That Was No Freakin' Hairball

Let's just say I've spent the last few days wondering if I'd have to make that hideous decision to put an end to my little friend's life.

The x-rays showed an enlarged heart and something suspicious on one lung. Everyone (except my Mom) I told tried to smile and say "It might be nothing!!" I was sure it was NOT nothing. Spots on lung, sounds in lungs and enlarged hearts aren't good.

Thank GOODNESS Mom was wrong. Yeah - It isn't good. Mags isn't completely healthy. But there's nothing wrong with her lungs. She does have enlarged heart. And what is commonly known as congestive heart failure. But there's no liquid in her lungs, which is a very good sign.

So, I just give her two prescriptions and one aspirin a day now. They say to hide it in wet food. I'm hoping she finds that enough of a tasty treat to make it worth eating.

I proclaim not to be a "crazy cat woman". OK - I am! About my cat, at least. She's my little friend, and she keeps me company every day. I'm not just gonna put an end to her because she becomes inconvenient.

We'll just add an extra step to our day. And not get stressed out.

But she'll get to come home tomorrow, and sleep on my bed, and push her head against my forearm with that little greeting noise she makes.

I might have to make that decision somewhere in the future. But I'm sure she'll give me a signal. And we'll have some time now to make peace with it.

The $177 Hairball

The first clues were the two poops (individual, tidy, hard poops) in the middle of the living room floor. Maggie has NEVER pooped (or peed) outside of the litter box in all 9 years of her existence, so I knew something must be up.

Usually, when I call for her, she comes running. I called - No running.

As I went for TP to do away with the poops, I noticed the first puke. It looked like your basic, hairball puke. (Still calling - No running.)

Puke #2 was outside the bathroom. I notice that some of the more liquid parts of this puke are tinged pink. Slight fear sets in. (More calling - No running.)

When I went to pick up the poops, pukes #3 and 4 were discovered close by. (The calling is getting more insistent now.)

On the way up the stairs, #5 on third stair and just pink tinged liquid.

#6 on the curved part of stair 4 where the horizontal plane turns to verticle. How does an animal manage to puke there? Running for the bathroom and didn't make it?? Slight fear is turning into full on fear.

Turn the corner onto the landing. Puke #7.

#8 is in the hallway.

#9 is in the front bedroom.

#10 is in the doorway of my bedroom.

And there's Mags huddled in the corner of my bedroom. I picked her up and her breathing was way off. Too shallow and sounded conjested. Also, she'd normally be squirming to get away from my holding, but she's curling into me almost wanting to be held. Fear turns into controlled panic.

Then I noticed she has puked all over her left paw. I've known this being for 9 years and she is PRISTINE. One hair out of place isn't right, let alone puke on the paw. This is NOT right.

I call Mom cause that I what I do when I panic, she says to call a vet and try to stay as calm as possible. I call L who keeps me just calm enough and helps find the number for the emergency vet. They say to bring her in immediately.

Shove her head first (the only way that has ANY hope of working) into the crate (twice, she escaped the first time) with only minor injuries to show for it and head out.

It has been a tough 2 weeks or so and I cry my eyes (ok - eye...only one works) out on the way. Not sure why - I'm not a big crier, but I do.

Get there and they whisk her away.

I waited and hour and a half for the doc. And, let me tell ya, the emergency is a sad and scary place. People aren't coming their for check ups. They are coming because Fido is breathing his last breath, or Fluffy got hit by a car. I saw several pale faces and more than one person in tears.

Vet finally shows and tells me: "She most likely has a hairball."

WHAT?!? ARE YA KIDDING ME?!?!? A HAIRBALL?!? She's had hairballs her whole life and has never puked 10 times in every room of the house, nor shown signs of blood, nor had her breathing disrupted.

So, they rehydrated her(See? A good mom - Not a panic-er. She was dehydrated. She needed fluids.), gave her a shot for the vomiting, and sent me home with anti-hairball, molasses looking stuff.

Now putting the pieces together, I realize that first sign poops were there because she heaved so hard they were forced out. (We won't talk about any similar, real life instances.)

Poor little thing!

I'm not totally convinced of the diagnoses and am going to watch her like a hawk for the next couple of days.

But she's just finished trying to drink my water (big no-no), licking her butt (yeah, I know, those two things don't go together so well - hence the no-no), and is now sprawled out on the coffee table resting peacefully.

I had better find a hairball somewhere in the next few days that is about the size of a soccer ball. Otherwise, those $177 could have bought me maybe a tank of gas or maybe a trip to Target.

I'm Sooooooooooo Tired

I haven't slept a wink. (Ok - a few winks.) I'm sooo tired, my mind is on the blink. (On the fritz..Not the blink.)

I wish that I could go upstairs and mix myself a drink. (I'm ok - I have my glass of wine.)

So - The move is over. My stuff is IN my new place. That is about it. In and in complete disarray.Kitchen stuff in bathroom, living room stuff in bedroom, just everything everywhere.

No phone. No high speed. No cable. ONE fuzzy channel on TV which I got to watch the Miss USA Pageant on. You can imagine how much enjoyment I got out of that.

Thanks to "Katie", whoever that is, who didn't secure her wireless connection. (The reason I'm here.)

It is pouring. Hope that calls for a good night's sleep.

Amongst last night's dreams was B telling (and convincing) people in her dinky hometown that she was Hillary Duff. Nevermind that she's about 30 years older and has no resemblance whatsoever. That's what dreams are for.

Random Stuff

- Saw a guy at dinner (pizza - Blue Moon - the best in the city) tonight. And he was shaking, shaking, shaking the red pepper dispenser. I swear, it must have gone on for a minute straight. And all I could think was: "Dude - That is supposed to make it taste better???" And: "Your butt is going to be on FIRE in the morning."

- I was gratified to discover I am not THE biggest procrastinator on the planet today. When I went to get the Change Of Address Form at the post office? There were actually people doing their taxes IN the post office. Redefines procrastinate.

- The atrocities of the clothing I tossed out today would astound you. Flannel shirts...Flannel? Why did I ever own flannel? Bikinis from 10 years ago, amazingly faded and with lint balls on the ass. Bras I have no idea how the girls ever fit into. 82 bazillion socks...And I HATE socks. Probably 10 pairs of Daisy Dukes. I'm pretty sure Daisy Dukes weren't even cool when Daisy Dukes were cool. A Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble oddly tie-dyed shirt that I have no memory of obtaining, yet felt strangely sacreligious giving to charity.

- I found out today I can leave any extra junk in my apartment when I move, since they're tearing it down anyway. That brings the Valium inducing levels of stress down to somewhere closer to Advil.

- I truly live in the South. I heard a McDonald's ad today touting ONLY their sweet tea. (Pronounced "Swaaaaaaaaaa[te][barely audible] Taaaaaaaaaaaaaay" - all long As and almost just one syllable.) Made with real tea and sugary syrup - Not Sweet-N-Low or packets of sugar into your drink. Is this REALLY a selling point? 13 years into this Southern thing and I'm still repelled when I accidentally take that big swing of sweet stuff. Pffffffffft!

Hey!....Remember Me?

Yes - I'm a cat owner. And no - I try not to talk about it much. Cause that makes me that crazy, 40-something, cat woman. Who smells bad and has no friends and dresses up her cat and rides it around in a baby carriage. Whom I try very hard NOT to be.

We have a good working relationship. I feed her. She reminds me when I forget. I change her litter box. I supply cups of water around the house because she prefers that to her one bowl by her food. She sleeps on her own at night until the sun comes up, then comes in to talk to the birds and squirrels at the bedroom window for a bit, then snuggles up next to me.

She comes to say hello when I get home. And lifts her sleepy head off my bed if I come home at a not-expected hour.

She carries around her Bob-Mouse. He's NOT a toy. He's her baby. He gets a special meow when she carries him around.

But mostly, we co-exist in a quiet, independent way. She does her thing - I do mine.

Today she reminded me she knows when I've had a bad day.

She just hopped up (which I didn't even notice) and pressed her forehead into my forearm repeatedly and giving me that 'mmmmmm' -- Which means: "Remember me? I'm here and I love you. Can I snuggle now?"

Those are the kinds of reminders that bring me back to peace. Thanks, Mags. Yes - I remember you. And I love you too.

You Know You're Friends When.......

Stuck in a rental car together on an hour trip to our business meeting destination. I give over control of the radio to my passenger. Last trip he tortured me with Shawn Hannity just to wind me up.

This time, he honestly tries to find a suitable listening experience for both of us. Hannity again - No. Don Imus - Probably not. NO to Dr. Laura. I'm ok with ESPN Radio - But not terribly interested. Country no. Oldies only entertains for a minute.

So he reaches back and begins to ruffle through his laptop case.

Pulls out a CD - I don't see which - And pops it in.

Perfection! Abbey Road!

I hum. He hums. I whistle. He sings lightly. I sing a bit too. Soon? In unison and way out loud? "Bang, bang Maxwell's silver hammer came down on her head!" At the top of our lungs. Me not caring how good or bad he is. He not caring either.

And I have to say? We're both pretty good.

Leave it to the Beatles to unite us all.

And Boxes Around My HooHoo??

Yes - We've verified it is really CNN.

No - It wasn't posted on April 1.

Granted - Pure Boy Humor. Bart Simpson, Beavis & Butthead, and the cast of South Park would revel in it.

CNN Snickers

How Do I Have This Much Shit??!?!

Pattygal said I'd never blog about it...But here it is:

I'm moving. They're tearing down my lovely, little village in the middle of the city, walk to the Starbuck and wine bar and Irish bar and Chinese restaurant, PLUS the QuickTrip home.

Putting in its place a commercial below and residential above high-rise. Which will make traffic in this area absolutely horrendous.

So...I'm taking on the move. Change doesn't happen easily in my home-type world. Change work up on me all you want. It helps me thrive. But home? I want home to be just like I left it when I come back.

So I've been packing up my front bedroom. Where did all this crap come from?!? And what made me decide I needed to keep it? Cassette tapes. Gross scarves. A jump rope. (Yeah - Like I'll jump rope any time in my near future.) A perfectly fine microwave...But my new one is so much better. Semi-working: TV, CD player, VCR, amplifier, receiver, 2 gross speakers and lots of speaker wire.

This is just a few evenings into it, folks. I may unearth dead bodies, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Holy Grail (I think it is just under my bad skirts from 1993).

I'll be downsized by 2/3 by May 1!!

Remembering...And Smiling....

Honolulu isn't my FAVORITE place..but some good memories:

- Pattygal picking me up and driving along the highway with a GIANT rainbow. I know, they're not unique there. But I still say Dad sent it.

- Pattygal AND Trix almost sleeping through the night to sun shining in the eensy, beensy deck windows. Thank God for jetlag.

- CHEAP BloodyMary's and ScrewDrivers (the BloodyMary's made with Orange Juice) at Moose McGillicutty's. And good breakfast too. And good dinner appetizers. And cheap Happy Hour drinks. OK -- All around, we like Moose's.

- Waikiki - Pick a good beach-y, umbrella-y, drinky, bar-y place and make it yours. Purchasing sunglasses (or any other pricey beach selling gimick) will make your stay even better. It got us a day full of sandy, umbrella-y, beach boy-ey goodness.

- Turtle Bay. Sunny, and warm, and sandy, and drinky.

- North Shore Shrimp Shacks. There are plenty. Visit one.

There are worse things than Honolulu long weekends........

In The Scheme Of Things?....It Was SO Small

Once in awhile in the corporate world, you come across something that isn't entirely corporate, is a little more human, a little more family, and it brings you back to the realization that we are all in this boat called LIFE together. I had one of those things the other day.

There have been signs, and emails, and bulletin board notifications for Bake Sales, and Raffles, and Garage Sales for a young daughter of a colleague of ours based in Romania.

The little one has a common and very treatable form of leukemia, but because they reside in Romania with socialized medicine (not that there's anything wrong with that) they felt they might find better treatment elsewhere. Elsewhere turned out to be Germany, which also has socialized medicine - but only if you're a native/resident. So now they're in Germany, with good treatment options but no free treatment and no insurance. Meaning - They have to cough up all that cash themselves. Let alone the fact that they relocated thier family from one country to another.

So that's the reason for the various fundraising events here stateside. I hear we've gotten a few thousand so far.

I kept seeing one old friend/acquaintence's name associated. I knew there must be some story there or relationship I didn't know about, but didn't take the time to really think about it or find out.

Late in the afternoon on Friday, L and I were headed out for Happy Hour Drinks with another friend who is departing the company. Old friend whose name I kept seeing associated (let's call him C for ease) walked down the aisle just as we were about to head out. L commented that we'd visited the Bake Sale. She got Key Lime Pie and I got some kick butt Baklava. This prompted a short visit with C.

Now granted, when I was in the midst of Nemo? L was one of my ROCKS. A great supporter and listener and doer. I couldn't have asked for better.

And also granted, this day L was a little under the weather. AKA - Hungover and just about ready for some hair of the dog.

But....I stood and chatted with C. Turns out, the little one is his God Child. He's been an instrument in a lot of the fund raising and has been very involved in the whole journey.

So I stood and asked questions and more questions and comments. We related how good it is to realize that people really DO care. Even though your jaded self has become pretty sure they don't. Yeah - We stood and talked for maybe 20 minutes.

And as I talked, I saw L's faces, and heard her sighs, and saw her shifting from foot to foot, and definitely noticed the "COME ON LET'S GO" eye rolls. But I ignored. And I stood and I talked.

As we walked away she derided: "Trix! WHAT were you thinking? I was so ready to get out of there and you wasted 20 minutes!"

Trix in reply: "Not wasted. It was what he wanted and needed. There's no waste involved with that."

So I was 20 minutes late to an after work event? So I maybe had one less drink? So? SO? 20 minutes for an old friend? Heck - just for another human being who wanted validation and sharing and caring? 20 MINUTES? If I had any mathematical abilities whatsoever, I'd turn that into a fraction or a percentage of my life. And it would be so miniscule and ridiculous it would be laughable.

Yep -- I took 20 minutes. And I can tell you...He walked away with a smile on his face and feeling a little bit better about humankind. Well worth it to me.