The things which make me feel better in these difficult days are many and varied. Here are some of them, in no particular order.

hearing that other people are miserable
baths
red wine
a good sleep
coffee
cirrus clouds
the smell of the mangroves in Tarban Creek
the prospect of terminal illness which will make it unneccessary to finish my studies
good movies (especially involving terminal illness and other people's misery)

The things which make me feel worse are no less numerous.

stories of other people's success
coffee
the thought of terminal illness etc.
the blue computer screen which appears periodically saying 'physical dump of memory completed': after this cyber bowel movement, being forced to turn off the computer and start all over again.