Sick and tired, really

I haven't posted much this week, for a good reason. I've been sick, or behind in my work because I was sick.

This winter and spring has been ridiculously wet here in East Texas. We’ve had dozens of thunderstorms that have dropped four or five inches of rain at a time. As a result, the proliferation of allergens from all the extra growth has been tremendous.

Now, in the past I’ve had a few episodes of what I call an “allergy attack”. I’ll suddenly start sneezing violently may ten or twenty times, then get all congested with a powerful post-nasal drip which makes my throat so raw I have trouble speaking. These attacks are so severe it usually takes me at least a day or two to recover.

At work, this week was one of the busiest ever. With our local high school graduation set for Saturday, the paper was the largest of the year so far – 16 pages.

I came to the office Monday and just after 9 a.m., as I was speaking to a friend, I had one of these allergy attacks strike. She actually backed away because she thought I was going to drop dead. I almost passed out.

For the rest of the day I could hardly talk and I was woozy and light-headed from the blood pressure spike caused by the violent coughing and sneezing. I was still sick as a dog Tuesday. I couldn’t use the telephone because whenever I started to talk I’d start to cough.

I got the paper to bed at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Thankfully, by Wednesday I felt better and I’ve been pretty much normal the rest of the week.

I can’t believe I had this happen on one of my busiest deadlines, but I have a good staff and we pulled through.

My SoonerCon schedule

I hope you are planning to attend SoonerCon June 7 – 9 at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center in Norman. They have a great line-up of guests, including yours truly. Here is my program for the convention:

Creating a Short Story: Harder than You Think
There are many paths to the peak of the mountain, says an old proverb. Authors discuss what works for them, and share common stumbling blocks to avoid when crafting short stories.
1:00 p.m. Friday, June 7, Sooner A
Lou Antonelli (Moderator) , J.H. Fleming, Vickey Malone Kennedy, Michelle Muenzler, Sue Sinor

New Ancestral Myths Writers, artists, and editors discuss recent works which combine characters from ancient myths with modern themes, situations, and aesthetic trends in order to create stories about today's concerns with mythical resonance. What do they actually say about ourselves in the current moment?
3:00 p.m. Friday, June 7, Sooner A
Mel. White, Lou Antonelli, Carolyn Kay, Michael R. Martin, Caleb Masters

Autographs Noon Saturday, June 8, Oklahoma E - Lou Antonelli, Deborah Chester, Dr. Lonnie Johnson, Craig Wolf

A Shift in Urban Fantasy - Werewolves and shifters have become ever more popular in UF. Authors describe their own werewolf or shifter characters, how they connect with their human side, and how that shapes the story.
2:00 p.m. Saturday, June 8, Boomer A
Steven E. Wedel, Lou Antonelli, Bekah June, Lee Killough, Michael R. Martin

Readings: Alternate History 1:00 p.m. Sunday, June 9, Noble
Lou Antonelli, David Carrico, Jeff Provine, Adam J. Whitlatch

What's in a Nom de Plume? Why do many authors use a pen name? To hide identity, or to change genres while escaping reader expectations based on the name alone? When is it a good business decision, and how do you go about choosing that new identity?
2:00 p.m. Sunday, June 9, Boomer A
Melinda LaFevers, Kevin J. Anderson, Lou Antonelli, Rachel Caine, Cary Osborne, Steven E. Wedel

Anniversary dining

I didn't mention it earlier, but Wednesday was our 20th wedding anniversary. Patricia and I were married May 15, 1999.

Wednesday being deadline day - and right in the middle of the week - we didn't do anything then, but instead we thought we'd drive to Texarkana today and have lunch at The Red Lobster.

There was already a storm underway, but we've had so much rain in recent months I've decided to stop letting the crappy weather dictate my life. So we left anyway.

As we crossed over from Red River to Bowie County, the rain got so intense that I said to Patricia, "I don't think we are going to make it. It's just too much."

Instead, we stopped in DeKalb and had lunch at The Front Street Junction. I had a 16 oz. ribeye, and she had an 8 oz. sirloin.

I wasn't what we planned, but it turned our OK. Afterwards the rain was less intense and we made our way back to Clarksville.

Hot and sour soup therapy

I haven't posted as much in the last week or so as I usually do. Starting May 9 I finally came down with a serious cold and it slowed me down considerably.

We've had a very rainy and chilly winter and spring here in Northeast Texas. I'm lucky I didn't get sick earlier, but I graduated from the normal seasonal allergy congestion to a full-blown cold last week. Listless, sore throat, severe congestion - you know the drill.

I spent most of last weekend in bed. Rest and Theraflu seemed to help a lot, but it didn't seem quite licked. So Monday night I tried another remedy I've used in the past. Patricia and I drove 30 miles to Paris and - in addition to the regular dinner meal - I gulped down two bowls of hot and sour soup at the Golden China restaurant.

It seems to have worked. By Tuesday I was feeling much better, and now I think I've recovered - which means I still have the just the seasonal allergies.

I don't necessarily believe in palmistry, but there's been two times in my life I was at some function and I let someone read my palm.

They both said the same thing, based on the fact my life line goes all the way around my wrist - twice.

That I would live to be very, very old.

One looked and blurted out, "Oh my God, you'll live to the oldest man in the world!."

The other said that despite my longevity, I'll be sick all my life because there are a number of breaks in my life lines. And back in 2000 I was diagnosed with diabetes and I've been fighting that since then.

Just thought I'd pass that along, for curiosity's sake.