The "Negative Sidekick Brain"

I'm playing a game called 'SupperBetter' ( www.superbetter.com ) to help me with some of the challenges of my mental illness.

Tonight, I managed to beat the "Negative Sidekick Brain" bad-guy.  I'm really freaking out because I haven't received the money I expected to be deposited on Tues (even though it sometimes doesn't show up until the day AFTER).

I pulled off a "It's never as bad as you think it is" Power-Up, recognizing I do have other options.  Unfortunately, in order to do that I had to succumb to the tag-team duo bad guys "Too excited/stressed/worried to sleep" and "Obsessive Compulsive" to really get cracking on making money on my business.  My business has been running since May and I don't even have $1 to show for it (17 cents in 'Accounts Receivable" with MochiMedia.com isn't gonna pay rent, meds OR food)

The alternative would have been worse - I could have beaten the Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, stayed in bed, and let my 'Sidekick' spew out all kinds of worst-case scenarios and still not gotten any sleep.  At least this way I'm doing something productive!

The fact is - it's not as bad as I think it is. I have a money management advisor who I give money to to pay my bills - and I'm totally covered for next month (and she's giving me spending money out of my budget for next month). The problem is I don't have any MORE money to give her.

But for now, I'm okay.

I was on an emotional up-swing before tonight, and business prospects are looking good. This financial crunch spurred me to realise I need to start making money. The downside to that is that it triggered my OCPD for tonight and now I want nothing more than to program (was on a bit of a roll before I went to bed). I could have beaten it and stayed in bed, but I think the Negative Sidekick Brain would have kept me up all night. This at least lets me focus it into something useful.

There's every possibility I'll check my account in 4-6 hours and everything'll be fine (I've been stressing out in about this way every month, except December when the money came early)

EDIT:  209 am - after having written the original post on my SuperBetter activity (to explain the 'loss,loss,win' of my 'Bad Guy fights) and then modifying the post for Google+ and here... I take a peek at my bank balance.. and there's the money.  "-495" turned into "922" and I feel much, much better =Z

The new cell phone law gets it right, so quit whining if you don't understand!

Unlocking a phone you don't own is illegal - unlocking a phone you own is still legal

Unless there's an angle to this I missed... I totally understand and support this bill.

If you get a phone for free or at a discount if you sign up with a contract (typically 3 years) you do not own the phone - the carrier does.  Which is why if you default on your contract they charge you full retail price for the device on top of the service charges you would have paid during your contract.

If you actually do own the phone (such as in the above example where you've defaulted on your contract and paid for the phone) the law specifically allows you to unlock the phone from the carrier.

I know people love to get caught up in the hype of the moment (I do it myself all too often) but this is one example where I think the law actually gets it right

UNLESS there is an angle I'm missing - if there is I'd honestly love to hear it.

This article on the _Examiner_ website also backs up what I suspected;
"Not to be confusing, it is only when you buy a carrier’s specific phone, with a contract, that this law comes into play. Consumers can still buy unlocked phones that run across carriers, as both iPhone and Android have many models that do just that."

I'm going to rant and re-iterate this again If you get a phone at a discount for signing up with a contract you do not own the phone!  It is effectively 'leased to you'.  Thus, it makes perfect sense for it to be ILLEGAL for you to tamper with someone else's property until the contract is up (or defaulted on) and the phone becomes yours (at which point it is LEGAL for you to unlock.)

Reposted from my Google +Page with additional comments;

The Pomodoro Technique

My new trick for organizing my time.. both to keep me focused (so my ADHD doesn't draw me away) and to prevent me from becoming TOO focused (so my OCPD doesn't suck me in)

1)  Divide your day into 30 minute chunks ( _Pomodori_ ).  Assign the tasks for each chunk.
2)  During each chunk, set a timer for 25 minutes.  If you finish the task earlier than that, devote the time to 'overlearning' (go over what you have done, or re-study the same skill etc)
3)  Take a 3-5 minute break! (this is a must even if - _especially_ if - it is a longer task that takes up multiple Pomodori)
4)  Repeat 2&3.  After you complete 4 Pomodori, take a longer break - the wikipedia entry says 10-15 minutes, but making the break a Pomodori of 25 minutes on it's own makes scheduling easier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique

I really like this technique because every half hour I can evaluate my needs.  Sometimes I'm hungry or thirsty (or need to go to the bathroom!) but I'm so absorbed in my programming that I don't even notice!

Another great thing I've discovered is that I can usually spot the errors in my code quicker and easier after coming back from a 3-5 minute break than I did when I would I relentlessly pursue them before leaving the computer (sometimes I even notice them before they've even shown up in runtime - because the loophole that could cause the mistake has never actually happened, but I can see where the loophole is and fix it before it becomes a problem!)