So, obviously some time has passed since the Fall Update back in October. Let me catch you up a bit on my life, and where WelcometoSanKeros and this website stand as we look ahead into the vista of the forthcoming year.
I had some standard health check-ups this fall that raised some cause for alarm, and I’ve spent the last 4 months or so dealing with insurance companies, specialists, tests, and the like. It’s nothing life threatening at the moment. My sleep apnea had gotten severe, I had put on a lot of weight, and I’d gotten diagnoses with Type 2 Diabetes. There were other health issues too, and every new diagnosis seemed to compound, conflate, or complicate every other issue. In truth, I’m still working all of this out. Medication is my friend, as is my new cpap machine. The verdict is out whether I’ll be more Darth Vader or Bane while I sleep. I’ll leave that to Andy and the cats to judge.
This whole scenario has really forced me to look at just how much I love food (Hint: It’s a lot), and how much that love affair was–if I’m being ruthlessly honest–killing me. So no more pop or fruit juice, pasta and rice is pretty much a thing of the past, and I’ve been trying to find a way to move forward eating less, and in new ways. Less red meat and seafood, more lean proteins. Less cheese (because cholesterol is also an issue, and the universe has decided it utterly despises me). The cheese thing is proving tricky, as is the fact I have a terrible reaction to the most common forms of sugar substitutes. Also, apparently me not eating fish (it’s a religious thing, as well as a taste aversion) has become kind of a big deal–every diabetic cookbook I encounter is honestly 1/3rd fish based. It’s difficult, and working retail with its odd schedule shifts doesn’t make it any easier. Honestly, it kind of sucks.
I DO love a challenge, though, and finding new ways to eat old foods I loved (replace the rice in Syrian stuffed cabbage with riced cauliflower? DELICIOUS!) makes me feel pretty damned mighty. Soups have become a crucial component of my new diet, as have salads. Checking the carb content of EVERYTHING has made me aware of just how toxic so much of Western food is, and avoiding problematic foods is easier emotionally than I thought. I’m taking some classes soon to help me fill some of the voids this new diet creates. I’ve lost 30 pounds already just by sort of feeling my way through the dark.
Oh, hey, also? Can’t wait to actually feel RESTED after sleeping for a change thanks to the cpap. Here’s hoping, anyhow. Restful sleep will lead to more dreams, and dreams are where San Keros–and many of the other stories I’ve written–often find their nativity. That well never runs dry, but the last few months it’s been a fairly shallow pool. Its scary going to sleep wondering if that’s the night you’ll forget to breathe for good. It sucked I had to wait until today to get some sort of medical help with that. But now I do, and that should relieve some nightly anxiety (which also kept me up some nights, too).
You probably don’t care about any of this, though. You want to know where the stories are, what the hell happened to Hrothgar and Beth, and Mason and Evan and Seth, and Colin and Kevin…
Good news on that front. I have a few small stories, some of which I’ll launch around Valentine’s Day, that I mentioned in the Fall Update, but then I’ll be working hard on the next major San Keros cycle of tales. Who do you want to see again the most? I’d love to hear from you! Write me at: scott.havens@welcometosankeros.com.
I plan on waking this site up a bit as well, after last year’s redesign. So expect more slice-of-life info here, as well as non-San Keros fiction, music, book, and film recommendations. I want to get to know you, and I want you to get to know me. We’re on this adventure together, after all.
latenightstirfry 