Catching Up

I love going to the San Diego Comicon, and I’m privileged to have the chance, but allow me to complain a little anyway. To get those five days off, I usually have to work extra hard for at least a week before and after, sometimes more. I don’t know why work always seems to become concentrated around this time of year, but somehow it does. I left for the con all caught up, but I knew that wouldn’t last. In fact, a complete book that needed lettering asap was in my hands Saturday, and I actually lettered six pages of it on my laptop on the plane coming home, to get a head start.

Back home, I had to deal with con exhaustion, and soon the “con crud,” a cold I somehow picked up mingling with over a hundred thousand strangers. Not a bad one, but still a drag. I finished that hot book Tuesday, and started another, but late Tuesday I got an even hotter lettering job, the remaining pages of a very large project. Those always sound appealing up front. “We’ll feed you pages a few at a time, you can work them in between monthly books,” they always say. And it does start out that way. But, inevitably, the artist or artists fall behind, and at the end it’s a mad rush for the exit. I plugged away at that, and turned in the final lettering Thursday afternoon. Friday I finished up that other hot monthly, and then for the weekend I had corrections to do on the large project, about 70 pages of them. I plugged away again, and have those ready to send in tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I feel like I haven’t had time to even walk around my yard this week. Friday evening I looked out front and saw the blooming Joe Pye Weed, above, hosting six Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies, the most I’ve ever seen here at one time. I ran for the camera, but could only get three of them in one picture.

Here’s a closer look at my favorite local butterfly, this one’s tail has been nipped on by a bird, but it’s doing fine anyway.

And today there was the first Monarch I’ve seen here this summer, too. Also with a chewed wing, but getting along well. These attractive insects remind me, it’s all about getting the job done. Theirs is drinking nectar and mating, mine is lettering. If I can steal some time here and there to stop and enjoy the view, that’s a bonus.

We did get to the beach for a few hours yesterday afternoon, and had a nice Mexican dinner out. My cold is gone, and I’m ready for the next load of work to hit tomorrow. Bring it on!