I've suffered a few... setbacks, recently.
I've been working a dead end job for a few years now, it pays well enough and it's given me the free time I need to work on my projects as well as hash out a few personal issues. For the past few months I've been pumping most of my money into the artwork for an upcoming novel that I've been working on for far too long. Then 2017 swings around and things got interesting.
I started dating this woman in January and she decided that we "needed a break" in February, so I decided I needed a break from dating in general. Also in January, I found out that I was getting dumped by my landlord as well and that I had to move out of my apartment at the start of March. Equally harsh, but at least she gave me a bit of warning before the split. I stuck with the same flatmate and let him decide where we were moving and so we ended up three doors down from the airport, which has been interesting. Lesson learned.
I started hitting the gym pretty hard in February, after work every night, five nights a week. I was getting stronger physically and it took my mind off things so I was feeling better mentally. Then in May I found out that my car registration bill had been sent to the old address and not forwarded, so I got a pretty nasty fine. I was still pumping most of my cash into the upcoming book at this point, so this sudden bill pretty much wiped me out. I lived week to week for the rest of May and then in early June I busted my back at the gym.
I suffered a herniated disk, my L5, on the left side. I couldn't bend forward, the toes on my left foot were numb and every time I sneezed or coughed my left glut (that's the muscle in your butt) would have a spasm like I'd touched an electric fence (something I've done... multiple times). I was cleared for light duties at work but they wouldn't let me return until I was fully cleared by the doctors. So for the next seven weeks I lived off my holiday and sick pay while I spent days and nights alone in my room reading and watching YouTube as well as pretty much every TV series ever created.
During these seven weeks the tiles in my airport adjacent apartment decided that they'd split from the concrete slab beneath them. While no visible damage was done, they're an obvious problem and the owner has decided that she'd like to fix them personally, she's moving back in this September. So, once again, I'll soon be undertaking the wallet draining adventure of moving house.
That seven weeks was an experience though, I'm happy to admit that I did my best to remain productive and as active as I could but it was always going to be a losing battle. Free time is great, too much free time tends to suck you into a bottomless pit of depression no matter what you do. Seven weeks of zero exercise and plenty of feel good food, combined with countless doctor visits and plenty of physiotherapy left me a little light in the wallet and a lot heavier around the waist.
But hey, at least I got a really nice beard out of the experience.
So it's now half way through August and in my third week back at work, and I am actually really glad to be back. Seven weeks is a long time to think though, especially when bulk painkillers and no exercise means you're generally awake for 20 hours a day. I've come through all this and despite it all, I'm actually feeling pretty good.
I've always had weight issues, that's just one of the challenges I face, but while I've packed on a few kilos it doesn't seem like the insurmountable challenge it did in the past. I've been on a great diet for the past three weeks and it's going well; my regulars are already commenting on my weight loss... which, while great and all, is still none of their damn business. Although I still can't exercise as much as I did before the injury, I'm doing what I can. The injury has also changed my fitness goals as well, not just because I have to be more careful but because the time out gave me time to think about what I actually want out of life.
I got my tax return in late July as well, so while that helped keep me afloat, what remains of it has been used to pay for a TESOL course. While my current job has served me well enough, it was never going to lead anywhere and it's simply not enough for me anymore. At least with teaching English I'll be able to work within my field and the ability to travel and work overseas has it's obvious appeal as well.
And I decided to finally pull the pin and start a website as well, so yeah, it's been an interesting few weeks.
Currently I plan to stick around here until the new year, tying up lose ends and finishing as many projects as I can. The classes for the TESOL course will run through to November but from what I understand it's self paced, so if I actually apply myself I should be able to get through before the year's over.
I could probably move on before the year's out but my boss is currently in hospital with some serious health issues and Christmas time is the busiest period of the year. Despite being a crotchety scrooge he's been pretty damn good to me, so I'm happy to stick around for one last hurrah.
More immediately though, it doesn't really make sense to sign on for another 6 or 12 month lease if I plan on moving overseas before then. So in September, which is when the lease here is up, I'll be moving back to my mother's place. Yes yes, I can hear the collective groan. Or was that just me? Anyway, the point is - she's currently building a duplex, so she's got her own projects going on and I'm sure that I could help her out before I leave. It's not ideal, but at the very least it will let me save money quicker and get this next book published in a more timely fashion.
This site is still under construction, and I'm still learning how Squarespace operates, so there will no doubt be some changes along the way. Feel free to stick around and join me as I catalog the mundane to the marvelous, I'm sure there will be plenty of both.