The scariest photo I could show a bibliophile

Yes, it's been over half a year since I last posted a blog entry here.  A lot has changed in the interim.  I'm still very busy at my teaching job, but I'm more at ease there ever since I began taking medication for depression and generalized anxiety.  I feel much more like my younger self, minus the increased exhaustion that comes with these medications.  I'm still running, but I had to take a few months off after I suffered a Grade III left ankle sprain/chip fracture while running a trail marathon in February.  Took me three months to admit that my ankle was messed up (I did manage to complete a 60K in early March at Land Between the Lakes, followed by a road marathon on March 17 in Atlanta where I aggravated both ankles) and to be diagnosed on May 15th with torn ligaments and a chip fracture in my left ankle.  Then in late May at work, I re-injured my left shoulder AC joint during a physical restraint of a student.  So yeah, the past 4-5 months have been torturous on my body, to say the least, but at least I'm now finally cleared to run and to train for my first 50 mile race on November 9th at Tunnel Hill, IL.

I'm also in the midst of a major personal change, in that sometime in September or October, I'll be moving closer to work and living in a larger city again.  Already got several furniture pieces paid for and most everything arranged minus a new TV and bed, but it'll be an adjustment.  By year's end, however, I do hope to get a dog and by springtime be training him/her to go on at least short trails with me.  I really do need a dog in  my life again, as it's been too long since the family dog had to be put down on Halloween 2018.

But with moving comes some sacrifices.  I am currently in the process of slowly trading/selling at least 75% of my book collection.  In a two bedroom apartment, I just don't need to possess over 2500 books, so for the past six weeks, I've been trading some of my books in at a local McKay's used bookstore.  Already received close to $700 for the majority of my leatherbound and Library of America editions (I once owned 211 of those, but by month's end, I'll own none).  Probably will be setting up an E-Bay account to sell certain rare, signed editions (Ligotti, PS Publishing editions of Miéville, Erikson, and others) for slightly under going rate, so if there are any in the US reading this who might be interested, feel free to leave a response here).

With luck, I'll be able to buy the rest of my furniture with the proceeds from my book sells and not have to dip into savings.  I would miss these books more if it weren't for the fact that with increasing age (I turn 45 in 12 days) my eyesight is becoming worse and I just can't read as fast or as long because of the blurriness that comes with my eyes becoming far-sighted as well as near-sighted.  Those poor, neglected Serbian reading squirrels!  Oh well, I have discovered a few new things that will keep me occupied (watching DVDs of hit dramas from the past decade is one, talking about them with a certain someone even better).

I'll still blog when I have the time and something to say, but for now though, it is a season of transition and for once I'm not as worried about the future as I had been for most of my 30s and early 40s.  Do feel free to say hey if we've talked before and share anything you remember from the nearly 14 years this blog has been around (it might spark some discussion, ya know!).  Or maybe you have a suggestion for me for a new dog (I'm thinking getting something like a dachshund or Jack Russell that I could take for 2-3 mile hikes in the evenings).  Whatever it might be, hope that this won't be the end here, because I really don't know if I could truly say so long and thanks for all the fish...