I was thinking of putting the blog on hiatus, but then for nearly a month it kind of did that by itself, didn't it? Things have not exactly been joygantic of late, though I believe I'm in the midst of a necessary period of hunkering down, figuring shit out, dealing with life and at the end of this tunnel I will be standing in a vast green meadow of loveliness, re-energized, passionate, and focused. Actually, I'm most of those things now--to some degree--but as I'll explain my energy has been going elsewhere.
Recently I've become convinced that Thor is sitting on a cloud in the sky looking down on the world and--perhaps he's drunk and feeling mischievous--periodically says to himself "Ah, that Mark guy, let me toss a lightning bolt at him!" Again and again.
Lightning Bolt #1: Crazy, intense work. I'm in the midst of a bunch of stuff that's good, time consuming, and pretty high stakes (at least as far as work is concerned--my perspective has recently been adjusted, see below).
Lightning Bolt #2: Dia and I are splitting up. We've been together for almost 15 years, married for 12.5, but this relationship that we've both cherished is no longer working in its current configuration. The reasons are simple and complex and I've no desire to broadcast them. We love each other and are about to figure out what that means when we're no longer living together; she's moving to San Diego sometime in the next several weeks.
I don't know about you, but dealing with either #1 or #2 would be more than enough to have on my plate at one time. To be honest, I've been a bit of a mess. But that crazy Thor, with his Nordic sense of humor decided he'd see what happened if he fucked with me further, thus:
Lightning Bolt #3: Three Mondays ago I flew to NYC for "important" business meetings. Less than 48 hours after arriving I had an excrutiatingly painful medical emergency due to an "incarcerated abdominal hernia." Good fortune and good connections land me the best possible care, culminating in surgery. Two nights in the hospital on a morphine drip were followed five nights staying with Dia at a friend's apartment zonked on percoset and a flight back to Seattle last Friday. I've been resting, am no longer on meds (that much), and am back at work thanking my lucky stars that things worked out so well.
So it's been a very, uh, eventful 2008 in general and an utterly insane April. Figured I'd let y'all know what's up.
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* I love a double entendre and in this case it might be a triple, because Everyday Matters is the name of an absolutely wonderful graphic novel that lifted my spirits in New York. Sally added it to an incredibly thoughtful care package my company sent me while I was recovering which included The Way Back Home (thanks Lori!), flowers, and a crucial set of sweatpants (I still can not fit into most pants owing to swelling and bloating). Thanks Jaimee. Oh, and by the way, note that a graphic novel and a children's book are perfect diversions for someone on pain meds. I read both immediately but was otherwise unable to concentrate enough to read an actual, text-centric book. I did, however, watch the finale to Rock of Love II. Twice. Do you need any further evidence that narcotics should be regulated?