hourly comic day 2021

prompt:
draw a short comic for every hour of your day from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep

(these are kind of bummers but there's nothing to be done for that)

7:30am

alarm clock is popping off with bird sounds

but that's none of my business

8:30am

my closet door is broken, which means burger (the cat) has unlimited access to all of my cool and fragile things stored within. she is currently inside, yelling her battle cry: “OW OWW!”

every THUNK in this house triggers my fight-or-flight response. from within the closet there is a TING and a WHUMF; i weakly murmur “oh god what was that”

9:30am

still in the process of dragging my carcass to work (very late). need a haircut and new meds. in disbelief that it is monday. feeling old. i'm staring myself grumpily in the face in the bathroom mirror, looking very sleepy

but sarah made me tea and brought me a muffin for breakfast, and pumpkin (the cat) is in my room with me. it's not all as bad as i feel.

10:30am

sitting in a meeting where people are demoing a system that my team doesn't use, at all. they want our feedback on it and want to know how it can be optimized for us.

“any questions? comments?” the meeting organizer asks. “my team doesn't use this,” i say flatly. “oh,” comes the reply. a lot of meetings should be emails.

11:30am

i have an interview on wednesday with the product design team manager and some other folks. i'm nervous.

my teammate wants to know if i am really moving teams, or if i would want to be our team's manager. i'm not sure i even want to work here or BE here anymore.

and i'm not sure what i mean by that, either. physically or mentally, in regards to my job or my city or my life. i know that i am loved and sometimes i can even convince myself that i am worth loving. as for being happy... i'm not sure how to get there and stay there. i'm standing and looking at a strange map with hazy paths between work, family, art, skills, hobbies, home, and friends; i'm cut out of lined paper, looking choppy and out of place.

12:30pm

oakley has been in my bedroom for almost two full minutes. she has not yet noticed that pumpkin his sitting right behind her. how long will this glorious peace last?

1:30pm

finishing up a meeting, then reading through some documentation. i'm reading a page that says “ERROR 555: The error module does not recognize this error. We don't know why this happens but sometimes it does.” error codes are so exciting

scarfing down a salad sarah made me for lunch. i love leafs. i love plants. reminding myself i am worthy of this food and this love.

2:30pm

on a snow walk with sarah & oaky, heading through the paths in the forest behind my house. oakley is carrying a stick that is WAY too big. i feel so much better out here. i wish i didn't have to go back.

3:30pm

back from the walk. hand started tingling not long after.

this “chronic illness” stuff is the pits. it's cool to have a body in constant revolt, even pettily. i shake out my hand and yell “tingle or don't tingle, you bastard,” like that will do something.

4:30pm

sarah has DEMANDED tortellini for dinner. i have acquiesced. i can't believe I am being accused of hating torts. i'm frowning with my hands on my hips, wearing a shirt that says “Biggest Tortellini Fan, Ever 1994-2020.”

there's still so much of the work day left. i'm in a tired puddle on the floor

5:30pm

bonald. bonald (the cat) beeps at me. “bonald,” i think, smiling

my christmas cactus, connie, is flowering. it makes me smile every time i see it.

6:30pm

the clock shows 6:00pm: work is done. relief.

sketch of a pilot g2 rollerball pen. catching up on comics.

7:30pm

sarah made me torts. unrelated: i love her. sketch of my wonderful cheese and spinach tortellini dinner with broccoli and cauliflower.

one time i was making tortellini while stoned and i came up with a very stupid song about a beachside noodle vendor. it gets stuck in my head every time i think of the word “tortellini.” anyway, i'm in hell. i've got a thousand-yard stare as random illegible lyrics from my horrible tortellini song loop through my head.

8:30pm – 10:30pm

watchin star trek: voyager and drawin comics. i hadn't seen ANY star trek until about two months ago. the episode goes something like this— tom paris: there's problem! janeway: use thing. tuvok: thing don't work! janeway: shit

this slaps. janeway is very cool and good. in the episode, seven of nine is yelling at janeway, saying “i learned it by watching YOU!”

11:30pm

almost bedtime. cue the dread. dreadtime. i look how i feel: underwater, like a zombie

making oakley do a 1080° in pursuit of the laser pointer does mitigate it though. in my living room, oakley's tongue is lolling way out of her head as her body contorts itself in circles, chasing the little red dot.