Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Illness, Schedules, and Good Enough Lists

Man, have I been down.

Last Wednesday I was running around, checking things off my list, got home, got ready to make dinner, went to go talk to the Nerd Husband, and then stood there in the living room and said, "I feel shivery.  Are you cold?"

Thus it began - the saga of the flu.

I foolishly thought perhaps I could slug through the beginnings of my feverish state by working on the costume and fighting it with some cold meds.  I finished off the Jyn Erso gloves which was a huge accomplishment, but after I dragged myself upstairs (almost literally), I realized just how little energy I had.  And my joints had started to ache.  I took my temperature (99 at that point), took another dose of medicine and went to bed.  I woke up in the middle of the night yelling at NH because I thought he was cutting me with his toes (yay, fever-brain).  I took my temp again at that point, and it hit 101.  The Tylenol in the cold meds wasn't cutting it, so I downed some ibuprofen and water, covered up my feverish self, and tried to sleep.

I stayed home from work on Thursday.  I kept the fever.  I also kept the fever for part of Friday, so I stayed home again.  There was no costuming.  There was no moving.  There was only the couch, my pillow, my blanket, my cat, my many fluids, what food I could eat, and Netflix.  Lots of Netflix.  Saturday and Sunday were more of the same, sadly enough, though this time quite feverless which was a welcomed relief.  Sunday night, I finally allowed myself just a little bit of work time on the costume as a way to relax.  It felt so good to feel kind of human again.

Monday was a rough work day for me - all the way around.  It felt like if it could go wrong, it did, and not just with work stuff.  It just felt like it was a day of bombardment, and I was so tired by the end of it.  But I started to perk up a bit more in the evening, and I allowed myself a bit more work time on the costume.  Getting things put together on that vest just made me feel happy.  I still didn't sleep well thanks to the cough I have, but such is the way of things.

This week will be a trial to get through, but I think it's possible to get through it.  There's a lot to do - personally, work-wise, and vacation-prep-wise, but I'm moving along as best I can.  There are some things that are just going to have to be written off, and that's okay.  But my brain still has a hard time writing them off.  It tends to think, "No, you can do this!"  I think the best way to combat that is to make myself a list.  Yay, lists!

The Jyn Erso "Good Enough" Versus "Ideal" Costume List
  • Boots
    • Good enough: as is
    • Ideal: add boot covers and buckles, add weathering
  • Pants
    • Good enough: Kohl's slim-cut black pants, minor work required
      • Need to replace one hook/eye
    • Ideal: slim down thrift store pants, add pin tucks, twill tape, buckles, etc., and add weathering
  • Belt
    • Good enough: reuse Lara Croft belt
    • Ideal: create an accurate Jyn belt, and add weathering
  • Gun
    • Good enough: empty holster
    • Ideal: 3D print or foam replica, and add weathering
  • Shirt
    • Good enough: blue-gray 3/4 sleeve shirt from Kohl's
    • Ideal: create accurate shirt from scratch, and add weathering
  • Scarf
    • Good enough: as is
    • Ideal: add weathering
  • Green jacket
    • Good enough: as is (minus the Rogue One patch I sewed onto the sleeve for fun)
    • Ideal: paint yellow stripes down the sides of the sleeves, and add weathering
  • Brown vest
    • Good enough: some work required
      • Sew on remaining felt pieces (2) - Tuesday night
      • Sew on storm flap to left side (1) - Tuesday night
      • Sew on hook to right side (1) - Tuesday night
      • Attach elastic waist - Tuesday or Wednesday night
      • Sew/attach buckles to tubing (4) - buckles at top and bottom - Friday night
      • Sew/attach tubing to both sides (2) - Friday night
    • Ideal:
      • Version 1: add weathering
      • Version 2: make from scratch 
  • Necklace
    • Good enough: as is
    • Ideal: honestly, even though mine isn't accurate, I like mine
  • Pocket tool
    • Good enough: flashlight from Meijer
    • Ideal: 2 cylinders needed
  • Vest ID Badge
    • Good enough: no badge
    • Ideal: create badge from craft foam and attach to vest
There's one other thing that I have to remember to make, and that's a new pair of bracers for Asajj Ventress.  Honestly, they won't take me long - maybe a half hour?  For some odd reason, I threw my old ones away - I have no idea why.  But I should be able to pull something together very easily with little worry.   I'd like to do those on Friday night, too.

Originally, Wednesday night was supposed to be my Mom's birthday celebration, but Mom and Dad are both down with the crud, as well.  Mom suggested we all get together when we're well, and that makes sense to me.  So now Wednesday might be packing night.  On Thursday, NH and I are going to swing by my sister and brother-in-law's place and drop off my nephew's birthday present.

Somewhere in the middle of everything, I'll rest.  I need that, too, because I'm still not great.  This cough makes my chest wheeze like Vader's breathing apparatus.

And you know, of course our flight leaves on Sunday.  I'm not cutting it close.  Nah.  It's all good.  Well, at least it's all good enough.

No comments:

Post a Comment