I am off today.

I’d forgotten that I was off until around Tuesday I think, so this is almost like a bonus vacation day. But considering I worked late the back half of the week anyway, I think it’s good I’m off because I feel like crap from being so exhausted.

Anyway, JessieDog and I are sofa-surfin’. It’s cold and grey out (very September) and I’ve got lots of chore-like things I should get done before Nighthawk gets out of work in a few hours. I’m also thinking of working on the comic and/or the website (actually the site’s got more of my attention because I have comics for tomorrow and and Tuesday in the queue already — leftovers from vacation) and I haven’t played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance in like a week and I want to get back to it.

So I’ve got a 4 day vacation going with the first one all to myself and it’s pretty cool. I’ll be checking the forum most of the weekend if you feel like stopping by.

Weekend wrap-up

Well, the bedroom trim is painted, the house is clean(er), and I got to hang out with my sister for a while…. got a massage, that’s always good, and found the diningroom under a mound of stuff. Nighthawk appears to be feeling better. Jessdog got in some serious sun-time, which makes her a happy puppy. And despite how horrible the art looks in both the Saturday (past) and Monday (upcoming) comics, I feel pretty good about them – they’re awful, but a darned sight better than I did a year and a half ago when this ship launched.

Work this week promises to be as hectic as last, but with things a little less crazy at home and closer to conquering the new schedule. See you on the forum.

So it’s Friday.

So it’s Friday, and I’m off until Tuesday thanks to the holiday weekend and a skillfully-placed vacation day. I was supposed to spackle the holes in the bedroom walls last night but passed on that opportunity so that I could instead put another comic in the queue (and capture a great IOI screenshot), and also put my car in the shop.

I got up at 9, which tells me I’m getting a good amount of sleep during the week because it’s only about an hour later than I get up normally, and the JessieDog was up by 9:30. It’s about time to eat breakfast. Then I get to spackle holes, clean walls, and work on priming (primeing?) the walls and ceiling. Then the paint. whee!

Probably not all today, if it isn’t obvious.

I’m doing this one solo, which is a bit odd, because usually I drag my sister into all my rennovating adventures, but she’s got school and she’s in the pit orchestra for a musical and, well, kid’s got a life. So we’ll see how far I really get when self-motivating.

I foresee lots of caffeine in my immediate future.

Anyway, I’ll be away from the internet most of the day, much like yesterday, but unlike yesterday it’ll be because I don’t want to paint the keyboard. Feel free to visit the forum, or if you’re really bored go through the archives and let me know which links are broken. (Like I said, really bored.)

I’ll be back later, when I’ve reached a point where things will have to dry.

Tax season is over!

Woof.

Now that tax season is done (for everyone except six lunatic states that are ending it today), there’s the gradual slowdown at work, and a chance to breathe. Less overtime means more comic. Got one up on time today – and a fairly lame-duck one up for Saturday. (You’ll either love it or hate it. Probably hate it. I think it’s hilarious.) Scripts are starting to flow inside my pathetic brain as well. It’d be nice to build a buffer again.

Still have some knitting to finish — and fast — but I’m trying to limit my knitting to during the Phillies games, since I won’t be drawing comics during that timeframe anyway.

Of course, catching up on my sleep and eating healthy and all that play a role in the grand scheme of things too, so I’m starting to do all that again.

News: all JessieDog’s blood work came out normal, so for now we’re going with a diagnosis of “old dog”. I can live with that. Little runt better not wake me at 7 am tomorrow because she’s thirsty and can’t open the bedroom door though.

Speaking of sleep, I’m off to do just that.

Every day is a new adventure.

We’re lacking comics, sorely.

Fortunately, there are so few people reading this thing anyway, that I haven’t heard any complaints. You’re welcome to complain if you’d like. It won’t get you far, but it’s nice to hear another voice in the wilderness.

Nighthawk’s been diagnosed with diabetes, which was a bit more than either of us were ready to handle. It’s led to a bit more silence on the ‘net than I usually exercise. Some days a person just doesn’t feel like reading half the internet and commenting on it. I prefer to do my worrying in private and wait until I have something concrete to report before worrying everyone else.

It’s also led to doctor’s appointments, researching, asking around, gathering information, and most of all being there for each other — all of which takes precious time.

In addition, it’s tax season, which means almost nothing to you if you don’t work in the financial industry. But where I work, tax season is the functional equivalent of the Christmas shopping season for retail, with tax weekend playing the role of Black Friday. The metaphor is especially fitting this year because Easter and Passover are layered on top of April 15th (17th this year) and that means work, work, and more work. So interspersed among the medical appointments and research and general freakiness have been tickets and calls and overtime, and more overtime, and oh, some overtime.

Case in point: our department was open today, from 8 to 7, despite the fact that it’s a company holiday. I’ll be a member of the skeleton staff working tomorrow as well. (Had I known about the health circus, I wouldn’t have volunteered months ago, but alas, my crystal ball is still waiting to be RMA‘d back to the manufacturer.)

Speaking of hardware returns, did I mention that the file server has been nothing but one big technical glitch for close to a month? Fortunately, I don’t use it to produce the comic or the blog. Unfortunately, it is where I run all my backups, and where I pay all the bills, so life is interesting, as usual.

But at least the dog’s healthy, right? Well, no. She was shipped to the vet for day camp today while I worked because she’s sleeping a lot. A whole lot. Like when we came home on Wednesday at noon she didn’t bother coming downstairs to greet us until 7 pm. And any time I have to ask my husband to go find out if the dog has died twice in one day, it’s time to worry. The x-rays of her lungs and heart came back clean so now we’re waiting on the blood test results to determine if she’s sick or just really old and really lazy.

Oh, and I still have that knitting project to finish.

There are rays of sunshine throughout all of this, mind. The hardware repairs have prompted some upgrades. The diabetes explains a lot, and means Nighthawk will feel better than ever once it’s treated. Seven hours of overtime tomorrow mean I get to work in relative peace and quiet. Tax season is almost over. I get to dye eggs tomorrow. The Phillies look like they’re going to win 3 in a row after sucking like a giant Electrolux when the season began. And when it’s all said and done, I should have a chance to just sit back and relax.