2017

January

On New Year’s Day, Mary dumped me. She said someone told her I was supposedly badmouthing her in my blog. I wasn’t even surprised anymore, just angry—used for years, then discarded like that. Later in the month, I had to dish out $175 to fix the hot water tank. Turns out it was the thermocouple. I also won a Canadian rat magazine in a Facebook giveaway. Small win, but it cheered me up.

February
Kicked off the month with food poisoning—the first time I puked in nearly 20 years. Discovered a site I love that randomly generates character names. And I finished writing Locked-In—just under 18,000 words!

March
Tried to get used to sleeping with Sense’s sound machine. Not sure if it’ll work for daytime sleep, though, might need something louder. Ended the month experimenting with pink noise via Alexa—aiming to simplify and rely on fewer devices.

April
Jumped into CampNaNoWriMo with Rosemarie’s Revenge while also dabbling in Kinky Kathleen and Someone Else’s Lady.

May
Wrapped up The People Project, a personal dive into everyone I’ve ever known. Took just over two months. I also started Clonidine for ADD, sleep, and maybe anxiety too.

June
Clonidine turned out to be a nightmare—knocked me out but wrecked my sleep. Done with that! My TSH hit 16 from skipped meds, but it was necessary to calm my anxiety. Then came another worry—elevated red and white blood cell counts. Still unsure what’s going on. I also began taking Amberen for menopause symptoms. So far, it seems okay, though it made me drowsy.

July
Maliheh’s email got hacked—weight loss junk. Surprised I’m still in her contacts. Found a way to block people who’ve blocked me on Facebook. If they ever unblock me, they still won’t see me. Met a neighbor named Mary who asked about all the street digging. Apparently, it’s irrigation work, four years in the making. I also messaged Scot B—he blocked me days later, and I have no clue why.

August
Discovered Grammarly and I’m obsessed. Watching my writing improve as I edit is so satisfying.

September
TSH is 15. Perimenopause is clearly a major anxiety trigger, though meds don’t help either. Got a mouthguard and two partial crowns for $600. Expensive but worth it, and great seeing Kathleen at the office.

October
Accidentally pulled out a crown while flossing—dentist fixed it in five minutes. My TSH dropped to 6.75. On the 27th, my very first “real” journal entry turned 30. Wild to think about.

November
Reconnected with Kim on Twitter, though not Aly. Still, it’s fun catching up. Bought a $25 sound machine to fight traffic noise. Fingers crossed. Finally gave in and decided to get new windows—noise is one thing, but stealing my sleep? Nope. Also finished Stepping into Psycho—just under 24,000 words!

December
Health frustrations hit hard. I’m beyond fed up. My white blood cells are up, cholesterol is crap, and TSH jumped from 6 to 11. Seriously—WTF? My PCP wants me to see a hematologist. On a brighter note, Aly tweeted a birthday wish (not directly, but still nice) and later reached out. Made my day. I also had a talk with Marie’s ex. She didn’t hurt me personally, but she’s clearly messed up. Glad we never met back in 2010.