It’s no fun getting sick under any circumstances. It’s especially no fun getting sick when you can’t afford medical insurance. And if you’ve ever heard it said that there’s no need to worry, the ER will take care of you no matter what, don’t believe it. First you have to be pretty much dying, then you have to be prepared for a whopping huge bill. I visited the ER in September, a month after I came down with some mysterious respiratory illness that wouldn’t go away and got a bill for over a thousand bucks for a diagnosis that was questionable at best. That was enough to keep me away from the ER after that.
I had to give up working on FOSSForce. My day job, which is really an eight bucks and change an hour night job, doesn’t pay me when I don’t work, so I’ve been spending my days in bed resting so I’d have enough energy and health to keep working and keep myself from ending up on the street. At 61 years of age, I don’t think I want to end up in a homeless shelter, capisce?
The good news is that I’m better. I’ve taken antibiotics that I’m not sure helped. I’ve taken loads of herbal remedies that I’m sure helped somewhat – but even there the jury’s out. I’m still not 100% and I still don’t know what was or is wrong, but I’m feeling better, I’ve got stamina, and I want to get back to what I do best, which is writing.
So I’m back. Starting tomorrow I’ll be analyzing and writing about news of and about free software. I’m going to try to write five articles a week, Monday through Friday, but I’m not going to promise that. I will promise that I’ll be here at least three times a week, week in and week out. The next time I quit writing FOSS Force, it’ll be because I’m horizontal. Either that, or my address will have changed to the local Salvation Army.
While I was gone, a few of you sent me emails, concerned about my absence. Some of you even correctly guessed that I was MIA due to health issues, and wished me a speedy recovery. To all of you, I thank you.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux
