h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi there mamuomar,

I never know how to start these discussions, most folks kind of veer away from the subject if they can. What's your situation?

I've had epilepsy diagnosed since I was aged 6, and have recently got it mostly sorted with surgery, just now tidying up with the meds. I've had so much help from my GP, doctors, surgeons and support staff, but most importantly, my other half. I've found with most things in life, they usually get sorted out in the end.

It's interesting that you cluster those three topics together, epilepsy, music and arts. It's not proven, but there's often been speculation that they cold be related in some situations.

I just try to live my life and not let my epilepsy afect me.

Things like recreational drug use have been experimented with, but I had to learn my limits as much as anyone else.

The arts are an excellent release for me. All passion and emotion, without hanging around taking drugs, can be expressed freely and discipline itself becomes something to mould your own style with.

I love the arts.

Technique.

Performance.

Design.

You?

My epilepsy bothered other people first and me only as a side-effect - PE Teachers, Guide leaders, always keeping an eye on me.

I've never tried anything except prescription meds, I'm boring like that, but never felt I needed to, regular drugs and awareness kept everything under control.

Was never a particularly arty person, I'm more into music. Joined every choir I could get into and loved it. Got to travel because of it but, again, disclosing my epilepsy before I could travel - insurance reasons they said. Being able to join in and perform without being scrutinised or compared to those around.

Technique and performance and design. Never thought of it like that but I suppose it's the same; learn the tricks for the piece, peformance to others, redesign the arangement for future times.

if you get across exactly how you're feeling in a nice way

you feel perfect

its like sex

Getting things across, doing well at something you didn't think you could, either because you've been put down or mollycoddled, or because the drugs mess with your mind. That's the problem I'm having at the moment; strong(ish) drugs stop me taking stuff in and remembering it clearly.

Getting good results either academic or emotional, chuffed at how you feel. Great.

So the singing is how you do it.

Have you tried a local theatre group or acting class?

I mean I grew up a big movie fan so I went for it but in a geeky way.

Choral singing sounds fun...but a not too individualist

What d'you do the rest of the time?

The singing is part of what makes me who I am, it's part of what gave me confidence when I was a kid.

My University has just formed a singing group, the RGU:Singers, so there's going to be a certain amount of strutting our stuff. We're not an "identical sound, identical look" type group, we're a group of individuals singing together. During performances there's always going to be opportunities for inividual moments.

Films are great and I have some real favourites. What are yours? The films I like best are usually quirky or thought-provoking. Loved "Bowling for Columbine", and have just seen "The Grinch".

In between, I'm a full-time student doing my degree. It's great fun but also hard work. The poor memory make remembering code and formulae difficult sometimes, but this is the price I pay for drug-controlled epilepsy, so I'm not bitter about it, especially as I've got my other half to help me with both situations, the code and the epilepsy

I saw "The Misfits" for the first time last night.

What an amazing and thought provoking film. Its amazing how relevant it is today, and its hard to say that about a movie with Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable in it.

I hope she was proud of her last movie, apparently it recieved a lot of criticism at the time.

by the way

if you don't mind me asking

when was the last time you had a seizure and how bad was it?