Morning Sickness

Your Sister woke me up this morning saying her throat was swelling shut again. This happened last year, and she was given two steroids shots. That's not so simple an option now. The baby doctor's office wasn't open yet, and he told her to go to the ER. It didn't take long to get into a bay there, but we had to wait 20 minutes after; Your Sister was drinking ice water, and it skewed the thermometer. Throat cultures were taken, and that sparked a gag reflex. Combined with her empty stomach, this wasn't fun. Next, the nurse couldn't find Roo's heartbeat for a good two minutes, and this rattled Your Sis. I tried to calm her down and explain we weren't seeing our regular nurse, a woman who can find Roo in seconds. That didn't help the stress of the day.

She was told she doesn't have strep, and they suspected an ear infection. Your Sister wouldn't fill the prescription initially but consented when I reminded her it would be trickier to get it later if we get the big snows. I had to drag her out of the school and stop her sub plans. She's at home now, hopefully sipping mint tea.

Picture Link of the Day
My journal comic and others can be found here. My name should jump out at you. There will be a complete story up each week.

Picture of the Day
A new view of the WKRP DJ booth. No Herb? No Les? Bailey, Jennifer?

Collaboration

We got antsy, and Your Sister can no longer be asked to walk four miles for half a pizza. The warmer weather allowed me to chisel out the car and drive her downtown for lunch and groceries. The shoveling took about a half hour. We returned home to more warm temperatures, and Your Sister was determined that the driveway be made passable for her car should she need to use it. Out we went to shovel and chop. We were at it for about 90 minutes, and she was careful, but busy. There are now tire ruts for her car, and half the driveway is now clear. Of course, more air junk is forecast to plummet this weekend. At least the shoveling gives me a fantastic workout. I am sore and tender today, and I didn't sleep well. But I look fabulous.

I mentioned yesterday that I signed up to create four pages for a medieval anthology. One of my shoveling brainstorms told me to consult Your Sister. You know, the one who studied medieval literature for four years. Then I wondered why we couldn't just write it together (defined this time by her doing the writing, and me acting as her art robot). It struck her as a pleasant notion at first. Then it became a definite idea: adapting a certain 9th century poem. I woke up this morning to find two pages of notes and a rough script.

She's started her first fiction story. It's an adaptation, yes, but it's a good start. She admitted the story is tumbling out of her, distracting her from sleep and school work. She's got the bug. I'll tread carefully in the process from scattered ideas to drawn panels, but we have two months, and she's already got her story skeleton. I also honed the bones for my superhero mini yesterday.

Lost comes back tonight, and I am wired for it. Mad, crazed, and enthused.

Picture of the Day
I discovered the paintings of Alyssa Monks. I now never want to paint again.

Snowed In

Your Sister called me Friday afternoon to say it was snowing at home, and it was piling up. I left work immediately. As soon as I reached my car in the parking lot, the snow shower fell. It got bad quickly, and the drive was slow. Our back road was covered when I arrived, and I had a tough time getting up the hill. Had I been a half-hour later, the car wouldn't have made it.

We sat out the storm. We got about eight inches of snow before the sleet came down. Today, the road is a sheet of ice. Your Sis was itchy to move, and she swept a trail to the mailbox Saturday. Sunday, we scraped and shoveled the area around the car (alongside the road, just like before).We lost the satellite Saturday under the pile of white, and it came back Sunday morning after an early melt. I thought I'd have to go on the roof.

We caught up on our recorded shows -- Fringe, This Old House, Jeopardy -- and some work. She plotted out her semester, which now includes a Saturday school day. I am plotting one of my mincomics for the convention, and I just signed up for another anthology due in May. I'm doing four pages on the medieval-fantasy genre, and I have no idea what I'll do yet. But I can do that and my two convention minicomics. I know I can. I also posted my first journal comic today. The host site requires registration, so I'll post each week's comics here at one time.

Your Sister holds out hope for a daughter, and she has in hand the name she wants. She may try to change Roo's gender through mind power. I fear she can do it and then move on to my feeble brains. My Mom strangely requested we not name Roo with initials (DJ, AC, etc.). We hadn't considered it.

Picture of the Day
I'll build her an Iron Man armor to help her make it through the work days. Also I'll have serious hair.