What gives (Patreon)

So it's been a long while since I've posted, and you guys deserve an explanation. If you don't care and are just happy I'm posting stories, see the next post. :) But for those who wanna know wsup with my month-long hiatus, or just wanna nose around in someone's bidness:

I have *not* been on hiatus. This has been a rough month, one of my rougher to date. Starting with the smaller potatoes, after the dog-fighting incident I mentioned previously (ugh), my own dog got injured pretty badly and there was a week there where we thought he was going to have to be put down. (This is not a country song, but it could be adapted.) He's pushing through. Those of you who have animals in your lives know that feeling, where it's just hard to think about anything but maximizing every minute you have with them. Luckily, he's a trooper and we'll have a good many more, looks like.

The less lucky part is that my years of fast living finally caught up to me, and I very nearly got myself killed. I managed to push myself to the point of hyperglycemia, and for a couple weeks there I had such a failing in eyesight that I was a hair's breadth from legal blindness. It probably goes without saying that going from barely needing glasses to drive to not being able to clearly see my monitor two feet from my face was pretty terrifying. As someone who has at times grappled with depression, this was a seriously bad combo. Of course, I also almost slipped into a diabetic coma, so it very nearly got taken out of my hands anyway.

I was diagnosed with diabetes (which is awesome for someone whose two greatest lifelong fears are needles and blindness). As soon as I suspected that was what was up, I cut all the crap from my diet and hit the gym like a champ (a pudgy champ, anyway). As of yesterday, I am pretty fucking excited to say that my blood sugar level has come down and my eyesight has returned to normal. With that, coupled with some sudden energy from better nutrition and exercise, I've also got my spark back. I am stoked and grateful to be mentally/physically able spending my time on things that make me happy, like writing for you fine people.

So I know that's probably way TMI, but more and more people in my life are persuading me that a lot of the stigmas in our world exist because people pretend toughness and don't admit to their problems. Plus, you folks stuck with me, either through good faith or negligence to your micro-transactions, and for that alone you deserve an explanation. None of this is meant as an excuse, and it's certainly fair to say/think that people have endured a lot worse a lot better. To which I can only say: yup, but I didn't, and a lot of other people don't either.

So. Moving forward, barring other canine travesties or bouts of plague, I'll be back to active levels. I am going to be on the road (which I had been dreading, but I think am finally able to look forward to a bit) all of next week, and thus not able to produce. Still, I want to get at least one, maybe two new things written for y'all before I go, just so you have something to remember me by.

So thanks for your sticktoitiveness gang, and sorry to unload on you. More to come!