I'd like to break from my usual video game ramblings for something a little more personal.  If you've been reading PTB for the last few months, then you'll remember that I've had a terrible time with my health this year.  After one hospitalization for malnutrition and dehydration tied to my ongoing fight with Crohn's Disease, I had to go for a second stay in the hospital for intestinal surgery.  My surgeon wasn't able to complete the entire scope of the surgery at that time, but he did what he could and closed me back up to recover for a few months until my body was ready for the rest of the procedure.  Well, it's time.  In two weeks, I'll be away for what should only be a week or so to go for yet another surgery. 

This one isn't as dire; for one, I'm healthier than I was for the last one.  I had lost a lot of weight prior to the last procedure to the point that I was nearly as skeletal as some of those Castlevania monsters that throw bones.  I was too weak to even climb the stairs in my home.  Now I've put on some doctor-ordered weight and built myself back up to where I've been up and around and back to my day job for over about a month.  I've been able to eat since March whereas prior to the last surgery, I hadn't been able to keep any food down for two months.  I've even regained the ability to eat a few foods that I hadn't been able to safely digest in twenty years.  I'm in a lot less pain now than I was then, too.  I'm optimistic about this upcoming procedure, and when it's done I'll be at home recovering for another month, and then I can finally start to put this rotten year behind me and get back to business.