Dead monkey... month?

I know I've been MIA recently. There's been a couple factors.

First, the preparation to semi-move (part-time) to Vancouver, and all the holiday planning involved, including scheduling around 3 Seahawks games, several birthdays, and numerous dinners/get-togethers, some of which are business related, most are personal, but they are spread across both Victoria and Vancouver.

Second, health problems acting up. Yeah, that old stuff again. Including the high levels of pain.

Third, I've just started going for decompression* treatments for some old back injuries. I decided to go because muscle weakness, tingle/numbness, and pain through my dominant arm isn't making typing a heck of a lot of fun. I'm currently banned from running, or any kind of activity that jars the spine, which disappoints me greatly as I had plans to snowboard with my bro-in-law on Boxing Day (for those non-Canadians, that's the day after Christmas). That was going to be our gift to each other -> spending a day, just the two of us, having fun on the mountain.

Fourth, I'm kinda bummed/burnt out about writing right now. I was rather disappointed in my poor showing with NaNo this year, both the word count itself, and the quality of writing produced. It was a good, stiff kick in the ego, and my knee-jerk-response is to curl up and hide for a while while the bruises heal. This means less activity online, but it also means I haven't re-read 'Brake Fluid' (like I was going to when NaNo ended), or thought/planned any further about the possibility of querying.

So please forgive my sporadic appearances online for a while, and I may take a little longer replying to emails.

How's everyone else's December shaping up? Anyone travelling to see family/friends, or hosting visitors? For those who just finished NaNo, how'd you do? Did you meet your goals? How are you feeling? Full of energy/motivation, or burnt out like I am?



* Decompression therapy refers to decompressing the spine. The bones of the spine are separated by discs, and over time, the discs can become compressed which pinch the nerves, and, if untreated, eventually the discs can rupture and the spine can fuse. Decompression therapy pulls the spine apart, which forces the discs to draw in nutrients from the surrounding tissues, thus re-inflating the discs. It's similar to traction, but instead of simply pulling the spine apart and holding it, in decompression therapy, they use a computer to change the weight/pull, and control it in measured bursts. Basically, it's a pumping motion, which allows a greater draw of nutrients into the discs. Here's a link for further information, if my explanation was hard to understand.