Uncomfortably Numb Thursdays: Don't Forget Your Towel.

India McGreevy has officially reached Thursday, one of the most stagnant days of the week.  It's not a milestone like Wednesday and it doesn't have the promise of Friday.  It's just there.  To be gotten through.  Slowly.

Like Arthur Dent, India McGreevy and her family never could get the hang of Thursdays.  But unlike Arthur Dent, India doesn't have a Ford Prefect to take her away from it all (she would think that was supremely awesome, though).  And so there's nothing to do but wake up and face it.  Or, as is the case this morning for India, to not really wake up at all and mostly sleepwalk through it:

I've never poured orange juice on my cereal because I don't really drink orange juice.  But about once a week (for serious) I pour a bowl of cereal and then put the cereal box into the refrigerator and the milk into the cupboard.


You know how it feels when you sleep poorly and then only wake up half way?  It makes the day drag by exponentially slower, but in a way it can be pleasant.  Like Novocaine,  you know things are going on and you can sort of feel them, but there's a buffer between you and the unpleasantness.  This can be great because:

1.) There is no pain you are receiving, like a distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
2.) People are only coming through in waves.
3.) Their lips move, but you can't hear what they're saying.

And so, in that fashion, you soldier out of your house to heroically meet the day.

If you're India and it's Thursday morning, the noble steed of the district school bus takes you to your fate, with palpable anticipation in the air:

Cheers.

Stuck in the middle with you.

If you're just joining us, it's Wednesday evening in the McGreevy household.  They're right in the middle of what's already been a long week for everyone.  When you feel like you're stuck in some kind of quagmire it can help to try something different to escape (I'm talking about metaphorical quagmires here.  I'm not exactly sure what to do if you're stuck in a literal quagmire).

And trying something different is just what Elizabeth McGreevy has in mind in these panels.  I'm not going to get too specific here.  If it seems like I'm being coy about the story, I am.  Sharing panels here is really just to give you an idea of the look and feel of "Saturday".  I'm saving the bulk of the story (along with the most fun and detailed illustrations) for the book.  Seems like the really good stuff should be a surprise.

So, with all that in mind, here are three panels from Wednesday evening:

Cheers.

The Universe Wants Your Lunch Money...

Most of the time, you have one bad day and it's uncomfortable and crappy.  But it passes and you shake it off and move ahead, doing your best to forget about that bad blip on the radar of your life.
If you have two bad days in a row, it feels like a really bad coincidence.  Three, and it can start to feel like the universe is picking on you.

Well, it's now Wednesday in India McGreevy's world, and the universe is starting to look like that kid who used to call you "porkie".  You know the one.  He had a mustache when he was eight years old.  The universe is super old.  You would expect a little more maturity.

Nonetheless, the universe bully seems to have picked India McGreevy out of the herd this week and given her special attention: Rain, awful school lunches, school lessons that will just NEVER be applicable anywhere in real life, and the dreaded principal's office for wayward children.

Why don't the fun weeks last this long?
 

My mom called it "Beef Boogy-Woogy"...

Everyone has bad days.  They can range from marginally annoying to catastrophic.

Because we spend a lot of time either at school or at work, a lot of the things that make for a bad day happen at school or at work.  And home is usually the sanctuary where the slings and arrows bounce harmlessly off your roof.  It's a place where there are nourishing, nurturing things, like stew:

But every once in a while, whatever it is that's bothering you sneaks into the house with you.  You think you left it outside and you start to forget about it and then you realize it's in the house, like a wet leaf that you tracked in on the bottom of your shoe.

And when that happens, this happens:

Even a relatively small problem can start to feel big when it seems like you can't get away from it.  Hopefully, you're not in this situation right now.  But if you are, here's a recipe for Beef Bourguignon.  It usually makes me feel a little better.

Week Spot

 Just for reference: "Saturday" is arranged so that each day of the week is two facing pages.  So when you're looking at Tuesday, the first half of the day (morning routine, going to school, etc.) is on the left page and the evening (dinner and everything that happens before bed) is on the right page.

We return you to your regularly scheduled programming in progress:

It's Tuesday in India McGreevy's world, which means the day begins again at the beginning with the morning routine followed by a reluctant trip to school.  It's shaping up to be a not-so-stellar week for the McGreevy family in general.

Sometimes when you're already having a bad week, even school activities that are meant to encourage fitness and build confidence become exercises in just the opposite:

I had a lot of these days in school (mostly in middle school).  Like the time I fell down the stairs in the hallway just before the bell rang and almost every kid in school saw and gathered around.  Ahh, the memories.  Painful, painful memories.  Anyhoo, if you're having one of these days at school, the trip home is merciful:

Coming up next: Home, sweet awkward stormy, home.

Cheers.

The Monday Evening Report

"Saturday" begins (perhaps ironically) on Sunday afternoon.  We've just seen some of what the first half of Monday looks like: alarm clocks are resented, breakfast is eaten, teeth are brushed, buses are taken to school and cars to work, etc.

On this page (page five for those keeping track at home), we're looking in on Monday evening.  India's home from school.  Dinner is on the table at the usual time:

When pretty much every day looks the same, you can fall into a routine.  Routines can be boring or frustrating or comforting, depending on the week.  Sometimes it can be scary if part of your routine changes unexpectedly.  Particularly if the part that changes involves someone you love unexpectedly not showing up for dinner.

I think I've mentioned before how much I love detail, but it's worth mentioning over and over again because it's such a driving force behind this book.  I wanted this book to be something you could read again and again and be able to see new things each time.  Here are a few of the details in these panels I love:

1.) The towel on the oven door.  It has ducks on it.  We always had towels hanging from the oven door handle in our house when I was growing up (it's something I still do).  I'm not sure why.  But it makes it feel like home to me.

2.) Photos on the walls.  Sassy appears to run in the family.

3.) India's sitting on a stack of books so she can get a better angle on her spaghetti.

We're just barely beginning to see what life is like for the McGreevy Family.  It's going to be an interesting week for them.  For some of them, it's going to be boring and stifling.  For some, it'll be infuriating and dramatic.  It's going to be frustrating for all of them at different times.

And (hopefully), it's going to be fun for you.

Cheers.

Ah...Mondays.

As if a bad Sunday weren't enough, you have to go to bed and wake up to find Monday morning staring you right in the face.  You have to fight your way out of the comfort of bed only to be rewarded by having to trudge off to school or work.  And that's where we find India on this page.  Her day begins the way you would expect any standard day to begin:

India's not too downtrodden, though.  Even though the weather's rotten:

After all, the start of a new week can bring all sorts of opportunities.  You never know what might happen during the course of any given week.  A LOT can happen in just seven days.