Dispatches from the Lost Fortnight

I sincerely doubt anyone was hanging on tenterhooks waiting for me to update here, but you may have hypothetically noticed that it's been a couple of weeks since my last post.

I wish I could say I spent those two weeks saying goodbye to summer in style or feverishly embroiled in an extra-exciting work project or something. No such luck, although I can say I at least didn't beat the shit out of those Car Week people for fucking with our trash cans and wind up in jail.

Seth and I both spent the better part of that time sick with the world's worst summer cold. (I know. Good times.) And I don't mean "just a little sick," either. We were flat on our asses and barely able to function for quite some time. Honestly, whatever bug that was is still kind of hanging on, but we're back to our normal schedules now, for all intents and purposes.

Thankfully, I've learned my lessons over the years about pushing things too hard when I'm very sick (which is mercifully rare, thank God). So I cut my "have to" list back to the bare minimum:

• Client obligations, work emergencies, and essential work tasks
• My Substacks, as I feel I have an obligation to my few paying subscribers to keep up with my publication schedule
• Daily caretaking responsibilities for my mother
• Basics for Seth and me (e.g., at least simple meals)

Beyond that, though? I didn't do much except rest.

I avoided taking on any extra client work like the plague – nothing that didn't correlate to commitments I'd already made. No meta-blogging here, Quora, art uploads, and that sort of thing, either. Definitely no elaborate meals.

So... apologies if you are somehow someone who reads this blog religiously and have been disappointed. I'm generally very good about staying on top of my content schedule, but every so often, life gets the best of me.

And now, a few field notes.

Field Note No. 1: Things Consumed While Horizontal

Now, as you may be aware, Healthy Cat is very, very into her movies, books, and downtime. But that's nothing compared to Sick Cat. I spent way more time than I usually do absorbed in these things.

A few random examples that kept me sane:

• Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. I'm on the second book at this point, which covers one of my favorite periods from the show, so... loved that for me.
• This year's first smattering of autumn horror movies. Rewatched a lot of favorites, including Hellraiser, Mandy, Skeleton Key, and The Others.
• Various Richard Linklater films, as they always make me feel like I'm visiting with very good friends. Slacker, Waking Life, Dazed and Confused, and Everybody Wants Some! for the win!
• All my favorite house and garden magazines on Magzter, while I dreamed of healthier days ahead. Something about autumn and winter really wakes me up and makes me want to "do things" around the house.
• Soup. Oh, hell yeah, all the soup.

Field Note No. 2: Artifacts from the Lost Fortnight

Speaking of Hellraiser, Seth got me my very own Lament Configuration replica for my desk, and I love it. I've wanted one ever since our Second Life days. (I recall seeing one on the in-world desk of SL's creator a long time ago and was instantly jealous, even though I'd yet to actually see Hellraiser at the time.)

Seth also ordered us a mini chainsaw. Oscar the plum tree decided to up and die this year, and the saw is part of our plan to manage his deteriorating corpse as nature does what it does best. Should be a helpful addition to our garden shed, in general, though.

Field Note No. 3: Things I Really Didn't Miss

For all the complaining I do about being "too busy" and having "too much to do" when it's life as usual, I detest being sick. It's like suddenly all I want to do is get up and do things.

But I also have to admit that it's good for me to slow down once in a while. Really makes me realize I don't rest nearly enough or take my own good advice very often when it comes to paying proper attention to the real stuff of life.

That said, I absolutely did not miss:

• Feeling constant guilt about not being greased lightning as far as house and yard tasks I want to get done
• Feeling even more guilt about badly needing to dye my hair and reboot my grooming routine (and still not having done it)
• Worrying about cash flow, whether I'm working "enough," and all that good stuff
• Doing quite as much grocery shopping and cooking as I'd normally do

I've been duly reminded that I put a lot of pressure on myself from day to day that really doesn't need to be there. Like, seriously, nobody can guilt-trip Cat quite like Cat herself.

Field Note No. 4: Reentry

It feels good to be back to my routine for sure, as I do enjoy getting things done and feeling productive. We caught up on some overdue housework and yardwork tasks over the past couple of days, and that felt really good.

I'm also feeling better just in time to feel ready to get to work on some promising new client projects that came my way recently, so... also a win. The break was good for me, but I also very much miss writing when I'm not doing lots and lots of it day to day.

Fall is afoot, and I'm excited. Now if only someone would give the memo to the weather!