Ellen's Blog: Sideways day, art in progress...

[ellenmillion]

I went in to have a tooth cleaning today, and found out I had a cavity. It's better to fix cavities before you have to start talking crowns and such, so I said 'do it,' and they said, 'right now?' There was just enough time before I picked up Guppy to get it done, so I did, and then had a droopy face and aching jaw. I ditched the rest of the running around I was thinking about doing, and am honestly super grumpy right now. I floss every day, dammit. It was a crack, from grinding my teeth, apparently. And since I wear a night guard, religiously, it's daytime grinding.

Anyway.

Here's the artwork currently on my desk. I'm finishing two coloring pages for a magazine feature, then I'll have one or two more to do. I couldn't pick SIMPLE things to do while on deadline, could I. No, I had to do tricky perspective, architecture, and insanely detailed pieces with multiple figures.



(I've made a few adjustments since this photo, and begun the inking...)

I'm also getting a little writing done nearly every day. Sometimes that's just a few hundred words. Yesterday, I got about 1200... by getting up at 4 AM. Though to be fair, I thought I was getting up at 5 AM, because I hadn't set my watch to Alaska time yet. And also, I went back to bed and got another hour of sleep.

Now I'm going to go attempt to do both of those things, while Guppy tries to get out of quiet time by 'having to go potty. For an hour.'

Comments

[kelkyag]

But it's dotless! That means it's less complicated than it could be...
So we should challenge you to do a kid-level coloring book, as practice for simpler pieces, instead of your usual "color at your own risk"?

(Also I love the crazy perspective.)

Guppy could ... take her quiet time in the bathroom? Not optimal if there's only one, but not impossible. Or perhaps she would like to become a believer in long relaxing baths. :)

[pers1stence]

I am contemplating trying a mouth guard. I am worried that it may not work well for me, given how clogged up my sinuses often are.

[sauergeek]

I wear a mouth guard, and currently have a cold. My mouth guard being in has no effect on my gunked-up sinuses.

[pers1stence]

Perhaps they have evolved since last I had one? My old one was a like a boxing mouth guard and fit over both upper and lower teeth, so mouth breathing was not an option. Which meant when my sinuses were clogged, no guard....

[sauergeek]

Mine is one my dentist took a mold for and had made; it's not a heat-and-fit like you can find in a pharmacy. The guard fits only on my top teeth but completely covers the contact surfaces (there's gotta be a name for that, just can't immediately find it). It's hard plastic. Because it was molded for me, it also stays in place by itself.

Wearing the nightguard took me a few days to get used to. Now it feels odd to sleep without it.

The one caveat is that this sort of guard is spendy, and your dental insurance likely won't cover it. I got a rare break: my insurance covered half. When I looked into a replacement -- this one is getting rather worn at 17 years of nightly use -- my current insurance won't cover any of the cost.

[pers1stence]

Thanks; that's helpful!

[ellenmillion]

Mine is also a mold-made dentist-office not-cheap thing. It fits only over my lower teeth and is remarkably comfortable (once you get used to it). I don't think it should make sinus problems worse.