Alive & Kicking!

OK Nukers, I suspect some of you have been wondering "Where the BLEEP has Hunter been all this time???", and if you haven't been wondering that, please don't tell me - I don't think my ego could handle the blow.

I can't put my absence entirely down to laziness, forgetfulness, and general all-around irresponsibility, as that only explains about 95% of the story. The other 5%, however, requires you to break out the tiny violins best used for ridiculous sob stories told by whiners.  So grab your violins (I'll wait), and rest assured I've got my life-helmet on and will try to keep the whining to a minimum.



LIFE, it has sometimes been observed, follows cycles. In my case, sadly, one of those cycles is budgetary, so although I was extremely busy up until the end of 2014, I am now once again seeking gainful employment (as are the other defense contractor contractors with whom I was initially hired, but for now we find we are each others' fiercest competition, so to heck with them in the nicest way possible since they're really good people).

I've also been recently a bit, ah... well not to put too fine a point on it... "injured".

Now don't worry! It's not like I was stabbed by a Morgul blade or the like - although frankly those things' reputations are vastly overblown. Think about it - have you EVER heard of anyone actually dying from a Morgul blade? Even once? Because I haven't! In every last account the afflictee always recovers. A few years ago I did happen to get a paper cut from a Morgul book I was reading, and sure enough - three days later, just like clockwork - I slipped into Darkness and Shadow. Serves me right - I probably shouldn't have been reading that book.  But by my age one's hopefully learned all things pass in time, and this was no exception.  Just needed an infusion of some extremely fragrant common herb - NO, not marijuana - hang on, it will come to me... We use it all the time in Mexican food-CILANTRO! That's it!  It just took a couple of large bowls of my friend Ray's excellent home-made tortilla soup which - trust me on this - is heavy on the cilantro, to flush that whole Morgul business out of my system like the new GOP-controlled Congress has been given a chance to do to Obama's impact on our country.

Frankly, I have more faith in the healing powers of Ray's soup, but oh well, hope springs eternal.

Anyways, MUCH more recently (like, say, "currently") I'm dealing with three really troublesome vertebrae in my neck which are pinching all sorts of various important "thanks, I'd like to use those if you don't mind" nerves, and my left shoulder keeps dislocating.  We had a GRAND time at the doctor's office the other day, trying all SORTS of things trying to get it back into socket and to stay there (I may have to join my church's choir - I didn't know I could hit those notes, and frankly I have things to atone for), but alas the work continues.

I'm up for another such torture session this afternoon; 4:45 PM Central Time, so if you notice something please check with USGS.gov before you just assume it's another earthquake.

Thus endeth the whine!