The Penguin

Howdy, y'all - I know it's been a while. Honestly things have been so in flux in my life lately, I couldn't focus on any one thing long enough to blog about it. Maybe eventually I'll blog an update on all the changes happening. I'll just say this: things are good. Not easy - in fact, it's been like climbing a mountain in a meteor shower - but exhilarating. I think I'm finally able to manage constant, unresolved challenges without breaking down and getting depressed; this is a huge milestone for me. It helps that I have such a great group of friends, especially my girlfriend Mandy, my buddy/editor/housemate Joe, friend Emma, and coworker Jason. One thing that stood out for me was a recent bout of illness - probably just a very bad cold, but it was about the worst I've been sick in several years; Mandy had it too, and Emma was just poleaxed by it...the infection starts in the lower sinuses, abates for a while, and then latches onto the upper airway and b