Good thing I like this kind of weather.
With any luck, my father’s coming home from the hospital today. This is his second week-long stay in a month and he’s getting awfully tired of hospital beds. Most of the news out of this stay has been good, but a man his age spending this much time in the ICU is never a positive thing and I’m hoping he gets to spend some time at home after this.
My medical situation has improved mightily over the last month or so. Steroids are magical, but they come at a price. Now that the problems requiring steroids have been thoroughly quashed, there as a little cleanup required to take care of the side effects. Everything appears to be under control. The only thing left is to do something about the weight I packed on which I’m going to blame on the steroids even though I know full well it’s my own fault.
Being under the weather invariably takes a toll on my state of mind and this time was no exception. I didn’t update this space regularly because I really couldn’t think about anything other than being ill. It’s quite focusing, but not in a way that is helpful.
I just noticed the phrasing of that last sentence and I apologize. I’ve been reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and the rhythms of it are addictive and bleed over into everything I think. I’ve written some exceedingly strange emails for work over the last week. I mean, more so than normal…
Earlier, I forgot to mention a couple of the new-ish comics I’m reading and thoroughly enjoying. Marvel’s Black Panther reboot, written by Ta-Naesi Coates with art by Brian Stelfreeze, has been spellbinding so far. I won’t give too much away, but tonally, it reminds me of The Sandman’s penultimate arc, The Kindly Ones, with T’Challa facing many of the same sort of self-created perils as Morpheus did. Likewise, the subjects of identity and duty are recurring themes and the answers aren’t always easy or pleasant. This one feels like it’s being set up for a very long run and I’m eager to see where it goes.
The other standout is Archangel, written by William Gibson and drawn by Butch Guice. Gibson is one of my favorite novelists and I was afraid that I’d set my hopes to high for this book, but so far? So good. If you’ve read Gibson’s The Peripheral then the setup will feel a little familiar, although the players involved and their motivations are wildly different than in his novel. Having Guice draw it is a bonus for me; I’ve been a huge fan of his highly unconventional style ever since the original X-Factor books. This is another one I expect to be with for as long as this creative team remains intact.
I’ve heard a rumor that the English Premier League 2016-17 season started last Saturday, but, having dragged myself out of bed at six A.M., I can assure you that no football has yet been played. Foxes never quit, but they appear to be a little slow to get started. #LCFC