Updates...

Okay, so it's been quite some time since I've posted on my blog. A lot has happened during the year and a half or so since my last post. Obviously, the biggest thing that happened was the pandemic. But, thankfully, we may have the worst behind us and as more people get vaccinated, the light at the end of this horrible tunnel will keep getting brighter.

That being said, there was also a personal issue that I went through last year that prevented me from thinking about almost anything else for a good long while. I had a health scare that involved my heart. I was diagnosed with heart disease after the results of a calcium screening I did early in the year. Without getting too specific, my numbers were abnormally high. Of course, this sent me into a panic mode before I really understood what the numbers actually meant. My doctor sent me to see a Cardiologist, who in turn scheduled me for a Cardiac MRI and stress test. The biggest obstacle for me was the four weeks, during the hottest part of the summer, that I had to wait to actually get the MRI. That waiting period ended up being the biggest cause of stress on my heart, of all.

The good news was that the MRI/stress test came back completely clear… which I didn’t understand considering my crazy high calcium score. But, as luck would have it, the calcium build up in my arteries was distributed in such a way that, although high in amount, it was thinly lining the walls with no signs of any blockage - and most of that was mainly in one artery. Of course, that doesn’t mean that there is not a problem. The calcium just doesn’t simply go away, and I still have heart disease. If I’m not careful with my choices going forward, I could always develop a buildup on top of the calcium already there, and that would be bad since any new calcium could cause the damage I was lucky enough to avoid this time around. I’ve had to make better choices with my diet, which I’m still working on… and I’m trying to lose some weight – get back into fighting shape, as they say. All things considered, I am a very lucky man. It could’ve easily been a much different result. I am grateful that I will get to spend time with my grandkids and with my kids, and my family in general. It’s made me really look at what’s important in life.

One of those important areas that I dug deeply into was the balance between my work and my home life. I found it to be completely out of whack. I turn 62 this year – in a few weeks, as a matter of fact, and decided to leave the industry that I’d built my career on and take a leap of faith that I could survive working a job with less hours and much less stress. Of course, that also meant less money. But at this point in my life, the time I can now spend spoiling my grandkids is worth much more to me than any amount of money. It’s been a couple of months since I took that leap, and so far, so good. I have been able to be around my family more and I am much happier. In theory, this is also supposed to give me more time to write. Something I have not done much of over the last couple of years, and something I am slowly getting back to.

 I am working diligently on the third Tony Razzolito PI book, Dirty Air, and it should be finished very soon. I won’t put a release date out there just yet, as I’ve done that a few times already and it’s burned me on the backside. Suffice to say, I am making good progress and, hopefully, the book will not disappoint anyone who has been patient enough to still be a fan and is waiting for the release. You don’t know how much that means to me. I’m also working on the second book in the Tony Razzolito short story anthology series. The new collection will be three stories that are tied together by the common theme of baseball. The anthology is called, Top of the Third, and should be ready for release in early to mid summer. I’m including a picture of both covers to whet your appetite, and I will post a sneak peek of the first chapter of Dirty Air in the coming weeks.

 

As I embark on this new chapter in my life, I will begin to spend more and more time at the writing table. I recently spruced up the small corner of the room I call my office with a new desk, a comfy new chair, and a bigger monitor that I can see without having to put on my reading glasses. Hey, if I’m going to spend more time staring at a bluish light, tapping on the keys late into the night, I might as well be comfortable.

Until next time…😎

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