I tested positive for Covid-19 last Sunday, so today is technically day 7 of the illness. My biggest issue now is waking up with a very dry mouth and a dull headache, likely a sign of dehydration. I’ve been drinking plenty of fluids, but the combination of having the heat on and mouth breathing from a clogged nose is causing trouble. Will this ever be over?

I expect to return to work on Tuesday of next week. According to the Department of Health who phoned yesterday, I should be ‘uncontagious’ after seven days. Since I’m off Sunday and Monday, that puts me back to work on Tuesday. I have to go back, no matter what. It’s the principal of the thing that old broads can recover from their illness and carry on. Right?

So is this as good as it’s gonna get? Have I reached a health plateau with nowhere to go but down? If so, that really requires some new thinking about priorities and the future. When do you ever know? If you knew your time on this planet was limited, how would you spend your final, healthy hours? Guess for me that means returning to writing as much as possible. That will certainly require some thought about working. More discussion to follow.

I think I’ll wait until I finish watching all the episodes of Season 3 of Deadwood to discuss it. After all, there’s three or four more to go and the climax of the story has yet to happen. Sounds like a buildup, huh? Sorta. But here’s my point – according to David Milch’s autobiographical book Life’s Work, there was no intention to end the series after Season 3: John from Cincinnati was in the works and he couldn’t write two series at the same time. So Deadwood ended, only to return years later as a movie. Haven’t seen that one yet either. So best to wait to opine about this series that I failed to watch when it was new in the early 2000’s.

Then what’s to talk about? Planning for the New Year and deciding to beat this infernal illness. Is there anything more vital than that at this time? If there is, I can’t think what it might be.