Still around...

I’ve been a little busy of late – much of it at work and miscellaneous other-life bits and pieces.

There has been a few things happening. To follow on from my last entry, I didn’t get scummvm / stella fixed, alas. However scummvm is now in Fedora Extras, so I won’t be updating it anymore anyway – all that’s missing is MP3 support, per Fedora policy. This won’t be a burden on most games however as Ogg files are often available to cover these.

Stella is available from the Dribble repository, which is seemingly compatible with mine (I’m using it OK ‘cos I was jonesing for some Atari 2600 action :-)).

I’ve done some hardware upgrades too – my main desktop got a newer, larger SATAII drive (replacing the two old IDE drives I have) and the dust got cleared out of qbert yesterday (sorely needed!). Installation of some good case fans (Thermaltakes w/adjustable speed) will keep them humming at a decent temperature this summer.

I’ve been catching up with Extras commitments too – GeoIP, mlmmj and mod_cband are now all up-to-date for all available releases. Now to finish the reviews!

I’ve also been trying to get in some more exercise for the summer too – the apartment complex gym is spartan but functional – mostly exercise bikes/treadmills and a weight station. Alas, no free weights, squat rack (ex-weightlifter talking here ;-)) or heavy bag (bought bag gloves for nothing!)

On a more serious note, Bri and I were chatting on Thursday regarding the very dire rate of teen suicides – almost as worrying is the number of teens deliberately cutting themselves as a “fashion” – some celebs sporting cuts on their arms, and sadly the “monkey see, monkey do” thing kicks in.

It’s not healthy, certainly not “cool” and can have serious consequences – kids, understand this from someone that tried tossing himself in front of the Cleveland train @ 17yo..

Don’t think you’re disconnected or alone in this world. You aren’t – you are a part of this world as much as it’s a part of you. You are not separate entities!

What you do to yourself has an effect on others in this world and your actions, no matter how small, are not without consequences, possibly wider than you can imagine. Therefore – be mindful of them and the effect they may have. Remember too that nothing in this world is permanent, including good and bad times. These will pass – appreciate the former and don’t dwell overly on the latter, lest you get overly attached to either.

No doubt you have friends and family that care, even if it’s not displayed openly – so by taking your own life, you inflict upon them a “little-death” they have to carry for the rest of their lives. As a human being, why condemn those around you to such suffering? Who will suffer more by such action?