7.03.2007

I Am Seriously Not Dead. I Swear It.

To those amazingly cool and awesome people who still unaccountably read this blog, which has not been updated in NEARLY TWO FRAKKIN' YEARS and what the hell have I been doing, anyway???:

First: thanks for still being here. And if you're just now finding me, that's probably good luck for you, because:

Second: I am--swear to Whomever--getting back to working on this project. It may be a while, yet--I'm thinking "weeks", not "months"/"years"/"where the hell have you been, Gladys-es"--but I have promised myself to return to this project.

Third: "Oh, she must have been busy, very very busy, or she would have worked on it." Yeah...you'd think, right? Not so much, though. It has been an EVENTFUL time; it has not been BUSY.

In the space of the twenty-three months and change that I have utterly and abjectly failed to update this blog, the following events have occurred:

--left job A for job B (July 05)
--oldest cat died (Aug 05)
--hated job B, but gave it a game try
--had a six-week heroin relapse, brought on by the 10th anniversary of JP's death and a list of stressors too numerous to relate, and somehow managed to keep it a secret even from the guy I lived with (November-December 05)
--returned to the methadone program after three weeks of relapse, only to be hit with a three-week adjustment period during which I was really REALLY sick and miserable--over CHRISTMAS, no less
--finally admitted there was a serious problem in my head and sought counseling, which still continues (Jan 06)
--was adopted by a new kitten (May 06)
--live-in b/f departed for out-of-state "family" obligations (summer 06)
--fired from Job B due to condition which turned out to be sleep apnea (Oct 06)
--adopted new roomie, an old friend of mine who was dealing with some hard times (Nov 06)
--received notice that mortgage was in foreclosure (Dec 06)
--upon his return to Chicago, broke up w. boyfriend but remained friends (Dec 06)
--celebrated 1 yr clean (Jan 1 07)
--after submitting over 100 applications and going on about 15 interviews, finally finally FINALLY landed a job, job C (Apr 07)
--was summarily fired from job C for reasons I still can't fully explain (May 07)
--continued job search (to present day)

And so here we are, July 3 2007, and so far I have spent a relaxing yet financially-fraught summer with my semi-employed roomie, my unemployed former boyfriend, and their various friends and cats, while waiting to hear about a promising job lead and reluctantly accepting that I'm about to lose my home of four years, barring a miracle. The overwhelming likelihood is that I'm going to end up living in my mother's basement, which (at my advanced age of 37) is embarrassing but not catastrophic. And yes, I've had plenty of time to write, but all my writing has either been in this blog or in a journal I started on paper, to clear my head regarding my recent difficulties.

I think part of me is scared to write this story; it was my sadness over JP's death that triggered my relapse twenty months ago, and though I'm not afraid of a repeat of THAT situation, I'm afraid that writing about those days will upset my carefully-cultivated equilibrium. But you know, that's WHY I have to write it, as well--pardon the really bad pun, but I have to get back on the horse. (Hey, I SAID "pardon"...jeez. Tough crowd. :) )

So in short: I'll be back very soon. Thanks for being patient. (Now, if someone would please tell the spammers that I don't need Viagra or car insurance...)

7.23.2005

A Note To My Readers

(That should be nominated for Most Prematurely Pretentious Title Ever.)

I haven't forgotten you, nor have I given up on this project. My life has just been a little hectic lately--you can find out more about my hospital adventures, job-hunting endeavors, and stupid emotional ups and downs here, if you're even remotely interested. Things are starting to settle down a little, and I'm really trying to regain my focus.

The response I've gotten so far has been incredibly encouraging, and I just wanted to thank everyone who's reading and to let you all know that I'm still among the living. I am working on updates; hopefully within a week or so I should have a new batch. Please, keep checking back! Thanks...

6.05.2005

The Story Thus Far

Introduction
Before: Coffee, April 22, 1994
Before: Late Spring, 1994--Hickory Hills
Before: Summer 1994
Flight, Part One: August 31, 1994
Poem: October 1994
Liberation: November 16, 1994
Home: Late November 1994
Starting: Late December, 1994
JP and Gladys: Late December 1994
The Brown Kind: February 1995
First Shot: April 1995
Oklahoma City/Wicker Park: April 19, 1995
Dopesick: April 1995
May 1995 (partial)
Anticipation: Mid-May, 1995
Overdose, Part One: May 1995
Overdose, Part Two: May 1995
Strategy Session: June 1995
Waiting For My Man: June 1995
*NEW* The Vampire In This Tree: July 10, 1995
Dopesick, Part Two: July 13, 1995
West Town: Mid-Summer 1995
Sofia: August 1995
*NEW* Silver Van: August 1995
Love Song: Mid-August 1995
Wedding: Late August 1995
*NEW* Groceries: Late August 1995
Feminism, Part One: September 29, 1995
Feminism, Part Two: September 30, 1995
*NEW* Feminism, Part Three: September 30, 1995
*NEW* Like the Deserts Miss the Rain: Early October 1995
Cold Turkey: Early October 1995


Return: June 14, 1997
Sofia: October 1997
InDependence: March 1998