Dear family, friends, and fellow travelers,
Yesterday I posted a medical update that I won't replicate in full here. You can read it on my blog if you want the extended version. The tl;dr is that my treatment continues to be effective and we are contnuing as is for the next three months, which will take me up to the one-year anniversary of my emergency hospitalization and two-year anniversay of being a mostly-remote worker due to COVID-19. It's been a wild ride that I hope we don't have to repeat with new bells and whistles on either front in the coming year.
Image: Me in a winter coat, hat, and scarf plus my new n95 mask, a gift from a friend.
Hanna and I had a much-needed three weeks of hibernation between December 18 and January 9. We didn't travel or do much around the city -- except for a few takeaway meals from favorite restaurants and a round of chemotherapy the week after Christmas -- and enjoyed the leisure time to take naps whenever we needed to and enjoy a few holiday traditions like watching Desk Set and listening to the carols from King's. I also ran the Twelvtide Drabbles challenge, which raised over $1.8k for the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster strategies and found the energy to write some fic for the first time in over six months which felt good. I finished a sweater vest, began another shawl, and read a few romance novels (I recommend The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun and Ravenous by R. Cooper as well as Cat Sebastian's forthcoming The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, out in June).
Yesterday I posted a medical update that I won't replicate in full here. You can read it on my blog if you want the extended version. The tl;dr is that my treatment continues to be effective and we are contnuing as is for the next three months, which will take me up to the one-year anniversary of my emergency hospitalization and two-year anniversay of being a mostly-remote worker due to COVID-19. It's been a wild ride that I hope we don't have to repeat with new bells and whistles on either front in the coming year.
Image: Me in a winter coat, hat, and scarf plus my new n95 mask, a gift from a friend.
Hanna and I had a much-needed three weeks of hibernation between December 18 and January 9. We didn't travel or do much around the city -- except for a few takeaway meals from favorite restaurants and a round of chemotherapy the week after Christmas -- and enjoyed the leisure time to take naps whenever we needed to and enjoy a few holiday traditions like watching Desk Set and listening to the carols from King's. I also ran the Twelvtide Drabbles challenge, which raised over $1.8k for the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster strategies and found the energy to write some fic for the first time in over six months which felt good. I finished a sweater vest, began another shawl, and read a few romance novels (I recommend The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun and Ravenous by R. Cooper as well as Cat Sebastian's forthcoming The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, out in June).
Image: Our Christmas tree surrounded by gifts.
One thing that became evident over the break is that, although I'm doing well all things considered, I am still very much in treatment for a serious disease. I slept a good 10-12 hours per day and still ran out of energy faster than I would have liked for activities I wanted to do. That means that in 2022, I will continue to opt out of a lot of activities -- book reviewing, volunteering, Persistent Stitches -- that I have found rewarding if time-consuming in recent years. Particularly time-sensitive tasks are not something I can reasonably sustain outside of work right now. That's a disappointing realization, but I feel confident that it's realistic. And I am glad to make the decision upfront and set some of these activities aside, categorically, for another year rather than feel badly about not doing them, or not doing them well, on a chronic level throughout the next twelve months.
Image: Teazle on Hanna's lap during our winter hibernation.
Image: Teazle keeping me company on my return to work last week.
Some things I am looking forward to in 2022 include:
- Continuing to knit, including learning some new techniques. I want to make these mittens.
- Returning to sewing/quilting when my peripheral neuropathy fades.
- Taking an online class in medieval history in February.
- Reading more romance novels. Looking forward to The Missing Page out soon!
- Writing more fic, and maybe drafting a shitty first draft of a Boston f/f paranormal romance. Because.
- Launching a new undergraduate residency program at my workplace (it's paid!).
Practicing hope,
Anna
Image: An in-progress scarf using linen stitch. Yarn is "Summer Beverage" by HauteKnitYarn.