Knowledge...

Its funny how we learn things as we go through life. Some of us learn big life lessons at a young age. Others don't learn the most important things until they die. It just depends on what you learn and when. I'm quite a fast learner so I only need to see something once before attempting it myself.

This is most true of my hobby of tinkering. I think I get it from my biological father who was always dismantling something or other (usually car or motorbike engines) and I used to enjoy watching. I soon started picking things up and was soon trying to test my knowledge and curiosity with old toys.

Not a lot has changed as I moved from childhood to adulthood. I just got more complex toys to take apart. My laptop is something of an ongoing project. It always wants/needs some kind of maintenance. From diagnostic scans to more complex rebuilds. Usually its a clog in the cooling system or sometimes it's a part that needs replacing.

I'm becoming adept at doing the job myself. Heck if anyone gave me a Toshiba Satellite L500 series with a problem, you can bet your ass that within the day I would be able to diagnose and maybe treat the problem. To the best of my ability anyway. Its a hobby and something useful.

I owe my brother Richard and my first boyfriend Mike for what I know about these machines. The funny thing is that I don't think they meant to teach me these things but never really stopped my observant nature and ability to retain and use information as well as the common sense to adapt what I was doing.

I enjoy learning in all forms. Whether its reading up on things or watching another work, asking questions and then experimentation. Obviously I don't do the kind of experiments to cause pain or suffering to others, I prefer the approach of "It's great as it is, but can I make it better? If so, how?" Besides, my "subjects" are strictly technological.

Although I have a very good understanding of the human body and my conditions, I would never dream to be as foolish as to try and diagnose or treat a person. I believe that unless you have completed medical school then you should refrain from attempting to be a doctor. No matter how much you read off the internet, that knowledge is useless unless you know what you are doing and in some cases that little bit of information can be really quite dangerous. Or just fear-mongering.

I find internet diagnosis quite funny. Maybe its because people type symptoms (which are often exaggerated) in to Google and then become convinced that they have some drastic malady. Or there are those who examine each tiny symptom just because they have the dreaded "Wish-You-Were-Sicks". A bizarre "condition" in which someone is desperate enough to believe that they have some kind of deadly disease that they research it and almost make themselves have the problem (aka mind over matter).

I was talking to my GP about it not long ago. I said what had been happening and how long and what other professionals have said in the past. He found it quite funny that unlike so many others I hadn't decided to diagnose some horrible condition myself and decide that that was it, I was going to die. I just looked at him and simply said "I'm not a doctor, so I don't like to jump to conclusions." He actually smiled and said that was something about me that he liked. A young person who has their head screwed on properly. Seems to be a rare thing these days and nearly everyone is convinced that the internet is better than good old fashioned doctors. Personally I'll stick to asking my GP and specialist when I see them.

Loves
Wendy xx