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Slough of Life

"Slough of Life by Vanessa Davis" - title panel illustrated with little daisies, a vegetable scrub brush, a dishwashing scrub wand, a pink dishwashing glove, and a patch of green. 1. "From what I could tell, my dad wasn't vain." Vanessa's dad has gray hair that's longer on the sides and bald on top. He has bushy eyebrows and a mustache, with high, prominent cheekbones. He is wearing a green, collared shirt. He looks at the viewer cheekily and says, "I take one shower a week, whether I need it or not!" 2. "He wore swim trunks at home and hung his pants on a door." Vanessa as a girl, with a shoulder-length bob, wears an oversized t-shirt. She is reaching into the pants pocket of a pair of blue jeans hanging on a door. She says, "Dad can I have $20?" From off-panel, her dad replies, "Take it out of my wallet" 3. "He indulgently let us girls run the house." Vanessa's dad wears large, dark sunglasses and chauffeurs a woman and girl. He looks straight ahead as the woman in the passenger seat jokingly orders, "To the mall, Jeeves!" 4. "While he definitely had options," Young Vanessa wears a pink turtleneck, blue jeans, and a pair of beige clogs. She sits back in a chair holding her feet out and asks, "Dad do you like my new clogs??" Her dad, in the same green shirt, replies, "I really think you should consider a stacked heel"

13. "One year for Hanukkah, we got a rock tumbler and a bag of raw amethysts." A rock tumbler - a blue box with a rotating cylinder jutting out of the top and a plug coming out of the side, and four raw amethysts. 14. "We ran the tumbler for weeks. It tumbled and tumbled but whenever we checked, the rocks were still sharp." The tumbler sits on a wooden table, plugged into a wall outlet. It is turned on: "WHIRRR." It appears to be in a tool shed - the wall is equipped with a rake, two hand shovels, and a three-prong cultivator. 15. "Finally after a month of so, they were smooth and shiny. We put them in a small dish on the coffee table." Vanessa lies on a couch. She reaches under a glass coffee table to pet her cat. She is looking at something else, probably the TV. On top of the table are a TV remote, a bowl of the smooth amethysts, and a yellow picture frame. 16. "I guess my dad looked old for his age? He smoked, worked a lot, and died at only 57." Vanessa and her dad stand at a ticket booth. He is handing over a dollar bill of unspecified amount to the teller, an older woman. The teller smiles and says, "It's a nice day to go roller skating with GRAMPA huh?" Vanessa looks shocked and indignant. Her dad looks offended. 17. "I can't always tell if life is making me tougher or more delicate." Adult Vanessa washes her face over the bathroom sink. Her hair is in a messy bun and she wears a black tank top. 18. "I am getting craggier, though. But seeing a hint of my grizzled old dad in the mirror does make it easier to look in it!" Vanessa looks up at the mirror and blows herself a kiss with a pink heart. She emphasizes her eye circles and wrinkles around her lips. She looks happy.

Tags: Diary, Humor, memoir, non-fiction, slice of life

Published On: November 19, 2023

1. Someone with dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail climbs a tree. They are up in the branches, surrounded by rounded leaves. “May 27. Thursday. Forest class - we learned some irrigation, some pruning. Felt a little weird later, sickish.”

Lynn's brother Adam, as a boy, wears a red vest and black bowtie over a white button-down and black pants. He has on his signature thick, square glasses. He is attempting to tap dance. He looks off balance and awkward. He grimaces.

Sunny, Derek's acquaintance smiles while ringing a doorbell, "DING-DONG." The onomatopoeia is drawn in big block letters. Sunny wears a sweater over a turtleneck. His hair flows effortlessly.

Kim pets her dog on the back. The dog smiles widely at the viewer. "May 21. Did bills, homework in the morning. Worked, then picked mom up at the airport."

Lynn's mom Lorraine uses a handheld vintage film camera: "WRRRRRR."

In block letters, the title sits at the top of the page: "Priority." Derek sits on a stump outside. His knees are tucked close to his chest. He hunches over slightly. He holds his phone to his ear and hides part of his face with his other hand. He looks nervous as he talks to someone on a phone call.

From above, we see spread of fruits and vegetables - pomegranates, pea pods, a mango, a pepper, etc.

Adult Vanessa sits across from her therapist, a woman with a brown bob and bangs, glasses, and a blue suit. The therapist asks, "Is that a FEELING or a THOUGHT?" Vanessa crosses her arms and scowls. "Both!" she replies.

Young Vanessa, with short hair and glasses and a pink one piece swim suit, floats in a tube along a marshy spring. She is drifting into the marsh despite trying to steer with her hands flapping in the water. In a panic, she shouts out to her peers who have floated much farther past her, “Guys!! Wait!”

Outside on a winding sidewalk path, a man with floppy hair and a dark parted pencil mustache approaches Derek. The man wears a shirt with a large collar and three large buttons, and pinstriped pants. He snaps he fingers with one hand and holds his other up with a limp wrist. He shouts out, "There he is! [in big block letters:] World's Greatest Dad!" Derek looks over at the man, smiles, and replies, "Haha, Sunny!" He looks relaxed, shoulders back and hands in his jean pockets. He wears a tight-fitting t-shirt with a large number one in the center.

A hand firmly holds a bunch of lemongrass. There are trees and a fence in the background.

The episode's title is drawn in large block letters: "Modern! Cartoonist" Derek sits on the ground with his legs criss-crossed before some sort of stone altar letting off a thin stream of smoke. Derek appears to be meditating. He wears glasses and a jacket with a large decorative collar and other stylish elements. Text, ranging from speech bubbles to onomatopoeia, surround Derek.

Kim looks at her reflection in the mirror. She has pulled the her shirt sleeve off of her shoulder to examine it. She looks tense. "May 3. Monday. Pulled out a bunch of dead Areca balm branches. Came inside and about 20 minutes later noticed a big bug on my shoulder. Put it in a big jar with water, watched SAW workshop video and started sketching ideas. Sent picture of bug to Tony. He texted back, 'Yikes, it's a bot fly!' I looked it up and panicked, was I bitten? Made an appointment with dermatologist for tomorrow."

An older man, with grey hair that's balded on top, wears dark shades and a green collared shirt. He looks straight ahead as he drives a car. There is a girl in the back and a woman in the passenger seat. The woman says, "To the mall, Jeeves!"

A guy in a blue snow suit races the Iditarod with standard poodles.

Lynn as a young girl wears a pink dance dress, with spaghetti straps and decorative bows, and white tights with the black tap shoes from before. Her hair is tied up in a pony tail with a white ribbon. Her hands are on her hips. She thinks to herself, "shuffle, ball change," "whoops," "step, ball change, step, ball change." An arrow points out that she is "mostly copying the other girls."

Enzo sits on the floor of his room shirtless, back turned to the reader. In front of him is a wall of floating shelves holding books and trinkets. Next to him is a clothes hamper. He is holding a book open. "April 27. Worked. Had an early work meeting. After work, chopped a bunch of Mexican sunflower to feed some plants in need. Enzo dug through his comic collection."

Lynn's brother Adam reaches into a crib and touches baby Lynn's eyes with his "grubby mitts." He says, "Open your eyes, baby sister!"

Enzo waits in a park for Kim to pick him up, on a strip of sidewalk surrounded by grass. He wears a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, all black or simply silhouetted. There are lamp posts and palm trees in the background. "April 20. Worked. Enz left school early, coughing a lot. Went to Mom's while Enz did mock trial. Picked him up from the park."

Vanessa sits on a couch hugging her knees to her chest. A man sits next to her. They both look solemn, and are colored entirely in blue, except for their brown hair.

Vanessa lies in a neon green hospital bed with her legs in stirrups. She is actively in labor. Two people hold onto her legs, encouraging her.

Lorraine wears a pink-orange Butterick 2920 dress and jewelry. She smiles and holds up a dirty martini. She says, "The doctor says it calms my nerves. We won't be out too late."

Kim sits at a desk but is turned to face the viewer. A PC, keyboard and mouse are on the desk, and there is a chair a couple feet away. She is wearing glasses and comfortable clothes. Her legs are crossed. She holds a pencil in one hand, and grabs her shoulder with the other. Her dog sits at her feet; his ear is turned inside out. She points out that he's worried. "April 14. Worked on final project for class all day. Neck hurt. Tony took this picture because Molly and I both looked a mess. Enzo got a bad report card yesterday so we laid out some repercussions."

Lynn, in black and white, chugs from a glass.

A cat sits at a window sill, looking boldly at the reader. The fronds of a palm tree are reflected in the window. "April 8. Thursday. Worked. Tony had a union meeting, via Zoom. I had a call w/ team member from class. Enzo had mock trial."

Derek, wearing an orange turtle neck, poses with his arms outstretched above his head and making peace signs. His eyes are closed and he is smiling; he appears smug. There are camera flashes surrounding him, and two people hold microphones up to him. He says, "Hey! There's nothin' wrong with crying. Or been' soft. Or pig boys. I'm still a nice guy and that's what matters."

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