I’m Not Dead! Real Life Just Caught Up with Me

Apart from Jac’s Monday Quickies, things have been pretty quiet here at Queereka for the past few weeks. Apparently there’s this thing called “real life” that sneaks up on you sometimes. At least it has for me.

For starters, I’m currently unemployed. I don’t want to get into the details, but my ten-year job at a public library came to an end in September. I live with my folks, so homelessness isn’t an issue, thankfully. I am, however, currently on unemployment benefits, and looking for a new job.

Which leads me to my second update: I’ve been looking for freelance writing jobs. I’ve written two guest articles for TheHumanist.com, and I’m currently writing a piece for Buzzfeed LGBT (hopefully). I’ve also applied for jobs at Everyday Feminism and The Body is Not an Apology. Since there’s not a lot of money in freelance writing (even Wil Wheaton couldn’t make anything writing for Huffington Post!), I’m not expecting to make a full-time career out of it. But every gig helps. Especially if it pays!

Third—and this is the major reason I’ve been MIA lately—I’ve been having shitty health problems. Last week I contacted food poisoning from some bad leftover pizza. I thought after a day of being sick, I would be back to normal, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, I made myself sicker by consuming my usual mass quantities of coffee and cigarettes. I have since cut back on my coffee intake dramatically, and I’ve been chewing Nicorette gum. I’ve also been avoiding a lot of rich and heavy foods. Every little bit helps.

Getting sick made me realize that I don’t care of myself enough, physically or mentally. I push myself beyond my limits because I think I’m a failure if I don’t, and then I wonder why I feel like shit afterwards. Now I’m learning how to really listen to my body (including my brain) instead of just assuming I know what’s best. You’d be surprised how far that gets you in life.

So don’t worry, my dear readers, I’ll be back to write more radical queer manifestos for you. Just needed some time to breathe, that’s all.