Happy Halloween and an Update
Amazing how things can change in two short years. When I drew this back in 2022, I had been on a hot-streak of drawing not only 1977 related material, but all types of art. But by mid-2023, my life became way more complicated than I ever expected during my retirement years. I’m 67 now, and by all rights I should be sitting back and enjoying the quite years of my life doing things I love to do. But the past year has been way more stressful than I ever expected and it’s caused a major flair up of my depression and anxiety. This is for the most part due to the fact that we purchased a new house a year ago and have, for various reasons, been unable to sell our other home. Owning two homes in the current economic state, especially on retirement income, is extremely difficult, thus a major cause of my depression. The upside is we have a buyer currently, but there still a lot of things in motion to complete the sale.
For you newer readers, I have battled with severe depression for over 20 years. I also have ADHD which only adds to the mix of my depression and anxiety. I state this not for sympathy or as an excuse, but rather for clarity for you readers. I have not abandoned you or the comic, but when life hands me a pile of crap, my brain shuts down and basically leaves me unable to do even the simplest of tasks. It’s a good day these days for me to get out of bed before 10:00 a.m. and into my home office by Noon. If you knew me even in the slightest bit, you would know that I have always been an earlier riser and I’m generally one to bounce out of bed and get the day started. That energy is gone, but I am taking steps to get myself back on track.
In short, until the crap in my life gets resolved, I’m going to be unable to draw much of anything. I do see an end to what’s going on, but not until the end of November and then we have a ton of stuff to catch up on here in our new house which take 3-6 months to complete. Now, I hope to be back to drawing once the house is sold, as much of the work to be done on the house will be done by qualified contractors. My days of doing D.I.Y. home repairs are long behind me.
Bottom line is I’m around. If I miss an email or comment here, I am truly sorry for that. It is because I literally am unable to process words or thoughts sometimes. With that said…
I always try to have a positive spin on life and REO Speedwagon’s “Roll With The Changes” is a song that always gets my blood pumpin’ and reminds me of driving on the highways back in 1978 in my old ’69 Chevy Caprice with this song crankin’ on the cassette deck. I hope life is treating you well.
We have missed you, but your health and well-being is more important than our need for your drawings.
Glad to hear from you, recognized that one as soon as it popped up, always liked that scene. were here, hoping things get better for for you. your health is more important than anything.
If you want I could grant a story involving West Harris and Plan 9 going on a summer road trip. West cleans the van and drives them to their gigs. Meanwhile Plan 9 wonders what sex is West perhaps a mystic frog change his or her sex. Yet the mysterious West offers Bud and Jeff a instant campanionship. Relieving Lorainne and Robyn to seek romance from on palace of hedonism to the next. Will West the RA of the University West studies astrophysics, hydodynamics along with other subject become a stoner. Will Jeff be able to set up speakers like West. Will Bud stop being scared of spiders and snakes in order to impress West. Will Lorainne and Robyn figure out West’s gender and make West more street smart. Or will Plan 9 go to college and take STEM (science technogy engineering medicine) courses. Then again Bud and Jeff find simple arts courses a struggle and may wind up in West’s frat house trying and failing with snobbish valley girls gagga a me with the spoons. Love the old Halloween picture love that disco and wearing hot pants with halter tops though on pavement you risk hot buns. I did Charlie Brown dropping his sack of rocks on the zombie red baron feet saying rats while Linus awaits the great pumpkin. Did war of the worlds H.G Wells and Orsen Wells Victorian mounted calvary and 1938 US army motorized calvary M 1 combat car with a doughboy and corn cob pipe. Happy Halloween and take your time concerning crisis that you face I’ll wait.
Glad to hear you are alive. I get depression, PTSD, Trauma therapy. Going to be busy with my EMDR light bar, I am going to be paralyzed with terror till the election. And if it goes badly I’m not sure what I’m going to do………….. Not every day a perspective candidate wants to make your existence illegal.
The pain of retirement for me was the realization it didn’t mean I had more time to do anything. Things to deal with, things to settle. I retired in 2017 and it took till last year that I could slip into my current state of lethargy.
But that’s without any of the problems you’ve had—my sympathies and best wishes and good luck in the future.
Life wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for life happening. I can sympathize with you a little bit on that.
My shower stall is currently trying to migrate to the dining room through the ceiling and the furnace is completely disassembled all over the basement floor waiting for parts, the test run after putting a new five thousand dollar oil tank in didn’t go so well.
It’s routines that keep me going, and part of my morning one is reading the comics, including this one so I keep checking just in case.
As for REO, I still think this is one of their best…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rKasEGO2f0
Good to hear from you. Drop a note on the comic page a little more often, just to let your fans know you are OK.
Sorry to hear about your depression. But I can understand. Having to endure through Hurricane Milton here in Florida has frazzled my nerves. So many in this area are homeless now and we feel fortunate to have survived with just a roof replacement and tree trim so far. Still, we will have to use our retirement savings and unfortunately try to remain employed probably for some time. Since we are the same age we understand how you feel about getting older. Not like the days when you and I experienced nearly perpetual comedy relief during our college years. I still have several recordings of our comedic antics and can’t believe how nuts we were. I still get laughs from all we did back then. I feel lucky we had those experiences and was glad you were my roommate. We wish you well and hope you can remember some of the good old days with a chuckle or two.