So I am currently at work (bad Erin, blogging in the middle of the day!) and just wanted to share with y'all one of the rare things that makes me hate people and hate my job. Dr. H was about to run out to do an errand and poked his head back in and said, "Um, there's a cat in front of the entrance." Someone had just dumped a very sweet kitty here, in a carrier without any form of ID. I have no idea when it happened or how they did it without anyone noticing. It just pisses me off. For a small fee, they could have surrendered it to a shelter. Not like we don't have the resources to deal with this, it's just the blatant irresponsibility of it that irks me. *sigh* Anyway, I think she is bound for a humane society around here, so at least she has escaped the fate of other unwanted animals who get hit by cars or are thrown in a bag with rocks and into a river, or starve on the streets. Coulda been worse for her...
Posted @ 4:38 PM
Sunday, June 29, 2003
I am almost ashamed that it has come to this... A generic blogger template where once there were bad but still original layouts. Lol. What can I tell you? I am busy and tired and not feeling creative. Sorta like my house has always been painted brightly and I need to just let the primer be boring and white for a while before painting again... Anyway, it's the content that's important, right??? Um, right?? *crickets*
So please forvive my boringness, but come and visit still. I will get something together once these 55+ hour weeks come to an end. In a couple weeks, hopefully. Hope everyone has a good Monday!!
Posted @ 8:49 PM
Saturday, June 28, 2003
Would just like to share a lesson this morning: If you get bad service (any kind of service), it is worth it to being it to the attention of the provider in a non-accusatory, FYI kind of way.
I just got a month of free phone service and two months of cable. :o)
Posted @ 9:37 AM
Friday, June 27, 2003
Hmmm... I didn't realize I haven't updated in a full week. Oh yeah, I know what happened... I was going to post something quickly from work (all our computers have broadband internet, which is sweet during the slow times!), but I got the new Blogger configuration blah blah message (they redid everything) and didn't want to fuck with it, so I didn't. Lol. What a lazy ass I am! But seriously, I have worked my ass off this week (somewhere in the vicinity of 55 hours) and we have been waaaaay busier than we anticipated. You know, a brand new animal hospital...you would think it'd take a while to catch on, for people to leave their current vets, or at least inquire about the new one. But that has not been the case. Days were booked full almost all week. :o) This is good, but exhausting.
It has been like 90+ degrees here all week, which isn't bad in comparison to what people in Arizona have to contend with, but it's hard on us thick-blooded New Englanders. I can't afford to keep my air conditioning running all day and hence have been returning home at the end of very long days to a hellish oven - I would say probably about 110 degrees or so. Waaaaaay hotter than outside. The southern exposure and third floor location are nice on the heating bill in the winter, but they are a death sentence in the summer! So I get home, turn the AC on as cold as it can go and lay down and irritably wait to be cool. It is sucking big time, and we have 2 more months of it. Oh, well. When it starts snowing, I will be complaining about that, too. Lol.
Anyway, I am tired and just treated myself to a pair of new pajamas from Target, since I accidentally left mine in Maryland, so I am going to go lay in front of the AC and get chilly. Hope everyone had a good week. :o)
Posted @ 9:37 PM
Friday, June 20, 2003
Yay for Friday. And the Friday Five.
1. Is your hair naturally curly, wavy, or straight? Long or short? Straight but kinda wavy if it's humid. And it is pretty long right now. About down to my bra strap. Maybe a little longer.
2. How has your hair changed over your lifetime? I have changed the color a lot. I have had a few perms in my lifetime. Hasn't changed much on its own though.
3. How do your normally wear your hair? If it's hot, it is usually up in a spiky, messy French twist type thing or a ponytail, but generally it's down. Boring, I know. But my honey likes it down and so do I. :o)
4. If you could change your hair this minute, what would it look like? A little longer and thicker. With maybe a little more red. I actually like my hair though. Probably the one feature I don't bitch about. Lol.
5. Ever had a hair disaster? What happened? I have had a couple... One was when I went to get a shag cut and the lady who did it didn't know what I was talking about but didn't tell me, and she razored it all the way to my scalp. For anyone who doesn't know what this technique is, it just kinda tapers/layers the ends so they are smooth (used to achieve the "Aniston/Friends" cut of the late 90s), but this woman went past my ends and razored everything, so my ponytail was about the width of a dime and my hair was a giant choppy mess. The second disaster was when I went to have red highlights professionally done (because although I had done it quite successfully myself in the past, I decided to treat myself... Lesson: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.) and it went fine at first, when the stylist (who also cut my hair regularly and did a great job) used foiling to strip out chunky pieces of the current color and make it ready to add some red. That was fine and dandy. But then instead of applying the permanent red only to the pieces she stripped, she insisted it would be fine to apply it to my entire head, because the permanent dark brown dye I had in there (from covering up a very blonde streaking job I had done the summer before which looked really cool, but I had gotten bored with) would keep the lighter red from "lifting" any of the dark hair color that she didn't foil. She was wrong. It made my whole head bright red and the worst part is that for whatever reason, the red dye washed out almost totally within like a week and I was left with a full head of peachy pink color. I was so pissed. It took another dye job (back to dark brown), and another stripping (this time I made her cap it) and apply the red only to the parts she stripped, and use semi-permanent color. It was a friggin nightmare. Surprised my hair didn't fall out. So, I was out like $130 because I am a chicken and I liked the girl and kept thinking it wasn't her fault. *Sigh*
Well, I am done with my first week at my new job. The first half of the week was painfully boring, because we aren't even open yet and the doctors were on vacation and I was alone all day with nothing to do but play Spider Solitaire on the computer and let the contractors in. (Good game, BTW.) Docs came back yesterday and we mostly dinked around with getting the computer program set up and putting away office supplies. (And more Spider Solitaire when no one was looking...he he!) Today the bulk of the supplies came in, which was around 50 large boxes of everything you can imagine an animal hospital needing... Suture material, anesthetic machines, drugs, catheters, syringes, gauze, you name it. We unpacked for hours and checked everything in. Then Sarah started the daunting task of entering everything into computer inventory. What a job! Thank goodness a lot of the products are already in there by default, now it's just a matter of mark-ups and everything. We still have so much to do and a full schedule for Monday, but I am sooooooo happy to be working somewhere I am proud to be. *big smile*
I'm really tired and my ass is falling asleep and this post is long enough, so I'm gonna wrap it up. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend! :o)
Posted @ 8:59 PM
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
http://this-or-that.org... Just what I needed: a means to a no-brainer blog. It's hard sometimes coming up with interesting shit to write about, and not fall into the trap of online slander, like so many others. (And that comment comes from some crap I read on Becca's site... A couple of teenage girls with too much time on their hands and nothing nice to say... And we all know the rule on that one: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Seriously though, it bugs me that people insist on spending what free time they have putting a lot of negativity out into the universe. There are so many better things to do!)
1. Newspapers or magazines? Magazines. Have subscriptions to Spin, Rolling Stone, and Cosmo. I like the naughty boudoir tips. *wink*
2. Books-on-tape or regular books? Regular books. I don't like abridged versions, and books-on-tape usually are. I don't want to miss anything!
3. Paperback or hardcover? I mostly have paperback, only because hardcovers are too expensive. But all the covers have fallen or are falling off my paperbacks, so I could go either way.
4. Fiction or non-fiction? Fiction. Reality is depressing. Lol.
5. Sci-Fi/Fantasy or romance novels? Definitely sci-fi/fantasy.
6. Borrow from library or buy books (either new or used)? I always buy them. I like to be able to reread or lend.
7. Subscribe to magazines or buy on newsstand? Both. I buy People and US Weekly off the stand, if the mood strikes. Sometimes I pick up a gardening or cooking magazine too. These purchases are usually made if I have an especially long wait in line at the grocery store.
8. Current best-sellers or classic literature? Either. I read a shitload of "classic literature" in AP English in high school and liked a lot of it. But I need my stories really juicy and colorful, and it seems a lot of the older stories are kinda gray. Maybe it's just me.
9. Read books once, or re-read favorites every so often? Depends on the book. Some I am like, "I can't believe I read the whole thing. What a waste of time!" and know I won't read it again. Others, I reread every few years.
10. Here in the U.S., we have two hot best-sellers...former First Lady Hillary Clinton's memoirs, and the new Harry Potter book (coming out June 21). If you had to read one, which one...Hillary or Harry? Why? Would and will read Harry Potter. I don't truly give a shit what Hillary has to say. I have little respect for someone who stays with a man like Billy Boy... Does she not have any self-respect? That may be closed-minded of me, but I didn't make up the questions. I would only read Hill's book if someone paid me.
Posted @ 6:19 PM
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Juniper was euthanized yesterday afternoon. She purred madly even as she received the injection, which some of you may know is totally out of her character (usually she is a terror with anything out of the ordinary, especially being somewhere other than home, with someone she doesn't know), so although I pretty much knew it "was time," she couldn't have told me any other way that she too, was ready. It was a very sad day for me, but I am relieved that she is now at peace. The other kitties seem to be looking for her, and Indie has been remarkably sedate. I think that may be partially because of the week of "camp" at Sarah's while we were in Maryland, which was a whole other weird-ass scene that I just don't want to think about right now. But the tone around the condo is somber at best, and I am kinda dazed, losing track of what events happened on what day... The trip to Maryland, I will say, did more harm than good for my mental state, and I feel like my spirit has been through the wringer. Between that, the drive home (a lot longer than the drive down) and losing Juniper, I am quite rumpled. Oh well. As my mom would say, "It is always darkest before the dawn."
Speaking of dawn, I am starting a new job tomorrow - to add to the list of overwhelming events! Not something I really planned on when I quit the last place, but I can't take my mother's shit anymore and I need a steady paycheck... When I left my last job, I asked my mom more than once "if I work for you, are you absolutely sure you will be able to pay me?" And she said yes. Well, it has been like 6 weeks and I have made a measley $800, which I do appreciate, but I have done so much work for her for free, she could have stood to give a little more. But alas, she is crying poverty and wants me to work for free. Unfortunately, that is just not how the world works and I have bills to pay. So tomorrow morning, I become the Client Services Director at the Animal Hospital of Barrington, working for two doctors I originally met at my first animal hospital. It's been a long strange trip, having started with them in 1999, the Mrs. left to have a baby, the Mr. followed a couple years later (not tohave a baby, of course!)... Reconnecting with the Mr. at my last job and now going to work for them in their new practice. I am totally psyched, about getting to start from the ground and work up, and not be trapped in someone else's unchangable, dysfunctional system. The only down-side is that to certain people from my last workplace (and word gets around in this field), this is going to feel like a betrayal. But the truth is I wouldn't have gone back there anyway. I dreaded going to work every day and felt ashamed of myself, to be portraying it as a great place to those who put their trust in us, when I knew how fucked up it actually was. So the people whose opinions I actually care about, I hope you will be able to look at this decision without relating it to CNHAC. This is what I need and want to do. Plain and simple.
I am friggin tired and think I want to go throw myself down on the couch and watch Harry Potter. I hope everyone has a good start to the week. I am going to troll through my own shit and try to keep a smile on my face. :o)
Posted @ 6:03 PM
Saturday, June 14, 2003
Home from MD. Juniper has exhausted all the options as far as diagnosis goes, of whatever this thing is that is ravaging her body... Having worked in this field, I know that some things are just inevitable, the course of nature, but it is still so fucking hard not knowing why! Dave said the last thing to do would be an exploratory surgery, but having already ruled out everything else, the only possible diagnoses left are cancer, cancer and more cancer, so I was forced to ask myself if I wanted to put her under the knife to arrive at the same conclusion I am at now. I would do anything for her, but I don't want her last days to be in a cage, all doped up on pain meds, wondering where the hell I am and why I left her. So I have made the decision to set her free... Having her put to sleep in a few hours. I am blubbering as I type, can't even see the screen. I tell you this so you will understand if I am not updating for a few days. This is a hard hit, this is a cat I have had since I was 15. She lived with me through the last angsty-filled years of high school, through the dark days when I lived with Ammon and Jay... She kept me company in the shit shack in Warner when I moved out totally on my own for the first time. And she came here and kept a matronly eye on the younger whipper snappers, lounged in the sun coming in the sliding door... She has always been a silent comfort, one of few constants I have had in my life. I will miss her terribly, but I know the time has come. It would be selfish to let this continue just because I don't want to let her go...
Posted @ 9:10 AM
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
In MD, went to the beach today (gorgeous), mom a little overwhelming. Other than that, life is good. Just wanted to let all of my fans know that I am alive and well. Hardy har har.
Posted @ 6:03 PM
Friday, June 06, 2003
So yeah, I have been slacking (again) on the posts. What's new in the word? A few new things have been going on which have kept me a.w.k. One, my oldest kitty, Juniper, has been sick and causing me tremendous worry. She has barely been eating anything for the last few weeks and even the best vet I know doesn't know what's wrong. Bloodwork was normal, no palpable masses or growths in the abdomen or mouth, no really bad teeth... He prescribed prednisone to be given once a day and not only is she a nightmare to pill, but after I miraculously got one in her last nite, she promptly threw it up. We are going to see if the medication can be formulated as a topical cream, as can sometimes be done for cats that can't take pills for one reason or another. I just hope pred can be mmetabolized that way. That would make things so much easier, both for getting her medicated and making sure she doesn't throw up the pill... The second thing is that we (Jay and I) are leaving tomorrow a.m. to go visit my mom in Maryland for a week, and I am having this internal battle over leaving the aforementioned sick cat. I have basically settled on the fact that even with me here, she is not doing that great, so staying with Sarah (my friend and tech from the last job) will truly be in her best interest. Sarah can watch her better than I can, knows what to look for and can give her sub-Q fluids if need be, because by not drinking, she is getting dehydrated (leads to kidney failure). The thing that really sucks is that Dave (vet who saw her) said unfortunately at this point, it is a waiting game, to see if the pred helps make her feel better and stimulate her appetite. And of course I asked, "Isn't she in big trouble if she doesn't eat and drink soon?" He hesitated and said, "You want the truth, right? I couldn't say this to a client so bluntly, but yes, if she keeps this up, she's going to die." A cat can refuse to eat and drink for only so long, then the body just shuts down. The kidney and liver stop working, everything just stops. He mentioned the possibility of intestinal lymphoma (very nasty cancer), which is diagnosed by biopsy and is not treatable, it just means she will stay on this track until she wastes away. So I may have some tough decisions to make in the next week or so... Jay keeps telling me everything's going to be fine, but I truly feel in my bones that it isn't...
I have a lot to do today to get ready to leave tomorrow a.m., so I better go. I know this sounds cheesy, but if everyone who is reading this (all 3 of you) could maybe send some healing thoughts to my kitty, I'd appreciate it. I don't know what else to do but hope...
Posted @ 7:26 AM
Monday, June 02, 2003
I am sitting here trying to type vewy quiet, like hunting fo' a wabbit, 'cause Jay is out cold. This is very hard for me, because usually I pound on my keyboard, so much so that certain keys have had their letters worn off... Good practice in being gentle, I guess. Anyway, we are both having some money constraints lately (imagine that, me without a job, being poor?) and he was not able to get his car registered today, so I am going to be cabbie to work tomorrow a.m. (so as to avoid the threat of license suspension for driving with an expired registration). What a good girlfriend I am. Lol.
We are gearing up mentally and otherwise for the trip to MD this weekend, to spend a week with my mom. I have to be honest that I am nervous about it, that he will be like, "Oh my God, I can't handle this girl's family," but I guess the bright side is that they are in MD...well, she, mother, is in MD and she's really where the overwhelming might come from if it does at all, so it's not like I have an insane family that I see all the time (and hence he would see by association), right? Anyway, overall I am pretty psyched. Psyched for the road trip, psyched that Indie (though I love her inexplicably) will be on vacation too, but at someone else's house (thank you, Sarah!), psyched to pitch a tent out in the corn field and camp for the first time this year... And just psyched to hit the road and do something different for a change, go on a mini-adventure with the guy I love. I am oozing cheeze whiz right now, I know. *Sigh* Oh well. Suck it up. *wink*
I received this link in an email from my long-lost friend Suzanne who I never see these days. :o( Funny how friends you make at work can get distant when you both move on and no longer have the same workplace to bitch about. I guess that's just life. Anyway, it made me laugh (quietly) outloud. Check it out. :o) Also wanted to share this, though I am sure a lot of you have probably reveived it via those vexing email forwards we all know and love to hate...
As I've Matured... - I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.
- I've learned that no matter how much I care, Some people are just assholes.
- I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.
- I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better have a big willy or huge boobs.
- I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others - they are more screwed up than you think.
- I've learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.
- I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.
- I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades, and there had better be a lot of money to take its place.
- I've learned that 99% of the time when something isn't working in your house, one of your kids did it.
- I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon, and all the less important ones just never go away.
- I've learned to say "fuck 'em if they can't take a joke" in 6 languages.
Pass this along to 5 friends... trust me, they'll appreciate it. Who knows, maybe something good will happen. If not...tough shit.
Anyway, my honey also suped up my 'puter yesterday, including installing Paint Shop Pro 7, which I have been without and am in love with, so I think I am gonna go tinker for a while. Hope everyone has a happy Tuesday. :o)
