Here’s how my embroidery turned out!
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Every year Hourly Comics Day takes place on the 1st of February! It’s a fun way to share a small slice of life. As some of you know, autobio is where my heart lies. On the actual day, I only had time to jot down quick stick figures in my sketchbook and then I went back later and re-drew everything all nicely just for this update. Matt and I pulled out all the bells and whistles on this one, it took us almost 2 weeks to draw and color! I hope you all liked this honest look at my February 1st.
Check out some of our friends’ Hourlies too! Abby Howard, Lucy Bellwood, Lucky Knisley, Danielle Corsetto, Melanie Gillman, and here’s a great big list with loads more!
I also wanna take this moment to recommend the graphic novel Marbles by Ellen Forney. I read it before I was diagnosed as Bipolar II myself, but wow, did it reach out and grab me by the heart with how much I could relate to it. Maybe a year or so after it came out, I received my own diagnosis and it was like “Ooohhhhh…. No wonder.” I dunno, guys. I’m still learning a lot about my disorder, still learning how to best manage it and take care of myself. It’s hard work and I’m so, so, so grateful for the support network I have who looks out for me and loves all of me, including the crazy bits.
↓ Comic Transcript
PAGE 1
https://www.ohjoysextoy.com/hourly-comics-day
Hourly Comic Day by Erika Moen. Posted February 21, 2017
6-ish am?
Erika groggily open one eye as she lays in bed, thinking to herself, "Go back to sleep."
Narration: My alarm clock is set for 7:15, but this entire week I've been waking up between 4-6 am.
7:15 am
Matt is spooning Erika in bed, with his arm draped over her while her alarm goes off with an irritating DEET DEET DEET.
"C'mon honey," Erika says blearily. "if you don't let me up, I'll fall back asleep."
Matt doesn't even open his eyes as he replies, "You didn't sleep enough, give yourself another hour."
8 am
The alarm is again going off with a DEET DEET DEET as Erika groggily sits up, thinking "I shoulda just gotten up the first time."
Matt is rolled on his side, reading the news on his tablet.
Erika asks, "What's happening now?"
"Oh, don't look." Matt replies. "It'll just make you sad. You shouldn't read the news first thing in the morning.
Erika pretends to be offended as she responds, "Well, you shouldn't either!"
Matt rolls back over to his tablet, saying "It doesn't bother me as much as you, you're really sensitive to this stuff."
The narration agrees, "True."
Erika looks out the window while the narration narrates, "The wind is wicked strong today. Expected to snow tomorrow."
9 am
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I should already be at work right now." Erika thinks to herself, head in her hands, as she sits on the floor of the kitchen while Matt makes oatmeal. "I don't work hard enough. I should be more disciplined."
The narration reads, "Bitingly cold wind." as Erika trudges through the wind on her way to the bus stop.
"You look so warm." another bus-waiter offers when Erika arrives.
"I'm FREEZING" Erika responds, shivering through her many layers.
PAGE TWO
9:20 am
As the bus pulls up, the narration declares, "Yay, bus!"
The wind sweeps away a passenger's ticket as they're waiting in line to board. "I got it!" Erika shouts as she chases after it and eventually stomps down on top of it with her boot.
"Thank you, you're so sweet." the passenger tells her as they board.
Narration: My good deed for the day is accomplished.
10 am
Narration: Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, since I didn't bike to work.
Erika is shown walking up the stairs while snickering at her phone. A text from the phone reads, "LOL check out this shitshow..." while Erika says "Oh wooooow!" aloud.
Narration: Comics, sex toys, bouldering, model trains, cupcakes: Every niche industry breeds its own special flavor of ridiculous drama. I find this oddly reassuring.
11 am
Erika is happily tapping away on her computer, laughing.
Narration: I waste way too much time joking around with friends.
12 pm
Erika jolts back from her computer with a look of horror, saying "FUCK, I didn't get any work done yet." Her interior thoughts manifest next to her, repeating, "God, I suck. I suck. I suck."
Narration: So then I worked real hard. (After I ate lunch)
PAGE 3
1 pm
Erika jolts up from her cintiq with a big goofy grin as her stomach says "gurgle" and she announces, "Time to poop!"
Outside the bathroom, Erika hears a toilet flushing. "Arg!" she thinks in distress. "Someone's already in there! I can't poop if anyone can hear me!!!"
Narration: AND SO:
Erika farts into a toilet, sighing "Ahhhhh" contentedly.
Narration: I defiled the bathroom on the floor below ours.
2 pm
Over a drawing of Erika furiously working away on her cintiq, Erika thinks to herself, "I'm not drawing fast enough. I should have finished this page by now. Work faster, damnit!
Narration: Terri has a friend, Cat, from Antarctica visit the studio.
Erika stands in front of her laptop holding an umbrella, looking sheepishly at Terri and her friend who are looking with confusion at Erika.
"I'm, uh, posing for reference photos." Erika explains as the timer on her webcam counts down and takes a picture of her. "To draw from."
3 pm
Now drawing even more frantically, Erika thinks to herself, "I'm STILL on the same page??? What's wrong with me, why am I so slow???"
4 pm
Erika sits back from her cintiq in a pose of celebration, announcing "YES! Finished!"
4:02 pm
Erika is writing a text to Matt on her laptop, looking disgruntled, "Matt, you can start coloring page one- wait. No, I forgot to draw a sound effect."
Narration: It takes me another 15(?!?!) minutes???? How is that possible.
5 pm
Over a scene of Erika and others waiting at the bus stop, the caption explains, "Waiting for the bus." Another caption helpfully explains that she is "Literally shivering" while she says, "BbbbRrrRRRrRRRr"
PAGE 4
Erika's hands are show stitching into a floral design in her embroidery hoop.
Narration: Since the election, embroidering is the only thing that makes me feel ok. It's this one, simple thing that I can be in complete control of. Just focussing on making one stitch after the other.
6 pm
"BbbrRRRRRrrrrRRRR" Erika chatters as she walks through her windy neighborhood, texting on her phone, "To Matt: Walking from bus stop."
6:10 pm
"Hey baby, I'm ho-" Erika stops in her tracks inside her house as a the foreground is taken up with a big glass of a drink with a strap, ice cubes, and a bottom layer of cherries.
Narration: Matt had a fancy drink waiting for me.
"Am I a good husband?" Matt asks cheekily as Erika sucks away at the straw, hearts floating around her head as she looks at him with love.
Narration: Still too cold to take coat off.
7 pm
"How was your day?" Matt asks.
"Uh..." Superimposed over Erika's head is a dotted circle, showing that her mind is absolutely blank.
Narration: I really need a good night's sleep.
"Akiraaaaaa!" The TV bellows while Matt and Erika watch from the couch.
Narration: Dinner and movie.
8 pm
Erika's hand is again embroidering.
PAGE 5
Matt hugs Erika while she is still bundled up in her coat and hoody.
"You've being so sweet to me, I don't deserve it." Erika says a little sadly.
"Yes, you do." Matt says with his cheek nuzzling against hers.
She continues, "I wasn't very nice to myself today."
"I can tell." Matt says.
8:30 pm
Erika takes off her coat as the narration reads, "Finally warm enough to take my coat off"
9 pm
"Can I see your hourly comics?" Matt asks with eagerness as Erika is drawing quickly in her sketchbook. His face falls as he reads through her pages. "You've been really self-hatey and a bit "off" this week. I think you should talk to your doctor." He tells her with some worry on his face.
"But I don't have anything special to talk about with her. Like, nothing's wrong in my life right now." Erika says as Matt hands back her sketchbook.
"Yeah, but chemically..." Matt replies. "Your body can get used to your medications and they can stop being effective. You might need to tweak 'em."
PAGE 6
"Hmmm." Erika ponders while the narration reads, "Some day I'm going to feel strong enough to do a comic about being Bipolar."
10 pm
Back in bed, Matt is again curled up with his tablet like he was in the morning and Erika embroiders while her headphones are plugged into her phone.
Narration: Listening to The BFG by Roald Dahl through my library's app.
11 pm
Matt leans over, hugging Erika in bed as he tells her, "I love you so much, you're doing such a good job."
"You too, honey. I love you." Erika says, smiling and falling asleep.
12 am
The lights are out in Erika and Matt's bedroom, though we can still see all the dildos lined up on their dresser.
Transcribed by Erika Moen on January 31, 2024
https://www.ohjoysextoy.com/hourly-comics-day
Hourly Comic Day by Erika Moen. Posted February 21, 2017
6-ish am?
Erika groggily open one eye as she lays in bed, thinking to herself, "Go back to sleep."
Narration: My alarm clock is set for 7:15, but this entire week I've been waking up between 4-6 am.
7:15 am
Matt is spooning Erika in bed, with his arm draped over her while her alarm goes off with an irritating DEET DEET DEET.
"C'mon honey," Erika says blearily. "if you don't let me up, I'll fall back asleep."
Matt doesn't even open his eyes as he replies, "You didn't sleep enough, give yourself another hour."
8 am
The alarm is again going off with a DEET DEET DEET as Erika groggily sits up, thinking "I shoulda just gotten up the first time."
Matt is rolled on his side, reading the news on his tablet.
Erika asks, "What's happening now?"
"Oh, don't look." Matt replies. "It'll just make you sad. You shouldn't read the news first thing in the morning.
Erika pretends to be offended as she responds, "Well, you shouldn't either!"
Matt rolls back over to his tablet, saying "It doesn't bother me as much as you, you're really sensitive to this stuff."
The narration agrees, "True."
Erika looks out the window while the narration narrates, "The wind is wicked strong today. Expected to snow tomorrow."
9 am
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I should already be at work right now." Erika thinks to herself, head in her hands, as she sits on the floor of the kitchen while Matt makes oatmeal. "I don't work hard enough. I should be more disciplined."
The narration reads, "Bitingly cold wind." as Erika trudges through the wind on her way to the bus stop.
"You look so warm." another bus-waiter offers when Erika arrives.
"I'm FREEZING" Erika responds, shivering through her many layers.
PAGE TWO
9:20 am
As the bus pulls up, the narration declares, "Yay, bus!"
The wind sweeps away a passenger's ticket as they're waiting in line to board. "I got it!" Erika shouts as she chases after it and eventually stomps down on top of it with her boot.
"Thank you, you're so sweet." the passenger tells her as they board.
Narration: My good deed for the day is accomplished.
10 am
Narration: Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, since I didn't bike to work.
Erika is shown walking up the stairs while snickering at her phone. A text from the phone reads, "LOL check out this shitshow..." while Erika says "Oh wooooow!" aloud.
Narration: Comics, sex toys, bouldering, model trains, cupcakes: Every niche industry breeds its own special flavor of ridiculous drama. I find this oddly reassuring.
11 am
Erika is happily tapping away on her computer, laughing.
Narration: I waste way too much time joking around with friends.
12 pm
Erika jolts back from her computer with a look of horror, saying "FUCK, I didn't get any work done yet." Her interior thoughts manifest next to her, repeating, "God, I suck. I suck. I suck."
Narration: So then I worked real hard. (After I ate lunch)
PAGE 3
1 pm
Erika jolts up from her cintiq with a big goofy grin as her stomach says "gurgle" and she announces, "Time to poop!"
Outside the bathroom, Erika hears a toilet flushing. "Arg!" she thinks in distress. "Someone's already in there! I can't poop if anyone can hear me!!!"
Narration: AND SO:
Erika farts into a toilet, sighing "Ahhhhh" contentedly.
Narration: I defiled the bathroom on the floor below ours.
2 pm
Over a drawing of Erika furiously working away on her cintiq, Erika thinks to herself, "I'm not drawing fast enough. I should have finished this page by now. Work faster, damnit!
Narration: Terri has a friend, Cat, from Antarctica visit the studio.
Erika stands in front of her laptop holding an umbrella, looking sheepishly at Terri and her friend who are looking with confusion at Erika.
"I'm, uh, posing for reference photos." Erika explains as the timer on her webcam counts down and takes a picture of her. "To draw from."
3 pm
Now drawing even more frantically, Erika thinks to herself, "I'm STILL on the same page??? What's wrong with me, why am I so slow???"
4 pm
Erika sits back from her cintiq in a pose of celebration, announcing "YES! Finished!"
4:02 pm
Erika is writing a text to Matt on her laptop, looking disgruntled, "Matt, you can start coloring page one- wait. No, I forgot to draw a sound effect."
Narration: It takes me another 15(?!?!) minutes???? How is that possible.
5 pm
Over a scene of Erika and others waiting at the bus stop, the caption explains, "Waiting for the bus." Another caption helpfully explains that she is "Literally shivering" while she says, "BbbbRrrRRRrRRRr"
PAGE 4
Erika's hands are show stitching into a floral design in her embroidery hoop.
Narration: Since the election, embroidering is the only thing that makes me feel ok. It's this one, simple thing that I can be in complete control of. Just focussing on making one stitch after the other.
6 pm
"BbbrRRRRRrrrrRRRR" Erika chatters as she walks through her windy neighborhood, texting on her phone, "To Matt: Walking from bus stop."
6:10 pm
"Hey baby, I'm ho-" Erika stops in her tracks inside her house as a the foreground is taken up with a big glass of a drink with a strap, ice cubes, and a bottom layer of cherries.
Narration: Matt had a fancy drink waiting for me.
"Am I a good husband?" Matt asks cheekily as Erika sucks away at the straw, hearts floating around her head as she looks at him with love.
Narration: Still too cold to take coat off.
7 pm
"How was your day?" Matt asks.
"Uh..." Superimposed over Erika's head is a dotted circle, showing that her mind is absolutely blank.
Narration: I really need a good night's sleep.
"Akiraaaaaa!" The TV bellows while Matt and Erika watch from the couch.
Narration: Dinner and movie.
8 pm
Erika's hand is again embroidering.
PAGE 5
Matt hugs Erika while she is still bundled up in her coat and hoody.
"You've being so sweet to me, I don't deserve it." Erika says a little sadly.
"Yes, you do." Matt says with his cheek nuzzling against hers.
She continues, "I wasn't very nice to myself today."
"I can tell." Matt says.
8:30 pm
Erika takes off her coat as the narration reads, "Finally warm enough to take my coat off"
9 pm
"Can I see your hourly comics?" Matt asks with eagerness as Erika is drawing quickly in her sketchbook. His face falls as he reads through her pages. "You've been really self-hatey and a bit "off" this week. I think you should talk to your doctor." He tells her with some worry on his face.
"But I don't have anything special to talk about with her. Like, nothing's wrong in my life right now." Erika says as Matt hands back her sketchbook.
"Yeah, but chemically..." Matt replies. "Your body can get used to your medications and they can stop being effective. You might need to tweak 'em."
PAGE 6
"Hmmm." Erika ponders while the narration reads, "Some day I'm going to feel strong enough to do a comic about being Bipolar."
10 pm
Back in bed, Matt is again curled up with his tablet like he was in the morning and Erika embroiders while her headphones are plugged into her phone.
Narration: Listening to The BFG by Roald Dahl through my library's app.
11 pm
Matt leans over, hugging Erika in bed as he tells her, "I love you so much, you're doing such a good job."
"You too, honey. I love you." Erika says, smiling and falling asleep.
12 am
The lights are out in Erika and Matt's bedroom, though we can still see all the dildos lined up on their dresser.
Transcribed by Erika Moen on January 31, 2024
