One of my problems...

[hmpf]

is that I always get tempted away from social things by books or comics (mostly books and comics, that is. Occasionally TV or games.)

I really think, sometimes, that I need therapy to learn to cope with *people*. It can't be normal that even *pleasant* social interaction is so draining for me that I shy away from it, can it?

I've been job hunting and doing housework and reading, mostly. Yes, I stopped the LJ catch-up almost immediately after I'd started. There was a rather large number of interesting job ads recently, but that's no excuse, really.

Gah.

Have some recs:

beccatoria made another awesome Farscape vid! Actually, I'm sure she's made at least a dozen good vids recently, because she went a bit crazy last month and tried (possibly even managed?) to make one vid(let) per day. So head over there and enjoy!

Did you realise you can read shitloads of classics of the fantastic genres for free on gutenberg.org? I've decided it's time to check out some of that old stuff, and have read Peter Pan and am currently reading The Napoleon of Notting Hill (I read The Man Who Was Thursday years ago, though maybe a reread is in order...) Peter Pan was much odder, and darker, than I expected. TNoNH is about as odd as I expected, because after TMWWT I expect major weirdness from Chesterton. Got any recs of other old stuff I should check out? Maybe A Voyage to Arcturus? That's definitely available there. Or I could try to get back into News from Nowhere, I started that two years ago and then was interrupted by uni stuff...

I've also reread two webcomics I'd more or less stopped checking regularly because they were (and still are) in the habit of going on really long hiatuses. They're both really really good, though. Dicebox is social science fiction with beautiful art and very three-dimensional characters and relationships. Hero is fantasy with religous/mythological overtones, possibly set after some apocalyptic(?) conflict between some analogues between the forces of heaven and hell. Or something. Beautiful digital watercolour manga art, and a surprising sense of humour. (For even more webcomics, check out the links in my sidebar here.)

I've spent a bit of time playing flash games, too:

I really enjoyed Little Rocket, despite the fact that it took me ridiculously long to learn how to control the rocket. But when I finally had the hang of it, I played the entire game through twice.

Endeavor is a nice, big-pixeled exploration platformer.

Looming plays like an extremely minimalist, retro version of Myst.

Seasons is another beautiful web toy/experience by the maker of Windosill.

The Dreamerz (don't ask me about the stupid "z"!) is a charming little point-and-click adventure that feels like you're reading a slightly surreal picture book.

And Transform is another example of patented Eyemaze madness. In other words, it's awesome.

****

I just rediscovered a very fitting old tag so I'm using it...

Comments

[neuralclone.livejournal.com]

You might also want to check out http://www.manybooks.net. It has lots and lots of "classic" genre texts in various downloadable formats. And you can browse by Genre as well as by Author or Title, so you often turn up some interesting surprises.

introversion

[(Anonymous)]

> I really think, sometimes, that I need therapy to learn to cope with *people*.
> It can't be normal that even *pleasant* social interaction is so draining for
> me that I shy away from it, can it?

It's a basic characteristic of introverts that they lose energy through social interaction whereas extroverts gain energy from it. It has nothing to do with whether you find a particular social interaction pleasant or not. It's like sports. It can be pleasant and exhausting at the same time.

I don't think therapy can turn an introvert into an extrovert. However therapy could help you understand yourself better and cope better with your own personality. A therapist would probably tell you (among other things) that your problem is not that you find dealing with people draining but that you feel bad about that fact.

Of course there are other options that more directly address the issue. A friend who tried coke (the white stuff, not the soft drink) once told me that it made him more open and suddenly even walking up to people was no problem at all for him. And I guess there are legal prescription meds that have the same effect. The question is, would you want to take drugs that change your personality in such a fundamental way?

I'm currently faced with a similar question. I've decided to seek medical help for my psychological issues. It is very likely that I will get a prescription of anti-depressants. That was the case several years ago when I made my first attempt to get help. Back then I didn't take the medication (and stopped seeing the doctor, too). I'm not sure what I will do this time. It's a difficult decision for an intellectual and lifelong misfit to have his personality forcibly changed. It's paradox. On the one hand I'm unhappy and I know I need help, but on the other hand I do love myself the way I am. In a way that mirrors my experiences with women. I tend to be attracted to women who are unhealthy for me but I can't let go even when I recognize that she's hurting me.

Matthias