So Where Have I Been?

Things have been a little disorganized around here.

Short answer: everywhere.

I've been up, I've been down. I've had highs, I've had lows, and I've had to readjust to "the new normal," but things are beginning to stabilize and get back to whatever passes for normal around here.

When last I left you, Gentle Reader, I had been trying to get back into the habit of creative writing by attempting to revive my interest in some of my old, unfinished superhero writing projects: one I called the Celtic League of Superheroes, and the other I called the Liberty Legion. However, try as I might, I just couldn't seem to get revved up about either of these projects. I created them some eight years ago and laid them aside, and it was difficult to pick them back up again I just couldn't seem to get my mind and my imagination back into that same "mental space," if you will, that I was in all those years ago. My life and my circumstances had changed, and somehow I knew I needed to begin a project that reflected that.

Last November, in observance of National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for short), I posted a link on Facebook to a Shadow/Superman fan fiction piece that I wrote several years ago. One of my Facebook friends told me that he read it and enjoyed it very much and encouraged me to create something similar with my own characters. I thought I might be able to do this with my pre-existing projects, but they seemed to be going nowhere. Around the end of April, however, I got a sudden flash of inspiration. I had a mental image of a character very much like The Shadow, yet not The Shadow, for obvious legal and copyright reasons. He would be a character swathed in darkness and mystery, nearly invisible except for his burning, penetrating, unearthly blue eyes. I used the HeroMachine website to create an image of this character, and once I did, the details of his backstory, his mythology, and the outlines of his first adventure came to me almost instantly.

I dubbed this character Blacklight and set to work writing his first adventure. I tried to explain his origins without dwelling excessively on them as I had done with my previous characters, but instead dove right into the action. I worked on this story almost constantly, a little bit every day, from the end of April to the beginning of July, when I felt it was finally finished.

It was then that disaster struck. On the evening of July 5, as I was trying to move from the bed to my wheelchair, I slipped and fell and suffered a "tibial plateau fracture," a break in a small bone in my left knee. The injury didn't require a cast or surgery, thank goodness, but it did require wrapping the knee up thoroughly in an Ace bandage and taking time to heal. It's still healing, as a matter of fact. Ironically, the day after the celebration of America's independence, I was reminded how dependent I am on other people. I had to spend the first three or four days after the accident in bed, and for several weeks after that I couldn't get into or out of bed without help .

With the help of a couple of dedicated physical therapists from the home nursing service that I work with, however, I was able to master a new way of getting in and out of bed using a hospital bed and an overhead trapeze bar. When getting into bed, I park the wheelchair by the bed, place a special homemade pillow (nicknamed Floyd) into the gap between the wheelchair and the bed, grab the trapeze bar, and slide and flop over into the bed, using the guard rail on the far side of the bed to finish pulling myself over. The reverse process of getting out of bed is  similar.Using the hospital bed, I can raise myself to almost a sitting position, grab the trapeze bar, and slide over into the wheelchair, again using Floyd to bridge the gap between the chair and the bed. When I get out of bed in the morning, Floyd is already in position because he's right where I left him the night before.  I owe my personal care attendant a very special thanks for creating Floyd. This is "the new normal" for me, and it looks like it will be for the foreseeable future.

Once I was able to get in and out of bed and sit in the wheelchair for extended periods again, I was able to get back to the final edits of my story. I sent copies of the story out via email to a small group of beta readers, who not only were enthusiastic in their praise, but also straightforward in their criticism, pointing out grammar and spelling mistakes, awkwardly constructed sentences, unclear transitions, and the like. Using their suggestions, I revised and edited the story into a final form that I'm happy with. What's most exciting to me about the story is that it leaves the door open for future stories about this character. The villain is vanquished, the day is saved, and the damsel in distress is rescued, but there is still a master villain lurking in the shadows, and complications ahead for our hero. Stay tuned! I'll have more to say about Blacklight in a future blog entry.

So that, Gentle Reader, is a rather long-winded explanation of where I have been the past several months. I do have ideas for more blog entries in mind, and I will do my very best to be a more regular and faithful blogger.

Restart, Reboot, Reset, Re . . .

Niall rolls up to his blog, blows away the dust, sweeps away the cobwebs, taps it gently, and says:

"Hello? Is this thing on?"

Well, after what could be one of the most epic blog fades in history, I've decided to restart this crazy blog thing. I really have no explanation for my absence (except possibly a serious addiction to Facebook). My previous blog post was in August. Late Summer faded into Fall, Fall faded into Winter, and now Winter has faded into Spring. April showers and all that, dontcha know.

Usually after Christmas I go into a kind of blue funk that lasts through January and February, but usually in March and April I feel myself coming back to life. I wouldn't exactly call it Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) but sometimes it sure feels like it. I feel as though I really don't have very much to say that's interesting, either about myself or about the Catholic faith and the Catholic Church or any of my other passions or interests. What has been said about the Catholic Church has usually been said better and in a more timely fashion by writers far better than I. I've thought about shutting the blog down or at least moving to another blogging platform for a new look and a fresh start. For now though, I've decided to keep the blog where it is and keep going.

Now that Spring is here, however, I feel the itch to do some writing, and I thought perhaps it would be best to start small with some new blog posts. I have been working a tiny bit on some unfinished fiction projects that have lain dormant for a long time, and perhaps I'll have more to say about that later. My renewed interest in writing isn't helped by the fact that I'm frequently hampered by pain in my lower back, legs, and feet that seems to be getting steadily worse. About the only things that really help are prescription pain relievers and sitting with my wheelchair seat tilted back at an angle. Unfortunately with the wheelchair seat tilted back, it's impossible to use the keyboard and mouse. However, I'm thinking about possible solutions including using a lap tray and wireless keyboard or even dictating my stories to at least get them out of my head.

It also didn't help that in the last few days I discovered my computer was infested with malware, spyware, and for all I know, under-ware, that made it nearly impossible to use the internet without millions of annoying ads and pop-ups appearing. Desperate for a solution, I had to call HP, renew the warranty on my now aging desktop machine, and get a couple of technicians to take over the computer  remotely and purge it of all the offending unwanted software. A whole afternoon and at least $50 later, the computer is now malware free, at least for the moment. The whole experience has made me skittish about using, and especially downloading, anything from the internet, at least for the time being. It made me nostalgic for the days of manual typewriters or the pre-internet days of the late '80s and early '90s where each computer was a standalone machine and one could use it without fear of being infected by something evil.

So that, Dear Reader (if I have any regular readers left), in a few brief paragraphs, is a summary of where the blog is today. I will do my utmost to be a more regular and faithful correspondent. Until next time, friends.

Your humble and obedient servant,
Niall Mor

And While You're Praying . . .

Could you spare a prayer for me, your humble blog host? I have been hampered for several weeks now (yes, weeks) by a stubborn and persistent infection that leaves me feeling distinctly yucky and sub-par most of the time. I have been through almost three rounds of antibiotics and feel reasonably decent while I'm taking them, but as soon as I finish a round, the symptoms return within a day or two. All sorts of horror stories about over-prescribed antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and "super bugs" are floating around my brain and making me nervous. Now my doctor wants to do tests to get a better idea of what's going on, which is a good thing, I suppose, but that doesn't mean I'm looking forward to it. Anyway, in your charity, dear friends, please remember me. Thank you.

Please Pray for Thomas Peters

Dear friends and blog readers, in your charity please pray for Thomas Peters, author of the former American Papist blog that's now part of the CatholicVote.org website. Thomas was critically injured in a swimming accident earlier this week. I don't know Thomas personally, but he is a good friend of my Facebook friend William "Billy Newton, author of Blog of the Courtier. By all accounts, Thomas is a fine and dedicated young Catholic who has done much good work writing and speaking on behalf of the Church. Such is the power of  the internet and social media that we can feel a personal connection to people we have never met. Thomas's friends and family have set up the Thomas Peters Recovery blog to keep friends, family, and well-wishers posted on Thomas's condition. There are signs that he is making progress, but no doubt his recovery will be long and difficult. What makes this situation especially tragic is that Thomas was married just a few short weeks ago. Please pray for his family and especially for his wife Natalie, that they receive all the graces they will surely need to cope with this unexpected trial.

So Where Have I Been?

Hi there! Remember me? The guy who supposedly ruins runs this blog?

You may have noticed, my three loyal readers, that I haven't posted in a while. There's a reason for that. Along about Ash Wednesday or so, I began having some really bothersome medical problems that gradually became more and more acute. I didn't have to spend any time in the hospital as an in-patient, thanks be to God, but there were trips for tests and trips to the doctor and pills and blah blah blah. My life has been somewhat topsy-turvy for the past several weeks.

The situation seems to be stabilizing, but I'm still not back to where I was before all this stuff started, and some of these problems will most likely be chronic, requiring certain changes to my lifestyle. Prayers would be appreciated. Thank you.

Where in the World Is Carmen San Diego, Waldo Niall Mor?

You may have noticed, dear readers, (all three of you) that I have been away from this blog for several weeks. There are good reasons for this, namely:

1. Technical reasons. As you may remember from previous posts, recently I've been beset with technical problems: a logic board failure, a failure of my wireless keyboard and mouse, and an infestation of viruses and spyware, despite having what I thought was good anti-virus and security software. It took several days to find satisfactory replacement software, get it installed correctly, and get the computer more or less debugged and working properly.
2. Church-related reasons. As you may also recall, I'm president of my parish's praesidium (local chapter) of The Legion of Mary. Now is the time of year when our praesidium had to make its annual report to the Curia (the next level up in the Legion's organization) about everything we've been up to during the past year. Organization and record keeping, however, aren't my strong suits, so what should have been a fairly simple task turned into a mad scramble for information. Imagine doing all this whilst and at the same time trying to participate in a novena to Our Lady of Fatima called for by the pastor who really wanted—you guessed it—The Legion of Mary to be present each night of the novena. The climax of the celebration was the dedication of the parish's new Rosary and Meditation Garden and statue of Our Lady of Fatima, with a special Mass celebrated by His Excellency, The Most Rev. Robert E. Guglielmone, Bishop of The Diocese of Charleston, SC. It was a BIG DEAL. 
3. Medical reasons.  About a week ago, I began bleeding from my backside, a part of the anatomy from which no one should ever bleed. Because this wasn't the first time this had happened, my doctor became concerned and ordered me into the hospital for a colonoscopy. After two days on a clear liquid diet, several rounds of laxatives, two enemas, and much poking and prodding in places humans were not meant to be poked and prodded, it was determined that the problem was a simple case of hemorrhoids. Even though all of this was unexpected and immensely inconvenient, I don't regret it for a minute. Finding out you don't have colon cancer brightens your day immeasurably.  Deo gratias!

So. How are you?

Mass Appeal

I went to Mass today for the first time in several weeks after a long illness. I'm still not fully recovered, but I consider the fact that I felt well enough to go to church an encouraging sign. More news as it becomes available and events warrant. That is all.

Still Struggling

Man, this is getting tedious. Sorry about the blog fade for the past couple of weeks, but I'm still having medical problems that are embarrassing, messy, and painful in a certain (ahem) sensitive region of the male anatomy. This all started with a pair of infections, back to back, and even after two rounds of antibiotics, I still don't feel particularly good. In fact it feels as though the infection is trying to make a comeback. I'm planning to see my doctor on Monday, and we'll discuss where to go from here.

On the bright side, I did get to visit my family in North Carolina for birthday number (mumble, mumble) and I treated myself to the DVD of The Incredibles with a the Wal-Mart Gift Card my sister gave me. The Incredibles is rapidly becoming one of my favorite movies. Writer and director Brad Bird combines a smart script and stellar computer-generated animation to serve up a spankin' comedy action/adventure/superhero movie, even as he gently pokes fun at the action/adventure/superhero movie—and, as if that weren't enough, his turn as the voice of Edna Mode, costume designer to the supers, is almost worth the price of admission by itself:



I think the secret to the Pixar gang's success is that for all their mind-blowing technical skill with computer animation, they never forget that the real essentials of any story are character and plot.They rarely fail to give us interesting characters and to make the journey on which those characters embark interesting as well. Unfortunately I missed the latest Pixar vehicle, Up, during its theatrical run, but in light of all the enthusiastic reviews I read, it's definitely slated for rental the minute it comes out on DVD.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

I'm still struggling with medical issues. My sister came for a visit this weekend and brought some much needed TLC, some yummy home cooked meals, and her very sweet dog for company, but the weekend was still pretty rough. I found out I do have an infection and have started on another round of antibiotics. I'm also going to see my doctor later this afternoon. Your prayers, dear readers, would still be very much appreciated.