22/12/1992

I'm not well. You know a few entries ago when Bugs wasn't feeling well cos he was overworked? Well now it's happened to me. It all started on the night of the WB Christmas party. I wasn't feeling particularly great then, but went anyway because Bugs and the kids begged me to. "Christmas only comes once a year!" Bugs said, giving me puppy-dog eyes. "You can go home early if you still don't feel well." He said.

So we went.

The main saving grace was that seeing as I'd helped with the food at the Halloween Party I was off the hook for the Christmas one. So I was free to just sit quietly in a corner and wait for it to be over. Which was a shame because normally WB try to make the parties really good. We have a DJ [a professional one] a buffet [with back-up food for when Taz inevitably eats it all] and a dance floor.

I usually really enjoy it but this year I was miserable throughout the whole thing cos I was trying not to be sick. Bugs brought me over a little bit of the buffet and slid it in front of me. "C'mon, Elmes-" He began.

"-Don't call me Elmes." I muttered.

"Yer've gotta eat somethin'. Look-" He waved some of the food in front of me. "-pigs in blankets? Some stuffin'? Anythin'?"

I nibbled at some of the food then decided I was going home. It was only fair. I was being no fun and people were starting to complain. And by 'people' I mean Daffy who wanted me to join in some kind of group dance [may have been the macarena, but I wasn't really paying attention.] So I took the car and went. In hindsight I probably should have mentioned that to Bugs but he was gearing up to do the 'thank you for everything, I couldn't do it wivout ya' speech he does every year so I just left.

Which meant he and the kids had to get a taxi back. Bugs was in charge of three hyper kids who had all been given small 'presents' by 'Santa Claus' and in a small enclosed place like a taxi I gather the ride back wasn't very fun.

When the kids ran in the first thing they wanted to do was show me there toys so - taking no notice of the fact I was curled up upstairs trying to sleep - came bounding in the bedroom and talked at me for about five minutes before Bugs skidded in the room and got them out again. He put them to bed [which took ages] then came back in and sked how I was feeling. I didn't answer, I'd been so tired I'd fell asleep.

That was the 19th. I slept the whole day on the 20th, then on the 21st when I still showed no sign of action Bugs got concerned and sent for a doctor. She diagnosed 'exhaustion' to which Bugs asked in genuine amazement how on earth could I be exhausted when my last bout of filming was about two months back.

To which I snarled back that THREE KIDS just MIGHT be the cause of my exhaustion and Bugs opened his mouth to argue when the doctor cut in and said if that was all he'd like his paycheck now [Healthcare - American style!] and left us to it.

To be fair to him Bugs did do his best to get the kids to leave me alone for the rest of the day, but that was harder said than done. Elmyra tiptoed into my room about lunchtime to complain that Bugs had made her the wrong sandwiches'. [He'd mixed hers up with Buster's] and what was she meant to do? Eat this POISON that was carrot sandwiches?

"Yes." I told her, doing my best to enunciate. "It won't kill you."

"Elmyra!" Bugs exclaimed from the door. "Oi told ya not to disturb Daddy! Now, c'mon, downstairs..."

I would like to say that was it but unfortunately there were a few more disturbance's. The best one - mainly for it's sense of irony - was when Babs snuck in, dressed in a clowns outfit, and declared she was going to give me a 'one-women comedy show!' in order to cheer me up and make me feel better.

I tried telling her that all I really needed was rest and quiet and to not be spoken to through a megaphone, but Babs either ignored me or didn't register the words because she started the show anyway. As you might imagine though a megaphone makes a lot of noise and less than two minutes into her 'act' Bugs had turned up to hoist her out.

"Do ya want me ta put chains on the door or somethin'?" He asked, only half-jokingly.

"I think you're confusing me with Rapunzel." I said, dryly.

Bugs tapped his hands thoughtfully on the door. "Oh, I dunno. Give ya a wig an' maybe...?"

"Don't be widiculous, Bugs." I muttered. And I really must have been ill because I started saying about how she's meant to be young and pretty and have beautiful blue eyes [which I checked today. I'm fairly certain it doesn't mention anywhere in the original book that Rapunzel had blue eyes. I think that's just me assuming she would probably have blue eyes as she has blonde hair and the two are meant to go together. Which also means if I had hair it'd be likely to be blonde as well. Though I am meant to be the thickest toon in existence, if you believe my naysayers, so again - appropriate. Anyway.]

And I started getting upset because - stating the obvious - I'm not young, and no one on earth can ever call me pretty and I do have blue eyes but they're hardly beautiful-

-you know what, scrap that last line. I think we're getting to personal. Anyway, Bugs sat down and calmed me down and stuff.

"Ya look great, Elmer." Bugs said, sincerely.

"Even now?" I sobbed.

"Even now." Bugs assured me. There was a beat, then he said. "Though I'm not gonna lie, ya could do with a bath."

I laughed.