September 2026 Update
A shity start to the month paved the way for renewed energy that was happily spent celebrating a family sports victory, enjoying live entertainment and publishing new stuff on GenXtoday.
Health
The first week of the month was a struggle. My colitis flared up badly, leaving me lethargic and entirely unmotivated to do much of anything. Thankfully week two brought a solid action plan and we started with an increase in prednisone to wrestle the inflammation back under control. That paved the way for an operation to get a closer look at what was going on and to undergo a fecal transplant. Yes, that literally means putting someone else's shit into my body. It was embarrassing and certainly not pretty, but the results were good. My energy levels have rebounded and I honestly felt better than I had in a very long time.
The month wrapped up on a high note. My surgeon gave me the all-clear and was given the green light to proceed with immunotherapy as normal. We have an additional infusion planned that will hopefully provide even more relief on the colitis front. Looking ahead, next month brings a PET scan which will check for any signs of cancer.
Personal
After that quiet start to the month, my returning energy meant I could finally tackle a backlog of admin tasks. By the second week, I kicked things off with a restorative session at the Nature's Energy Bathhouse in the Domain. That set a fantastic tone for the days ahead, and things just went from strength to strength.
One of the absolute highlights was a massive proud dad moment. In her very first season of playing hockey, Zoe scored the crucial goal that qualified her team for the semi-finals. As if that wasn't enough, she then strapped on the goalie pads and was instrumental in stopping goals through double overtime in both the semi-final and the grand final to win the championship.
Live entertainment was a big theme this month. I had two fantastic musical nights on the 18th and 19th, seeing The Temper Trap and Sneaky Sound System at Night at the Barracks. You can check out my reviews of both shows over on GenXtoday. I also eagerly followed the Warriors in the rugby league finals, though unfortunately they didn't live up to expectations this time around (again). On the 21st, I caught Adam Hills at the Comedy Club. He was fantastic. A few days later on the 24th, I headed to the Opera House for Housework, a political black comedy. I really liked the concept because we desperately need more political comedy these days. The execution could have been a bit sharper.
Speaking of writing, I published a few other pieces on GenXtoday this month. There is a new article about my trip to Japan packed with photos. I would love for people to check it out even if it is just to look at the pictures. I also wrote a political piece exploring the blur between social democracy and socialism. Rereading it, I feel like it makes me come across as some left-wing voter, which I am not, I just want people to use the right terms for the right things:-) Finally, I shared some thoughts on productivity with a piece called "The Two List Solution".
Amidst all of that, I managed to squeeze in some much-needed catch-ups with close friends and hosted a dinner. The end of the month marked the start of the school holidays. We kicked them off right with a shopping and movie day followed by a Sydney Kings basketball game. I am sure the fun will continue rolling into the weeks ahead.