after flat sharing etc was when I moved to NYC to work, even then although I had been very happy flat sharing, it didn’t seem to bother me.

technicallyinept – Member
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Living up to your avatar 😀

EDIT. OK perhaps not.

Britanny like you have never heard her before. Stevie Anne’s cover of Toxic

Can you speak to her parents or her closest friend so share your concerns? Do they also see the problems or issues that you do? Can you tackle the problem together?

As others have said you can only help those who want to be helped and to do that they must begin to recognize that they have a problem in the first place.

Waiting to hit rock bottom is sure to do the trick (not that CG is suggesting that), but the devastation that can result along the way can be irreparable (lost friends, lost jobs, self harm and abuse), and rock bottom is not a good place to start from. From my own experiences the only way from rock bottom is not up, you always seem able to sink a lot lower before there is any sign of recovery.

You have chosen to use some strong words in your OP (self destruction, aggression etc), perhaps your SO would benefit from some professional help, but you must prepare yourself for the fact that there are unlikely to be any quick fixes on offer here and you need to be prepared to play the long game.

I would “urge” your SO to go and speak with her GP, but I am unable to offer any real advice on how best to achieve that.

Heals in Manchester if you are loaded, but I would wait for the January sales before buying.

Watched +1

Well at least it wasn’t a vase I underpriced 😆

This is my theory cobbled together from various sources.

1/ Cheese is a source of the amino acid Tryptophan. A diet containing Tryptophan is required to enable the production of the neuro-transmitters serotonin and thus in turn melatonin required for regular sleeping patterns.

2/ Drugs that work on the serotonin system are often cited as having the side effects of vivid dreams and nightmares (e.g. anti-depressants like Mirtazapine)

In both cases serotonin levels become elevated and it doesn’t seem too unreasonable therefore to infer that in some people eating cheese at night will lead to vivid dreams and nightmares.

The conversion of Tryptophan to Serotonin is aided by the addition of a carbohydrate. So eat cheese and chocolate for a good nights sleep!

I guess there is some theory behind Horlicks and Ovaltine

It’s N=3, there is an explicit formula for N=3. Of course solutions may not be real. I’ll go and try and find it.

TheBrick – thanks for clarifying that I shall sleep a lot better tonight 😆

Of all the courses I studied during my 3 years maths degree Galois Theory was the most difficult thing I ever encountered

You will spend a very long time trying to come up with a simple formulae for f = …

You have a third order polynomial (degree 3) which will have 3 real or imaginary roots … can you remember the formula taught at A level for solving quadratic equations (degree 2)

It was something along the lines of = [-b +/- SQRT (b^2- 4ac) ] / 2a I think???

Well imagine trying to find such an equation where you are dealing with a higher order polynomial.

Now I can’t remember my Galois Theory (and I can’t phone the Guy up cos he died in a duel over a woman I believe a long time ago!). I think Galois theory states there is no such rational solution for polynomials of order higher than N.

Thing is I cant remember if N =2 or 3. I think it was 3 in which case your equation does have a solution but I will be damned if I know what it is.

Really not sure you are re-engineering here. To me this means unravelling and putting back together to solve the same problem only more efficiently etc. In my mind you are now trying to solve and entirely different problem.

It is over 25 years since I did such stuff so I could be well off Kilter.

MM – it sounds like you could be suffering the effects of chronic stress, as I believe you indicated in your original post.

If so, you may be in need of some “time out” in order to get some proper rest and recuperation, and not just a weeks leave. Have you considered whether asking your GP to sign you off sick so your “nerves” can heal? No different from resting a muscle following injury etc.

I expect to get thoroughly flamed for this post from the MTFU brigade, but unfortunately, there is a minority on here whose mindset with regard to mental health dates back to the Victorian era.

catflees46 – Those books you refer to, is the author Mary Ellen Copeland rather than Ann(e)?

Fork spacer/protector. If you can use pipe lagging on the frame etc better than bubble wrap/cardboard. I would take the rear mech off (but only based on the advice of my LBS)

I think they should be free of charge. To me it seems a fundamental right of every UK citizen (or whatever the **** we are all called) to hold a UK passport irrespective of their means. An unfair tax in all but name.

TJ thanks for clarifying.

Tinners the points you make are extremely valid and users of so called herbal/natural approaches need to be aware that they have not necessarily undergone the rigourous trials and follow-up studies that prescribed medications are required to go through.

That said, St Johns Wort, EPA and HTP-5 have been studied by the scientific community, but from the relatively little I have read these studies have tended to focus on the efficiacy of these approaches rather than an unwelcome drug interactions etc.

Overall, I have no particualar axe to grind on this subject, and if anything my leaning is more towards the pro-drug camp. This may be why I stuggle with P Holford’s own position.

molgrips – Member
“The natural way to beat depression”
Is there any reason to use a naturally occurring drug over a man-made one, if they are going to do the same thing?

I see your point, but I didn’t write the damn book, just quote its title 😆

To answer your question though probably fewer significant side effects, lower long terms risks, fewer drug interactions and fewer contraindications.

IIRC the only contraindication with EPA is if you are also taking blood thinners as omega 3 fats thin the blood so it is still not for everyone.

The reason I highlighted it is that everyone seems to be familiar with St Johns wort but less so with EPA.

The OP could also look at one of Patrick Holfords books -perhaps “Optimum Nutrition for the Mind” I can’t remember what he recommends (probably Vitamin C, B and Zinc – helps with Methylation or some other such things that helps create the necessary neurotransmitters) but I have always regarded him as an “anti drugs Zealot”

Another approach is to take 5-HTP supplements which are readily available in health food places. 5-HTP (Hydroxy-Triptophan sp?) is the pre-cursor to Serotonin. There are also plenty of books on this … goes off to his library to find a couple. I would expect these should not be taken with ADs or any other drug that works on the Serotonin system for that matter.

If only Serotonin could cross the blood brain barrier it might be a lot simpler!

For once I am in agreement with TJ 😆 St. John Wort works in the same way as any good old fashioned SSRI. And that is precisely why they say do not take it whilst also taking an AD unless you want to run the risk of Serotonin Syndrome

You could look up natural EPA supplements (an especially pure form of Omega 3 fats) – I think VegEPA.com sell them (not cheap though). There is good scientifc evidence that these work to beat Depression by strengthening the Phosolipid layer in the brain, which many suggest is as much the cause of depression as is as an imabalance in the neurotransmitters (serotonin, noradrenalin and dopamine)

There is an excellent book “The natural way to beat depression” by Professor Basant Puri. It is a simple read and not too expensive (about £10 IIRC) which explains the theory behind EPA.

EPA is not some quack theoy and Prof Puri is one of this countries leading academics who is following up on from the earlier work of people like Prof Horrobin who led the way in using nutritional substances in the treatment of Schizophrenia and Depression.

As others have said and I am sure your GP also said it, taper off the AD over at least a couple of weeks if not a lot lot longer. The general recommendation is not to come off them abruptly and especially so if you are taking Venlafaxine or Paroxetine (these two have the worst records for withdrawal symptoms)

I have my Audi serviced at a main dealer in Surrey. These days with fixed price servicing and variable intervals it is not expensive and far cheaper than my previous Golf and my Honda before that.

I struggle to see the point in going to a local independent garage to service my car. In the long run it looks like a false economy.

I am with Aviva. I pay about £450 for fully comp protected no claims on an Audi 2.0T FSI Quattro. Previous year it was a bit higher perhaps £550.

I had been with Zurich for years, who I really rated but they wanted to penalise me heavily at my next renewal after a very expensive claim so I switched.

Direct Line, Liverpool Victoria and Aviva were all pretty much in the same ball park as Aviva. More Than were cheaper and kept calling me god knows how many times, but they would not honor my protected no claims following my previous expensive claim

The only issue I have with Aviva is that I have in effect two excesses. A smaller one if I use their recommended garage or a higher one if I choose where I want the car to be repaired. Not too keen on this since I would always want to choose where my car was repaired.

Old diesel engine or one of the newer common rail ones? Personally, I couldn’t live with one of the older engines, you might as well drive a tractor, but some people seem very happy with them. Maybe I am a petrol head

If you like cocktails – then Bar 89 at 89 Mercer Street in SoHo is hard to beat

I lived there for a few years before September 11th. A long time ago now but in terms of good places to eat I can recommend

Mesa Grill – 102 Fifth Avenue between 15th and 15th Street (Union Square subway is near by)
Rosa Mexicana – 1063 First Avenue (59th and Lex probably the closest subway)

These two places are up-market but not overly expensive.

Then, for a treat there are the classic well known places. although I never particularly liked these places. The food can be wonderful but the service made me feel unwelcome.

Union Square Cafe,
Gramercy Tavern
Gotham Bar and Grill

All these are within walking distance of Union Square. Gramercy about 6 streets away, the others 1/2 streets away.

in terms of touristy stuff, then no-one has yet mentioned a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Handbuilt Mavic Open Pros on 105 hubs, but not sure you would be able to get those for £150.

In terms of factory wheels I rate the Fulcrum Racing 5’s for the money (but £180), but I am light on wheels. Some people have posted on here in the past about hub/freewheel reliability.

Maybe s/h or stretch to just a little bit more. s/h not great for Xmas pressie.

timc – Member
GJP – Member
Anybody know when those Ragley ones will be available?
If you dont fancy on-one’s why would you fancy Ragley? Makes no sense…

You may be right, don’t know I haven’t seen them yet. Not sure rational thought and bike buying necessarily go hand in hand