As far as I'm concerned, I've been suffering from the FLU and not a cold. No cold would be this damaging to my health. According to the "Weather Channel," flu has been reported in Massachusetts, where I just traveled, and I know many people in that state who have had the same illness, including my father. If it acts like the flu, puts you out like the flu, and stays like the flu, then by Ghod it is the flu by my reckoning, even if you would need a fancy virological test to prove positive or negative. I haven't been this sick in years. I either picked the plague up in Massachusetts, or at the crowded travel stops on the road back home. And I also remember that my worst bouts of flu over the years have happened in November.

Today I finally showed some signs of recovery, that is, I could sit up and handle a paintbrush and watercolor. My tea-water minor burns have disappeared. I am still coughing a lot, with head congestion, I can't talk, and I have no energy. But no matter what, I am going out to vote today (Tuesday November 7) even if I have to crawl to the polls. My "No Politics" rule here forbids me from saying any more than that. But I am still in no shape to go back to my rushed, active workplace in the gourmet store.

Since I value doing things as the most important thing in life, I am annoyed that this malady has prevented me from doing things. I don't subscribe to those quietistic philosophies that just value "being." If one has functioning resources and ability, I believe that it's what you do that counts. So I don't like it when the flu or something else takes away my functioning resources and ability. Of course, sooner or later something will take those capacities away permanently, but I hope that's later rather than sooner.

Anyway, I did something today for the first time in almost a week. I'm not up to resuming calculus yet, but I did this watercolor sketch of the autumn leaves out my window. It's about 7" x 8", with touches of gouache and colored pencil.

Posted at 2:30 am | link