Not that long ago, I said I was letting Who You Gonna Believe go. I was tired of treating myself to the trauma. But then a funny thing happened. My website was doing some serious numbers.* And that got me thinking maybe I should try to do something with this memoir I spent so much time on. Maybe I should try to make something of it. For the traffic gods. I updated the digital cover, started promoting links and using excerpts to garner interest, and the next thing I know I was reading and proofreading the damn thing. Without angst, without feeling like I was waterboarding myself with ..read more

Tried recording a little bit of voiceover for a brain tumor friend’s Rock Opera charity thingy, and sometimes these things don’t go well. At least not lying down. I will try again later when I’m sitting up. Otherwise the recording is just going to need a lot of editing. Monday evening didn’t go well either. There was Taco Bell and a giant stomach bloat, and then a forced shower I wasn’t planning on.  I think it’s because the cleaners were late? See, we usually order food when they’re done, but they didn’t leave until 4:30, and I usually order by 2:00. That’s a little late for lunch, but i ..read more

To be perfectly clear, I know this isn’t the most orthodox way to teach someone how to write a memoir in 10 Steps, but I submit that if you’re hung up on the literal how-to’s of writing a memoir, you aren’t really ready. I don’t feel like diagramming sentences today. That, and rudimentary how-to articles are largely about giving you the confidence to do a thing anyway. You can absolutely do this thing, but you should prepare first. Because if the surprising stuff turns out not to be a surprise, you’re basically unstoppable. How to Write a Memoir 1. Get Thick Skin 2. Relive Your Trauma 3. Give ..read more

This week wasn’t terrible. I got Dan’s insurance sorted out, I read some fantastic stuff about Trump being forced to look at the memes created about him, and the Corolla is being fixed. It would be an understatement to say I wasn’t looking forward to sorting out Dan’s health insurance since he lost Medicaid last month, but yesterday’s phone call went so well—despite it taking an exhausting 90 minutes. I was doing something wrong when I tried to sign up on the website by myself and a subsidy wasn’t being applied, so long story short? Dan’s ACA premiums went from a hypothetical $700/month to an ..read more

To celebrate last night’s insomnia, I updated the cover image for WHO YOU GONNA BELIEVE and posted an epilogue for closure. It’s funny, because I remember when Hank Green was promoting his first book, he said in a video something like, “You can just end a book wherever you want.” It seemed kind of obvious to me at the time. Like, of course you can end a book however and whenever you want. But then I also stressed over wrapping up this memoir for months. So it’s also an epiphany. I get it now. I couldn’t just say “the end” and wave my proverbial wand at everything. I had to come to term ..read more

I spent most of my weekend tinkering with my website (even though I told myself I’d give my brain a break) and watching SEO videos on YouTube.  Also spent it wondering if Trump is going to be able to sit quietly through his election interference (aka the Stormy Daniels hush money) case that starts today.  His arrogance, drug addictions, and particular brand of hyperactivity, won’t serve him well in the courtroom, and I’m not above being entertained by it. But back to my website. I’ll be honest, there isn’t a lot of useful information in those YouTube videos for me, because most of th ..read more

I was supposed to have my first appointment with the new rheumatologist tomorrow, but the maintenance light came on in the Corolla, and it needs to be taken in. It’s one of those 100,000-mile deals where we knew the car was going to start needing money and attention, but we were hoping the Universe would give us a break for a few more months. That’s not all that’s going on, either. Dan’s rheumatologist is leaving—he got the letter yesterday. I still need to sort out his insurance situation since Medicaid says we make too much money. (That’s laughably absurd.)  And … wait that might b ..read more

I spent the entirety of this weekend working on my website. Things went well until I broke a couple of pages, including my How to Draw Zentangles: One Zentangle a Day page. Luckily (or not) I had a single small cup of coffee yesterday morning and was awake all freaking night anyway. So I fixed it. And by fixed it, I mean I started over from scratch. I’m slow and inefficient, but I didn’t want the page to be down longer than necessary. I’m trying to pay bills, and I need search engines to send traffic my way. Hopefully How to Draw Zentangles: One Zentangle a Day (yes, that’s a clunky sentence b ..read more

I’m sharing personal anecdotes along with these 7 signs of a bad doctor for a few reasons. First, I want you to know that if you’ve got a crummy doc, you’re not alone. So many people can relate. (The hashtag #DoctorsAreDickheads existed on Twitter for a reason!) Second, it might help you see warning signs in your own care. Maybe you just don’t like your doctor; maybe your doctor is genuinely terrible. Remember: doctors, like anyone else, are not good just because they chose a profession of prestige and authority. They still have to be competent at what they do—just like the rest of us. 7 Sign ..read more

I don’t know if anyone here remembers the time I spent railing against the deceptive and predatory practices of self-pub companies iUniverse and Author Solutions years ago, but it made me some pretty good friends along the way. One of them was Philip J Reed. Phil reached out to me after I posted to Help A Reporter Out (HARO) for interviews with anyone willing to talk about their experience with self-publishing. He shared his story back when I was still Two Write Hands. Over time, he revealed himself as kind of brilliant, full of humor, and very upfront about and aware of his mental health. He ..read more