I keep staring at this page, thinking "I really need to post," but my follow-through has been lacking. but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I've resigned from one of my three big responsibilities, probably later than I should have, but that will free up five to ten hours I found myself missing. The other side gig has settled into a nice rhythm that feels sustainable to me. The main job remains a little out of control, but that's the nature of the gig and it isn't likely to let up. 

I'll deal with that one later.

I've also made my doctor cross with me. My blood pressure isn't where it needs to be. We're not to the point of prescribing medication yet, but diet and lifestyle changes are in order and they need to be pretty draconian. Apparently, my 2-pots-of-coffee-a-day habit isn't what a doctor would call "smart." So, minimal caffeine and no foods/snacks/drinks with added sugar. Oh, and I get a neat blood pressure cuff too.

I knew things weren't quite right, so I can't say I'm surprised and, honestly? It could have been worse. Rather than complain about the fact I can't drink so much coffee, better to just put my head down and make sure I don't have to go on any meds. The one factor that worries me is that stress is a big player in the blood pressure concerns, so....how does one de-stress? Well, ditching one of my responsibilities is a good start. 

The stress is going to be the hard part. Both my wife and my boss have encouraged me to stop acting like the world will collapse if I don't get on it now now now. They're both pretty smart, so I'm going to try to take their advice to heart. Easier said than done, of course, but hey, I can turn off work notifications on my email! I can even not log in to my work email at night at all. What an idea! 

Writing here, too, is a way to slough off stress for me.  So, pretty soon, I'll be back to the writing about books that have already been reviewed a zillion times, shaking my tiny fist at politicians, answering questions that were meant for other people, and, during the best of times, travel adventures with Nicole.

Thanks for bearing with me on this one. 

-RK