Many Critiques

Time to write has been precious lately, so when I recently needed to write an assignment for Dean and JMS and needed a chapter for both writers groups I participate in, I decided to neatly batch all the requirements into one short chapter and just do my best to accommodate everyone. The result was the…

Self-Acceptance

It’s been a longer delay than I intended, but a very good period for me. I’ve dropped weight and lowered my blood pressure in the two weeks since I’ve been working on this. Plus I have a lot more energy. I still have another five days before I’m no longer in classes every day. But…

Just Show Up

The dietary program has been intense, taking up about 12-14 hours a day, but I’ve still found time to write. Yesterday I wrote another chapter in the Chef Station Murder, which I’m quite pleased with. This brought a realization this morning. In the past, if I were pleased with something i’d written, I worried that…

Geek Joy: Babylon 5 and Witchmark

The dietary program has been intense. Lots of interactions with the doctors and staff and others and lots of lectures, plus additional reading and videos. The food has been relatively easy. All I’ve needed to do is remove the oil and junk food from our already vegan diet. I check in each morning and my…

Health Update

It’s been a few days since I’ve written anything and this is largely due to experiencing overwhelming fatigue. Since being so sick in February/March there have been times when I’m too fatigued to stay vertical and couldn’t think well enough to write. Fortunately the severe fatigue is rare and I’m lucky that I can afford…

Social Media Options

A number of friends have chosen to leave Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms recently. Some because they don’t like the political stances these platforms take. Some because they don’t like having their information sold or having themselves marketed. A few are retreating from social media until after the U.S. election out of frustration…

Life Update

I’ve created a new graphic for my main identity page: CarolynIvyStein.com. This one fits better with the Thule anthology stories and I think it looks better as well. I met with my new doctor who seems to think that I will have an easier time than his other patients with the nutrition program, partially because…

Set Up For Health

I am in the pre-program start up phase of the dietary program I’m in. It includes bloodwork, preparing the kitchen, and other prep work. I received my lab tests this morning. Each year I fear that this will be the year they find diabetes or pre-diabetes. Each year when the bloodwork comes back with my…

The Un-Bacchanal

Today begins my journey to better health. I go for my blood tests this afternoon. On Friday morning I have my first meeting with the doctor who will guide me on this journey. Then October 16, I start twelve days of intensive learning and meetings with doctors via Telehealth, daily check-ins, and the beginning of…

Happy News

It’s been a good day in the writing sphere. I received another Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future for my story, “The Ginger Gambit,” which is my favorite Thule story. This brings the number of consecutive Honorable Mentions to five. Also, this means that three of the stories in my upcoming collection, Lightning Scarred…