Lots and lots of dreams lately. Mainly induced by Vicodin, perhaps, or the new Sulfasalazine I’ve been on for just over a week now.

The pain still continues. Yesterday was a pretty good day, but today has been awful. I ache like I’ve got the flu, except it’s all in my joints, and some in my back.

I think the doctor’s theory of reactive arthritis is the most plausible I’ve heard yet, and I hope that the drugs will begin to kick in and let me live a somewhat normal life soon. I also hope to get back to grad school in June.

Other than my joints and the state of the Empire, everything else is fine; I’m very happy at home and with Frank and Bayley and really enjoy working most of the places I’m sent to as a guest teacher. Sometimes I go home hurting, but it’s just something to live with right now. I’m usually home by 16:00 at the latest, so I can take a nap and get some rest.

The shorter days and it being November and today’s snowfall make things depressing, but that’s just my usual yearly cycle. I hate November and always have. Bad things, particularly with family, have always happened in November and it’s my lowest ebb point in the anxiety cycle. But fortunately, we’re already at Thanksgiving and November is almost over. December is usually better.