My spotty record of weblog maintenance continues! I think I have reason, but either way, you can always go to Facebook if you want updated Boom Boom photos. I am pretty good for them there.

Believe it or not, I really have had the itch to start writing again. Indeed, that is how I plan on spending the winter as I get used to life in the City Of Broad Shoulders. I move into my hovel next week and that is always good for plenty of good fodder. My writing talents are obviously not commensurate to such fodder, but if I don't try, they never will be.

The truth is, the #1 barrier to me doing anything of particular interest is that I have have some large things which sap me of will. The primary among them is that I am pretty much all the way to kicking dope. After nearly 15 years, I expect to have my first opiate free day sometime in November. I have been dropping dose steadily since June, and am pretty much at the point where I need to cut bait.

This has been very stressful. I am trying not to go berserk, frankly. I have a lot going on at work - including a shitload of travel - and I can't f that up; yet also, cannot use that as an excuse to backslide on the dope. Living with my parents hasn't been terribly stressful (they are trying pretty hard to make it easy for me), but I do miss having what little life it is that I had. Whether or not being alone in my own space would make the end-o-the-dope easier or not, I am not sure. I will find out in about a week I suppose.

I don't do well with the dope curtailing when I am stressing, so I have allowed a few other bad habits to slide (I am heavy again.) Without a doubt, that has to change when I get settled. Job one will be to return to good clean vegetarian living. This is going to be tough in the City Of Broad Kielbasa, but I simply must, if for no other reason that the better condition I am in, the less pain I am in. With the cold coming on, I would be feeling like crap even if I wasn't ending my junkie life (I am not stopping dope because I am not in pain, but because my pain days are less frequent than they used to be and aren't as bad...they mostly could be handled by sleeping or small amounts of dope rather than high octane 24/7.)

No reason to prattle on here about it - it all comes out in the wash. My travel schedule has been killer of late with 2 NYC and 2 Cali visits within the same two weeks. That won't let up anytime soon I think, which sucks, but I knew it was gonna be so - it is part of the reason I moved to IL (travel from the middle is easier than travel from the edges, and the jetlag isn't as bad!) I don't see myself as a lifer here (as a matter of fact, as soon as I can get back to Cali, I intend to), but I have come to like Chicago more and more with each passing day. For reasons it makes no sense to get into here, I can say Illinois is the worst state in the union, but I do like Chicago so far and hope to warm to both more with some time. We shall see.

Anyway, I am not sure the manner or timing of bringing ye olde weblogge back into full bloom, but I believe it shall, and it won't be too long. Stay checked in y'alls. All in due time...