I’m writing this during the first week of December 2024 and I’ve got a cold. Just like last December. I also had a summer cold back in the middle of August. I’m getting tired of this. But anyway these are the random thoughts in my head as I recover.
“Why don’t I just sew it?” back in October I wrote about my commuting bag (http://radiantcomics.com/art-writing-everyday-carry-bag/). Just this week I noticed that the strap on it that sewed back on a couple of years ago is looking a little bit shaky. I had a vague plan to replace the bag in January or so but that would mean spending another $75 or so on one. I don’t really want to do that.
So as I was sitting here in my easy chair I looked up and saw the red thread I used at the end of the sew on strap and thought to myself that should do another sewing job on that strap. This time I will re-enforce it with some canvas. I’ve not done anything like that before but I think I can pull it off. Time will tell. (Update: Since I wrote this blog I sewed on some canvas an reinforced the strap so all is good).
Another thing I’ve been contemplating as I’ve been recovering is a small bag I bought last summer. It’s called an everyday carry pouch. It’s about 5×7 inches and has a place for a notebook or sketchbook, a few pens, pencils, or tool slots, and zippered part for other stuff. I bought it because it was only about $7 and I thought it was cool and I could use it for something. Except use it for what?
I already have two larger bags with art supplies in them that I carry in my commuting art bag so why would I need the smaller one? That’s what I was trying to figure out. I could keep my phone in it but why? I’m not much of a phone guy and just keep it in my pocket once I’m out so keeping it in a bag is unnecessary.
I ended up putting a 3.5×5.5 inch sketchbook in the pocket but it barely fits. It takes a bit of effort getting it in and out. And there is no chance of the book fitting in the zippered part. After that I decided to put some of my art card sized paper in the zippered part. They are 2.5×3.5 inches and fit in there fine. That also led me to putting a pencil, black marker, and brush pen into the tool slots. I think I’m set.
I still don’t know why I need that small bag but it started to remind me of a George Carlin routine about how our homes were just places for our stuff. He then goes down the line of ever smaller places for our stuff until he gets to a handbag which was the smallest place for our stuff. I was making smaller and smaller art supply bags for my art supply stuff. Kind of funny in the end.
Another cold thought is that I’m trying zinc lozenges for the first time. According to my calendar last December’s cold lasted nine days and last August’s cold lasted ten days. I’m trying to get this one to be shorter and so far I’m into the nighttime of day five and I’m hopeful that this one will be shorter. My head is still clogged but not as badly as yesterday. I couldn’t have written at all yesterday. (Update: The cold was of shorter duration this time. I’ll call it seven days).
I was on video six times with this cold. That might be my record. On my YouTube channel I’ve been making Walk and Talk videos where I film my commute as I walk from Penn Station down to 14th Street. I usually film one of them a week but since I won’t be making any over the winter break I decided to film a couple of extra ones. So I filmed one Tuesday going in, Tuesday coming back, and Wednesday going in. I was too tired from my cold to do one on Wednesday walking back up to Penn.
Then I filmed my comic book haul video on Thursday morning and posted it. After that I had a Zoom meeting on Thursday afternoon. Finally I wrapped up my week with my usual Friday night live YouTube show with Wilson and Paulo. We got on YouTube and talked about comic books and such from 6PM until nearly 9PM. That was a lot of time I was on video talking with a congested voice. It’s a good thing I never had a sore throat. But that’s a lot of video time with a cold.
Here is another strange thing that has crossed my mind this week. I’m now a puffy vest guy! My mother gave me a green winter down puffy vest this week. I have never had one of those before.
I’ve been a regular vest guy before. A waistcoat. I used to wear fancy vests back in the 1990s at times. The kind that is the third part of a three piece suit. At the height of me being a waistcoat guy I probably had eight of them. I could wear one each day of the week! I also wore them with suspenders which got real inconvenient if I had to sit down on a toilet. That was the downside to being a vest and suspenders guy!
I’m still not sure when one wears a winter vest. When I go outside into the cold I like to be as warm and prepared as possible. That usually includes having sleeves. So when would I go out without sleeves? I ended up wearing it a little bit around the house when I was chilly. It was comfortable.
My final thought is about old yearbooks. The Zoom meeting I had on Thursday was helping out the students make a yearbook. Because I’m a eBay maniac I ended up getting a couple of old art school yearbooks off of the auction site. The one that came in this week is from 1938. The one that came in last month is from 1922. It’s amazing to see yearbooks from that long ago. All the people in the yearbook were basically doing all the stuff that I am doing right now. That yearbook was even their “Right Now” at the time. Except they’re all gone. We’ll all be gone. That’s a humbling thought. Certainly a “Not feeling my best thought.” (Update: It’s January 9, 2025 now and I’m feeling better!).