According to the dates I haven't updated you all in a long time (Aug 6). Apologies. I'll try to be brief and not overwhelm you with details.
1. Health. It got pretty bad. By August 17, I'd been in urgent care twice unable to breathe. I hadn't slept in days. I had doctor appointments slated the next week in Seattle but didn't dare drive while sleep deprived, so flew in. The short was that not only am I having some kind of apparent lung problem, my heart was in A-fib. The upshot was that after four doctor visits that week, I ended up with $700 a month in new medications and an appointment the second week of October for both Pulmonary Function Tests and Cardioversion. I received a message yesterday that I was slated instead for ablation--a different treatment for arrhythmia. Will be calling the doctor tomorrow to get clarification.
I have been slowly improving over the past four weeks, but still have days and/or nights of misery that have left me unable to focus and trying to catch my breath.
2. Writing. Much to my dismay, my writing has been cut to only a few thousand words a week. Just can't focus on the story. Nonetheless, I managed this morning to put the last words down on Double Team, Book 5 in "The Transmogrification of Jacob Hopkins." That's at chapter 237 for the series. There is probably more to this story that I will be convinced to write, but I don't need to worry about it for a few months. I'll do my best now in the next month to focus my writing time on Wayzgoose's Stocks & Blondes.
Here on SOL, Double Time (Book 2) enters its final part tomorrow with Chapter 86. I am ready to start posting Book 3, Double Tears, on November 5, starting with Chapter 99.
3. Personal life. I have a girlfriend. She joined me here at camp this week and it has been a delight. We live 2000 miles away from each other, so regular visits may be difficult, but we hope that as my health improves, we'll manage more time together. Perhaps I'll pull the trailer down nearer to her for the winter.
The funds I so carefully put away for the past year in order to travel around the world are steadily being dissipated with costs for medicine and doctors and procedures. I really need to find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So, as soon as possible, I'll be writing another book.
I think that's everything for now. I'll try to update more regularly when I can breathe again.