
Still alive and kicking
It’s been a while…
since I posted a quick video and even longer since I worked on a proper tutorial. The reasons have been plentiful. They range from simply being ‘too busy with life’ to serious health issues. I had a major health threat that took a long time to be checked out and finally ruled out. When the doctor told me that it might be cancer, the initial response was ‘sh**, why me?’. I lost close family members to cancer in the past. It felt wrong. I am too young. I watch my diet and lifestyle and keeping as fit as my muscular condition allows it. Maybe a bit more at times. I haven’t had any of the symptoms normally associated with it. Yet the blood tests confirmed the numbers. Next up was an ultrasound and an MRI. Both of them showed ‘a zone of interest’. Ultimately, the doctors decided to take a biopsy. It dragged on for months. Even though I tried not let it get to me, it did paralyze me. Finally, two weeks ago I got the all clear. It was a major relief.
Getting there… somehow…
Oddly, the immediate reaction of joy and the loss of the burden came with a loss of tension and drive. I felt sorry for myself when I should have been the happiest. It’s taken a while [with too much coffee and chocolate] to get back into a mindset to open up the blog. I look at the declining viewer numbers and realize that I miss the posts, the tutorials, and the pains of putting together a video. Passing on some of the knowledge I acquired feels good. The intentions are there, the plans and the ideas for new posts are plentyful. A lot of them sit in the dark corners of my hard drives already. They are just waiting to be released. I will try and find the time and energy to make that happen.
Thanks for your patience. I hope to see you around for more entertaining and helpful posts in the near future.
Glad you got the all clear, hope you manage to resolve your other issues too. I’m a pretty infrequent reader of your blog (I basically pop along when I get a ping on RSS) but at the end of the day, your health is more important than some arbitrary viewing numbers!
Thank you, for coming back, and congratulations for “the all clear”.
I will always wach your blogs and videos, no matter how long the silence in between.
So glad to hear you’re okay!!
Happy to hear you’re all well!
Hugs to you!
Glad to hear you are well
Really glad to hear that things are positive, & thanks for the update! Very grateful for the work that you do, but don’t feel pressured either :D
Take care
Glad to hear the positive news. Get well soon, Chris!
Holy S**t dude. I’m sorry you had to go through that. Glad to hear you don’t have cancer, though. I had cancer and it was quite rough for many months but It’s been two years since and I’m still cancer free. And by the way, You have passed on so much already that even if you did call it quits, the world is still blessed by what you’ve contributed. I know I have been blessed by it. Thanks, Chris.
Waiting to see your tutorials again!
Hugs to you! 🙏🏻
Happy to read that you are ok, Chris. I’m a school teacher and your tutorials are a great help for us, kids enjoy them a lot!
Hugs and the best wishes for you, thanks for your work!
Ive been following your blog since the beginning and i enjoy every post with admiration for your work.
I always come back from time to time to see if anything new has come up.
Glad to hear your are okay.
Cheers
Chris, we are all so relieved and happy that you are feeling better. Cannot wait to see what those things are that you have hidden away on your hard-drive, just waiting to be shown. Only time will tell :)
Part of the reason I don’t visit your site any longer is that you’ve seemed to stop supporting Inkscape in favor of the commercial Affinity product .
I am still trying to do both… but working with Affinity Designer for my own projects (mainly due to ease of use, the effects I need for my illustrations and the more stable and professional setup) makes it easier to do those. Time has been the key issue – I had a bit of a rotten run as far as my health goes this year – resulting in very few tutorials and even less ‘translations’ from one tool to the other. I had plans to add Adobe Illustrator tutorials and some Corel Draw ones as well, seeing I also work with those tools. I hope I can post more [including Inkscape] tutorials in the new year!