Dear Long-Suffering Blog,

Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought of you…and then went on to do something else. Oops, my bad.

I have been pretty damn busy actually, if you care to know dear Blog. For instance, I had what we think was ANOTHER mini-stroke, which necessitated a whole plethora of testing. On the night before my damn birthday in case you were interested. How sad is that? While I was waiting at the kitchen counter for some goodies that I had baked to cool, so I could pack them up to take in to my staff at work. Instead of delivering the goodies the next day I spent it in bed, recovering from the sleepless night spent on a cot in the Emergency Department. One of my shittier birthdays, if you want to know the truth of it, dear Blog.

So far all results are negative and the cardiologist has offered up a hypothesis that it could have been some weird, rare type of migraine instead. Really, Blog. I shit you not. Hemiplegic migraine. Google it.

I just finished all the scheduled testing last week and am waiting not very patiently for the results of my 2 – count ’em – 2 MRIs.

In between all of this medical merry-making, I have been travelling (The Netherlands, Chalk River, Montreal) and nesting like a MOTHER. Yep, renovations are now complete at Chez Badass, dear Blog, and I finally get to gettin’ to the fun stuff. Hanging shit on walls, buying (many, many) throw cushions, and putting up drapes. Woohoo! After 3 long, busy years I live in a place that looks like a real home instead of a temporary camp in a long- abandoned office building. And that means I can now catch up on my socializing which I am also way behind on because of various life-altering events such as becoming a widow AND orphan, moving, becoming a landlord, renovating every damn thing, and completing a post-graduate degree while holding down a full-time job  – all at the same effing time.

So now today I learned of this thing called NaBloPoMo 2016. How could I not know about this? I mean, I know all about NaNoWriMo or whatever the hell it’s called, and I have no intention of ever writing a novel. Yet it’s in my face every November. Huh.

Oh well, I have seen it now and it can’t be unseen. So here goes. I have some catching up to do and thankfully BlogHer has provided writing prompts for the weekdays, at least:

Nov. 1: When you’re having a bad day with your mental health, what do you do to help yourself?

Well, a big ol’ glass of Vitamin W usually helps my mental health considerably. It comes in 2 main colours but I prefer the red one.

Yep, a glass or 2 of this miracle elixir helps my attitude to adjust back to the correct, default setting of zero-fucks-to-be-given.

If for whatever reason I cannot or choose not to take my special vitamin, going for a brisk walk or doing yoga or even taking a luxurious nap can do the trick. Of course writing on you dear Blog, or in my journal – does this even need to be said? All of these actions help my mood and remind me that, for most things these days, I do or should have zero-fucks-to-give anymore.

Nov. 2: When was the last time you did something brave? What happened?

I try to do something brave whenever an opportunity comes up, which is way more frequently than one would imagine. Because when I wimp out on stuff, I feel way worse than if I had just done the thing I was scared to do. Being brave, for me, is way easier on my ever-present and very loud and annoying conscience. Almost always what happens is good stuff.

Like when I was a neophyte landlord and trying to negotiate my first all-by-myself lease. It was going south rapidly, due to some miscommunications, so I put my big girl panties on and circumvented the agent and talked to the prospective tenants directly and frankly about what I was expecting out of the deal. They did the same and we came to an agreement immediately. Now I consider them an asset – not only to my building, but also to my life. Knowing these people has enriched my life tremendously and I feel blessed by this experience.

Nov. 3: If you could be completely honest with no regrets, what would you say and to whom?

First of all I hate this “no regrets” shit. People who brag about having no regrets either live a totally fake, cotton-wrapped life, are sociopaths, or are as deep as a summer puddle. Anybody who has lived any kind of life and has the mental capacity to reflect on their life and their behaviour should have a boatload of regrets. We can always do better, people.

If I could be completely honest with no regrets (no such animal), I would choose to be kind no matter what I thought I wanted/needed to say to someone. You never really know what other people are dealing with. No one was ever born an asshole. And even if they were, are your words gonna change anything? Or just cause more suffering – both for yourself and the other person? Yeah. Dwell on that one for a bit before you shoot your mouth off.

Nov. 4: Which fall shows should totally be canceled already?

Can’t comment. Haven’t watched network television in a bazillion years. I think the last network show I got excited about was Northern Exposure. Cancel ’em all I say. Or just shove them onto Netflix so I can watch a whole bunch at a time and not have to try to remember who’s who or what is going on between episodes or have to schedule my life around when the damn thing airs. Yes, I know I can set the PVR but that is yet another DUTY and RESPONSIBILITY. Sigh.

Now dear Blog, I hear a glass of Vitamin W calling my name on this fine Friday night. See ya tomorrow, old chum.

Rock on,

The WB