Germ Magnet

{source: Scott Campbell}
I love this watercolor, even though I don't smoke
and would not buy this dog.

I have a long history of being a germ magnet.  Large families tend to attract colds the way cloying indie movies attract Oscar nominations.  With so many candidates for infection, the odds go up that at least one kiddo will be a viable petri dish, and then proximity does the rest.  And generally I would catch each illness twice.  Germs evolve, after all.  I would be the first viral breeding ground, pass it on to my younger siblings, recover, and catch the mutated version at the tail end -- so neat and tidy!  Like bookends.

In recent years judicious doses of Vitamin C and exercise have helped me to navigate seasonal illnesses with fewer bumps.  This year I had a near-miss of a cold during rehearsals for "A Christmas Carol" at our community theater, but thankfully passed it by (I'll tell you about the final performance of "Little Women" sometime so that you can properly appreciate my relief).  It's been nice!

But, alas, you can't outrun a cold forever.  So today is a day for armchair activities.

Top contenders:

Drinking tea.  From my favorite mug, of course.  It makes me think of a good friend who let me pack my fragile souvenirs in our already crowded carry-on, and turquoise water beneath the cliffs of Jerbourg, and traveling in summertime.  And of how (even though Guernsey was unseasonably chilly when we were there) it was still warmer at the beach on Cobo Bay than it is in my room right now.  Today's tea of choice is Lady Grey, which sounds pretentious, but really just means I don't have the wherewithal to drink full-blooded Earl Grey.

Designing my Etsy banner and logo designs.  Back to Le Trusty Idea Notebook!  Once I've got a basic sketch I like, I'm hiring out the inking/coloring job to my sister, Katy.  However, the sketch is giving me fits.  I like these ideas in a general sense, but they're very text-based.  I'd like some piece of art -- a reoccurring little doodle that I can use on tags and things.  .......................  Hey!  You there, reading my blog: you look artistic!  Any good suggestions??

Teaching myself proofreading.  This is a line of work I'd really like to pursue, and I have a lot of the style and grammar know-how already, but very little technical expertise.  So I've bought a book.  After all, I'm the daughter of Mark If-you-can-find-a-book,-you-can-teach-yourself-anything, M.D.  Seriously, the man taught himself how to do his own house electrical, carpentry, tile, and plumbing repairs using only books.  I've got Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies as my start-up guide, and it's great -- Suzanne Gilad is delightfully conversational in her style.  So far I've learned how to phrase a diplomatic query and how to keep a running log of character details while proofreading fiction and how to spell 'fluorescent'.

Crocheting coffee cozies.  A friend of mine made one with buttons up the side that was super cute, and I want one for me, and then some extras to sell.  Here's my first try!  I can't figure out how best to wrap it since I don't have a cup on hand.  I guess I need to get over to Starbucks and buy myself a mocha. (What a lovely excuse this is!)  I'll show you some more pictures once I've finished!

Sleep.  I have no cute pictures to go with this one.  I really love to sleep, but I enjoy it the way babies enjoy birthday cake or pigs enjoy a good wallow: it's completely undignified. 

And when I wake up, I'm going to stop being so dang productive, nest up in a pile of used Kleenex, and watch Mostly Martha.

 

*sniffcoughsniff*