Wrapping up 2021

The blog's been quiet this year.  Even quieter than last year.  Things both happened and didn't happen.

The year started off on a bad footing with catching COVID-19.  No hospitalization needed, but even a mild to moderate case isn't fun.  I wound up unable to eat for a week and a half because of a lack of energy.  I lost weight, and not in a healthy way.  I was able to turn myself around, but it was through soup and juices before moving to something solid.

Once past the quarantine period, I still couldn't breathe.  Fortunately, the public health nurse gave me a number to call if the problem continues.  I got in, explained what was going on to the doctor, and got sent for X-rays.  Diagnosis: pneumonia.  Easily dealt with; hospital-grade antibiotics and another month of coughing to clear the gunk from my lungs.  But the X-rays found another issue.  One of the side effects of COVID-19 is a hole in the lung.  I had a pneumothorax, an air bubble outside the lung and in the chest cavity.  However, the bubble wasn't large enough for the doctor to worry about, so no need to sit and have the air removed.

Fortunately, my work was willing to give me the time I needed to get healthy again.  Even better, I was being moved to another team as help/backup.  It took me a little longer than I wanted to adjust to the move, but COVID brain fog is a thing and a symptom of long COVID.  Things got better as I used my brain more.

Health-wise, I felt better once I was able to get out to the laundromat to do laundry again.  Getting there without stopping to catch my breath was an amazing feeling, and leads me to believe that I may have had pneumonia prior to COVID.  Stubbornness was what kept me getting out and back, once I got out.  I figure that I was over most of the side effects by May at the latest.

Work, which I seldom talk about here since I believe in a work/life separation, is still good.  I've been working from home since March 2020.  I don't miss the commute.  I don't miss the rush to catch buses and, especially, transfers.  And while the employer is wanting to get people back to the office, by immediate supervisor doesn't care if we go back.  As long as we get the work done, it doesn't matter where we work.

What this means is that I'm not losing up to two hours a day travelling.  I'm not paying for a monthly bus pass.  I'm not dealing with half-assed sidewalk plowing in the winter and the heat and humidity of the summer.  I can understand why some people may need to be in the office, but until then, remote work is great.

The flip side is that all my socializing has been online.  It's enough, most of the time.  No one ever accused me of being an extrovert.  But even I start needing human interaction.  Grocery runs don't count.  Cabin fever isn't fun.

The year is ending on an upbeat, far better than how it started.  Things are going well, with Jewel finally adapting to being around me and starting to be in control.  She's allowing for longer cuddling and she will get demanding when she wants something.  It's not good when she demands under the covers and wakes me up so I can get her settled.

When history looks back, 2020 and 2021 are going to be seen as the longest decades on the 21st Century.  But things are looking better for me.  That helps with dealing with all the crap being thrown about.

Over at Psycho Drive-in, looking ahead to 2022.

Tomorrow, over at The Seventh Sanctum, wrapping up 2021.

A profile in Jewel

Happy Boxing Day!

 

NaNo 2021 - Wrapping Up

NaNoWriMo ended November 30th.  I meant to update during the month, but I got into the flow of writing.  I managed to get Lost in Translation out during this time as well, with a post every weekend.  How did I feel afterwards?

First, at the end, I had a complete story, the first in a while.  Typically, I either have a serial, thus no planned ending, or I have a story that has reached the word count but not an end.  Not this year; the story, On Thin IC, wrapped up around 50 000 words.  It needs editing, of course, and there may be more details added in to break up the dialogue, but it is a complete story.  With days to go, I also got a start on a second story, The Courier, letting me get a start on a story idea I've been playing with for a while.

Next, I didn't feel drained.  I had completed a marathon with creative energy to spare.  I credit writing Lost in Translation weekly (or close to it) for allowing me to get words out and be able to recharge again for the next day.  Daily word counts were fairly steady; I didn't have any days over 5000 words, but I could sustain over 1667 words per day for multiple days in a row.  This came in handy when I fell behind in the early days.  The first Saturday of Noivember, I was a clinic to get me to get my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, and that left me out of sorts for the rest of the afternoon.  Perseverance is something I picked up during NaNo, so getting back up to speed and ahead wasn't a problem.

Helping was not having to commute.  Taking the bus is exhausting in Ottawa.  The system is unreliable; buses do not shot up when scheduled and can go missing completely, and this isn't taking into account the lemon of an LRT Ottawa has.  Working from home means the commute is fast with the only traffic being Jewel wanting her morning treats.  With zero mental energy being used by the commute and having the commute time available to relax after work before diving into writing, getting into the writing flow wasn't a problem.

Did I have an idea of what I was doing?  About the same as previous years, meaning I had characters, a general plot, and a direction with no planned ending.  This time, though, I could see when the story wanted to wrap up.  What helped was an antagonist who wasn't willing to be shoved aside early in the narrative.  Too bad I wasn't expecting him; he could have used a name.  But without this nameless blood mage, I wouldn't have had a more personal ending.  The characters are available for a sequel if I want, but their first story is done.

NaNo 2021 was fun, and getting my sixteenth win felt great.  Give it a try!

Jewel is waiting.