Weekend!
Having dropped off Maribou on Saturday, I find myself smack dab in the middle of the whole “Maribou is never allowed to go anywhere ever again” portion of her vacation.
The cats miss her horribly. “Where is the nice one?” they call to each other as they wander from room to room. Even Momo, the one who hisses at her and then runs to be petted by me has decided that, meh, it’s more fun to hang with me when it’s something done pointedly at her rather than merely hanging with me for its own sake. So I feed them, put out catnip for them, talk to them about how soon Mommy will be coming back, fall asleep all by my lonesome and then wake with all of them somewhere in the bedroom.
Part of their foul mood, of course, is due to the fact that work this week has decided that this is the week where I get home at 8. Sometimes it’s this thing being on fire, sometimes it’s that thing, sometimes it’s the other department screaming about how Jaybird’s department is the bottleneck preventing them from doing their job because oh we didn’t realize you sent us that document last week when we asked for it, thanks for taking two hours to prove it.
As such, I was told to just take a half day tomorrow which, granted, will turn into a full day because of this fire and maybe that fire, but it’s the thought that counts.
So, basically, my week of being a bachelor has pretty much amounted to stuff like “I should get some groceries on the way home…” and then it being 9ish when I get there and then going to bed shortly thereafter.
Maribou, meanwhile, has been writing short little emails that say stuff like “Went to the Eiffel Tower today! Exhausted!” or “Notre Dame! Louvre tomorrow!” or “Walked 13,800 steps today! I am beat! In the good way!” and those are pretty much all of the details that I have to share.
I imagine that I’ll be getting the long version when she gets back.
But this weekend will be a good one! Friday night will be devoted to doing the laundry that I got all messy this week so that the washer/dryer will be free the second we get her suitcase into the basement. Saturday will be devoted to stuff like “the groceries/Costco” and, Saturday Night, to gaming… but my gaming group has already been emailed “tell Jay that he has to be at the airport at 9:15 so he has to leave at 8:45”. So *THAT* is covered… and Sunday will be devoted to easing back to normal.
Jet Lag is going to be a bit of a pain, I’m certain.
All in all, batching it was a lot more fun when I was, oh, 34. Sometimes I made it a full week before hitting “Maribou is never allowed to go anywhere ever again.”
So… what’s on your docket?
(Photo is “Footrace finish line, 1925” from the Seattle Municipal Archives, used under a creative commons license)
My weekend started Wednesday (took part of the week off, spending spring break with my family). But the fun started Monday, with a beagle that ate a pincushion. (Magic dog managed to open a drawer to get it).
That problem led to an early AM Tuesday vet visit (no pins, but a mass of..something..in stomach. Looked like yarn, actually, which Can Be Bad. Consulted with vet, and it being a large snarl in a medium dog, we opted for “Let’s remove it”. The vomiting prior was really the key factor — whatever it was, it didn’t come up even a few hours after he ate it — and he was clearly uncomfortable.
And since “sooner” was important, we couldn’t do it endoscopically (nobody had openings until the next day. Apparently lots of dogs swallow things that have to be removed). So we went the other route (long cut, basically) which takes longer to heal than shoving a tube down a dog’s throat, but does allow them to check the intestines as well — not a small consideration given he’d gotten into sewing supplies and we were thinking…yarn.
Turned out to be a mass of rawhide. He’d been give these very small rawhide chews, which were apparently made out of long strips (about five inches long) tied into a pair of knots for that traditional bone shape. They were very small when all tied up, and the dog apparently just broke it in half and swallowed it. The long stripes unwound in his stomach…and then tangled and knotted.
His stomach probably would have dissolved them sufficiently before they began their trip to the sea…Probably.
So my poor beagle is really not going to be able to wear a bikini again, not with the six inch incision. So problem removed, that type of bone is NEVER going to be given to him again (we had a lengthy conversation about what might work better. The dog is a chewer, so not giving him something means he’ll eat wood or plastic. Which can’t dissolve in his stomach).
Dog’s surgery was done Tuesday afternoon, and I’ve been really surprised at his recover. His pain pill dosages are rather low, and the problem really is “way too active”. Supposedly 7 to 10 days between surgery and “he’s fine to do whatever doggie stuff he wants”.
So that’s MY weekend. I dropped almost 2k to have my dog gutted by a vet, and even now I can’t tell you whether we should have picked wait and see or surgery. (The Vet was at least honest. She flat out said if it was her dog, she’d probably flip a coin. But did say if it was going to be done, to do it right away.).
Speaking of which, I have to go squirt meds down my dog’s throat. (Coats the stomach, prevents acids from eating away at the healing flesh. Makes it heal much faster, but man he hates the taste…)
The rest of my weekend is medicating my dog, worrying about post-op infections, and playing Fallout while my dog sleeps under the blanket next to me. (He’s a burrower too…)Report
Dude, that sucks.
Are those Kong cones worth chewing on? (One sees them at the PetsMart and thinks that they look dog-appropriate.)
Though, for cats, they might be a hair oversold. Kong brags about durability but it was about 2-3 weeks before the babies turned the Kong-branded scratching post into a work of modern art.Report
They work in general, but my dog seems to find them mostly as puzzles to be solved — and not things to be chewed. He wants a certain amount of progress, basically. (He is really clever about getting the treats out of a kong without actually chewing on it. For a fun thing for him to play with, it’s great. But doesn’t seem to satisfy the chew urge).
I think those big rectangles of rawhides are probably best. He can’t swallow them without actually chewing off pieces, and the don’t unravel into long strips.
We’ll figure out something. Right now he’s mostly sulking because he has to sleep at night in his kennel wearing a anti-chew collar, instead of in the bed like he wants to.Report
@morat20 that is one scarry story! I hope your dog get better soon.Report
My dogs are hardcore chewers. I have had good luck with Nylabone products. They seem to last longer than anything else I have tried, and they are flavored to encourage chewing.. My dogs never took much interest in chewing on the Kong products. They have a ring, which lasts longer than anything else. The bone-shaped products end up with a sharp point on one end, and then they have to be replaced.Report
I might try nylabone again. He just seems to lose interest pretty fast with those. He’s got one or two that have been chewed, but that seems more…bored chewing. Like he literally has nothing else to do.
(It’s weird that I can tell my dog has chewing ‘moods’.)Report
One of our dogs is a chewer rope toys last all of 10 min. has a kong but plays with it not chews it. He found a new favorite chew toy a 6″ PVC pipe joint. So far so good they can’t seem to get any pieces off of it though it is gouged up a bitReport
Oh yeah, the diet update.
Still haven’t cheated. At least not deliberately. I have found out that beef jerky has waaaaaay too many carbs so I’m dropping that from my list of snacks. They apparently soak this stuff in brown sugar before dehydrating it. I’ve also found that the apple cider vinaigrette that they have at Chik-fil-A is *NOT* the low-carb one.
So, if I have cheated, I have cheated thinking “I’m not cheating.”
It’s a spiritual victory, if not a perfect physical one.
The no diet soda resolution was shattered, completely, by Daylight Saving Time. I had to buy some of those Monster drinks.
All in all, however, I am delighted to be where I am and I will do what I can to weigh myself come the Saturday before Easter to figure out what I’ve accomplished in the 40 days and 39 nights of Lent.Report
Try the aggravated bronchitis / deep cough / heavy meds / swallowing way too much of your own phlegm / food looks terrible diet.
10 pounds in a month.Report
Maybe if we’re lucky Maribou will give us the long version too!
I’m not working this weekend! I probably should have written that in caps lock because I AM THAT FREAKING EXCITED!!! Junior officially starts Spring Break tomorrow. Snowboarding Saturday and donating platelets Sunday. Rest, relaxation, and chores in between.
I have to share that I got blood test results back this week that put me one step closer to getting pregnant with the surrogate baby! All of my friends have had to suffer me tell the story at least three times. SO FREAKING EXCITED!Report
Congratulations hun!Report
Tuesday and Wednesday were my weekend this week. I spent Tuesday evening hanging out with a friend, doing the whole TV-and-doobage thing. Wednesday…Wednesday I spent reading an incredible book, or at least what exists of it so far. It’s called Unsong; it’s written by Scott Alexander, the guy who writes the blog SlateStarCodex, and it is so good, you guys! Seriously, do yourselves a favor and read up to the current chapter (he posts new chapters every Sunday and new interludes on occasional Wednesdays), you can knock out all of what’s there in just a couple hours, if that.
Also: I discovered that apparently there is now a sequel series to Lucifer, the Sandman spinoff that Mike Carey wrote back in the early-to-mid 2000s. It’s not still written by Mike Carey, but it’s still pretty good, and anyone who loved Lucifer the first time around as much as I did should really check it out.Report
A friend’s now-ex-wife has my Lucifer books. We stayed on good terms, but I haven’t seen her in about a year and I have been trying to figure out how to get them back without it being awkward.Report
@zac
Can you give a brief overview of Unsong? Fiction or non-fiction? What genre? Etc.Report
It’s fiction; I guess the best way I can put it is that it’s modern fantasy (fantasy set in the modern world, more or less) crossed with Jewish mysticism, although that really doesn’t do it justice. The premise is so cool that I honestly don’t want to give it away…by the second or third chapter it becomes clear(ish) what’s going on and the reveal is worth experiencing without being spoiled beforehand.Report
Apropos of not very much, when I first read this, my initial thought was of Mike Carey, the former elite NFL ref who is now employed to provide an incorrect analysis whenever a televised game breaks for a challenge review.
I actually shuddered at the thought.Report
I seemed to have been roped into transporting the lady friend’s dog to the vet. Then abusing myself at jujitsu. Then gaming. Sunday it may snow so dinner with a friend may get rescheduled.Report
Well, um, no one has spontaneously combusted yet.
I suppose that’s a good sign.
(Betcha the doctors would have been pissed at that, ya? Hard to get a good autopsy if the corpse is all burned to hell).
Diet still sucks (unlike Jay, beef jerky’s about the best meat on the diet, as no fat is a good thing).
Medically induced Tourettes is not fun, particularly when the person is getting suicidal urges.
What the hell kind of doctor prescribes spider venom, anyway?
(The kind that greets patients with “I thought you’d be dead by now.” Am unsure if this is
1 — a crosscultural bedside manner mismatch
2 — Doctor trying to be accurate, as they’ve got a fair idea that “making up a worst case” is worse than the actual worst case.
3 — Research Doctor who has never been trained in bedside manner)Report
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily wrong for a doctor to say that.
To a patient who lacks any history of depressive mental health history, and with whom she has a substantial relationship. To a patient has a history of ignoring medical advice with respect to a critical issue. As a goad to encourage the patient to follow the advice this time. And then only after having given more than a fleeting thought, based on that substantial relationship, to the possibility of misinterpretation.
But that’s going to be a large number of patients, I’d expect. Irony can be an effective persuasive technique, if properly deployed to the right audience.Report
It’s not the “history of depressive mental health”… it’s the medicine that is literally sucking all the joy out of life (does some nasty stuff to brain chemistry).Report
When my hubby went to China for two weeks it was pretty harsh and I didn’t even have cats to distract me so I definitely feel your pain. Hang in there.Report
No major plans for this week. Last week was chaotic because the tile in the kitchen was replaced. It’s a rental. When the tile was laid before, they put it down on top of the vinyl, and they did not use enough adhesive (according to the guys doing the job this time), so there was a place where the tile started coming up off of the floor and cracking. Since they could not find matching tile, the entire kitchen had to be redone.
The only plan beyond the usual chores is taking the family to a board game meetup on Sunday afternoon.Report
Lucky Maribou! Paris is wonderful. Have you been there before?
I paid off the last of my student debt this week, bought a bookshelf today, had the day off work, and have nothing else scheduled, so it’s a good weekend for me. Between the bookshelf and getting a picture frame last week, my apartment is looking very homey.Report
I’ve never been there and my feeling is that the only reason I’d want to go is to spend a week in the Louvre and a week eating and, technically, I can look at reproductions of the stuff in the Louvre and eat food almost as good at home and get just as drunk without leaving the house.
An experience 70% as good for pennies on the dollar? SIGN ME UP!!!
I am a bit of a wet blanket.
Anyway, Maribou is one upon whom Paris would not be wasted.Report
There are a lot more reasons to go than the Louvre and the food, although these are quite good reasons. Many of them, of course, involve some degree of interacting with other people, so for some folks that may be something of an issue. But some things can be enjoyed with minimal interpersonal interaction, so long as other people in some physical proximity to oneself is tolerable (and there will be people in physical proximity to you in the Louvre and a need to interact at least with a server if you’re going to eat anything worthwhile). Versailles must be experienced in person to be fully appreciated. Same for Notre Dame. There’s the sense of pride one gets upon mastering the Metro. Napoleon’s tomb is worth your time. And there’s that tower thingy.
But, hey, vive la différence. (That’s French for YMMV.)Report
There are a lot more reasons to go than the Louvre and the food
Say, if you feel that you’ve been insufficiently condescended to.Report
And there’s always the sewer rat tour, if you’re feeling adventurous.
(seriously, who DOESN’T want to see catacombs??)Report
Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle are gorgeous, but the atmosphere and the overall arcitecture is really the thing. Versaille is also spectacular (mainly the gardens and fountains; the palace was incredibly crowded when we went). If it’s not your cup of tea, though, that’s fine. I can’t get enough of travel, myself.
I get the desire to spend a week in the Louvre. I’ve been to the Met once, and wanted to move in and live there.Report
Figuring out how to regroup.
Vague post is vague post.Report
Dude. Get back on the horse. Besides, you’re better off.Report
This is not romantic but get back on the horse works well enough.Report
If it ain’t romantic then it ain’t nothin’.Report
Breathe, take stock, do something fun, connect with loved friends (family or otherwise).
I read some research recently that indicated behavior can dictate moods as much as moods can dictate behavior. So, for instance, if someone is in a grumpy mood, they very well may sit in the corner of an otherwise fun party, mope, and have a miserable time. And it’d be hard to fault them for that. But the research indicates if that person went in and, despite feeling grumpy, forced a smile and grabbed a drink and joined a circle, eventually those grumpy feelings would subside and the feelings that would normally motivate someone to do all those things would replace them.
As someone who can very easily indulge his negative emotions, I find this to be true. If I say, “Yes, I’m upset with this person but I’m going to reach out anyway and say something nice,” and then a positive conversation emerges, I feel better about them. I have to still remember to address whatever upset me in the first place (assuming it needs addressing, which is something I am working on determining better)… but it does get me out of my funk and allows me to more productively address the issue.
So, to the extent possible, try to imagine how you might want to feel and than what you might do if you were feeling that way. Then go do those things despite not feeling that way and there is a good chance you’ll end up feeling that way by the end.Report
I said this twice already, but the new Underworld album is legit good.Report
The cats miss her horribly.
This how Won Ton (our late Shih Tzu) felt when my daughter went away to school. He spent about a week looking for her (his tiny brain lacking storage for “I’ve already looked there”), repeated every time she came back and went away again.Report
They take turns walking into the computer room and yowling.
“Human! Where is the one who speaks to us in French?”
“She’ll be back manana. Seriously. Calm down.”
“Don’t pick me up.”Report
I’m running a half-marathon on Sunday! Which I was *super* excited about until my ankle went a little gimpy. I had to cut my training a little short — though I hit the goals I needed to — but I haven’t run in almost two weeks and the damn thing is a little sore. Also, temps are dropping into the 30s with high winds (half the run is along the Hudson River/New York Harbor) but at least the snow is staying away. Could be a less-than-stellar effort. But then I get on a plane to Miami with a friend for a week. Wahoo!Report
Based on one of your cats being named Momo….have I found a fellow Avatar: TLA fan?Report
When we adopted the cat, his name was “Mojito” and he was kind of a jerk.
In the hopes of making him less of a jerk, we decided that a name based on a tequila drink was not helping and we renamed him to “Momo” because we thought that the Japanese word for “peach” might help.
It worked about as well as you might think.
To answer your question, I’ve never watched Avatar but Maribou has. We came up with the name together but I don’t know how much Avatar informed her enthusiasm for the name change.Report
You make mojitos with tequila? We use rum.Report
Aw, man! I’m going to have to change my story.Report