Hi, I'm blogging's biggest loser, nice to meet you! I started my site in the 90s and the official blog in 02, but unlike the first passel of bloggers who made it, I didn't a creative job that would let me work on it while at work. And then the first wave of bloggers started giving talks on blogging and finding your niche so the advertisers will find you. Everyone found a niche, leveraged the heck out of it ("Ford lent me a car to drive the kids to the zoo even though I have four cars already!"), the mom bloggers went full on "you can't sit with us", and blogging started to fall apart. I grieve the end of fun posts about everything and nothing. But I kept writing and even though I didn't end up with a free car, I have a 23 year old record of my thirties, forties, and now fifties.
Which is why I was thrilled to find you! I love that you write about different topics. UGHs and all. I subscribe to this page via an RSS feedreader (old) and read each post as it comes but I hit the subscribe button today. Hope it helps and I hope your pains lessen soon. <3
I am entering the arthritic joints stage of life and it’s quite annoying! I hope your knee heals quickly. It seems that no exercise is bad but the wrong exercise is worse.
I also have fibromyalgia. I was a history professor at a liberal arts college before I became a crone. The fibromyalgia made it impossible for me to continue working, so I was forced to retire early 10 years ago at the age of 62. I am fortunate in having a wife, although I usually call him my husband. He does all the errands, cooking, and washing up; we also employ a housecleaner every two weeks and a gardening service. The bane of my existence is a love for a sedentary life; my biggest challenge is to get up off my seat and exercise. It’s hard when I’m exhausted and in pain. All the best to you!
Thank you for the shout out! Substack losers unite! I am trying to network a bit more in a way that feels good to me (when I want to without expecting a return) but also recovering from surgery so not putting pressure on myself.
I’m sorry about your knee that sounds painful and scary.
That is so awful about the soldiers not getting food on board their ships. One of my friends works for the military in distribution I’m going to ask him about this. Curious to hear what his thoughts are.
I had a sprained ankle that had not healed after nearly a year. It hurt, was visibly bigger than the other ankle, and I limped everywhere. And I'd iced it, rested it, everything! But one of the advantages of being a crone is that your friends' children are old enough to be fancy sports medicine doctors who will bump you to the top of their months-long appointment list. After one phone call from his mom, the baby I once diapered was injecting my ankle with a glucose solution, which apparently tricks the body into thinking an old injury is new--thereby triggering a release of healing whatnots upon the body part (science!). He also prescribed a couple of weeks of PT, and I was soon good as new--or good as medium-old. This is called prolotherapy if you want to ask your own doctor about it. It really worked for me.
Also! I want to say that just because your work doesn't fit neatly into Substack's stupid categories doesn't mean it doesn't fit neatly into your readers' lives. I also care about books, my falling-apart body, my cat, my world. I feel like I am your precise demographic and I think you are kicking ass in your own way. I know it must be tempting to look at the stats on here but who needs that kind of aggravation?
When your knee’s a bit better, over this acute phase, try some PT exercises off YouTube. They’ve done me a world of good.
Hi, I'm blogging's biggest loser, nice to meet you! I started my site in the 90s and the official blog in 02, but unlike the first passel of bloggers who made it, I didn't a creative job that would let me work on it while at work. And then the first wave of bloggers started giving talks on blogging and finding your niche so the advertisers will find you. Everyone found a niche, leveraged the heck out of it ("Ford lent me a car to drive the kids to the zoo even though I have four cars already!"), the mom bloggers went full on "you can't sit with us", and blogging started to fall apart. I grieve the end of fun posts about everything and nothing. But I kept writing and even though I didn't end up with a free car, I have a 23 year old record of my thirties, forties, and now fifties.
Which is why I was thrilled to find you! I love that you write about different topics. UGHs and all. I subscribe to this page via an RSS feedreader (old) and read each post as it comes but I hit the subscribe button today. Hope it helps and I hope your pains lessen soon. <3
Thank you! I miss the old blogging days too.
I am entering the arthritic joints stage of life and it’s quite annoying! I hope your knee heals quickly. It seems that no exercise is bad but the wrong exercise is worse.
I also have fibromyalgia. I was a history professor at a liberal arts college before I became a crone. The fibromyalgia made it impossible for me to continue working, so I was forced to retire early 10 years ago at the age of 62. I am fortunate in having a wife, although I usually call him my husband. He does all the errands, cooking, and washing up; we also employ a housecleaner every two weeks and a gardening service. The bane of my existence is a love for a sedentary life; my biggest challenge is to get up off my seat and exercise. It’s hard when I’m exhausted and in pain. All the best to you!
So sorry about the flare up in knee (somehow it seems you should get workmen's comp for the failed elevator!) Hope the new meds work!
Thank you for the shout out! Substack losers unite! I am trying to network a bit more in a way that feels good to me (when I want to without expecting a return) but also recovering from surgery so not putting pressure on myself.
I’m sorry about your knee that sounds painful and scary.
That is so awful about the soldiers not getting food on board their ships. One of my friends works for the military in distribution I’m going to ask him about this. Curious to hear what his thoughts are.
I had a sprained ankle that had not healed after nearly a year. It hurt, was visibly bigger than the other ankle, and I limped everywhere. And I'd iced it, rested it, everything! But one of the advantages of being a crone is that your friends' children are old enough to be fancy sports medicine doctors who will bump you to the top of their months-long appointment list. After one phone call from his mom, the baby I once diapered was injecting my ankle with a glucose solution, which apparently tricks the body into thinking an old injury is new--thereby triggering a release of healing whatnots upon the body part (science!). He also prescribed a couple of weeks of PT, and I was soon good as new--or good as medium-old. This is called prolotherapy if you want to ask your own doctor about it. It really worked for me.
Also! I want to say that just because your work doesn't fit neatly into Substack's stupid categories doesn't mean it doesn't fit neatly into your readers' lives. I also care about books, my falling-apart body, my cat, my world. I feel like I am your precise demographic and I think you are kicking ass in your own way. I know it must be tempting to look at the stats on here but who needs that kind of aggravation?
You are too good to feel bad about that.
Thank you for the military report - I may use something from it for the May Day rally
Please do! It's all publicly sourced
I read Sita’s post too. I try to just focus on my own stuff.
Whateley also trills! It’s so cute.
"Comparison is the thief of joy" as they say. But it's hard not to take it all personally.
Feel better immediately ✨
I'm trying!
Do you think you should see a knee doctor? I hope that swelling doesn't recur.
I do have a knee dr and yes, I should send him a message through the patient portal about getting another script for PT