How did I get nothing done again today? I’ve had some sort of sinus infection. That’s how. I could feel it starting on Friday. You know that felling. The feeling of being a bit run down but nothing too bad. Sometimes that feeling goes away with a good night’s sleep but often it doesn’t. Usually that feeling means there is some sickness creeping up on me. I tried to rest on Friday to make myself better so I didn’t get anything done that day. Then I woke up on Saturday feeling even worse. So I rested most of the Saturday and watched some playoff football.
My symptoms weren’t that terrible. Sinus pressure, a stuffed head, weakness of body, and a general lack of focus. They made it tough to think. I took a nasal decongestant and that made me more comfortable but I still had no energy. It was better than having a flu though. That can really knock a person out. I had one of those a few years ago and was down for the count for a week. Couldn’t even get off the couch for more than an hour at a time.
Sunday I did get something done. I made five of my “Four Talking Boxes” strips. I make five of those every week and I’ve been doing three of them on Sunday and two of them on Monday for the last year or so (the days have varied over the years) but on last Sunday I decided to get all five of them done. It took about three times as long to do them as it normally takes me but I was glad to be doing something. Finishing them is also more of a technical process than a creative one so that was a bit easier on me. I didn’t have to think.
After getting all five strips done I had some more energy so I started another technical thing in the afternoon. I started recreating the Marvel Comics “Machine Man” logo as a vector graphic so that a friend of mine could use it in a cover recreation. I do this sometimes for friends and myself. I make a vector graphic in Adobe Illustrator out of an old comic book logo. It takes concentration rather than thinking or creativity so it’s something I can do when I’m not 100%. I didn’t finish it though. I ran out of energy eventually and rested the rest of Sunday.
On a side note I don’t do that well with either DayQuil or NyQuil. I gave up on DayQuil years ago because it makes be feel worse than the sinus infection. On Friday night I decided to try some NyQuil to help me sleep since I didn’t sleep well on Thursday night. Waking up on Saturday morning it felt like I was hit by a bus. I was weak and shaking from about 5AM until I got out of bed at 6:30 AM. I was happy when the effects wore off later in the morning and then I only felt bad from the sinus infection.
Monday rolled around and I was still not well. I got a little something done though. I finished the logo, trade dress, and template for “Machine Man.” It wasn’t a whole lot, not nearly as much as I got done on Sunday, but was something. I like to get things done. It gives me a good feeling. Getting nothing done isn’t how I like to spend my time. But I was still sick so I sat in a chair most of the day trying to rest. That’s what active people have the hardest time with when they are sick. Resting. Just sitting there when I want to be doing something. But resting has to be done.
On Tuesday I was feeling better but not well. I wanted to get stuff done but only managed to start my new sketchbook/inkbook for the year. I grabbed my small dictionary and randomly chose a word from it to name my sketchbook. It’s now called “Sidelong” as in “A sidelong glance.” I write that title on the cover and then write the definition on the inside front cover. It’s a habit of mine so that I can distinguish one sketchbook from another. I also managed to draw a page in it. Nine little ink drawings. Normally that would take me an hour but it took me twice that. Then it was back to the chair.
That brings us to today. Wednesday. I was feeling pretty good this morning. I’d say I was almost better. I drew another page in my ink book, went out to the store, and started working on an art card. I really thought I could get back to normal today and get some stuff done. Except I ran out of energy. That one little 2.5×3.5 inch art card took me way too long to draw. I kept having to sit down and rest and then get up to draw a bit of it. It was really frustrating. After I finished it I tried to get something else done but I couldn’t. No focus or concentration left.
It’s a snazzy little art card. It’s a person with a weird haircut and flowered robe on. It’s not the greatest thing ever but I like it. It looks a little more precise than usual. I think because it took me more energy than usual to concentrate I really made the shapes distinct.
So now I’m better but not quite better. I haven’t taken any medicine since Tuesday when I only took one does of nasal decongestant so my sinuses aren’t killing me anymore but they’re still slowing me down. Since I usually stand and work I’m really tired of sitting. But even if I couldn’t stand and draw for a while I thought I could get a little something done while sitting so I decided to write. So here I am now. I’m not going to tell you I’m better but I couldn’t have written this on Saturday.
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