Friday, February 7, 2014

Wanna help me with my book?


This picture was taken by my lovely waitress after I finished a divine bowl of sweet potato soup.

Hey guys!

I am here, and things are going fine, don't worry. I'm very busy with my writing, and the kids. Oh, and trying to have enough discipline to sleep well. If I open my computer to start to write at night like I am known to do, I'll be up at least till 2am. So, I am blogging less.
I am also setting my alarm in the morning to get out of bed until waiting until my body wakes up naturally. I need to get to "work" (meaning, choosing a cafe to go to to write for that day. :)
It's a day-to-day thing, of course, but changes *can* and *are* happening, thank Gd.

I am going through a little skin inflammation episode on my neck/shoulders area, but it is on the mend.
I had been putting a cream on my back for a fungal infection. This particular fungal infection recurs with me a few times a year, who knows why. It goes away as soon as we (it's Robert's job, being that it is on my back) put this anti-fungal cream on it. I have used this same cream, a prescription, for a few years, and the fungal infection always goes away easily.

For some reason, this time, my upper shoulder skin and neck area reacted badly. The main part of the back, which took the main part of the cream was actually fine. Who knows why a certain part of the body reacts and others don't. When, the next day, my skin was very itchy and sore, I wondered if something was Going On. Then Robert and Shifra both told me that it looked like I had a sunburn there. Turns out it was red, slightly swollen, itchy, and hot to the touch.
I stopped using the cream, of course. This was clearly a reaction, and skin reactions are Big Signs that you are doing something your body does not like.

Right now it is getting better, but the skin is "lizard skin"... very leathery, still sore, still red (but slightly less), itchy, but not hot (heat emanating from skin usually means an infection is brewing). I assume the skin is healing. If it doesn't improve by tomorrow or the weekend, I'll get it checked out. I have enough experience with cellulitis to know that after the original infection goes down, the previously swollen and damaged skin layer starts to peel as it heals. I think that will happen. We'll see.

Other than that, things have been going really well with my writing!! I am on a definite roll here. I have a title, subtitle, forward, and now I am working on the introduction and the table of contents. The hardest part remains sifting through specific blogs to find what I want, to accompany specific points.I am pretty sure I'll have to ask for help with that. I'll need someone to read a bunch of blogs and highlight the important parts, or turning points. There already have been a few close friends volunteering to give some time. You'll get into my acknowledgements section! :)

I have been thinking (I know, something that is so unusual for me...); how would all of you feel about helping me out? I have a few questions to throw out to the universe, and see what comes back to me. Answering directly on the blog itself is the best for me. I also will see  answers on facebook, which I usually transfer to the blog, but that takes a few extra steps for me. To answer on the blog, all you have to do is read on line, from the website itself, and go to the bottom of the page where you are reading, and click on "Post a comment", and follow through with the prompts. Easy peasy!!

OK, give me what'cha got:

Which questions would you like to ask me?

Are these questions which you hope my book will answer?

Have I ever helped you solve a problem through reading my blog? You are welcome to tell me about it either on the blog or privately in email, or just a 'yes' or 'no' would also be fine. :)

How can I help you, as my reader?

As someone who has read much of my blog, is there anything that still remains mysterious to you that you would love to see handled in my book? (again, answering on the blog is best, but please write to me privately if you want to say something that you don't want public.)

Well, that should be a little food for thought.
I will probably take a break of a week or two before blogging again, so take your time with answering theses questions. I won't move the blog page from this one for a few weeks.

I really appreciate your partnership, as I always have over these six hard years, being with me through thick and thin.

We're getting this book out together!

2 comments :

  1. I think you need to deal with the huge change/what it means to go from being a professional to a "stay at home mom". I think it is something that you deal with often and that challenges you. Not everyone who becomes "unwell" has given up such interesting and diverse professions. GLad you are finally finding the time to get down to writing.

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  2. [Which questions would you like to ask me?]

    I find very moving the questions about how to parent/ mother/be in a relationship with all the changes and things you have to cope with
    Issues around the medical treatment of you as a person vs your problems
    Topic - how relations with friends/family have changed (if they have). How you deal with how people deal with you.
    Grappling with "the new you" vs the "old you" - identity issues, mourning issues
    What does the blog mean to you?

    [Are these questions which you hope my book will answer?]

    Not "answer" - grapple with? Let us into your struggle a bit? Show us how you see things?

    [Have I ever helped you solve a problem through reading my blog? You are welcome to tell me about it either on the blog or privately in email, or just a 'yes' or 'no' would also be fine.]

    Not directly. But you have dealt with things or prompted me to think in directions that were new to me.

    [How can I help you, as my reader?]

    Be as honest as you can. Open. Don't be afraid to open up any issue.

    [As someone who has read much of my blog, is there anything that still remains mysterious to you that you would love to see handled in my book? (again, answering on the blog is best, but please write to me privately if you want to say something that you don't want public.) ]

    I am "still" not clear on really what happened and how everything early on evolved - I am sure this will be covered :-)

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