no cutlery of any kind. Not even any dishware. All I've got is an empty can of cat food, metaphorically. Now, not only am I cold all the time, I have a bloody cold. If I lay down, I have a hard time breathing - I have asthma - so I can't sleep very well. I can't wait for winter to be over. Shoot me now.
I'm really struggling this winter, it seems I'm back to being severely affected by the cold. Last winter wasn't bad, but this year I am cold all the time again. I have a bad thyroid, which I'm on medication for, and it makes it very hard for me to stay warm. I feel very weak, and have no energy. I have to apologize to anyone who has been wondering what happened to the story that I posted a teaser for, but I've not been able to do much writing. I promise, I haven't abandoned the project. I live in Southern California, so I feel silly complaining about the cold, but there it is.
I've been out to my wife, kids and grandkids for a few years now, but my wife's extended family didn't know about my real self - until today. We went to my mother-in-law's for Thanksgiving, as she will probably not be around any more next year. It will be a blessing; she has dementia and is getting very near 100 years old. After talking with my niece, who lives with her and has known about me for a couple of years now, we felt that it would be OK to be me. With my wife's blessing, I went there as myself.
I spent some time with AI, and found that it really has a problem doing the little things. Jake has two different colored eyes, and it took me forever to get that done how I wanted. I went through, quite literally, hundreds and hundreds of images before I found my Jake. https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/104259/mister-sister-...
Or, as Dorothy would say, I've got some spoons again. I was really struggling with the story I'm working on but last night, it started to flow again. I don't know if it was just a difficult transition in the story, or if it was the dreaded 'writer's block' as I'm still very new at this author thing, I'm just glad it is over.
and I'm running a fever of 103F right now. Just took some tylenol. I have more than a few of the markers for being at higher risk from covid, so keep me in your thoughts, please. I'll let you all know how things go over the next few days.
although I have no illusions of winning said contest, it was still a step in the right direction for me. Maybe someday I will learn to be a real writer and have a chance at one.
I thought my problems with fatigue and everything else was Covid related, but it turns out I have cat scratch fever, and all of my symptoms match the common symptoms for that. I have started medication for it, and I'm feeling better every day. Cat scratch fever is fairly rare, and in most cases resolves itself, but with my weakened immune system, I have apparently been fighting it for some time now. It can be very serious if untreated for long periods of time, but I have no symptoms of it having reached that point.
I'm still around, it has just been too miserable cold for someone with a non-functional thyroid to be able to do much. I'm pretty much recovered from covid, expect for lingering fatigue and lethargy, which doesn't help either. I haven't even had the energy to do any reading here, I spend my days playing mindless time-wasting computer games and watch reruns of my favorite TV shows. Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer, but it isn't any fun to be in my skin. Thanks for reading my maudlin self-pity. Maybe the good Lord will let me not wake up tomorrow morning.
If anyone is willing to re-read them, I would love to know if it is an improvement. I will post chapter 4 as soon as my early reader gets back to me on it, tomorrow, I hope. If anyone else wished to be an early reader, let me know please.
I've noticed that I am not consistent in tense, the story wants to be written in first person, every time I try to write in past tense, I end up having to go back and make changes to try and keep it that way, as I change tense part way through. Please be patient with me, I'll have these corrected soon and I think the story will be much improved in the process. I've also become aware I was rushing through it too fast, in spite of knowing where the story is going, I need to take my time to be a better writer.
I'm really curious, I am getting to the point of being able to write longer chapters, but I would like to know something. Would you like more frequent, shorter chapters or less often, longer chapters? I am able to get out a short chapter everyday so far, as long as I don't have extreme insomnia like I had the last two days, longer ones will probably be less often. I know when I'm reading I prefer longer chapters, but that is mostly because I read way too damn fast. I will post my next chapter sometime today.
I'll quit posting song lyric parodies, I get that "My Gender Lament" wouldn't get many reviews, likes or even views. But out of over 600 viewers, I had 2 reviews and 18 likes. I'll quit posting these since so few like them, but I do have a story I'm going to try and write.
I lost my best friend today, I've now outlived all of my friends except the ones I've made here. I do have my family, or I probably would have done something stupid by this time. I have to admit that I'm not sure how much more I can take, my parents are gone, my brother wants nothing to do with me (and it has nothing to do with me being Holly), and now my only friend I could hug is gone. I'm so very afraid of trying to make new friends in my area, I've started dressing full time now and I don't know how well I would be accepted outside of my family.
I just got over being sick, and I'm sick again. Not Covid, thank God, but I am absolutely miserable - fever just short of 102, coughing, congested and lung just don't feel right. Hurt from head to toe. The big problem, though, is it triggers me since I was deathly ill for most of my childhood, I would get sick and then when I got over that one, I would get sick again days later. What would really upset me is I would cry, which helped me deal with it as it was a good release for all my troubles.
I'm doing much better, went to the ER yesterday, lots of tests, new meds and breathing treatments and I can breathe again. Turns out a rhinovirus exacerbated my asthma and had pretty much shut me down. All the love and huggles helped.
A bit of an update, Gwen's cellulitis is doing better, although she is still quite miserable and the medication is making her very tired. She is on her second course of antibiotics, they would have kept her in the hospital but Covid is using up most of the beds. She would like to thank everyone who messaged her or answered her blog to wish her well. For the time being, I'm going to be a go between to help her be able to rest, so feel free to ask me questions.
and my cat is not liking this at all, we live in a desert here so he doesn't see this very often. He's at the back door, looking at all the wet and yelling at the rain. Then he turns and yells at me, as if to ask me to turn off the wet. Since that doesn't work, he goes back to yelling at the rain. He desperately wants to go outside, he is a rescue cat who I haven't been able to turn into a stay at home cat, yet.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
