Tuesday, September 28, 2010

omfg

I want to thank Jesus for bringing leggings back into style. It's like being in my PJs all day long without the judgment.

Look out world.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Thanks Hunt Valley Animal Hospital, for re-affirming my original fuck you assessment

Phone call # 1: Hunt Valley Animal Hospital

me: Hi, my cat used to be a patient there but isn't anymore because I live in the city. My new vet just told me he needs to be on a renal failure diet* but that this clinic doesn't have the capacity for that so I need to switch vets. She said that she would provide all his records and labwork for me to give you. Can I switch back to you and make you my vet for future visits and come get the food?

Receptionist: If he's not a patient anymore, we don't really do that. You'd need to make him a patient again and come have an exam and labs.

me: This exam was done Friday by a vet. I'll bring him for an exam but I don't think he needs new labs. (read: you're not stabbing my old sick cat again)

Receptionist: Yeah, we don't really do that.

me: So you won't give me the food my sick cat needs because the exam was done by someone else?

Receptionist: Yep. Did you want to make an appointment?

me: No, I think not. I can order the food online with vet verification, I just thought, you know, since you are theoretically in the PET WELLNESS business you might want to like, help keep my cat alive and comfortable for a while.

Receptionist: Well, good luck. Online sounds like the way to go.

me: indeed.


Phone call # 2 (Light St Animal Hospital)

me: Hi, my cat is not a patient there. My current vet just told me he needs to be on a renal failure diet but that this clinic doesn't have the capacity for that so I need to switch vets. She said that she would provide all his records and labwork for me to give you. Can I become a patient there and make you my vet for future visits and come get the food?

Receptionist: Yep. I'll go through and see what brands we have and have the Dr here give you a call back.

me: Do I need to bring the cat down for an exam or something?

Receptionist: No, we don't need to do that to him. Just talk to our Dr when he calls you - which will be today - and then bring down the paperwork and stuff from your other vet. You might call your current vet and see if she recommends a specific brand, but I know we have all that stuff on hand.

me: see you later.


I fucking hate Hunt Valley. The reason I stopped going there in the first place is that they are fucking money machines with no real regard for the comfort of the dog. Their MO as far as I can tell is to stretch the pets life out without regard for comfort, for as long and as much money as possible. When Star was diagnosed with her thyroid tumor, their immediate recommendation was a $3k surgery to remove her thyroid, then potential radiation something or other to treat what might be left. "BTW, she might die on the table since the tumor is enmeshed in her jugular vein and trachea and also, she won't really probably live any longer than she will WITH the tumor, and if we nick her trachea nerves she'll cough and gag for the rest of her life. Also also the whole rest of whatever time she is alive she will be uncontrollably hungry and thirsty all the time because she won't have any thyroid at all to regulate metabolism. But I think it's worth it, here's a pamphlet, call to schedule surgery. Also, she has some tartar, so I think you should schedule a second anesthetic session and have her teeth cleaned. That would be $700 but dog tooth hygiene is really really important".

I made that "am I confused or are you an asshole or am I missing something?" face, mentioned that I thought tartar was lower on my list of priorities than cancer, confirmed that life span with or without the tumor was looking like roughly the same, the only differences being that with the tumor, she just has a tumor (gross and sucky, yes) but that in order to be without the tumor (with the surgery) she would be miserable and possibly paralyzed in her windpipe, and also as a geriatric dog, probably have some issues recovering from the surgery. All of my suspicions confirmed, I informed the vet that we were going to go for a "quality of life" treatment route and that I would call her when I thought the quality was lacking, gathered my dog while she protested, paid the exorbitant bill and left. For good.

And as of this morning, I remember why.

*I am anti "keep the animal alive at all costs to make yourself feel better". I will however spring for some boku food if it means another year of little dude being comfortable and healthy, screaming all night and purring all day. For that, I can give up Starbucks for a while.

After all, Star needs someone to keep her warm in winter...



oh the shame

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Irony thy name is illness!!

Today, to me, irony is when the sister of your boyfriend, an epidemiologist by trade, brings her typhoid ridden child to dinner and sits it next to you. Not ironic (ironic being that which is unexpected) is when the kid coughs all over your 30 dollar plate of food*. Even LESS unexpected is the fact that I am now nursing a case of the plague.

I want to say I don't even like kids, but Barbara Kingsolver made me feel bad about saying that out loud. blah blah future of our world, blah blah blah. I hate Barbara Kingsolver. That helped a little.


*yes, I still ate it. HN convinced me nothing got on my food and the restaurant didn't have a "my boyfriend's sister's sick kid just booged on my shit" refund policy. It was good too.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Beety yummy goodness

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Friday, September 17, 2010

Every day

I have been a food preserving maniac this past 2 weeks. Upcoming trip notwithstanding, it's the final weeks of summer and that means the end is in sight. The end of my shelf thing on top of my counter to stop being covered with produce and fruit flies, mocking me.

I love summer for all the veggies and stuff. Now that I'm all weird and label read-y and also all "I can cook", I totally dig knowing where my stuff comes from and putting it up for the winter so I can open a jar of summer anytime I want. But summer produce-a-palooza also makes me crazy. 1) produce attracts flies. ick. fucking blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh on bugs. Seriously. I hate bugs. 2) I feel pressure to do something with it all so it doesn't get wasted. Only after like a month, I'm tired and about out of ideas, and yet there it all still is; watching me, mocking me lookatthebaby lookatthebaby. Or worse, going bad, which makes me the craziest of all. Because I'm crazy-prone.

Anyhow. The every day referred to above is the at least once a day, my kitchen gets douched and taken to a state of grace. Dishes dealt with, produce dealt with, everything put away where it belongs and stuff wiped down. Like a nice kitchen. Inevitably within 12 hours, it will look like a play-doh factory exploded. There will be food splattered all over my oven and counter, a sink full of dishes, water everywhere, and probably still more fucking produce, with the dirt that accompanies it as it's dumped out of it's garden bag onto my formerly clean counter top.

So, a nice thing about fall is that this will slow down. Then it will be back to once a week produce explosions, on market day.

Pictorial essay of the mess in my kitchen over the course of a week to follow.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

It's always when you forget that you remember how important remembering can be

  • Like bringing your camera when you go on a bike ride, because you're going somewhere specifically to look at the prettiness. Yesterday I took a sunset bike ride through Druid Lake Park and to the Rawlings Conservatory because their outdoor garden is amazing and inspiring. I went without my camera, so of course the light was just right, all the plants were blooming and I passed a solitary handsome man practicing his trumpet in the park. Because pictures of all of that would have sucked right? Said man was my favorite part, I think because I'm not sure he will be there next time while all the other stuff should be. I noticed him at first because he was looking around to make sure noone was looking, which is always a flag for me that something awesome is about to go down, so I parked my bike and took a water break to hang out and see what was doing. Imagine my surprise when he started busting out trumpet scales. That was sooooooo not what I thought he was getting out of the trunk! After a while he noticed I was there and was all "I'm struggling a little today", which I think was meant to encourage me to leave, but really only served to put me in automatic cheerleader mode. I heart underdogs and sad people; they are my kryptonite, at least the first few times. Every time he made a mistake he would look to see if I was there and I would give a big smile and wave and yell something encouraging. Eventually he stopped looking, but I kept yelling. My top 3 lines (IMHO) were:
  1. "that one wasn't even that bad, I wouldn't even have noticed if you didn't stop"
  2. "It will get easier the more you do it"
  3. "ok, ouch that one was bad. But that's why you're out here practicing right? RIGHT?!"
I like to think I'll be seeing more of him, and he'll be thanking me from stage when he gets there.

  • Also like: If you have a fibertastic menu for a full day because you feel bloated and want to get the (other) poison out, then it's a good idea to stay near the house the next morning when you have your coffee. Specifically, don't go for a walk with your old lazy farty dog who doesn't understand about emergencies and won't jog home with you (not that jogging was that great an idea anyway).
  • That's really all I have right now. I haven't yet remembered what else I forgot.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Question...

Why are shadow pictures so awesome??

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Thank you earl indeed. Balmy 76 degrees in mobtown today.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Expect prolificity

Lots of work to do today. That means blogging is more fun!

LIFESAVER. or AGGRAVATIONSAVER anyway

squee!

Oh, I feels you

Man, it's like this chick is talking to my heart!!

and i haven't even been drinking!





* She just doesn't know it yet!