I've got a lot to talk about.
The neighbor situation:
Domestic violence sucks. Things got so bad, the cops were frequently showing up to stop the fights, the tenant was taken away in an ambulance at some point, and nobody felt safe here anymore. I called the police four times myself, and they even asked me to come down to the station to give a written statement at 1:00 in the morning. It has been extremely stressful. I informed management that I now had recordings and written documentation of the fights, and that I planned to move as soon as I found another apartment. That changed everything. The last couple of weeks have been quiet. It appears a relative has moved in with the tenant, a lady with kids, and the violent boyfriend is no longer there. So that's a huge improvement, obviously, and hopefully it's going to stay this way. Both the manager and co-manager asked me not to move. They like me for some reason. I'll eventually move anyway, because I am still in need of smoke-free housing.
NaNoWriMo:
It's National Novel Writing Month already. This was my 7th NaNo. I do want to work on my novel, The Children of Mossy Hollow, and I was going to work on it this month. However, I have decided to back out. I'm overwhelmed, and not in good health, and I am choosing to focus solely on my wellness. Writing 50,000 words in one month is a heck of a task, and it's not reasonable at this time to take that on. Every day is a challenge, and at the moment I am aggressively pursuing better mental health, which leads me to the next bit of news.
The Circle:
I have invested in a new online community that specifically focuses on healing from trauma. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I have anxiety, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. I found a psych online who was sharing things on her page that were incredibly revealing and helpful. I have learned much from her in only a week of being connected. She launched a private community on November 1st, and I am now one of the founding members. The investment is very small. What one would normally pay for two hours of therapy locally, I will only be paying annually to her to be a part of this journey. It's already worth it, and due to the cost being so low, I can also continue to see my local therapist. There is little I can do to fix my wrecked body, but I think there's still hope for my mind, and I intend to improve it. Healing is not going to happen overnight, but I feel that I've already taken a giant step in the right direction.
Reading Goals:
I'm almost at the end of my reading challenge on Goodreads, but I have to tell you, I haven't liked many of the books. There are a few that I do want to recommend, and I will do that at the end of the year.
Inktober:
If you follow me on Twitter, you know I started Inktober. I tend to get in way over my head with art ideas, and this was no exception. I didn't abandon it, but the project is going to take far longer than a month. I wanted to let readers know that it will be completed and posted eventually.
This Blog:
RAWR! I am inundated with spam and Russian porn. I am not a fan of such things, as you know, so I am considering changing my blog host after being on Blogger for over a decade. The blog is going to continue in some form, somewhere. I just need to figure out what to do to deal with my frustration behind the scenes. I'll keep you posted!
Holiday Charity Campaign:
I want to adopt elephants. :-) If you would like to help me raise $100 over the holidays to benefit The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, please give here. As always, I tell people not to sacrifice to the point that you can't eat or something. Always make sure your bills are paid, etc. But if you do have a few bucks to care for a rescued elephant, that would be awesome. Thanks. :-)
Primarily Pescetarian:
I started a Facebook page to document my food. It's not very active, as it is mostly only a photo album, and I plan to keep it that way. Feel free to follow it anyway, if you want to see what I'm cooking. The current photos on there are from over a period of ten years, so be aware of that. I cook far less these days, due to gastroparesis, but I still share food pics occasionally.
That's enough for now. Talk to you soon!
