The word pneuma means one’s vital soul, one’s spark — a creative spirit.
The word pneumonia probably then means some kind of goblin that attaches to your lung meat and drains you of your creative spirit and spark. I’m pretty sure it’s Latin. Shut up.
Anyway, so, this last weekend I went to the Tucson Festival of Books — which is really such a stellar festival, expertly run with a volunteer army that operates flawlessly — and on the last day, when traveling home, I started to feel…
Well, not so hot.
Feverish, achy, all that good stuff.
Got home and had a pretty rocking fever, and the next day I went to the doc. Flu has spiked hard in our area, and apparently all over, and so I worried that’s what it was. He said usually flu knocks you flat, makes you feel like you’re hit by a truck. His fear, instead, was that my pneumonia from December had returned. Once you get pneumonia, you can be pretty susceptible to it going forward. And that’s the diagnosis — that I have pre-pneumonia, or walking pneumonia. Which means it is developing, I guess? I still get that crispy campfire lung-crackle when I breathe, which is exactly what I felt last time I had this totally charming illness. Ugh.
Anyway, last time I was out of commission in whole or in part for a month — from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This time, I’m hoping because we got ahead of it and I started antibiotics early that maybe I can cut this thing off at the knees.
Just the same, it means blogging will be light for the next week or so.
And it puts my travel next week to Denver for AnomalyCon in question. The doc doesn’t feel that traveling right now is necessarily the hottest idea, and that it could foster the illness to take stronger hold. Huge apologies to anyone who was hoping to see me next week, but I don’t think it’ll be in the cards. And apologies too to AnomalyCon, which by all reports is a stellar convention.
So, if you’re looking for something from me in the next week or so — ennnnh, I’d maybe expect a delay in that. I will try to ramp up back to work fast as I can muster.
lilysilver says:
take care, and use the down time to catch up on TV. As writers, tv is usually the last thing we do in our busy schedules.
March 17, 2016 — 12:56 AM
M T McGuire says:
Ugh! Not fun. I hope it goes away soon. All the best for a speedy recovery.
Pneuma is ancient Greek for spirit but it has come to mean anything related to air, pneumatic tyres etc, and therefore, in your case, related to lungs.
Huge sympathy and a virtual hot toddy from me. Get well soon.
Cheers
MTM
March 17, 2016 — 3:01 AM
kathleea says:
Aww. Sorry. Rest. Hydrate. Rest more.
March 17, 2016 — 3:08 AM
addy says:
you are not having a fun time recently, one thing after another. keep warm and drink plenty.
hope you feel better soon
March 17, 2016 — 4:38 AM
Carolina Mac says:
Feel Better, Chuck. I’m a pneumonia person too and it can be debilitating. Take care.
March 17, 2016 — 12:30 PM
Louisa Klein says:
Actually, pneuma orginally meant only ‘breath’ and ‘air’ (from it also comes ‘pneumatic’ for instance) first the Stoicism and then Christian philosophy gave it a wider, more metaphorical meaning (in Christian Philosophy pneuma was God’s breath, aka The Holy Spirit. Sorru guys, but I studied this shit in Europe for 6 solid years getting a completely useless degree; I need at least to show off from time to time … 😉
March 17, 2016 — 12:47 PM
Rene says:
Hope you got it in time and this is a short illness with a quick recovery.
March 17, 2016 — 2:24 PM
Mozette says:
Take care of yourself, Chuck. My Mum always said: your health comes first above everything else – without it you’ve got nothing.
And she’s right.
Take care of yourself. Rest, sleep, eat well, rehydrate and we’ll see you back here when you’ve shaken this flu – I’ve heard it’s a real doozey.
March 17, 2016 — 8:51 PM
Widdershins says:
That’s some major suckitude, Mr Wendig … hope the antibiotics do their job poste haste. Take care.
March 17, 2016 — 11:26 PM
mmjustus says:
Much sympathy. I caught pneumonia in the fall of 2014, and wound up in the hospital and down for the count for over a month. I hope you caught yours in time to avoid that.
March 18, 2016 — 12:05 AM
Katharine Ashe says:
Health to you!!!
March 18, 2016 — 7:28 AM
N. M. Scuri says:
Sick is bad. Feel better!
March 18, 2016 — 3:22 PM
Fatma Alici says:
That really sucks. Being held up with illnesses a bunch is the worst. I had a similarish experience when I was a teenager. I hope the early treatment allows you to kick it off early.
March 18, 2016 — 7:35 PM
john freeter says:
Please don’t die. As far as NYT best selling authors go, you’re pretty awesome
March 19, 2016 — 3:28 AM
wagnerel says:
Sorry you have the crud. I hope you kick this bubbly lung snot stuff to the curb and feel better soon.
March 20, 2016 — 2:55 AM
Christopher says:
Get well soon, sir!
March 21, 2016 — 8:55 PM
Emilly Willard says:
Hi! How are you feeling now??? Hope you illness recedes and you go on the mend! I always remember my grandmother’s words:”Do not forget to get dressed warmly if you do not want to fall ill”. Our natives always take cares of us!
March 24, 2016 — 6:24 AM