I have not posted anything for well over a month now. I wanted to explain the reasons why I have been unable to write.
First of all I would like to explain that my life is very busy and full of stress I am a dad of a toddler and I don't live with his mother (though we are together) so I am constantly trying to find ways and time to spend with my family.
I do not have running water (no hot water for two years, no running water for nine months as of December 2011) and back in October the electric company turned out our power (number one reason I was unable to write) and charged us over one thousand five hundred US dollars for a meter that got messed up somehow and they stuck us with the bill. I was out of electricity for about three weeks. In that time I also happened to be at a very low place money wise and had about twelve dollars to feed me for about two weeks. So there were a lot of things on my mind at the time besides my blog.
I was also going to school three times a week (now two because I couldn't focus on my work and had to drop a class) and being distracted caused me to slip on my grades. Again I had to concentrate on my school work before my blog. I have one class up to a passing grade and the other class I am close to getting a passing grade.
When the electricity was out all of our food spoiled, so again I was busy with trying to get some money to get food into the house. And through all of this, the stress has cause a condition I have called Ulcerative Colitis or UC to have an abnormally long flare up. It seems as though when tough times come they make sure to test our strength to the fullest. Also they shut off our gas (which is how we heat our house and have for years, we have no central heat or A/C) making it impossible to heat the house.
I don't write this to complain or to cry about my position in life (I'm well aware that some have it far worse) I just wanted to offer a glimpse into my life at the current time and offer a reason for my absence in posting. Look for my regular posting to begin really soon. Most likely on the occupy movement and the Oakland Commune. Thank you to all who continued to check the site while I was away!
Written by: Dustin Slagle
