The Plague

Well, surprising to none, I assume — I do, after all, work in the school system, have a 9-year-old, and am smack in the middle of an uptick in seasonal illness — but we’re sick.

He and I, I mean. The 9-year-old. I’ve been getting sick since Wednesday, but for him, it seems to have hit him like a mach truck all at once on Sunday night. I turned in for the night at about 11:15 and by 11:50 he was in my room crying about how awful he felt.

We spent the night on the downstairs couch, and while he didn’t sleep very well, he at least seemed to be more emotionally regulated. As for myself, I barely slept, and scheduled an absence from work and a text message to my coworkers for coverage to be sent at 4:30 am.

I’m still feeling pretty rough, though I’ve absolutely felt much worse, and while he seems a little loopy from lack of sleep, he’s also giggling like crazy over whatever ridiculousness is playing on YouTube and seems in an overall good mood.

Of course, the timing of this all comes at the crossroads of moving prep, several shake-ups at work, and Thanksgiving, so that’s cool. Cool cool cool.

Anyway, my goal for after work today had been to clean the walls and woodwork downstairs and finish patching the nail holes and whatnot, and if I gain a second wind, I might do that.

If not, the aim is to start my next digital painting. I think the goal of 2025 is going to be a return to more traditional media, but with the move coming, any of my traditional stuff that wasn’t purged has been packed.

Who knows what the day will bring, though I’m hoping for more sleep and a relief from this cough, at the very least.

Take care of yourselves, and each other.