Times Are Tough

I just got bombarded with a ton of medical bills. It made me realize that I'm probably not the only one struggling financially.

Until May 19th, I'm offering a free copy of my ebook to anyone who wants it. Spread the word and play it forward:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/243502

The code is: MD64Z

You have to create an account, but it's pretty easy to do.

Wednesday May 15th at Midnight

Tune in to Greenlightradio.com 

Here's the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/371685132953236/

Nate Klein did an an interview with us that will be aired around midnight Wednesday May 15th. 

For more information about Nate's music, check out the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/NateKleinEveryoneDoes

http://www.myspace.com/natekleinmusic/music/albums/everyone-does-19014319

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/NateKlein

Coupon and Update

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. I ordered some Poilane bread from France as part of her gift, and it was a hit. There are some good breads in the United States, but Poilane bread is extraordinary. I have complained about bread insides or brinnards before. There's something unpleasant (repulsive was what came to mind, but that's a bit harsh) to me about squishy bread. Wonder Bread is about as bad as it gets. I know people like the soft texture of many American breads, but that's not for me. Poilane bread is real bread. It has some substance to it. It's not mushy. If a loaf, boule or baguette has a good amount of innards, chewy with air holes is just fine. Soft makes me cringe. Poilane bread definitely has insides with texture. Check out these slices:

Bread this good doesn't need toasting. 

Before I forget, Mother's day is coming up, and I want to offer a coupon for 40% off my book, Training on Empty. The coupon will be effective until May 14th. Spread the word!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/243502

The code is: SR28T

I know I haven't been blogging like I used to. There are a few reasons for that. The last week, I spent my days pumping out 1,000 words a day or so of complete junk. It was an experiment, just to see if I could do it. It turns out that when you drop the attachments, you get out of your own way. I've mentioned that concept in running. Move away from times and place, and it's easier to be in the moment to get the job done. It has been an interesting lesson. 

Speaking of running, I haven't been doing much of it. I think my running days are over, and I've sort of accepted that. It has been a long, rough winter. There was the whole foot infection thing and many illnesses. I finally went to see the doctor again. It turns out that my blood test from way back in February wasn't normal, even though I was told it was. I had a long talk with my doctor, and we are working on getting to the bottom of my issues. There are things I will address later, but the big symptoms are improving. I'm no longer experiencing these weird body chills that grip me in the middle of the night, and I'm not getting as dizzy when I stand up these days. I'll take any improvements I can get. 

One thing that she said was that it might help if I eat more, and I have to admit that it didn't sit well with me at first. I kept thinking (always too much in my head) that I shouldn't be eating MORE if I'm not working out much, but I guess stress burns calories. It's not like I was eating LESS, really, I was just not as hungry when I wasn't feeling well. I was sort of eating the same, even though my appetite was hard to find. It's funny how I had some conflict in my head about it, but I know I'm in a better place these days. In the past, I would have gone back to the same routine. Instead, I threw in some bigger portions and a few snacks. I think it might be helping. The main thing is that I felt like I needed to trust someone and took my doctor's advice. I will probably know more at the end of the month. 

I will try to be better about regular blogging. Getting out of this hole is taking some doing, so my energy has been directed elsewhere. 

Every F%ing Time

..this makes me bawl:

It's out!

Those of you who read my blog with any regularity might remember that I did an interview with Zachary Tipton. Here's the link to that interview: http://trainingonempty.blogspot.com/2013/01/interview-with-zachary-tipton.html

This is just a quick note to let you all know that his new album is out, and I have already downloaded it, which you can do at the following link:  http://misterzach.bandcamp.com/

Once again, Zach has blown me away with his talent as a musician. I really hope people take the time to check it out, because I don't think I can do the album justice with written words. Sometimes music is defined with the other senses and can be hard to describe. It hits on a deeper level and can't be explained to its fullest, more felt. So take a listen, support a wonderfully gifted and hard-working artist and enjoy the sounds of what he has created!

Thoughts of a Dying Atheist

Don't worry. It's a song title, not a farewell letter.

My immune system seems to be on vacation this year. I assume stress has a lot to do with my inability to stay healthy lately. The foot infection thing was probably more of a big deal than I thought it was initially. I'm sick again, and I have given up dreams of racing at all this summer, maybe ever. I have to start with some small goals, like being able to run at all, and before that, being able to get through six days of any kind of exercise, even walking. I'm basically starting over once my glands aren't so swollen that it looks like I've got two golf balls stuck in my throat. I don't think my foot is healed yet, either, so doing a lot of nothing is probably keeping me from totally wrecking my right knee, hip and my back, though even with the little bit of puttering around I have managed, everything hurts. Small shit, I know.

I have been trying to think of what to write about Boston, Texas and the world in general. It's weird to me that in the midst of such devastating news, there are people more concerned with promoting themselves or their agenda, or who are too self centered to just fucking stop for a moment and think before blurting out an opinion, thought or statement. Of course I'm also dealing with the tragic events of people close to me, things not in the public eye, so all the mayhem and childish "look at me!" behavior that goes on on the internet makes me even more disgusted. Right now, I don't have the patience for comments based entirely on incorrect assumptions about motive and feelings. It's impossible to know what someone feels based on a few words on a computer screen. I really wish people who insist on commenting and putting their opinions out there for all to see would consider the effect that words might have on others.

In an email from Bobby McGee about the events that unfolded in Boston, he stated something about runners, those who are part of the solution to the world's problems. He went on to talk about these people making an effort to change the world into a healthier, happier, more inclusive place. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? The world confuses me lately. With tragedy, one would hope that the result would be people bonding and coming closer together. Instead, I see more of the absurdity that occurs in life. There are people being pulled apart, and there seems to be a triggering of more upset and violence. I understand the anger, but I have never understood vengeance. That doesn't mean I support anyone on a rampage or the actions of a killer; it means that I don't agree that violence met with more violence solves anything.

I hope that people can find compassion in the midst of all the chaos and look at the heroic acts, rather than focus on retaliation and blame. Bobby is right. This is a time to reconnect, strengthen and choose right action. I've been in shock since I watch the events unfold. How can something like that happen at a marathon, for fuck's sake? Of course, it shouldn't happen anywhere, but it's even more confusing when something so cruel happens at an event in which people are so completely defenseless, and the atmosphere is one of encouragement and joy. Through it all, there is tremendous sadness, a sadness that some will carry for a lifetime. There will never be any understanding around these kinds of acts that are so unjustified and heinous. The best thing I can think of to do is to look within and see how I might change my own behavior. How can I make a difference? I don't have the answer, but I believe that the running community has already displayed many examples of kindness, bravery and love despite these most terrible events. My heart goes out to everyone who was affected by these senseless atrocities.

Shocker

Wow, I have neglected this blog. On the off chance anyone noticed, yes, it has been a while since I last posted. I have also deserted my fellow bloggers, something I don't like doing. Where have I disappeared to these last few weeks? Well, I got sucked up into my own head, which isn't a great place to be. It can get really dark in here.

The other day I caught a bit of the live broadcast of the hackathon taking place in Colorado. It got me thinking about DIY media, of course, both the pros and the cons. The great thing about DIY media is that anyone can be a blogger, author, podcaster, DJ or journalist. That's also the bad thing about DIY anything.

Aside from the distraction of a really nice dinner with a good friend at Riffs in Boulder and an OK run in the warmer weather that has since dropped out of sight, I've been struggling in all areas. When it gets this bad, I start to ask the big questions. Still searching for a purpose, I seem to be drifting, too lost in thought to write much, too tired and hurt to run much and too afraid to change much, I settle for all-out mediocrity. Long gone are my days of going for it. It all seems so fucking pointless. Not only is my confidence shaken in all areas of my life, I'm struck, like a frying pan to the face moment, with just how absurd it is to try. Why write when you know you will never even come close to writing like the best? Why run when 7-minute pace suddenly seems impossible? What's left? Sleep. Sleep and mindlessly getting through the day: work, eat, sleep, sleep more, wake up and wish it would end. I'm fucking tired. I've had enough.

I sometimes wish I could turn off my mind. I watch bits and pieces of the Monsantogate story unfold and wonder if Orwell could have predicted something similar and how his tale would have ended. The world seems so very fucked up.

How depressing. I feel a blog post brewing, but I haven't decided what direction to take it. Until I'm more fully out of this funk, I think I will go back into hibernation.

Enjoy this while I'm gone:

Streaks

I'm not talking running streaks today. Those are puzzling to me, though they do show how compulsive a person can be. The more I give up on running, the more ridiculous it all seems to me, and yet I am familiar with that crazy drive. It has just escaped me lately. Sometimes I wonder if it was all one big waste of time, as I sit and binge on House of Cards episodes.

I'm in a hole. Shit luck, bad losing streak or whatever you want to call it, I'm getting tired of "fighting", which means I'm just plain tired. If I could sleep the rest of my days, I don't think I would mind all that much. Of course, when you feel cruddy, being positive isn't all that easy, and it has been one hell of a winter/spring.

I mentioned that I was sick for two months with some kind of monster flu/virus/cold, but that was just the tip of the mountain of ice. In short, things suck right now, but I suppose being on the mend is better than where I was two days ago.

God, my let foot has been a disaster since that stress fracture led me to the idiot who gave me the cortisone shots. I've forgotten what it's like to even walk normally. Allow me to rant a little bit, because I have been through hell. With me, it seems it can never be something minor; it has to be an all-out catastrophe, though it has been pointed out to me that I'm "lucky" to still have a foot at this point. The worst way to try to make someone feel better is to point out that it could be worse. "Oh, you just slammed your hand in the car door? At least it wasn't your head." Yeah, works great. I'm sure the guy squirming and yelping with the mashed hand feels a ton better now.

The story...

After the surgery, my foot was hurting. That seemed normal, right? Maybe not. I get so used to feeling shitty that it becomes hard to tell what's normal pain and what requires more attention. The doctor checked how the foot was healing a week ago Monday, and it looked pretty good. It was looking better, and the stitches were supposed to come out the following week. For two days, nothing much changed, but by the third day I was limping more. I assumed the discomfort was from the rubbing my shoe was doing, so I cut up an old pair of shoes, leaving as little friction against the side as possible. That didn't seem to help much. My foot ached and was too painful to run on, so I switched to the bike, doing mostly easy workouts. I'm VERY out of shape lately. What was concerning was this low-grade fever that I couldn't seem to shake.

I struggled through the rest of the week, and when I woke up on Sunday, I knew something wasn't right. In addition to my foot being extra swollen, it was also bright red. Infection. It was obvious, so I called my doctor on his cell phone. Man, I hate bothering people, even when I know it's the right thing to do. He was super nice about everything and called in some oral antibiotics. Before work, I took a double dose, as he suggested. Somehow I managed to get through the day, but when I got home, the foot was worse. My mood wasn't helped when, on my way home, some out of control asshole tried to cut me off and then started yelling at me, flipping me off in the process. He wanted to make an extra wide turn in a double turn lane, forgetting that there are other people on the road. The situation escalated when I didn't respond to his monkey-like gestures, so he cut me off and slammed on his brakes. I'm not sure how I avoided the accident, but I did and laid all my anger out on my horn. Some people really are complete holes and need to be medicated.

Back to my foot...

Well, the thing looked awful. It got to the point where I couldn't really put my weight on it. It looked like an over-stuffed burrito, just ready to burst at the seams. And it was an angry pink, the scars stretched and raised up against the pressure building inside. I called the doctor again, and he told me to get to the hospital. Had I known what was in store, I'm not so sure I would have gone so willingly, but it needed to be done.

(If you're eating, you might want to set your Fruit Loops aside at this point)

People tell me that I have a high pain tolerance. I think at times that's true, but prolonged pain reduces me to a wimp. When the ER doc told me she was going to have to open the wound a little, I knew it wouldn't be pleasant. When she looked at me and told me flat out that it was going to hurt, my stomach felt queasy. It already hurt, so the thought of anyone even touching my foot made me cringe. The last time I was told not this is going to hurt a little bit or this is going to hurt for a short time, but simply this is going to hurt, I was in the ER after severing a tendon in my hand. The doctor had to give me several shots around the base of my thumb, and I was told to breathe through the pain, which I did. While that was bad, it was NOTHING compared to what I went through with the inflamed foot. Holy shit. This was a bloody red, supreme kind of pain, the kind that makes you whimper and beg for it to stop in your head. At one point, I think I yelped, but it didn't stop her from poking that needle around in the wound, jabbing it up and down and then left and right. Before it was even numb, she started squeezing out the puss, which, mixed with a bit of blood, oozed down my foot in a thin line. After that and a good cry, I felt at least a little bit better.

I was put on an IV and given antibiotics. I was worn out, but my foot was achy and throbbing, too irritated to allow me any rest. It took about an hour and a half to administer the medication. I got to listen to a flock of kids who brought their friend to the ER after he had been yarfing, probably due to some kind of flu. I started to feel very alone, but not necessarily lonely, more just sad about my own situation. No pain meds when driving, so I was sent home with 4 Percocet. I took one and passed out for a long time in my cozy little bed.

So, I haven't been exercising, and I can't say I give much of a crap at this point. Maybe I will start to care when I realize how grossly out of shape I have become, but for now, all I want is for this fever to go away. I'm on one of the most powerful oral antibiotics out there, so the infection should clear up soon. I have one more draining to do today, and hopefully that will be the last of those things. The stitches are all out now, and the swelling is down too, though my ankle still hidden under the puffiness.

So yeah, shit luck. Some years are worse than others.

Letting Loose

I need a break from struggling through article writing. Editors are great when they know what they are talking about, but every once in a while, one pops up who seems to be drifting into the vast regions of Hilbert space. Having an editor who does things in a way that's different from everyone else makes writing these soul-sucking articles that much more of a challenge. 

The foot is recovering. It was a tad more painful than I expected, but I also wasn't given any narcotics to ease me into a different realm. I had to make do with over the counter generic pain pills. Other than my foot swelling and looking a little bit like an over-stuffed Weißwurst, there hasn't been a whole lot to report. I accidentally popped a scab near one of the stitches when I was rushing to take a shower before work after a hectic Sunday morning. My mom fractured her foot the day before but didn't know it, and I had to take her to urgent care the following morning. The two of us have matching limps now. I tried a jog Monday, but there's too much pressure on the stitching. I also seem to be getting a low-grade fever off and on with this. It shouldn't be too much longer before I can get back to at least jogging, but I have to wait until I can tie my shoe. Biking seems harmless. With the winds lately, I guess it's a good time to be indoors. Well, today I'm being a bum, because the fever is a bit more than I expected. I will be training again soon enough. Rough winter this year, damn.

                                                               *****************************

Recently, a couple of coyotes were shot, because one of them nipped in the general direction of a kid who was out playing near a creek in an open-space area. This seems wrong to me, mostly because it was on open space, not in the kid's back yard, though I can't say I would want any animal shot even if it ventured into a back yard. I'm not going to pretend I know what the perfect solution is to these kinds of situations, but people around here seem to be animal-rights activists only if the issue relates to their own dog that has a right to be off leash and jumping up on every living creature within three miles. Those who think otherwise are ANIMAL ABUSERS, but it's OK to shoot the dingo, right? It just seems weird that we expect wild animals to know that they should stay away from Pomeranian-sized snacks and avoid Hobbit-sized beings encroaching on their territory. 

Someone suggested beating the coyotes, and others suggested that carrying guns would solve the problem. Not to be condescending, but what kind of bizarre lesson is a beating supposed to teach the coyote? Let's see, days after the incident, round up all the coyotes in the area and, assuming the one that did the nipping is among them, give them all a good pummeling. That will teach 'em! The gun thing? "Oops, I thought your little Rusty was a bear. Sorry!" Yeah, that's a smart solution; just have everyone carry a gun on open space and shoot at anything rustling in the bushes. I'm thinking relocation of the animals when possible, wildlife education and posting warning signs about animal sighting might be better solution, but who wants to be reasonable when you have the opportunity kill or badly injure a coyote? 

I don't know. I guess I haven't changed my opinions much from when I was little and secretly hoped that Wile E would catch the roadrunner. I'm still rooting for the coyote. That doesn't mean I wanted the kid to get eaten, but I also don't like to know that two poor animals are dead because they did what was natural to them. Let's hope that the female they shot wasn't simply protecting her pups.

The Storm

It seems that when I go to blog lately, I can't think of what I want to say. I know I have been neglecting this place, but my mind has been occupied.

It also seems that the world is filling up with more arrogant people, and this diminishes my desire to participate in life. If I were religious, I might point to signs of the coming of Al-Massih ad-Dajjal. Fortunately, I tend to attribute these omens more to the imbalance and greed that capitalism tends to create and the increasing lack of social responsibility those at the top, whether in the media or in congress, have than to anything religious. I'm lucky that I have had a few opportunities to surround myself with passionate people who tend to give my sagging motivation a boost when needed, though.

I'm horribly out of shape, but I can't get over how sick I was. For two months, I was dragging myself around, and, during one of those months, I had some kind of super flu/cold thing that left me coughing, feverish and wanting to sleep for 18 hours a day. The tests from the hospital came back negative, but I heard other people with this same illness were out of commission for over a month, too. Just as I'm feeling better, I'm facing round three with my foot. Fortunately, the procedure I will get this week is not full surgery, more of an out-patient affair that won't leave me down for too long. Maybe once my foot is in working order, I can begin to train again. In the meantime, jogging 44 or 55 minutes has been my super-duper long "run" maximum. Sigh.

Even though I probably "shouldn't" feel this way, I hate asking people for favors. Even asking for my shifts at work to be covered was an effort, not because anyone wouldn't consider working but because I simply hate asking anyone for anything. I have also decided to take a cab home from the doctor instead of asking anyone for a ride. It makes me realize that part of the reason I was struggling so much with this illness was because I couldn't seem to get people to understand what I needed. Guilt is a bitch. I felt guilty for admitting that I really needed to stay in bed, so I didn't. There's this weird feeling that I don't want to owe anyone anything, too. I ended up fighting my desire to rest and went to work, met with people and tried to go on with my life as if nothing was wrong. I should have just said fuck it and slept for three days straight, taken a week off work and been done with it. A few times I got sent home, because I looked terrible and my fever was showing. Clearly I need to work on stating what I need more clearly and adamantly.  

Because I'm struggling with what I want to say and how I want to say it, I will just offer another video. This one is strange, no doubt. The animation is fantastic, though, and it's packed with all kinds of symbolism. Look closely at background images. It's a total trip.

One last thing, Boulder Youth Body Alliance will be ceasing operations later this year. This is very sad news.

Whoops

I'm not dead; I'm just sick. 

Hopefully soon I will be back with something more interesting to report. In the meantime, enjoy these hand selected videos. I've always been more of a ..cover girl, but I'm starting to get into mashups a little bit:

And of course, the best mashup evah:

What The ???

Can someone please tell me what the hell this quote is supposed to mean?



"You're having an argument with either side of your brain," O'Hare said. "This side is like, 'I'm tired. I want to stop.' And then this side is like, 'Look what you'd be giving up if you gave up right now, all the things you could achieve. Why are you thinking like that?' So in a split second, within about five strides, you've gone from, 'I'm really tired,' to, 'What the hell are you thinking? Get on it! Stop being a girl and go!' "

Big Love?

This topic has been a tough one for me to address. I will be the first to agree that the media and the beauty industry promote unrealistic standards to the public. I also agree that many fat people are unfairly treated in our society. As someone who was persecuted for being "fat" as a kid, the last thing I want to do is say anything negative about anyone who is overweight; however, I have some issues with bloggers who appear to be morbidly obese claiming that as long as they love themselves, nothing is wrong. That's like an alcoholic claiming her lifestyle is just fine, and other people are the real problems for not being able to accept who she is. Just like I won't praise Victoria Beckham for her "sexy photo shoot" when she looks about as healthy as a well-dressed cancer patient struggling to survive in a Sub-Saharan African country during a drought, I'm not about to say that being at a weight that could potentially cause severe health issues is a good thing. No matter how much Betty blogger's self-esteem has skyrocketed, her physical body is at risk. I'm all for everyone having confidence, no matter what their outer appearance may be, but there's more to health than simply liking who you are. How you view yourself is only one small aspect of overall health, and if self-image is skewed in an overly good or bad way, it makes it more difficult to find true well-being.

To be clear, I'm not addressing bloggers like Kate Harding, who writes about fat acceptance from the perspective of someone who aims for health and balance in her own life and advocates finding self-acceptance, whatever that means, for an individual; I'm focusing on those who claim obesity is not a health risk. I won't go into the ramblings of Paul Campos, because the guy continually talks out of both sides of his mouth. For example, he claims that the public admires skinny actresses like Kate Moss (who's actually a model) and Calista Flockhart but in the same breath states that they were both harshly criticized for their thinness. He also seems to pull statistics out of his ass. This article does a nice job of addressing the flaws in Paul's statements about obesity.

A problem came up recently with one of the credible sources I was going to cite, but before anyone makes any assumptions and tosses out solid information, I will explain. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) overestimated the death toll of obese people, the following was stated by the CDC's chief scientist:

"I want to make it clear that we really regret this error, and we really regret any confusion it has caused about the importance of obesity," said Dixie E. Snider, the CDC's chief scientist. "But obesity is still going to be a major public health problem and a major contributor to death."

Unfortunately, skeptics of the obesity epidemic have jumped all over the error, claiming all statistics relating to obesity are exaggerated, which isn't the case. One critic cited in The Washington Post had this to say about the error:

"I wouldn't say obesity isn't a problem, but it's nowhere near the numbers they have been throwing around," said Glenn A. Gaesser, a University of Virginia physiologist who wrote "Big Fat Lies," which questions many of the assertions about obesity.

Many of the health problems blamed on being overweight are actually the result of people eating poorly and failing to exercise, Gaesser said. "Most of the health problems associated with body fat are really caused by lifestyle," Gaesser said. 

That's like saying anorexia doesn't kill people, not eating enough and exercising too much do, or heart attacks from malnutrition kill people, not eating disorders. Obviously, in the case of obesity, death can occur from eating the wrong kinds of foods, sure, but being obese also contributes to many health issues. In other words, losing weight would make it less likely that a person would die from causes related to an unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise, but is it really necessary to make that distinction? And, what about living a healthy life rather than just a long life? Technically, I make the cause of death distinction with anorexia only to point out that eating disorders contribute to many health problems that can lead to death. I mentioned before that in the film America the Beautiful, a mother tries to get bulimia listed as her daughter's cause of death on the death certificate, but doctors are reluctant to list any eating disorder as the actual cause. Her daughter died during a purge session when her electrolytes were drastically thrown off kilter. Instead, her daughter's certificate reads "undetermined" as the cause of death, because the complications related to the illness are what ultimately killed her. We all know what really killed her, though.

In bringing all this up, it's important to make the distinction between health-related issues and emotional or psychological issues. The catalyst for my ramblings here was a blog post by someone who slammed a fat-acceptance blogger for posting her thoughts about wanting to be more vain. I'm not going to post links to either blog, because the latter wasn't as noteworthy as some of the other bloggers in the "fatosphere," and the former lists vicious comments and mean-spirited put-downs that I don't support in any way. It's a fine line for me to back the body acceptance movement without condoning either pro-ana or pro-obesity sentiments. Everyone has to determine for himself what health and a healthy lifestyle are. In terms of addiction, it's like Diane Israel always says, "You know you have crossed that line when life loses its flavor." It's great to have confidence, but, for optimal well-being, it has to be in conjunction with self-awareness.

I keep thinking about this song now:

Foot Doctor Recap

My lumpy foot with X marks along the angry nerves

After several weeks of dragging my left foot around on runs and feeling very out of sorts, I finally had my appointment with my foot doctor. I'm always glad to see him, but I was nervous, anticipating at least one shot. I knew the lump on the top of my foot had to be drained again, so I had to face the needle that numbs the area before he could pop the cyst. I didn't think the doctor would discover two cranky nerves that needed a few shots each in order to calm the fuck down. The results won't be known until probably next week, so until then, I'm taking things very easy and resorting to biking again. Man, those shots directly into the nerve are a bitch. I have a pretty high pain tolerance at times, but getting a needle jammed into the foot is super intense. It's the kind of torture that makes you feel like you want to throw up, even though it's short lasting. My foot still feels a little bit off, but I'm giving it some time before I make another appointment with the doctor.

I have no idea where I was going with the above post, but since then, a train wreck occurred. Jeez. I caught some kind of catastrophic sickness that's plaguing nearly everyone. It did more than kick my ass though; it threw me for a loop, hit me upside the head, punched me in the throat and kicked me while I was down. For good measure, it stomped on my confidence and messed up my emotions too. After a week of fever, coughing, whining and feeling like crap, I'm finally staggering among the living. Next week, I hope to do more than eat, sleep and watch Netflix. BTW, how did I ever miss getting hooked on Lost? Damn, that was a great show, and I'm glad I finally saw every episode. I guess being sick is *good* for something.

The sad thing is that I've been feeling off for almost a month, because before the plague hit, I had been struggling with energy and hormonal issues. Just when I thought my period was sputtering to an end, it returned with a vengeance. I'm ready for some smooth sailing here.

Stay tuned! 

I'm working on a slightly controversial blog post, so it might take me some time. The wording in this one is a challenge, because I don't want to offend anyone. Dancing around the issue isn't my style, but I don't have to throw the information out there in a harmful way either.

This is basically a post to say that I'm still alive, even though I have felt half dead recently. It feels good to be writing a blog post instead of an article for an online media source. I'm glad to have some work, but article writing and creative writing are worlds apart. Kill creativity with all kinds of rules and too much structure, and writing becomes dull. I guess this is me letting loose.

Eating Disorder Awareness Month

February is Eating Disorder Awareness month. Spread the word that from now until Feb 17th, Training on Empty is 20% off on Smashwords.com.

Just use this coupon code:  EY53X

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/243502