It’s hard for me to believe, but Words From A Wicked Woman has been in existence since January, 2007. Little did I know that my side project would become my driving professional focus six years later. With time comes change and change is most definitely coming!
Veteran TWW readers know that there are plans afoot to turn our little blog into a full-fledged women’s magazine like no other in existence. One of the steps needed is a new hosting site. I deeply regret that I have no choice but to leave the WordPress family, but it simply isn’t economically viable for a start-up. Therefore, we are moving as of April 15, 2013. The host we move to doesn’t really matter. What matters is that readers can read and posters can post; there is space for various graphic elements, and; the site has an attractive design that leaves room for advertisers. All of those things are achievable on the new host at a much lower cost. Ideally, no one should notice the difference unless they use the “https://thewickedwoman.wordpress.com” address. If so, they can use the TWW domain from now on. Whatever the case may be, the magazine will have a slightly different domain when it goes live in Q3 2013 even though the blog will remain.
I’d like to take a moment to update you on what’s going on with with my real life and the magazine.
As many of you know, my mother died extremely suddenly in February, 2012. As her only heir and executrix of her estate, there have been many issues to address. There have been times when I’ve looked up at the sky to rant and scream at my mother’s spirit because, frankly, she left a great many challenges for me to overcome–somehow. As frustrated as I get at times, I miss her terribly and have not had more than two weeks over the last year to grieve thanks to the aforementioned challenges. Fortunately, I have an absolutely fabulous attorney who has come up with creative ways to keep me and this household going when the walls started to close in. If anyone in Ohio is in need of a probate or small corporate attorney, write to me and I’d be more than comfortable passing his name along. The other partner handles personal injury and is about as good as they get when it comes to staving off foreclosures. Again, write if you need a referral. I don’t get anything from referring people except the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve brought a potential client together with a potential service provider. See About The Wicked Woman for my e-mail address.
One of my orthopedists (I have four), Dr. Wael Barsoum, dropped a bombshell on me about three weeks ago. At best, I need a revision (doctor-speak for “fix” or “replace” a previous procedure) of the total knee replacement I had in 2010. I took nearly all of 2008-2010 off of TWW because I was ill. It was an extremely difficult time for me because I found myself in the hospital at least once a year and had four operations from 2005-2010. The last was the 2010 left knee replacement and I caught pneumonia while in the hospital. Nevertheless, compared to the two operations I’d had on my spine to remove cysts compressing the nerves and cord, rehabbing my knee was a figurative–and sometimes literal–walk in the park. Not anymore!
Forgetting the current pain for the moment, the operation to revise a total knee is much more complex than the original surgery. Remember, too, that this portion of my body has already been assaulted and continues to be assaulted with every fall I take and each time I must, for various reasons, kneel on that knee. (I fall a lot due to other medical issues that may yet be addressed in the near future.) Therefore, this second operation will likely leave me in pretty miserable shape for a few weeks longer than the initial replacement. The first one kept me in the hospital and rehab for three and one-half weeks. The ortho who diagnosed the need for a revision can’t work me in until August, so I’m going to see the surgeon who performed the original replacement, Dr. Matthew Kraay of University Hospitals of Cleveland, with the hope that he can fit me in sooner. Frankly, I doubt it. According to U.S. News & World Report, he’s in the Top 1% of orthopedists in the country. He is also the director of the Center for Joint Replacement and Preservation at UH and holds a chair named partially after my first orthopedist, Dr. Kingsbury Heiple, a world-reknown specialist in my birth defect. I should point out that the need for revision is in no way Dr. Kraay’s fault. Indeed, he told me the last time I saw him that there would come a point where he couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again. I think that point and I have met and shaken hands.
Doctor Barsoum, the diagnosing doctor, is no slouch. He is chairman of surgical operations and vice chairman of the Department of Orthopedics at Cleveland Clinic. In addition, he holds a simultaneous appointment in the Department of Bioengineering with over 30 patents in his name. I don’t know how one person finds enough time in a 24-hour day to do all of that, but he does. He’s also a very nice fellow. There is blame to be placed, but it is useless to do so and I have better things to do right now.
It is very possible that I will be completely sidelined for over a month due to this upcoming surgery. In addition, I still have a fiduciary duty to my mother’s estate. The two combined make for an extremely serious situation. Without divulging more, it is safe to say that I have already entered that situation and am seeking a temporary respite from the pressure. That is why I have posted nothing here since January 2. However, the more challenges I face, the more I realize that Wicked Woman Magazine has to get off the ground as soon as it can. The problem now is funding. There are venture capital and private equity firms out there that may well be interested, but I haven’t had the time to sit back and put what’s in my head on paper. I doubt that I will have that time until next week at best.
The situation above is very complex, but this blog has above-average readers. Therefore, I’m certain that you will comprehend how challenging the months ahead will be. However, if I have not despaired, no one should. In fact, I’m quite optimistic. I know that TWW and Wicked Woman Magazine are the proverbial Little Publications That Could. And they will!
Words From A Wicked Woman 