On Dewey

Given that my time after the holidays and before my last (!!!) semester begins is oh-so brief, I needed something easy to read. Something I could gobble up in a couple days. In November, one of my former library coworkers recommended Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World. A week later I heard an interview with Vicki Myron on the Diane Rehm Show. As soon as I was done listening to the interview, I put the book on hold, and it was finally available after Christmas - perfect timing. Since it's about a few things I like (cats, libraries), I knew I would enjoy the book.

(If you plan on reading the book, and don't want the ending ruined for you, then please stop reading here!).

I did enjoy the book, and I zipped through it in no time. Reading in bed on Saturday night, I had only 25 pages left in order to finish it. I looked over at Drew and said, "Well, the inevitable is about to happen. Dewey lives to be 19 years old, and the end will most likely be about his death. It won't be too bad, since I am already anticipating it."

Boy was I wrong. Ten minutes later, I laid the book on my chest, took off my glasses and erupted into to sobs. I was crying so hard I couldn't breathe. It took a while before I could tell Drew what was wrong (aside from the obvious). Yeah, Dewey dies. The awful part was that his death was so eerily similar to Wolfie's: the kitty constipation, going to the vet, finding the mass in the belly, the x-ray, the giant inoperable tumor growing in the cat's guts, euthanasia. No, I'm not hung up on death (or my cat). I deal with death on an almost daily basis at my job, and as far as I knew, despite the occasional twinge of sadness, I thought that I had sufficiently grieved for my cat. But damn, I was so not expecting to rehash that horrible day at the vet in this book. That damn near killed me all over again.

In regards to my previous post, you three have convinced me to keep the blog as is and not delete it. I may post a few more times, then again let silence prevail as I trudge through my last semester. Perhaps I'll come up with something new this summer, and if I do, I'll let you all know. Thanks for still being here with me, despite my absences!

Decisions

I'm thinking of possibly deleting this blog. Grad school has ruined all creativity and time, and this place is rotting away. Perhaps I could start fresh after grad school if I'm feeling up to it? Four years down the drain here...

Friday Shuffle: The Complainer Edition

Drew and I finally got our fabulous six foot wooden privacy fence a month ago. This has made life so much easier for us, and of course, the dogs love it. Our special, accident prone Gracie ended up with a nasty cut on her foot almost two weeks ago that required staples, but other than that, life has been good. While we've starting slacking ever so slightly with our daily walks, we do try to get out almost every day with Cosmo. He desperately needs long walks, and it's good for us, too. Grace enjoys them, though sometimes it's clear that we're just dragging our lazy girl along.

Despite broken glass, loose dogs, and the occasional crackhead in our neighborhood, the walks are usually enjoyable. We arm ourselves with mace to protect ourselves from said loose dogs and crackheads, and usually everything is dandy. I am quiet by nature, and usually enjoy keeping to myself on these walks. However, EVERYONE feels the need to talk to us. Some of the comments we get are nice ("What beautiful dogs you have!", "Wow, they are so well-behaved!", "Those are rescue dogs? God bless you!", etc). But the majority of the comments and discussion come from asshats that I have no patience to deal with. Let's break this down.

COMMENTS FROM CHILDREN

The kids usually aren't too bad, and well, they're kids. Some examples of comments from kids:

*Do those dogs bite?
Drew and I have discussed several times how to answer this question. Different answers go out to different children. "Well, any animal can bite, but if you are gentle with them, they will be gentle with you". If the annoying 13 year-olds who scream in our street, throw trash in our yard, and throw rocks by our car ask that question, we reply with "Only when they want to". That usually keeps them away from our yard for a while.

*(In reference to Cosmo)Is that a Rottweiler?
"Nope, he's a mutt, but there might be some Rottie in him somewhere. Plus he's a little guy, only 50 pounds."

*(Upon seeing Cos wearing his pack) Wow, is that a police dog?
"Nope." Well, what else is there to say?

*(The kid(s) see me and the dogs and run away screaming)
"Jeez, that was rude..."

*(In reference to Gracie)That is the skinniest dog I've ever seen! Do you feed it?
"Of course we do! She eats a lot, actually. This is just how God made the Greyhound. She's at a good weight right now."

*(Again in reference to Grace)Do you race that dog?
"No, she's retired." I like to tell people that Grace is retired, rather than elaborate about how she sucked and never made it past training at the track. It gives her more street cred.


COMMENTS FROM ADULTS

I try to be patient, really I do. I'm nice to the majority of people, unless they're jerks. But again, I just don't really want to bothered, don't want to do the whole stop and chat, because I'm busy and always in a hurry these days!

*(In reference to Gracie)That's a beautiful Great Dane!
"Thanks! But that's not a Great Dane, she's a Greyhound."

*(In reference to Grace)What kind of dog is that?
"She's a Greyhound." We get this question A LOT.

*Isn't she small for a Greyhound?
"Actually, female Greyhounds can be anywhere from 55-70 pounds. She's 64 pounds, so she's a good size for a Grey."

*(Again, in reference to You-Know-Who)Is that a Whippet?
"No, this is a Greyhound; Whippets are much smaller."

*Really, because I think that looks like a Whippet.
"Well, Jackass, she's not a fucking Whippet. I think I know what my dog is. See, she's registered online!"

*Are they mean?
"They will not attack you for no reason, if that's what you're really asking. If I had bloodthirsty canines, I wouldn't have them out on the street. I'd rather them be guarding my meth lab."

*(This question is usually asked around dusk or at night)Are those dogs on leash?
"Well duh, there are leash laws in this city. Do I not look responsible? After all, it's not like I enjoy strolling around Akron holding bags of dog shit."


*(In reference to Grace)I hate when people put clothes on their dogs!
"Did I ask for your opinion, Fucko? No, I'm not one of those people who puts their damn Yorkie in a dress. A Greyhound has very short fur, and zero fat. It's like us being naked outside in the winter. Her coat is purely functional. Now get out of my face."

I think you get the picture. One time Drew was walking the dogs, and this drunk guy across the street kept yelling out "Hey, Greyhound!" What, like she's going to respond to you? Shut up, guy! Obviously we get much more attention walking down the street now that we have Grace. With Cosmo, people would talk to us, but it was usually harmless aside from the occasional comment about how my dog with his Rottie colors could potentially be a vicious dog. And you know what? At night, when someone sketchy approaches me, Cos will growl. I'm quite happy with that. He may be small (compared to his sister), but he keeps the crazies away.

Enough of my bitchfest. Onto the shuffle!

1. Dead Souls - Joy Division: Heart and Soul
2. Never Ever! - Brian Jonestown Massacre: Spacegirl
3. Jumpin' Jive - Joe Jackson: Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson
4. Do - The White Stripes: The White Stripes
5. Dark Matter - Andrew Bird: Armchair Apocrypha
6. Love Ain't For Keeping - The Who: Who's Next
7. The Way You Are - Tears For Fears: Shout: The Very Best of Tears For Fears
8. Home Now - No Doubt: Return of Saturn
9. TV Trays - Death Cab For Cutie: You Can Play These Songs With Chords
10. Fire - U2: October

Friday Shuffle: The Belated Edition

Yep, I'm still chugging along. Thought it would be nice to rekindle the shuffle tonight. Life has been extraordinarily busy. My three week break from classes has flown by. Most of the time has been spent with Drew's family, as his sister, brother-in-law, and niece have been in town from England for a month. His niece was born about a few weeks after we left England in 2007, so it has been great getting to know the little one. They flew back home today, and we miss her already. Last weekend was spent with Lisa and Sarah in Nashville. It was a fun weekend away with two of my best friends, exploring The Music City, with fabulous food and cold beer. Is there anything better?

School begins again on Monday. I have two semesters to go and am desperately trying to stay focused. Last semester was excruciating...I felt like I barely got out alive. To add more fun to the mix, I'll most likely be bringing home a few more foster kittens on Monday. Last time was a litter of five, and I don't want that many again at one time. We still have so many babies, that I'm sure I'll find a smaller group that need some TLC away from the shelter.

I've got a full day ahead of me tomorrow, so this is going to be short. Onto the shuffle!


1. Too Much Too Young - The Specials: Specials
2. (Don't Go Back To Rockville) - R.E.M.: Reckoning
3. Shooting Dirty Pool - The Replacements: Pleased To Meet Me
4. The Mess We're In - PJ Harvey: Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
5. I Got Drunk - Uncle Tupelo: Anthology
6. 1921 - The Who: Tommy
7. Come As You Are - Nirvana: Nevermind
8. Stone - Cibo Matto: Stereo Type A
9. The Wind - Cat Stevens: Rushmore
10. This Boy - Franz Ferdinand: You Could Have It So Much Better

Many Thanks For Making Our World A Better Place

RIP John Seiberling.

Friday Shuffle - The "She's Still Alive!" Edition

I'm way overdue here for a check-in. Since there's a whole lot of random going on, I'll stick with the dots today.

• Where to start? Life is constantly crazy, but a heck of a lot less nuts since my foster kittens have been gone. I had them for five weeks, and now they're all in great foster-to-adopt homes (since they're too young to be fully vaccinated and spayed or neutered) . My favorite, Barolo, the only male, was the first to go along with his sister Syrah. I was happy for them to go out together, but it was really difficult letting them go. I called my Dad afterward, to tell him how proud I was for not keeping my 'Rolo, for kicking him out of the nest first! He was pleasantly surprised, because I think that he (and others) in my family assumed that I wouldn't be able to give up the babies. After all, growing up I was that kid: the one who dragged home strays, the one who cried after catching her first fish because she wanted to take the bluegill home with her to keep as a pet, the one who walked neighborhood dogs for money. But I did it, and it feels good. I've even been keeping in touch with the people who have my kitties, and have been emailing them baby photos. Empty nest syndrome has kicked in though, and I'm valiantly trying not to bring home another sick litter to nurse back to health!



• Exactly one month ago today I lost a dear member of my family. My great, great Aunt Louise was 99 years old, and no, her passing wasn't exactly shocking. But still, it was. I struggled for a few weeks, and fell into depression. I'm dealing much better now, but it's still hard to realize that we'll never talk again. I really loved to talk to her, to hear about life in Little Italy "back in the day". She was lucky to be in relatively good health until her 98th year, and her mind was sharp until the end. Aunt Louise was a first generation Italian, and made the most incredible sauce. In fact, she lived on her own and kept making her sauce until last fall. She was such a blessing.



• Grace Kelly made it through her tail surgery. It's been nothing but a pain in the ass since then, though! We've had a hell of a time keeping Grace from ripping off her bandages and fucking with her tail. E-Collars are absolutely useless with Greyhounds, because of their muscular necks being bigger than their heads - it just slips right over her head. We've resorted to keeping her racing muzzle on her whenever we can't keep an eye on her. She can drink with it on, and while she can lick at her bandage with some effort, it usually keeps her from doing so. But still, we've had issues, and her little nubbin is taking FOREVER to heal. Last time we were at the vet, we were being threatened with having to amputate another vertebrae off if it doesn't get any better. So send some super healing, "Gracie quit fucking with your stumpy tail" vibes, will you? I don't want to have to put her (and our wallets) through that again. Sheesh.



• I'm seeing Radiohead again on August fourth. *insert squeals of joy here*



• My buddy Lisa and I are flying out to Nashville August 16 to visit our friend Sarah. *insert squeals of joy here* This will be my first time in Nashville, and I'm looking forward to much gluttony, beer, music geek fun, and well, just a blast in general getting to have a full weekend with two of my favorite ladies!



• I think I'll be headed out for a matinee of Sex and the City on Monday. I'm excited, but am also preparing for the worst. Will get a lobotomy promptly afterward if needed to block out the film. Again, fingers crossed.



• Things are going well at work, and I've been promoted to management. It's comforting to know that I have something decent before embarking on the major job search next year. And I'll have more to tack on to my resume, along with my previous library experience...

Enough of the dots. Onto the shuffle!

1. Eyes Without A Face - Billy Idol: Greatest Hits
2. The Hand That Feeds - Nine Inch Nails: With Teeth
3. Party Out Of Bounds - The B-52's: Time Capsule
4. Turning Japanese - The Vapors: Living In Oblivion
5. Myxomatosis - Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
6. Isn't It A Pity - George Harrison: All Things Must Pass
7. Rejoice - U2: October
8. The Three Sunrises - U2: Wide Awake In America
9. I'll Buy - The Replacements: Tim
10. Rudy, A Message To You - The Specials: Grosse Pointe Blank

Have a good weekend all, and have some fun for me!

Weekend Shuffle - The Mass Chaos Edition

I started this post with good intentions on Friday, but these darned (cute) kitties have kept me away from it. Right now I'm trying to figure out what drugs I must have been slipped when I told our director of operations that I would like to take in foster kittens. As long as they aren't bottle feeders, how hard could it be? *insert delusion here*

This is not to say that I am not enjoying my first fostering experience. I love these little guys, and I fret over them constantly. I spend so much time with them (feeding, cleaning them, giving them their meds twice a day, cleaning their cage, washing the old towels that they muck up on a daily basis, giving them run time around my office, letting them snuggle with me because well, I'm mama to them and they're still young enough that they need snuggle time) that I've pretty much avoided all schoolwork since I've had them. And I've got two weeks of school left, with three assignments due (one tomorrow) in my difficult class.

So I've much to do. But dammit, these little guys are so cute and fun. When I got home from work last night, I immediately made them up some dinner. Usually they're mewing like crazy for the food, but yesterday they all ignored the food at first and ran to me. After a few moments of purring and crawling all over me, they remembered the food and went back to their cage to eat. Later, as I was taking turns with them to give them both their eye meds and their shot of amoxicillin, they all gradually made their way to my lap to go to sleep after they were done running around and wrestling in my office. All but one of the kitties (who has been named Precocious) were a little shy at first, but now they've all claimed me as mama.

But the kitties, schoolwork, family problems and work drama isn't all that's going on right now. Drew and I now get to deal with Gracie and her Ouchie Tail:



Friday I had a lunch date with Sarah, one of my best friends whom I have not seen since last February or so. She was in town on business, so we were both excited to have the afternoon to catch up. When Sarah arrived, I was upstairs and Drew greeted her at the door. At some point, Drew decided to take the dogs out. In between (I think) Cosmo barking wildly at Sarah (because visitors are scary! she might murder us all!) and Drew trying to get the dogs outside, Drew slammed Gracie's freakishly long tail in the door. I heard her horrible doggie-scream and made my way outside. I held Gracie's bloody tail while Drew ran inside to get some paper towels. A few moments later I finally got to say hello to Sarah, as I watched Gracie's blood splatter over some of the gravel in the driveway.

When we finally got the bleeding under control, we wrapped up her tail. I called the vet, and Drew had to cut the damn bandage back off so I could attempt to describe the injury to the tech. I was freaked out about Gracie, but in the back of my head all I could think about was how all I wanted to do was just have a good time with my friend and here was another fucking crisis. Calgon, take me away already!

The tech told us to bring Gracie in at three, so Sarah and I were at least able to get some lunch around the corner and spend about two hours catching up. Gracie seemed a little less freaked out when we got back home, which was good. I gave Sarah a big hug, then Drew and I left for our appointment.

At the office, our vet shaved more hair off of the tail, despite Drew having done the same thing at home trying to get a better look at the wound. A hanging flap of skin was removed, and Grace howled in pain. The vet pointed out the exposed tendon, said it was damaged beyond repair, and that on Tuesday Gracie will have to have the bottom portion of her tail amputated, probably three or four inches of it. Not a big deal, in fact this sort of thing happens to Greyhounds quite often. But still, we're bummed about it. Drew is so upset with himself, and feels horribly guilty about the situation. Gracie is on pain meds and antibiotics and is doing fine. I'm going to be a trainwreck Tuesday though, because of the risks associated with Greyhounds and anesthesia. So send some good vibes our way for a safe surgery...

Onto the shuffle!

1. Everything In Its Right Place - Radiohead: Kid A*
2. Easy Rider - Janis Joplin/Big Brother & The Holding Company: Live At Winterland
3. Mr. Sandman - The Puppini Sisters: Betcha Bottom Dollar
4. I Could Die For You - Red Hot Chili Peppers: By The Way
5. The Sun Also Sets - Ryan Adams: Easy Tiger
6. Pistol Of Fire - Kings Of Leon: Aha Shake Heartbreak
7. Certain People I Know - Morrissey: Your Arsenal
8. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead
9. 88 Lines About 44 Women - The Nails: Living In Oblivion: The 80s Greatest Hits
10. Numb - U2: Zooropa

*I have a date with these guys August 4th.