#IWSG - JANUARY 2019 - CHECK IN - A NEW ME??? I CERTAINLY HOPE SO!

Here we are at the start of a new year. 2019 and I certainly hope it is better than the last three. Well hell, for me, I'd like it to be better than the last thirteen, but I really can't quibble. I'm no longer married to the guy who got the gf when I was hospitalized, so there's that. I have a roof over my head and food on the table and will apparently, have slightly more of it this coming year.

Now, if I can just start remembering things; like, days of the week, where I'm supposed to be and where I've laid certain paperwork that just MUST be filled out right away! Trying to set and keep these goals also involves trying to set and keep goals for writing. I've been writing some of the things I've remembered for a dear, dear friend about the Roman Empire during the Imperial Age - fact-checking all the way, to make sure I remember names and dates - and this has been a lot of fun. She's enjoyed the stories and it's fun to do.

I'm going to continue in this vein, but am going to expand and write more fiction this year, too, Juneta, look out! Anyway, I want to wish every one a very happy and prosperous and productive 2019. Happy #IWSG'ing! 

#IWSG – July 2017 Check in – Depression Really Ain't All That

I'm not going to start this with the usual organ recital of how I had an essential tremor episode, landed in the hospital, came out and got the Plague that everyone had for about 40 years it seemed, but was closer to 7 weeks and then had my cell phone stolen, and then I went to bed depressed for two months, until I got sick of my own pitifulness and drop-kicked my ass out of bed. We've all been there in one form or another, and my particular pity-part seems to be “I suck, hate myself, never did anything good, am a rotten person and cannot do anything well...” What horseshit.

Any one who has to deal with mental illness goes through this cycle and we know that things will get better. I'm at my best when I'm fighting for something I believe in, or if I have a job to do. Simple stuff; easy-peasy. And I've got the tools to take me to next step.

Anyway, it's time for me to move on to the next step and get on with my life. Symphony rehearsal starts in about 7 weeks and I've been approached by NTI, a company that provides work-at-home jobs for people with disabilities; the extra money will help.

I NEED to start writing again too. When I'm really creative, it keeps the bats out of my brains and keeps me motivated. I'm sorry I just sort of dropped out of sight. Alex Cavanaugh and Juneta Key came looking for me, just as I was climbing out of that hole. Thanks, you two, and to any others who may have sent emails I missed, thanks to you as well! I know you care! I hope everyone has a productive #IWSG month!

#IWSG – NOVEMBER CHECKIN – “THE I ALMOST FORGOT CHECK IN”

Coming on the heels of the Tampa Bay Symphony's fall concert series at the St. Petersburg Palladium of MacDowell, Richard Strauss and Anton Dvorak and winding up in a pub a few blocks away after a wonderful concert to watch the Cubbies, now helmed by the former Tampa Rays' Manager Joe Madden, beat the Indians, in a 9 to 3 drubbing, and slurping down some Guinness Ales, gobbling up pizza (thank you Paul for treating us all!) and being driven home by my friend Julie at 1 am, only to have her completely electric car run out of electricity, and then sitting rather alertly now, waiting for the “Supercharger” to “Supercharge”, so we could get the hell outta one of the worser places in Tampa, and flying into my house like a commando dropped in a war zone; locking all doors and then, collapsing for the evening, it wasn't until today that I realized, oops.

I almost did it again. Missed a check in. So, here's what I did over the past month. Fought with insurance and dental companies and Medicaid; summation. They're all on the take, or complete idiots, or both. I wrote another short story for #StoryTime BlogHop, called “9-1-1”. I'd had the idea for a long time; I just didn't know how to get it started. Many, many thanks to Juneta Key for that! And I practiced. Practiced, practiced, practiced the viola. And wrote; I have some ideas I've been jotting down (a very creepy incident got me going on my 3^rd short story) and made some headway on “Nebraska Creepers”, but it's not coming together the way I'd like it to. I'm just going to keep on it. Lots to do between now and January and Japan as well! Anyway, happy #IWSG'ing! 

#IWSG AUGUST 2016 CHECK IN - GAH! IT'S 6:00 EDT AND I JUST REMEMBERED IT'S IWSG CHECK-IN!

Okay, last night when I went to bed, I remembered that today was #IWSG CHECK-IN AUGUST, 2016. Then, after sleeping, it's like a brand-new Mary and a new day with new challenges. The weather in Tampa has been abominable all summer long. I'm dealing with 89 degree Fahrenheit IN my apartment with the temperature set at a moderate 78 degrees. The A/C unit needs to be replaced I guess. 

Part of my ceiling fell in and that finally got fixed, and today of all days, found me running, with blind-cane, and glasses, plus a small bag of Snapeas from the back of the grocer store to the front - why, oh why I do these things is beyond my ken - when the tip of my left boot caught the edge of the rubber matting in the vegetable department and I could feel... my... momentum... carry me forward, as my foot hung back and I knew I was going down, and going down hard. 

Lucky for me, all of that falling when I had trouble walking and all of that strength training and building up my muscles has left me extremely agile; like that of a 25-year old and I know how to fall. As I fell forward, I brought my right shoulder up and turned me head to the left and tilted my neck slightly toward my left shoulder and loosened my muscles, so I wouldn't hit my noggin. Perfect 3-point landing. 

A buncha people came running over and were all a-twitter, but the only thing that was hurt was my dignity. I said, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine" about eleventy-billion times, got up and hustled to the line where they were already emptying my cart. I paid for my food and stuff and couldn't get out of there fast enough. What is wrong with me?

Anyway, I have a little treat. I wrote my first piece of fiction that has been seen by humans and no one died, so I would like to share this with you. The terrific Juneta Key got me involved in Story Time Blog Hop! It's called "The Day the Cat Got Out" and it's part of a chapter from a larger project I'm working on called "The Nebraska Creepers". I think I've finally found something that will resonate with a lot of folks and I've gotten some good feedback on it. I feel pretty positive about it and I hope you enjoy it! Happy #IWSG'ing!