dragonflymuse

I know I post one of these 'Hey I'm not dead!' entries more frequently than I do regular entries. I don't even know how much of my F-list is still active on LJ, or if everyone has migrated to Dreamwidth. I need to post a proof of life entry over there soon, too. Good thing I bought permanent accounts.

How is everyone?

Brief update, by the numbers:

Cats - two still living the high life with my parents
Dogs - five, all darling savages who do nothing but eat food and wreck my flat
Other critters - two semi-feral budgies that are resistant to all attempts at socialization, way too many fish tanks
Job - still a paediatric nurse, working a temp in ortho clinic
Health - well, though in my post-middle age I have gained a few of the pounds I'd lost in the early teens of this century
Activities - slave to the Union lol. Lots going on with government trying to legislate our rights away, increasing incidents of violence in the workplace, and making sure my local is working to the best of its abilities
Other - been working with a local dog rescue for a few years, taking in fosters and finding them permanent homes
Current fandom faves - still with some of the classics, like SPN, The X-Files; re-runs of BtVS and AtS have me craving some good Spike/Wesley fic, Stargate: Universe, Preacher, Marvel's Agents of Shield, just to list a few

Not dead, just lazy. I hate that Failbook has become source one for social interaction for me; granted a lot of workmates post there so it is easy to set up fun things to do in our off-time. And, the rescue I foster for does a lot of communication via their FB page and messaging. But I do miss y'all here (Dreamwidth might not even know who I am anymore lol).

So tell me, F-listers, what is new and exciting??

Last week I took in a foster dog for a local rescue ( Litters 'n CrittersCollapse ). In the past 10 days the rescue has needed fosters for about 10 dogs (and that number is climbing). I put in a comment that said I would take one of the fosters talked about in the foster email, but Shelley and Jennifer asked me to take this little guy instead. His name was Chico (gross). They said he was a Chihuahua that was seized from a home due to abuse (and possible puppy mill activity). He was very fearful, aggressive and shut down, but would I take him? So I said yes.

The first thing that happened once I got him is I changed his name. After a day or two of calling him "Buddy" and "Pup" I decided he was an Oliver. Not long after, I did some research, because this boy did not look like a Chi. He has very long legs, a long body and a tail to match. It was apparent, after looking at some photos, that Ollie was a Miniature Pinscher; if there was Chi in him, it wasn't much!

After a few days, Ollie began to come out of his shell: he let me pet him, he took treats (not any treat would do, mind you) gently from my hand, and one night he abandoned his little bed in the foyer and invited himself up on the big bed. Milestone! He turned out to be quite the cuddler. After that night he began to seek attention, sitting with me on the couch and begging to come up in my lap while I am at the computer (which is where he is right now). He loves walks (or should I say sprints - he's go-go-go out on a leash) and today he went up to a stranger and solicited an invitation. And that was only Day 2 of actually letting me leash him. Crazy great progress for little more than a week in a stable, happy-dog household.

He still has a ways to go with eating meals around the other dogs. I have to lure him towards his dish with kibble and then stand sentry over everyone while they eat. Then housebreaking needs to be addressed. Now that he knows leash/collar + me = outside funtimes we can give that a go.

Anyway, that was a loooooooooong story to get to the point of the post: a picture of Oliver. He doesn't like things in his face (naturally) so he hated the camera and tried to hide from it, but I think I got a pic or two that shows how handsome he is :)

( OllieCollapse )

So it has been three weeks since I started working in my new role in the Paeds Ortho clinic and I am slowly getting back into the routines of booking pre-ops, doing phone interviews and trying to keep my designated Ortho surgeon on track with his patients, their calls and follow-ups, and tests. I really like the surgeon I am assigned to, but he has a bad habit of just going to the first clinic nurse he sees and asks them for help. It kind of bothered me, and I thought maybe he didn't want me as his assigned RN. I talked to one of the other nurses there and she said not to take it personally, it was just something he was used to doing. So that is fine, but I don't like that he is putting work for me onto the other nurses, who have their own surgeons to follow. They can be busy enough without his add-ons. It is also proving difficult to get him to sit still for two minutes to review messages and notes, so I feel like I am intruding on his time. Here's hoping he and I will get ourselves in sync soon.

On another front I took in a new foster dog tonight. This little guy is the first one I've cared for that came from a really bad home situation - abuse and most likely a puppy mill set up. He is very shut down, yelps and snaps/soft bites if he is touched and just flattens to the ground when he is overwhelmed by the attention - or in this case, my four obnoxious dogs who bark their heads off if he even moves. He hasn't moved far; I had him on lead up to the kitchen but when he wouldn't let me take his lead off he went back down to the foyer. I want to give him some space, but with the other dogs dashing over to bark at him every three minutes I keep entering his safe zone. The last time, though, he did give my hand a decent sniffing, but would not follow me back up to the main level.

Nothing else new going on... I was invited to be on the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour float for this Saturday's Pride Parade, but if the new dog is still in avoidance mode I may skip it in order to watch over him. I am going to re-name him too. His current name is awful and completely unimaginative (and he's a Chihuahua, so his name is also kinda racist). Maybe with being called a new name he will dissociate from the bad experiences.

And how are y'all today?

Whoa, I had no idea it had been over 7 months since I last updated this journal, and even longer since I visited Dreamwidth! It has been a jam-packed few months, but still, not an excuse for failing to drop in and check out my lovely F-listers!

I guess the most exciting thing that has happened in the past while was some surgery I had a couple of weeks ago. With zero warning I started having some substernal pain early one morning, which over the course of 4 hours had crept up through my chest and clear through to my back. Realizing that there was a definite problem, I had a parent drive me to the ER, which involved a lot of poking, pressing and ultrasounding. Pain was getting worse, but nothing touched it until I caved and took some S/C hydromorphone. The pain of that injection was almost worse than my belly, but once it started to kick in it definitely took the edge off the discomfort. So, the verdict was I was having a gallbladder attack. Whee. I had one stone that was positioned just right (in the gallbladder neck, right next to the duct) that the only solution was surgery. All went well with the laparoscopic procedure and the post-op pain was well tolerated with pain meds. I was SO happy when oral meds were covering the pain, because having to face those injections every few hours was harsh. I was off work for two weeks - some people think I need to take at least two more weeks - and I trial going back onshift this Friday. So we shall see then if I need more time off.

The other stuff I've been doing - aside from work and union business - has been fostering dogs for a local rescue. I've fostered three dogs so far through to their adoption and, for better or worse, I just volunteered to foster another that needs to come to the big city for treatment after being hit by a car. I might not get the pup, but of course, competitive me, put in the 'I can do it!' comment the moment the Facebook post hit my screen - and the pup isn't even in this province yet! So we will see.

What else of note... Well, fandom-wise, little has changed, with the exception of the addition of the Marvel 'Verse, specifically Agents of Shield. Yep, I became a Coulson girl last fall (watching The Avengers 20 times on the Movie channels helped move that process along...) and despite its slow start I really thought the second half of it's season (post-release of Thor: The Dark World lived up to the grand promise of a Marvel + Whedon enterprise. I can't wait for the second season to start.

Please tell me how y'all are and what's been the goings on! I really miss you guys. I am going to have to schedule LJ time on my calendar from now on!

Just when I think I am going to have a better presence on LJ I get distracted by CrackBook, work and other life shenanigans. Here I am for the umpteenth time trying to get back into the flow around here!

So the past couple of months have been interesting. Work and Union stuff hasn't really changed; it is neither better nor worse than at the last time I posted. Family-wise, the parents have gone out of their way to clean up their lives, in a financial way at least. They took a mortgage out on the house and paid off several bills, including a car loan that was in my name for their truck, taxes and some other debts. While that is good, it is bad in another way: the long-term plan is to put their house into my name, so that if mother fucks up again in the future, the house cannot be compromised, however I am now saddled with having a house, soon in my name, with a mortgage attached, and the plan was for me to use the house to secure a serious home renovation loan, which now will be less the $40 grand mortgage cost. That puts a major dent in what I wanted to do - and what needs to be done - to get the house back in order and improve its value. I am not short-shrifting anything: I want real, plank wood floors, not laminate. I want real ceramic tile floors for the bathrooms, not vinyl. I want a third level, a re-landscaped back yard, new appliances, furniture... the whole shebang. This will be my house so I want to do it right.

The one really new thing in my life is that I recently started to foster rescue dogs. I got my first foster pup a couple of weeks ago, and the Sunday before Hallowe'en, after being with me for 5 days, he went to a new home. Unfortunately, it did not work out: the lady who took him was very nice, but the pup was too much for her to handle on her own. She has a baby and her husband is away at work, and this pup is very high-energy and still needs a lot of training. So, today he came back to stay with me until another adopter is found. His name is Howie, he is estimated to be 5 months old, and came from a far-north town in Labrador. Howie is a Reserve dog, a largely homeless mutt that, due to their incredible numbers have earned the breed name of 'Mushkadoodle'. These dogs are mixes of Husky, Retriever, Collie, Shepherd and other working-dog breeds that are left to run free, reproduce, and spend their lives scavenging for food and shelter. Most Reserves, sadly, solve their stray dog problems by shooting them in massive culls. A private rescue in my city, called Litters 'n Critters, have arranged air lifts, one or two a year, to bring dogs and pups down from Labrador to find adopters here in Nova Scotia. The dogs come in a myriad of colours and coat patterns, but they all have one thing in common: as puppies, they are fluffy balls of fur with glittering eyes that are the definition of adorable.

Here is Howie, after coming back into my house tonight:



Because he still needs training, he is currenty tethered to my waist, and is jumping and running in place playing with two of my other dogs. He is getting SO tangled in his lead, but until his housebreaking skills improve, he can't roam the house.

Well, that is long enough for a 'Hey, here I am again!' post! Off to find something to make for supper...

Like wolfling I need to remind people I do exist! CrackBook is very distracting...


- Bold all of the following TV shows of which you've seen 3 or more episodes.
- Italicize a show if you're positive you've seen every episode.
- Asterisk * if you have at least one full season on tape, DVD, or blu ray.
- If you want, add up to 3 additional shows (keep the list in alphabetical order).

@ denotes my additions


( The ListCollapse )

You forget to login to LJ for awhile and somehow your journal style changes.

Hi world :)

Yet again I have had an unplanned sabbatical from El-Jay. Mostly it was due to me forgetting to check in, and not for some other kerfuffle-y thing, tru fax. Plus, having enrolled my dog Sammy in daycare has resulted in many hours of refreshing the place's FB page looking for pictures of my baby, which is one of the reasons I chose to put him in that daycare. My early birthday present from my parents was a gift certificate for 10 more days at the centre. Which is good; Sam loves it there and has made many doggie friends.

I have nothing fandomish to comment on; I somewhat enjoyed the season finale of The Walking Dead and am glad it is only a 6 month wait until Season 4. SPN and Arrow are soon wrapping up their seasons, so the PVR is ready and waiting, as I will be working nightshifts later in May and won't see them as they air. I may make a few millon icons in the next few days. I am beginning to not like my PSP X, mostly because of its text function, which has made positioning shit where I want it extremely difficult. I have also lost, somewhere, half of my textures, which are nowhere to be found on my hard drive. I have them on a disc somewhere, but my disc drive stopped working. Sigh.

On a more fun note (?) I am taking a semi-vacation right now. I say semi because the plans I'd hope to have had never happened. What will be happening is many days of spring cleaning and prep for a conference at the end of the month. Plus, without the shiftwork schedule pounding my psyche and body for a couple of weeks, I might get into a more regular sleep/wake cycle, and not require as many drugs to help me sleep or keep me up when I stagger out of bed late in the morning.

How are you out there?

I am losing Fox tonight.

He has been sick for almost two years and nothing has helped. Changing foods, medication after medication, which only recently gave him a full week of relief from vomitting. He is so dehydrated now that his eyes are truly sunken. He picks at food, will drink, but not clean himself afterwards. The meowing and crying have returned after a merciful three day reprieve after we started the latest medication.

I have been crying all week. I was a mess on the phone talking to the vet clinic yesterday. I know it is time. Fox, on some level, knows it is time. No matter what I tell myself - or what other 'kindhearted people' tell me - I feel like I am abandoning him, giving up, not being his protector and trusted companion. I am failing him. Or I have already failed him. Either way the guilt is killing me.

But, then again, it's not about me. Right?

No one has asked my opinion regarding many recent current events, so, in true Dean Winchester style, I will share them, with you. Feel free to discuss, I am at home sick and am kinda bored, so come play!

The Idle No More movement

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/idle-no-more-movement-gets-sympathy-alleged-american-214955487.html

Glad you are idle no more. Would be gladder if you could offer up words equal parts of strategies to make things better and personal responsibility for your situation.

Lance Armstrong

You deserve nothing. This whole Mea Culpa thing is a fat old sham. You are a liar, a cheat and a bully.

Chief Theresa Spence

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/buckingham-palace-rejects-appeal-intervene-chief-spences-protest-215448879.html

And the Oscar goes to. Tell me where my $34 million went last year and maybe I will forgive you for the multi-million dollar stock portfolio, Escalade, and six figure salary. It must be hard living in Attawapiskat in nice warm house while those in your band don't even have siding or drinkable water. To do so takes alot of character. And you are so a character.

Supernatural

STOP MAKING MY BOYS MAD AT EACH OTHER! I AM SO TIRED OF THE 'WHO WILL SAM/DEAN CHOOSE??' STORYLINE! WRITERS: CREATIVITY. YOU NEED SOME.

And explain to me your rationale of recycling character names all of a sudden? I know you recycle actors, but the names? WTF are you up to?


Jim Butcher

Jim, very glad that you finally released the next Harry Dresden novel. Not so glad that you continue to shove a zillion problems in Harry's face and not give the reader a chance to experience ( SPOILERYCollapse )

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND.............

1. Where did you begin 2012?
In bed. ALONE. Asleep.

( More stuffs here!Collapse )

One should never shop when one is emotional.

One winds up with a bruised Visa card and an iPad 2.

One became emotional because ( hidden for sadnessCollapse ).

Today is the first time in a very looooooooong while that I have worn tights.

I now remember why I hated wearing them.

Never again!!!!!

Best played with the volume on LOUD! This song popped into my mind a couple of weeks ago and is included in Great Big Sea's XX collection...

http://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/type1.php

Enneagram Type 1 - The Reformer

Perfectionists, responsible, fixated on improvement

Enneagram type 1 - The ReformerPeople of this personality type are essentially looking to make things better, as they think nothing is ever quite good enough. This makes them perfectionists who desire to reform and improve; idealists who strive to make order out of the omnipresent chaos.

Ones have a fine eye for detail. They are always aware of the flaws in themselves, others and the situations in which they find themselves. This triggers their need to improve, which can be beneficial for all concerned, but which can also prove to be burdensome to both the One and those who are on the receiving end of the One's reform efforts.

The One's inability to achieve the perfection they desire feeds their feelings of guilt for having fallen short, and fuels their incipient anger against an imperfect world. Ones, however, tend to feel guilty about their anger. Anger is a "bad" emotion, and Ones strive sincerely and wholeheartedly to be "good." Anger is therefore vigorously repressed from consciousness, bursting forth in occasional fits of temper, but usually manifesting in one of its many less obvious permutations - impatience, frustration, annoyance and judgmental criticality. For this reason, Ones can be difficult to live with, but, on the high side, they tend to be loyal, responsible and capable partners and friends.

Ones are serious people; they tend to be highly principled, competent and uncompromising. They follow the rules and expect others to do so as well. Because they believe so thoroughly in their convictions, they are often excellent leaders who can inspire those who follow them with their own vision of excellence. Reform movements are frequently spearheaded by Ones.

Ones are often driven and ambitious, and are sometimes workaholics. But whatever their professional involvement, they are definitely active, practical people who get things done. They are natural born organizers, listmakers who finish everything on the list, the last one to leave the office, the first one to return, industrious, reliable, honest and dutiful.

The relentlessness of their pursuit of the ideal can make Ones tense people who have a hard time relaxing and who unnecessarily deny themselves many of the harmless pleasures of life. They tend to be emotionally repressed and uncomfortable with expressing tender feelings; they generally see emotionality as a sign of weakness and lack of control. They are seldom spontaneous. They have multiple interests and talents however; they are self-reliant and seldom run out of things to do.

Ones are often intelligent and independent and can easily mistake themselves for Fives, but unlike Fives, Ones are primarily people of action, not thought. Ones tend to worry and are prone to anxiety and can sometimes mistype as Sixes, but they are far less affiliative than Sixes and their standards are not reached by seeking consensus with a group. Finally, the relentless pursuit of perfection can take its toll and lead to depression. At such times, a One can mistype as a Four. But Fours have a tendency towards self-indulgence whereas Ones are self-denying. Fours are emotionally expressive; Ones are emotionally constrained.

Justin Trudeau to Announce Liberal Leadership Run

About fricken time.

For the cute li'l roley-poley panda :) Panda brightened my day!