Guess Who's Feeling Better?

Me for one! I've been a smidge quiet lately, especially regarding Anubis because I didn't want to jinx his recovery.  The past week and a bit has been, to put it mildly, stressful.  Needless to say, my goal of giving up the Coca Cola addiction for Lent has failed miserably this weekend.  Where to begin?

As you know, the little furry dude had to take a trip to the emergency room last weekend for what appears to have been gastritis.  He was on the road to recovery, putting up with our various attacks with syringes full of medicine.  Exactly one week and two hours after he first got sick, he threw up again.  The sound of a cat vomiting in the middle of the night is never good.  Fortunately (yes there was a positive side), it appeared to be only a hairball.  It was bound to happen after a week of extra licking of his fur to remove the medicine that missed his mouth.  He didn't seem bothered by it and practically jumped into his food dish with more gusto than he's mustered all week long.  Yippee I thought, he's back to normal!  My euphoria was not to last.

Anubis and Nero four years ago

A short while later, he went into his litter box just as I followed him into the pantry.  He let out a massive bit of gas and then a big wet plop.  Diarrhea.  He went a few more times that morning, same result.  I called the Emergency vet to check in and see if they had any suggestions.  A new medication and, if no improvement in a day or so, back in he goes.  Is it any wonder I've been stressed?  One thing clears up only to be replaced by another.  Sigh.  Is this what happens when cats become senior citizens?

I picked up the new medication but by the time it came to administer it, the diarrhea hadn't happened for a few hours.  So we waited.  No diarrhea but no pooping either.  And no pooping this morning.  And no pooping all day long.  I was starting to get worried.  When I got home from work, he went into the litter box and ... nothing.  What's a crazy cat lady to do?

Time to take a hard stand.  I picked him up and gave him a scratch behind the ears.  Then, I threatened him:  if he didn't poop this evening, I was going to take him back to the doctor and we all know how much he hated that.  I put him back on the ground and he headed straight to the litter box again.  No lie - he pooped.  A big one.  OMG. 

I AM the poop whisperer and not just when it comes to kids and babies.

13 yr old Nub Nubs last spring

Is he completely back to normal?  I'm not going to go that far just yet but he's definately feeling better and I am so very relieved.  We're hanging onto the medication just in case but it doesn't look like we'll have to give it him.  I'm also keeping a close eye on him to make sure his bowels are working and there's no recurrence of the vomitting. 

Being owned by a cat is rough ...

Foto Fridays - Inside the Fridge

I have to admit that my Foto Fridays challenge has not been on my mind all week so I had to whip this post up early this morning.  What does waiting until the last minute mean?  A relatively empty fridge and a lack of subject matter.  This wasn't exactly how I originally envisioned this photo set turning out but overall its not a complete fail.

First up - kitty cat medicine.  One set of pre-filled syringes.  Only a couple more days and they'll be finished.  Thank goodness.  Its horrible giving an animal medication but the worst part is the evil eyed stares they give you afterwards.  Ugh.

When I saw this jar of sauce I became confused because I don't remember when I bought it.  I think it may have been at Christmas but I have no way of saying for sure.  Its still good (probably because of all the sugar it contains) and tastes yummy.  Now, I just need something to put it on.

Continuing with the Asian theme - I give you China Lily soy sauce.  THE best soy sauce in the whole world.  Extremely salty but oh so delicious.  Its a little hard to find so when I see it, I generally buy a couple of bottles. 

I've been loving English Muffins lately, especially the sourdough ones - in a fried egg sandwich, smothered with cheese and tomatoes, or toasted with PB&J.  Mmm, mmm, mmm.  Do the English just call them muffins?

Finally, my lunch for today - a simple salad (romaine, bell peppers, green onions and radishes) with roasted red pepper and parmesan dressing followed by farfale with a simple tomato/meat sauce with sauteed peppers. Yummalicious.

Next week's theme: Doorways

A Goal For Lent

I’m not a religious person but I’m taking part in Lent this year. Yes, you’ve guessed it; I’m giving up something for the next few weeks. What is it, you ask? Posting sickeningly cute photos of my cats? Talking about (and photographing) food? Not likely and bite your tongue. Nope, it’s my longtime nemesis … I’m giving up Coca Cola. Once you finish laughing at my announcement of yet another attempt to ban the devil’s drink from my diet, we’ll continue.

Finished? Thank you. Sheesh.

I kid but I know (and many of you know too) that I’ve tried numerous times (most only half-heartedly) to stop drinking pop or at least to cut back. The one time I was even remotely successful was during my archaeological field school during university – 6 weeks in the Rocky Mountains without money or access to soft drinks meant an unplanned, involuntary lack of soda in my diet. And you know what? I didn’t miss it. Oh sure, the first week was a bit rough but you quickly get used to it, especially when you’re not confronted with it day in, day out. We had no television, no laptops or smart phones, and only went into town once towards the end of our stay. Out of sight, definitely out of mind.

In my current life, I’m bombarded with the accessibility of Coke (or other soft drinks) – the food court in my office building, the vending machine in my office kitchen, in every restaurant and grocery store, gas stations, billboards, commercials, movie theatres and concert posters. Heck, I just heard my boss crack open a can in his office. ARRRGGGGH! Save me!

Wow, that looks soooo inviting right now...

The past few days really hit home that I need to quit. I’ve drank far too much (and made far too many poor food choices) because I’m an emotional eater and the Nubs situation has had me stressed and sad. Sitting at my desk at lunch yesterday, drinking a soda and eating my salad, I wondered what I was doing. I’m embarrassed to admit but it was my third of the day. Yes, three sodas by lunchtime. I told you it’s been stressful! At that point, I knew it was time to really make the effort to ditch it. That and the fact that my desk was beginning to look like a bottle depot with cans accumulating at a rapid rate.

I’m aware of all the bad things that Coke can do to me and my innards. Not to mention all that added useless sugar that is likely adding a couple of extra pounds which could be shed by simply not drinking the stuff. However, it’s an addiction. Much like smoking, alcoholism, or drug use, going without has consequences after a certain length of time spent chasing that sugary dragon… headaches, irritability, the overwhelming desire to find enough spare pennies to buy just one more can…

It’s not going to be easy but I’ve enlisted help at work and I’ll be roping in Mommikins for help at home. There’s none left in the house which is good and considering all the money I now owe her, I’ll be saving myself a few bucks here and there could instead be going to paying her back. Big Brother’s Birthday lunch might be difficult but I think work is going to be the hardest struggle for me. Its far too easy to walk ten feet, drop a loonie in the machine and crack open a cold one. Ahhhh, that sweet, dark, bubbly elixir! Oh sweet bejeebus, someone help me!

Are you giving up anything for Lent?

One Sick Kitteh

For those of you following me on Facebook or Twitter, you know that my little furry dude has not been feeling too well lately.  Poor little Anubis.  He began throwing up just after midnight on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and then again a few hours later.  After that, he was vomiting approximately every six hours - for the next day and half.  Unable to keep anything down even if he could eat, he wasn't getting any better and I knew it was time for him to finally make a visit to the doctor.  Unfortunately ... Monday was a holiday here in Alberta.  Have you ever tried to find a vet open on a holiday???  The only two places I could find in the city were emergency vet hospitals and I knew I'd be paying through the proverbial nose.  But ... how can you resist the lure of the purr and the most adorable furry face around?  So, off we went.

Pretty Little Kitteh

We saw a wonderful vet who treated little Nubs as gently as possible given the circumstances.  Unfortunately, he wasn't as fond of the doctor as the doctor was of him but still managed to behave himself.  The vet couldn't find anything out of the ordinary during his exam other than he was dehydrated.  No obvious explanation for the vomiting.  I knew what was coming - overnight stay, blood work, fluids, etc.  What I wasn't prepared for was the estimate.  Ouch.  Note to pet owners, if you can wait to visit your regular vet during normal hours, do so.  However, for real emergencies, definately go to a pet hospital but be warned. You'll pay an arm and a paw for the service. 

Thankfully, I have a kitteh ATM.

Thanks for the hugs, kleenex and the cash-o-la.

I didn't have anywhere near the money the overnight stay and treatment were going to cost but Mommikins understood how stressful it can be to be a pet owner.  She graciously stepped forward and covered the cost of everything.  Thankfully next month we get an extra paycheck so I'll be able to pay back a big chunk of it.

Nubs is home now and currently asleep on Mom's bed.  The Vet gave us two different medications and some special food for him to eat over the next few days.  This should be fun.  Fortunately they gave us the liquid form for each and put them in individual dose syringes.  Still not sure what caused the vomiting - he had no mass in his abdomen, blood work was all normal, temperature was normal, heart rate normal, etc.  It could be stress but I'm not sure from what.  We're to watch him closely and hopefully he won't start vomiting again.  If he does, he'll need to go back for an ultrasound and may have pancreatitis.  Cross your fingers everyone!

He did throw-up in his carrier either just before we picked him up or as we were on the way home but I'm hopeful that it was just nerves and he'll be fine.  The vet said he didn't throw up anything he ate so... we'll see.

Foto Fridays - Metal

Chain, chain, chain...

Break Time

Tools of the Trade

Next Foto Friday:  Inside Your Fridge

131. The Sisters Brothers (Patrick DeWitt)

I don't normally fall for the hype around best sellers, award winners and top 10 list makers.  It never seems to fail, the allure of those that make these types of lists always seem to elude me.  I don't generally find them particularly interesting, inspiring, or inventive and I tend to steer clear.  However, there was something about Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers that piqued my interest ever since I first heard about it.  I was intrigued despite the fact that it was a Governor General's Literary Award winner, a Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize winner, a ScotiaBank Giller Prize finalist, and a Man Booker Prize finalist.  Or perhaps it was because so many people found it so fascinating and that it had won or nearly won so many awards that I was drawn to it.  To top it off, it was a western.  The last book I remember reading that had even a remote "western" feel to it was the Little House on the Prairie series.

Here's the blurb from the book and website:

Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn't share his brother's appetite for whiskey and killing, he's never known anything else. But their prey isn't an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm's gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living–and whom he does it for.

With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters–losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life–and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.

I loved the Sisters Brothers.

I loved it so much, I finished it in 2 1/2 days.

I loved it so much, I want to read it again.  Right now. 

While preparing to write this post, I came across this review from the National Post which pretty much sums up all of my own thoughts on this novel and provides a succinct summary of the plot so I won't bother to lay it out for you again.  Michael Christie notes in his review, "...it is in the small details of their day-to-day lives where the conventions of the Western are deliciously trampled. Sure, there are saloons, prostitutes, brawls and sneak attacks on the bad guy’s camp, but the Sisters brothers mostly battle the mundane. Hangovers, petty squabbles and misunderstandings. Choosing toothpaste flavours. Cooking food. Eating. Sleeping. Or even the-never-before-seen-in-a-Western casual masturbation to raise one’s spirits." The actual physical journey to carry out their job is secondary to the exploration of the brothers' relationship as they make their way to their final destination. I'm glad to read that the rights to the book have been picked up - I can only hope that if and when the movie version gets made, it does the book justice.

Eli's narration of the journey he and his brother Charlie take to carry out the Commodore's orders is almost lyrical.  It is only through his eyes that this story could be told with any sense or realism.  Charlie's point of view would be too stilted, too simple in its violence; and a third person narrative wouldn't be able to draw the reader deep into the brothers' relationship as Eli's voice manages to do.  Through his eyes and his words we feel his discomfort with his life, the often strained relationship with his brother and his underlying caring and compassion.

Reading the reviews on Amazon.ca, I was a bit worried about what the book would hold.  One review by Anglobotomy had me particularly puzzled.  The reviewer talks about reading several times that the narrator pleasured himself and numerous descriptions of his brother's genitalia.  What was I getting myself into? After finishing the book, I think Anglobotomy and I read two completely different books.  I only remember one time where either of those things were mentioned and both were brief.  There is certainly a good deal of violence and some horrible things happen to Eli's horse which might put some readers off but it fits within the storyline and the time frame/location where it takes place.

I HIGHLY recommend The Sisters Brothers and suggest you run out NOW (drop everything except babies and antique vases) and get yourself a copy.  I guess this means I'll have to start giving those award winning top ten list picks a little more attention...

You Can Suck It, Valentine's Day

Monday.  Hmmmppffftt.

I did not want to get up this morning but this fuzzy fat fellow was wandering around the apartment meowing plaintively.  It wasn't until I got up that I discovered what it is he was after - my spot on the bed.  While the other kittehs were feasting on their breakie, Nero hopped on the bed and curled up right where I was lying a few moments earlier.  Cheeky furry bastard.  Gotta love him.

I seem to have injured myself.  Apparently playing endless hours of Free Cell and Solitaire, surfing the webbies, and working on a computer all day long can, quite possibly, hurt your wrists.  I doubt that its carpal tunnel but its certainly a warning sign.  At work, I've had to move my mouse to my left hand to avoid doing more damage and I've imposing a computer game free zone on my laptop for the next few days.  Dang nabbit.  This annoys me to no end.

Something else that I find annoying?  Valentine's Day.  Its a stupid day.  Its a meaningless day for me and I've never truly understood it.  Why should there be one day a year where you're expected to show your love for someone?  If you tell someone you love them today because its Valentine's day, it means nothing.  You want to know what means something?  Surprising your loved one on a random day during the year that holds no special meaning in your relationship.  Doing something special for them because you want to, not because you're supposed to.  Saying "I love you" when its least expected and actually meaning it.  Valentine's Day and its meaningless gestures of so called affection?  You can keep it, thank you very much.

Before someone responds with some retorte about me being a lonely single cat lady with no prospects who just needs to get laid, that's not the case.  Ok, I am single and pretty much as close to being a crazy cat lady as you can get but I'm some bitter, jaded spinster who's against love.  Far from it.  I would rather be surprised by an unexpected gesture of your devotion than that generic Hallmark card that you only picked up because television advertisers have been reminding you again and again that its the one day of the year that you're supposed to say "I love you".

A former boss of mine felt the same way about Administrative Assistants' (formerly Secretary's) day.  She preferred to reward me throughout the year when I deserved it rather than because she was told to do so on a specific day each year.  If I averted an office shattering crisis, she'd take me for lunch.  Solved a particularly vexing problem that no one else could sort out, a card.  A heart felt thank you went further than words can describe.  I didn't appreciate it fully at the time but when I eventually moved on to my last job where we were given wilted flowers that died the next day or given a meaningless "award" as a way to keep us all quiet and "happy", I really understood what she was getting at. 

Hollow, meaningless gestures are not the way to win loyalty, respect, or yes, even love.  You have to put thought into whatever it is you are giving/doing and you have to do/say it because you truly mean it, not because you're told by the gift card companies that its that time of year again when you're supposed to.  So, you can keep your heart filled boxes of candy and your dozen generic red roses. Surprise me with an unplanned lunch on a workday.  Plan a surprise movie night featuring my favourite cheesy films on a day when I'm feeling especially blue.  Don't do it because you have to, do it because you want to.

Desperately in need of a haircut and eyebrow plucking

February hasn't seen nearly as many blogposts as January did by this time.  I didn't set a goal for myself this month of blogging every day and I haven't really been in much of a picture taken mood as I was last month.  I think the weather is starting to impact my mood a bit.  This weird back and forth between winter and spring (minus the snow) is driving everyone a bit batty it seems.  Mother Nature had best make up her mind pretty darned quick or she'll have a revolt on her hands. 

Pre-processing:  Sunday night facial

To shake the funkiness I'm feeling and get back in the groove, I've decided to start a new feature here at London's Fog.  Its called Foto Fridays.  Each week, I'm going to set myself a different theme and take a few photos that based on that theme - I'll post my fave photos each Friday (hence the name...duh).  I'm hoping to push my limits, expand my creativity, and take photos more regularly, and not just of food and felines.  Not that there's anything wrong with kitteh photos and food shots; I just want to do more.  I'm going to keep the processing of the photos to a minimum - I want my photography to shine through, not the funky stuff that technology can do with it.

Post-Processing:  Zombified Karen

Not that I have anything against processing using tools available through sites like Picnik (love love love); look at the two photos above.  The same picture - one with processing and one without - but they tell two entirely different stories.  This type of manipulation has its place but it won't be appearing in Foto Fridays; no zombie's allowed.

If you'd like to join me for Foto Fridays, let me know.

A Very Orange Breakfast

130. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse (Robert Rankin)

This is not your children's fairy tale.

Jack has abandoned his job at the clockworks factory and set off for the big city, hoping to find fame and fortune.  Unfortunately, luck is not on his side.  In fact the only luck he seems to have is bad.  Along the way, he's almost murdered by a cannibalistic farmer and when he eventually does make it to the city, his horse is stolen and he's knocked unconscious and robbed.  When he comes to, he's stunned to see a ragged stuffed toy bear staring back at him.  Jack quickly learns that the "big city"  is actually Toy City (formerly Toy Town), a place where toys are alive and the characters from nursery rhymes are local celebrities.  And there's a seriel killer on the loose.  When Humpty Dumpty turns up boiled to death in his swimming pool, Jack teams up with Eddie Bear, the brains behind Detective Bill Winkie (who's gone missing), and the two try to uncover who or what has been brutally murdering the rich and famous nursey rhyme characters of Toy City. 

Filled with "...a lot of heavy drinking, bad behavior, fast car chases, gratuitous sex and violence, bizarre toy fetishism and all-round grossness of a type not normally associated with Toy Town", the Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse was one of the best books I've read in years.  Absolutely freaking hilarious, I could not put this down.  I don't remember exactly how or when I came across this book title; it was likely an Amazon recommended book based on something else I'd searched for.  It sounded interesting though and I added it to my wish list.  The always fabulous Alun surprised me by sending a copy for my birthday last month and I could not wait to dive into it.  I finished it yesterday, taking an extra long break in the afternoon just to ensure I polished off those last few pages.

 

If you're a fan of Robert Aspirin or Terry Pratchett, chances are you'll become a fan of Robert Rankin as well.  I'm looking forward to picking up a copy of the sequel, The Toyminator, very soon!