I haven’t posted much lately.  I haven’t really been writing, either – I’ve been stupidly busy, but that’s not an excuse.  I was listening to Nathan Lowell’s excellent #tommw podcast (http://www.nathanlowell.org/tommw/) and he talked recently about not making excuses for why he wasn’t writing – the fact that he had to stop doing that and just write already.  Which really hit home for me, because in fact, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing as well: making excuses for why I wasn’t writing rather than just sucking it up and writing.

I hurt today.  I have a treatment Tuesday, and today when my alarm went off, the first thing that I realized was how much I hurt.  My hands are so painful that I had to have my friend who sits next to me at work open the aspirin bottle.   I thought seriously of staying home and sleeping the day away, because sleeping was the only time I didn’t hurt.  But I didn’t.  I didn’t go to the gym as planned, but I got up after another hour, and went to work.  I registered my car.  I even got the trash out of the bathroom before I left (although dinner didn’t happen – just the thought of chopping anything made me want to cry), and I am currently at work.  On the way in, I listened to Nathan and realized how many excuses I had made in the past week not to do things.

Life happens.  Shit happens.  We’re all busy – and there are times when we all hurt.  I have a chronic illness, but so do millions of other people who manage to get shit done.  It’s time to, as my buddy Bob is fond of saying, “Suck it up, buttercup.”

Balticon is in a little over 4 weeks.  I have two events that I need to prep for there: the Spells and Swashbucklers launch party (pirates! rum! swag!) and the Needleworker’s Tea.  I need to find out if Dragonmoon Press has a table.  I also have to practice my lines for the podcast I’m in, and finish my garb for the event.  I have to find a site for Harper’s Retreat in September.  I have to find a house for my hubby and I to move into (luckily, the timeline on that is flexible).

I also have books to write.  I’ve got some deadlines for myself: Tales of the Scorned Lady WILL be finished by August, and the plot outline for Forgotten will be done before Balticon.  I also realized where the murder mystery needs to start, and I want that outline done for NaNo, so I can write it then.  I have a beta read to do this weekend, and I’m going to have it done.  And in the next few months, I’ll be redesigning the website (yeah, I’m still not happy with it).

Life is busy.  Life is painful.  Life happens.  I won’t let that be an excuse for me not to be writing any more.