Flu and one new year's resolution.

It is tempting to think of illness as a metaphor or languid literary excuse to read. I am here to report that my first flu in 15 years was lacking in romance and opportunity to improve my mind. No stoic was I, nor bedside philosopher, rather, I was a many faces of Eve amalgam of Dopey, Sneezy and Grumpy and the new dwarf, Bitchy. My brain was stupid. My dreams were stupid. I watched stupid TV shows and had trouble following the stupid commercials. A week of hacking and fever finally brought me to a point where I could read a book and watch old movies as long as they didn't make me laugh due to sore ribs. Jim came down with it too and we were so sick we sort of flopped and growled at each other. New year's resolution, now that I don't have health insurance and a job that gives me free flu shots, I pay the local drug store to give me one every damn year, period.

I started working again yesterday. Slooooowwwwly.

"That's a really nice monitor," said Caitlin's friend Jon. Did I mention I got sick while I had house guests and my daughter was visiting for a week before her semester abroad in Italy. (Both daughters did semesters in "I" name places 5 characters long, India, Italy...Hey wait, I went to China last year, that's 5 letters too. Maybe the mapmakers insisted on short names to fit on the maps?)
"It is, isn't it?" I said looking at the apple screen, a 27-inch beauty.
"What are you working on," he asked politely.
For me a loaded question. Book stores closing down, people blithely announcing they will never read another paper book. My livelihood as a book designer undergoing a potential extinction...the need to get used to digital editions and web production.
"I need to learn how to design websites, lots of them," I replied.
We both gazed at the site I was designing in photoshop.
Jon mentioned he liked the background color. Something tells me I haven't caught the first crest of avant guard with this design. But he is 20, I am not designing this site for a 20 year old art major.
No, the one good thing to remember is that whatever the platform, I still have a good feel for giving clients what they want and need.

When Jon went with Caitlin to the Brooklyn Museum, I wrote a poem. I began a new blog for reviews of books I read. I thought about how good it feels to have a mind that works again.