Things to do When You're Sick

1. Catch up on your reading. I read through the rest of yesterday's comic book haul, which featured some good stuff.

   For instance, DC comics is reprinting Alan Moore's Swamp Thing in paperback. The first two collections were originally issued about a decade ago, and were recently reprinted, and the third collection, The Curse, came out this week. The first two are the really essential ones, but this one and the projected next one are also very good. It's seminal horror/suspense work from one of the medium's best writers.

   Carla Speed McNeil's Lightspeed Press just came out with the second collected volume of her entertaining and unusual Finder series.

   Then there's The All-Star Companion published by TwoMorrows. If, like me, you somehow became a fan of comic books' first super-hero team, the Justice Society of America, then this is for you. It's got a complete run-down of All-Star Comics' first 57 issues (from 1940 to 1951), with shorter chapters about the JSA from the 60s to the 90s. But best of all, it's chock full of fascinating reproductions of artwork (much of which I've never seen before) and facts about the publishing history of the comic. Plus it's got nifty double-image front and back covers by classic artist Murphy Anderson (front cover reproduced at right). Written by JSA über-geek Roy Thomas, it's one spiffy package.

2. Finish some on-line journal entries. Entries for Monday and Wednesday went up today, though if you were on my notify list then you'd already know that.

3. Pet the cats. They appreciated it.

4. Wonder where the hell your newspaper is. It should have restarted delivery yesterday, but it never showed up. I called them and they said it would start today. No paper today either. I called them and they said they'd send another one. It never arrived. I'm getting honked off. Tom would laugh: He thinks I should just read it on-line anyway.

5. Worry that you're getting sicker. I've seen the unmistakable signs that I have a mild sinus infection, and I'm wondering what to do about it. Back in 1994 I had a killer sinus infection which just about split my head open (okay, okay, it only felt that way), and I got antibiotics for it and got better quickly. This infection is very mild - I can only barely perceive the symptoms - but I worry that it will get worse, and I don't know if I can get better on my own (I haven't had much experience with these things, you see...). So I'm going to see how things progress this weekend, and hope that lots of fluids and sleep will finally take me to the end of this thing.

   John says I should take zinc and vitamin C supplements. I used to take substantial vitamin and mineral supplements regularly, but I never perceived that they did anything useful for me, and certainly didn't cut down on the frequency or severity of my illnesses (heck, I think the Sinus Infection of Doom came while I was still taking them). Maybe I'm just a mutant.

6. Go to the grocery store. I really needed to. The cupboard was bare. I probably spent too much money. But I tried to buy some healthy stuff. Like a giant jug of orange juice (as opposed to a jug of giant orange juice).

7. Try not to think about... oh, never mind.