sharpeslass

Sir Terry Pratchett

2015-03-12T21:14:15Z

WTF, Universe?? Are you trying to take away everything good?

RIP Terry Pratchett. Your books have brought me such joy and will continue to do so.

I hope DEATH is as much fun for you as you always made him for your readers.

Here is a great article by Neil Gaiman and a blog post:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett-angry-not-jolly-neil-gaiman

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2015/03/terry-pratchett.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

(And I will actually respond to some folks soon. Once work stops sucking and my sci-fi/fantasy icons stop popping off).

RIP - Leonard Nimoy

2015-02-27T17:51:39Z

Very sad news. The character he created was an inspiration and a comfort to me as a shy, intellectual, and "different" child, and continues to live in my heart through my adult years.

Leonard Nimoy may have moved on, but Spock will never, ever die. He is a huge part of the American mythology and will, I think, always be remembered.

sharpeslass @ 2012-05-30T17:07:00

2012-05-31T00:05:17Z

Con essay that is mostly about meeting my favorite English language voice actor

Questions including: “What Ouran ship does the actor who voices the English-dubbed Kyouya support?”, “Which female Sci-Fi author has a heart of gold?”, “What will Sharpeslass’ cats break when left alone for three days?” and “What will Sharpeslass break in Canada?” are answered under the cut.

I’m wordy and this is a bit long. I won’t be offended if you skim it… or skip it!!

I got home from Canada Monday after spending several lovely days in caseria’s beautiful historical country attic and visiting Anime North. My camera is broken, so sadly I did not take photos, but I did get a few from Caes-kun which I will include here. I'll try not to repeat the ones she used.

Caes lives in this beautiful country area which is green and full of massive trees and hills and rustic homes and farmland and stables. She lives in the converted attic of an historical house. It is an adorable apartment, but to get there you must first climb the Stairs of Death. I know Caes has naturally thin legs, but always wondered how, when she exercises about as often as I do, they were so toned. I no longer wonder. My upper thighs still ache. Getting my giant pink suitcase up there (twice) was something else.

“What will Sharpeslass break in Canada?”

We spent Friday questing for foods one cannot get in the U.S. (sausage rolls, pork pies and treacle tarts) and having our toes tended at a really luxe (yet not too pricey) day spa. I managed to snap a display shelf off the wall in the waiting room and got the side-eye of death from the proprietress but spent enough $$$ that she was smiling at us and telling us to come back soon by the time we departed.

I first met the gals on Thursday night after my flight arrived, and we met up again Friday night at an Asian restaurant/sauna for supper. We spent an hour or so chatting in the parking lot after the meal, since the restaurant was too warm for comfortable hanging. All of the girls ( epiphany_tiff, svana_vrika, theskywasblue, and seshats_prodigy ) were wonderful.

All of us at dinner

Seshats fairly shines with joy, humour and kindness. (Is having a good soul the secret to a glowing complexion???) Actually, they all do. I’m not a big seer of “auras”, or whatever you want to call ‘em, but these ladies have auras you can’t miss. They glow with goodness; they are just lovely souls through and through. There are far too few people with spirits like that in the world (or at least in mine) so it was rejuvenating to be around them.

Oh, and lest I forget, I met Seshat’s hubby as well. He is quite funny in a wry, misanthropic way and very comfortable hanging with fangirls. I’m always slightly fascinated by relationships that work without one or the other partner being subjugated in some way. I’m glad some people still have that.

The cute couple

Best photo of me from this trip

Saturday morning Caes and I packed up and lugged my giant pink suitcase down the stairs and got into the car to head to the con. We drove through at Tim Hortons – a coffee shop she speaks of often. I, a Starbucks junkie, was not impressed. They don’t have non-fat lattes (a Tim Horton’s latte has 900 calories). In fact, the place we went didn’t have lattes at all. They had iced cappuccinos, which sounded promising, but it turns out they were actually coffee milkshakes. Tasty, sure, but not what I’d had in mind. Caes ordered a steeped tea and got a coffee. So “Timmies” of legend was pretty much 0 for 0.

There were 15,000 people at the con, which spanned three hotels.

I’ve been to world con and I swear there weren’t that many people there.

A huge part of the reason I decided to attend this convention was that J. Michael Tatum (voice of Kyouya from Ouran, Komui Lee from D.Gray-man, Sebastian from Black Butler, France from Hetalia, Domeki from xxxHolic, and many, many, many more) was going to be there. I signed Kare and I up for the brunch knowing it would be our best chance to actually talk with him without an autograph line time limit. I’ve been to creation events of a similar nature but this was better: first of all, it was in no way over sold. I think there were maybe 30 people there max – including guests; secondly, it wasn’t expensive. Creation charges about $85 a ticket for these things. On the down-side (at first glance) it wasn’t as organized. Creation rotates its guests from table to table keeping the time spent at each pretty even. In this case, it was really up to the fen to go up and initiate a conversation. This is something I can’t do under the best of circumstances.

I spotted my boy at the table next to ours as soon as we sat down and immediately lost my appetite and started to quiver. I did go get a plate (buffet) with Kare so that I wouldn’t just be sitting there watching him eat. I poked at a few potatoes, but was unable to choke down a thing. (If I could live in a constant state of nervous anxiety I would lose a lot of weight. Depression makes me hungry; stress makes me hungry; tiredness makes me hungry. The only two things that kill my appetite are utter and complete devastating heartbreak and nervousness.) When we went up for more coffee I mentioned that I’d be sad if we didn’t get to talk to him. A woman, who I thought at the time was with the con, overheard us and said that this group didn’t seem that organized but that I should go and talk to my voice actor. She said that she knew he would love to talk to fans like the two of us (read, I suspect, ‘not complete freaks.’ How little she knows!) and she had me point him out to her. She tried to lead me over but I was all, “No. I’m shy!! I don’t want to interrupt his breakfast!!” etc.

We went back to our table and ended up having an entertaining conversation with some of the event staff sitting at the same table. Of course my attention never fully wavered from the object of my affection and so I noticed when the woman who had been speaking with us earlier approached JMT and wasn’t entirely taken by surprise when he sauntered over (lithe and graceful as a jungle cat. Rowrl.) to our table.

“I hear someone over here is shy?” he said. I raised my quivering hand. “Me too!” he said exuberantly, manifesting complete anti-shyness. He sat down with us and, against all odds, I managed to converse like a normal person. Obviously I wouldn’t expect you to believe me on that one, but Caes said so. She said I didn’t act even slightly like a drooling idiot. We discussed Arlington, TX (where he lives and I used to live) and other kind of normal things. He put on my kitty cat ears. Daw!!! (You can see him in my kitty ears at Caes journal here: http://caeseria.livejournal.com/183876.html#cutid1 I didn’t want to repeat too many snaps, but that one is so worth looking at.)

“What Ouran ship does the actor who voices the English-dubbed Kyouya support?”

We did talk anime of course… it couldn’t be avoided really. I did mention thinking that Kyouya and Tamaki should have ended up together. He replied, rather adamantly, that he thought Kyouya and the twins should have ended up together. He really likes the twins and takes lots of photos of twin cosplayers. He showed me one of two actual male twins cosplaying the twins (with himself in between them) and we discussed how hot they were. Michael's partner of ten years (in the yaoi way. Score!) was a darling as well and seemed to be enjoying the general scene. They told a story of how some kids had been talking to Michael about what voices he had done etc., then turned to his partner and said, “Whose voice are you?” and he responded with “I’m the voice of reason.”

They are both clever and cute and I want them as my friends. Alas, my stupid ex husband lives in Arlington (along with an ex, crazy ass, threatened-to-kill-my-cat lover) so I cannot go back. Woe.

There was lots of hugging and picture taking and then the other fangirls who had been lurking on the periphery finally closed in and we decided we’d taken enough attention. I know that I've squeed badly here, but if you’d met him, you would squee as well. Even Caes was a convert to the cult of J.M.T. And she normally won’t look twice at a non-ninja.

“Which female Sci-Fi author has a heart of gold?”

Of course I was still rambling on about our close encounter whilst in the restroom stall afterward. I called out to Ceas, “None of that would have happened if that woman hadn’t helped us!” And someone said “I thought I recognized your voices!” I came out of the stall and there was the Helpful Woman/Saint. As it turns out, she is not a con organizer, but an actual writer of published science fiction novels. We all introduced ourselves (in the ladies room) and she pulled out one of her novels and autographed it for me and just gave it to me. Free of charge just like that. I tell you… What a NICE FUCKING HUMAN BEING, wot?

Her name is Julie E. Czerneda. Anyone know of her? Anyone read anything by her? I’ll be reading her now. I can’t not. I sort of floated around for the rest of the day on a cloud of “nice.” It has been a while since I’ve experienced that much kind person-ness all in one place.

As Caes reported, there was cosplaying and then there was drinking yummy drinks in our hotel room. I kind of nodded off during the fart joke portion of the evening, but kept one ear open in case any cock jokes happened. Over all I think the day had just been too much excitement for me (that or the tranquilizers I’d been forced to take when I first spotted JMT finally caught up with me).

At 4 a.m. (the party well over, for our group anyway) I went out to go have a smoke. A young man was out there smoking as well and turned to me and said, “Are you here with the con, or just staying at the hotel?” “I’m with the con,” I answered. “So you are young at heart, huh? That’s cool.”

Thanks kid; fucking feck off.

I smiled at him and laughed. But I really wanted to kick him in the junior mints so badly. How fucking old do I look anyway? Oh, well. It will be his turn someday. Heh.

Anyway, it was a great weekend full of great people and great food and a nice cat. Many thanks to the gals for hanging out wif me and to Caes for letting me stay at her place and going to the Brunch of No Eating (but who cares) with me (at least she ate; she bacon loaded).

“What will Sharpeslass’ cats break when left alone for three days?”

My cats survived without me and at least one of them reached new heights in my absence (ie: the nail polish shelf). There is some kind of modern artwork in iridescent pink, $14.50-a-bottle, Butter of London nail varnish on my tile bedroom floor as we speak. I’m thinking I might leave it there. Cat paintings sell for quite a bit these days…. I want to encourage their artistic impulses but I would like to steer them toward a less pricey (and destructive) medium. The broken glass is concerning.

Now I have to get ready for a visit from lauand who is arriving tomorrow night!!!

For better con-reports, with lots more pictures, be sure to check out svana_vrika’s, theskywasblue’s, and caeseria’s posts at: http://svana-vrika.livejournal.com/56625.html, http://theskywasblue.livejournal.com/286097.html, and http://caeseria.livejournal.com/183876.html?view=3937604#t3937604.

Hopefully we will see something from seshats_prodigy, and epiphanytiff as well, since I believe they all had functioning cameras.

sharpeslass @ 2012-05-11T12:01:00

2012-05-11T18:59:55Z

Happy, happy, happy Birthday, to Jedishampoo.

I don't know how to make big pretty letters, but I am totally doing an interpretive dance for the occasion. It is a physical representation of giant flashing birthday greeting. I ask you to visualize this at different points during the day.

I hope you go out and party like it's 2007 (I think that was the birthday where you spilled a bloody mary on a black jack table and then crawled on your hands and knees from the bathroom to the casino lounge, pausing to wave a friendly hello to a security guard on the way. Ah, good times, good times indeed).

love you bebeh!!!

MWAH!!!

Cats

2012-03-03T00:43:47Z

I know, I know. I am so behind on LJ again. Work has been sucking away my time (and my will to live). I want to spend some time on it this weekend, but pre-spring cleaning must take precedence. I want everything neat as a pin before the summer bugs make their appearance. I've not lived in this house over a summer, so I don't know how bad it is going to get. Roaches must have NO PLACE TO HIDE!! And I still have all my office stuff in boxes and all my photos/prints/etc. in boxes in the garage. I'm such a lazy procrastinator.

But I have not brought you all here to listen to me talk about cleaning. No. I has new kitteh pictures to share. Behold them, under the cut!

This photo essay is called "Lirin (aka: Trouble Muffin) Discovers Television."

This was some random Jim Carey movie. I wouldn't normally have watched it, but she seemed to be enjoying it so much I didn't have the heart to change the channel

(until after she'd lost interest and wandered off to hunt and kill some of my beloved stuffed animals before taking a nap).

In Nina-cat's nearly 20 years on the planet, she never once even noticed the T.V. I always thought those "movies for pets" were a ridiculous waste of money, but now I'm not so sure. This behavior is something of a novelty for me. I welcome input from fellow cat owners; do your cats watch t.v.?

Next installment: "Suki (aka: Bandit) Helps with the Household Chores."

Television Cat-astrophe

2012-01-27T21:05:50Z

My kitten is a brat and Suki is learning to be naughty from her. Lirin wiggled under the entertainment center last night and turned off the power to the whole system. My tivo was recording and I lost a whole episode of project runway. My kitteh apparently hates fashion...

The Best Part of the New Testament

2012-01-22T08:40:18Z

Every now and then, I read the bible. Not as a true believer, but as a constant seeker and as (in a minimal, unprofessional way) a scholar. I recently downloaded the New Testament to my kindle. I chose the King James 2009 version because the totally "free" versions seemed to come with an agenda and a dubious translation (not that every translation isn't dubious).

This was what I found at the preface, and I was blown away:

This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality , ethnicity and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work.

HELLO??? YES!!! GOOD FOR THEM!!! That is all I have to say.... (well, that and that my kittens - all over the computer nao - are SOOOOOOO kyooooooooot.)

and since I'm spamming everyone with old stuff anyway....

2012-01-20T22:58:53Z

Michael Fassbender is my most recent Object de Lust. When I saw him in Inglorious Basterds I had that same punched-in-the-gut reaction I had when I first saw Mr. Fiennes in Schindler's List - that breathless, Ohmygodthatmanisbeautiful!! reaction.

So this from George Clooney at the Globes was fun (for those of you who didn't see it):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsqBhsZBQPs

I'm going to go see Shame this weekend. Yes I am. It is playing in just one theatre in town, and I will drive all the way to that one theatre.

Ralph Fiennes Reads HP Slash in his Pajamas

2012-01-20T22:38:21Z

You may have all seen this. I hadn't until a dear friend sent it my way. And I needed to see this. So very much. If you haven't, you need to see this also.

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2012/01/ralph-fiennes-fan-fiction.html

I love that man. He is teh hotness...

Cats and Cat Goddesses (and Gods)

2012-01-20T04:30:13Z

My vet thinks Lirin is a bit chubby. (As I suspected). Also she thinks she may be part maine coon because of her tufty ears. I hope it is just a small part, because I looked up Maine Coons and they are some massive freakin' cats. She'll kick poor Suki's ass if Suki doesn't hurry up and establish dominance (in spite of the current size difference, this is not happening).

Today's happy, healthy kitteh pictures are dedicated to the Cat Goddesses theskywasblue and helliongoddess and the cat god thehood. All of them know why.

pics under the cut... (brought to you by my lousy camera-work and the deft computer skillz of jedishampoo).

NOW WITH 100% MOAR PICTURES

2012-01-09T20:03:19Z

I posted about the misguided nursing attempt, but omitted photographic evidence of same. My apologies and kitty nursing shots under the cut. Totally SFW!!

Edit: I need to thank Jedishampoo for helping me by uploading every single, solitary photo ever posted to my LJ. Thank you SO MUCH dear!!! I don't know what I would do without you helping me out all the time!!

Mea culpa!

cat closeness

2012-01-09T07:40:39Z

Lirin is nursing on Suki.

chubby cats (heading corrected for naughty slang)

2012-01-09T04:46:36Z

Lirin is getting a bit chunky!! I think it is cute, but the vet says that happens when they are spayed too early (not even three months and they spayed her!!!) Should I be worried? She is so active and cute. She's wider around the middle than Suki though... I don't even care unless it is a health issue. As far as I'm concerned, my cats are beautiful unless they are starving, but I don't know if I should be monitoring it or not. I'll ask the vet next week. She's so cute and round, like a dumpling though! I think it is just her chubby toddler age...

Kitty Love

2012-01-09T04:14:05Z

So, things seem a bit better between them. Actually, now I'm being left out a bit...

Kitty love under the cut. SFW.

Desegregation of the kitty cat nation

2012-01-08T05:14:55Z

So, the vet was thrilled with Suki's progress, saying she had expected this kind of health not today, but a week from today. She said she'd been really scared for Suki!!

She also gave her the all-clear for cohabitation. So we are all together now. And I need advice!!! Qat Questions under the Qut.

At first they both seemed to be chasing each other around equally (okay, Lirin was following Suki a bit more than Suki was following Lirin). It was mostly about Lirin jumping on Suki and Suki bopping Lirin across the room (in one case, upside down into the litter box). But Lirin remained undaunted.

The problem is, Suki is now Over It. She has now hissed quite a few times, growled (yes, growled) once, and looks thoroughly ticked whenever Lirin goes be-bopping into "her" room - which is of course where Lirin wants to be most. Suki, naturally, still seems to think of the guest room as "hers" and I don't want it to be a cat room at all; that was NOT the plan! Of course, the only way I can keep Lirin out of that room is by shutting Suki in.

So, do I leave them alone and let them sort it out? Am I being overly protective of Suki's rights? I can't be constantly putting her in that room and shutting the door, especially as I would like it to be a guest room again at some point. And Suki doesn't want her access to the house cut off, she just doesn't want Lirin in her room. She just has nowhere to retreat when Lirin gets too frisky.

Will Lirin learn to leave Suki the hell alone when Suki doesn't want to play? Will Suki learn to tolerate Lirin? I think she's really stressed out right now. She's also been doing a trilling sort of meow-purr at me, like she wants something, but I have no idea what it is she wants. *sigh* I fail at cat-mommying.

Tell me what to do... try to arrange time outs for Suki? or let them sort it out on their own?

I await your wisdom, oh Neko-samas.

Right now Suki is on a blanket on a stack of unpacked boxes right behind my computer chair in the office. Lirin is shut in the bedroom. This arrangement suits Suki fine and suits me, as I can reach back and pat her, but she doesn't try to get on the keyboard or in front of the 'puter (she is a very mature and mellow cat for just 10 months), but this arrangement won't suit Lirin for long. Lirin isn't allowed in the 'puter room as she gets into little nooks and crannies I can't get her out of again. I don't want to be constantly shutting cats into various rooms for time outs... and I don't know if it is ultimately good for them to do so. But I repeat!

some photos as a reward:

Exploring... (tentatively)

BAD KITTY!!!

Another Cat Update (and photos!)

2012-01-03T21:46:05Z

Okay, so Suki came home on Saturday, after racking up another $450 in vet bills. She could have stayed at a strip hotel for less. (For those of you counting, it was $1,500 total, $500 which was covered by the animal shelter and $450 of which was covered by a guardian angel.) But more importantly, and making it all worth-while is that she is doing really well.

Cat update (and KITTEN PHOTOS) under the cut.

Suki is aggressively affectionate. Her favorite thing to do is put both paws on my chest or shoulders and knead vigorously while head butting me in an attempt to line up our lips and rub cat slobber into my mouth. She wouldn’t eat when I first got her home and hadn’t been eating at the vets. I left her in a room with dry food and tuna and she touched neither for seven hours. When I finally sat down holding the bowl, she crawled into my lap and ate the tuna for me. I repeated the procedure several hours later with the dry food and that seems to have gotten her eating and, as a result, using the litter box. She doesn’t want to play like most cats her age would, but she loves being petted. I do wonder about her lack of interest in toys and strings and things. Nina stayed interested in such things well into her second decade and Suki is only ten months old. She is well over being kept in a room, in spite of me spending several hours with her each day. She wants out.

Lirin is sneezing and snuffling up a storm, but is still playful. More so than ever. She has sort of the opposite problem from Suki and can now only be snuggled when she is well and truly knackered. She is getting in the habit of attacking hands that pet. Any idea how to train her out of this? It was a problem with Nina for most of her life. It was my fault, because I encouraged rough play in her. But I’ve no idea how to discourage it. Hints? Tips? Tricks? She has almost ended up stuck in the fridge and tried to jump into a hot oven last night. I’m not sure how these creatures survive in the wild. Everytime I’m persuaded to give her the run of the house while at work she does something phenomenally ill-advised and changes my mind back.

In short, things are going as well as can be hoped and will hopefully stay that way – I’m just hoping that little Lirin doesn’t take a turn for the worse. Keep those positive vibes coming; I know they helped Suki get better!!

Okay… now for some photos.

Lirin: Cuteness is key to survival

Stalking her prey

Killing her prey

More cuteness

This was taken before the illness and subsequent separation.

I really, really, really hope that we are back to this sort of thing by this time next week!! Suki has her follow up appointment on Saturday. I want Lirin better by then as well, but that may be too much to hope for. I just don’t want Suki to catch it back from Lirin; it could potentially go on forever if it isn’t the same bug (but I don’t see how it wouldn’t be). It is my hope that Suki might be a calming influence on Lirin and Lirin might convince Suki to cut loose and do some Running Around the House Like Your Tail is on Fire for No Particular Reason as befits a feline of her tender years.

Much love to you all and thank you soooo much for wishing my kitty family well. I KNOW your good thoughts aided in Sukiyaki’s recovery. If you have any left, please aim them Lirin’s way.

*glomps you all*

Yes, it is another cat update. I'm well on my way to "crazy cat lady"

2011-12-31T01:35:32Z

I went to the vets and saw Suki this afternoon and I was shocked in a wonderful way at how well she looked. She was wide eyed and meowy and patted at me through the bars and rubbed up against my hand and seemed generally happy to see me. She was clean and non-snotty and breathing well. In fact, had it not been for the IV hookup on her paw, I wouldn't have known she was even ill. The vet did want to keep her one more night until her fever comes down a bit more, but she is responding really well to the new antibiotics and appears to be out of danger. (I hesitate to say it out of superstition, but I can't withhold good news from you guys just because I'm paranoid).

Lirin is still sneezy, but active. Also... veeeery small kitty/veeery big gas. No more tuna for baby. Eaugh.

Again thank you soooooooooooooo much for your kind thoughts. I think they have really helped.

Cat Update

2011-12-30T18:52:55Z

Lirin was very stuffy and sneezy last night and this a.m. She is still eating and playing however. She is not a lap cat as much as a neck cat. She gets on my chest or shoulder while I'm watching t.v. or reading and wodges herself under my chin. It is like having a fluffy, warm, fur stole wrapped around my throat. One that purrs. And sneezes directly in my face every few minutes for variety.

Suki's fever is down and she's eating for the vet. The vet would feel better were she to stay one more night, however. They are going to check and see if they have a cage for me. I'm stopping by to pick up the new antibiotic for Lirin (the one that has been working on Suki) and if they haven't found a cage, I'll go buy one and have the afternoon today (we get off early) to set up the guest quarters for M'lady Sukiyaki.

So both cats should be home tomorrow and will be separated for three to five days depending on mucous outputs. The vet says there isn't much I can do about Suki sleeping in her litter box if that is what she wants to do. Oh, well. I'll try to at least provide her with a cozy alternative or two.

Love you all - keep up the good thoughts; I think they are working!!!

Cage?

2011-12-29T18:54:54Z

Rroselavy suggested a cage enclosure for Suki when she comes home. This might be a good solution and it would ensure that darting cats didn't come into contact. I could pick up even an over-sized dog carrier and put in all her needs (food, water, small litter pan) and then when I'm visiting her in the guest room and the door is shut, I could open the cage in case she wanted to come out... What do you guys think? Would this be a good and secure thing, or would she feel like she was still at a shelter/hospital?

Some Better News fingers crossed

2011-12-29T17:38:49Z

My friends are saints and santa clauses and I love them all. The emotional (and other kinds) of support from you folks has been AMAZING AND AWESOME and there is no WAY on earth that Suki won't make a full recovery with people like you in her corner.

I went by the vet's office yesterday and Suki had eaten half a can of food. She is breathing better and seems more alert. Her temperature is still too high for her to come home but the doctor seems to think today or tomorrow.

Lirin was sneezing less today, when I expected things to get worse by day three (as they did with Suki) so that is great news.

The real stress now is going to be keeping them separated. I only have really one good room for cats and that is my bedroom. I'm going to convert the guest room into a sick kitty room for Suki to the best of my abilities. There are still more hard-to-reach places to hide in there than I'm entirely comfortable with, but needs must when the devil drives, as they say.

I don't know how I'm going to split my attention either. If anyone has ever had to put a cat into solitary confinement, I'd appreciate advice and wise words.

I love you all and will reply to your comments sometime today. Every one of them meant so much to me and you are all Godmammas to my kittehs!!

Not Really Good News

2011-12-28T17:32:41Z

Spoke to the vet this a.m. Suki's fever has not gone away and she appears to be nauseous and is still not eating. The main priority continues to be keeping her away from Lirin (who was sneezing like the dickens this am. Every tiny kitty "choo!" was like a little arrow to my heart. cliched, but true nonetheless). The cost has edged up to $450. When I asked if we could make the shelter cover any of this, the vet said they would just offer to take Suki back. Then they would put her to sleep. The fact is, she may die anyway. But only a really heartless person would condemn her to that without at least trying (can't even talk to my mother about this. She's like: "they gave you a sick cat; take it back" This is NOT a broken VCR, mom).

So I am devastated by this news, sick with worry over Lirin's well-being and without any options other than waiting and watching the bill (which I can't afford) edge on up as time passes and holding my breath every time my kitten (whom I already love like whoah) sneezes.

This really wasn't what I was planning when I brought two kitties home with me for the low, low cost of $180. Look, guys!! I bought a Traumatic Experience for Christmas! Awesome!!!

Of Course...

2011-12-27T17:41:05Z

Lirin was sneezing this a.m. Still a whirling dervish, but a sneezing one. So far she has been very easy to medicate however. She doesn't even make a face. Just goes right back to bouncing. I hope the antibiotics keep this mild. The idea of her suffering the way Suki is makes my heart hurt even worse than it does now.

Also - first day at work with her home alone. So worried!!

Cat Update. A very quiet house

2011-12-27T02:27:18Z

So, Suki is not just a little bit sick; she is very, very sick indeed. Not only does she have a ferocious upper respiratory thing, she also has a fairly advanced UTI going. We would not have known about that part except that I threw a puppy pee pad into the carrier when I took her to the vet and she urinated on it and it was like 70% blood. Poor thing was breathing through her mouth and so drooling up a storm. Her eyes were glassy and she was running a fever. Her white count is, quite naturally, through the roof. she is spending the night at the vet's tonight on intravenous antibiotics. the vet decided to give me oral anti-biotics for Lirin as well, because she has been exposed and is so very small.

the real trick is going to be trying to keep the two of them seperated when Suki comes home. The vet thinks they should be kept apart for a bit, but I only really have one good room for cats. The office, aside from having a computer in it, is full of unpacked boxes and stacked things and the guest room has a white sofa (bloody urine + white sofa = suck) AND my modem and phone jack, etc. So Suki shouldn't be in there for white sofa reasons and Lirin shouldn't be in there for potential kitten entanglements.

Worst case scenario, Suki has some kind of immune thing like cat herpes, which is a recurring infection and will likely be passed to poor Lirin. Best case, it is an infection (or two) which can be cleared up with antibiotics and the same antibiotics will keep Lirin from getting too sick.

either way, I'm at $300 in vet bills already. If we decide that Suki needs to spend another night, that will go up.

I do really like the vet. She is a young woman (I'd be suprised if she was 30) with glasses and a kind of butch haircut. Very nice and very funny and seems very smart. I like her a lot and Lirin adored her. She was showing off by making the very most of a tissue box, but as soon as the vet left, she stopped and started looking freaked out again. She was definitely being Cute for Effect (and to gain an admirer, which she did). She doesnt' know that this contributed to me taking home nasty tasting medicine for her.

Anyone who prays to gods and goddesses, please offer up a thought for my kitty babies this evening. Suki is in hell. I want her to feel a whole lot better and I want Lirin to not experience what she is going through AT ALL. Honestly, in Nina's 20 years, she was extremely healthy. At the end she had a thyroid issue, but otherwise I think she had maybe one UTI and that was it. So sick cats are a kind of new experience and not necessarily one I really wanted.

I am wiped out. And I have to work tomorrow. And I may be having company later. And I really need to figure out the logistics for when Sukiyaki comes home. ):

Trouble in Purr-adise

2011-12-26T17:44:04Z

So, just hours after it looked like Suki was coming around (and I posted about the kitty snug-fest) her sneezes turned into a full-blown snot festival. She is miserable and has decided her current condition is clearly My Fault. She has retreated back into the lining of the bed. In the bedroom. Where we all sleep. she came out a few times in the night to eat and snuffle and be miserable and sling snot puddles far and wide. Poor little thing won't let me so much as touch her.

My favorite part is when Lirin runs just out of my reach under my bed and stands beneath where Suki is hiding as cat snot rains down upon her like feline germ warfare. This is not good. I already love both cats, but Lirin and I, since we've been hanging out full time for the past three days, and she has been sleeping under the covers with me, have developed a real bond (she is on my computer desk as I type, playing with a pen like it is the coolest fucking thing on the planet - her enthusiasm kills me). I am going to suffer if/when she gets sick and if it should become serious, I don't think I'll survive it. Her health and well being have been entrusted to me and I don't want to fail the poor little dipshit. (Kill that pen, baby!!! Kill it!!)

Meanwhile, I'm worried to death over Suki as well (much thanks to Skywasblue who took my middle of the night fretful e-mails. You are the best, you know. I wish you lived a fuck of a lot closer!! Arg.)

I'm basically feeling put upon by the universe in a "why can't I just have something nice happen for once?" sort of way. Anyway... Assuming I can get myself under the bed and sever the box spring lining with a knife in order to surgically remove Suki (which she will no doubt love me even more for), she has a vet appointment at noon. This will be covered by Lied Animal Shelter, since they cover URIs for 14 days. However, the financial burden isn't my primary concern right now. My bedroom was/is the "cat safe" room where we sleep and where I was planning to leave them when I went to work tomorrow. I don't fancy the idea of Lirin having free run of the house (she's into everything!) while I'm gone and the other two rooms are a tangle of wires and cables and computer nonsense. I'm not even sure why I'm considering separating them at this point anyway, since Lirin has already eaten and drunk buckets of Suki's tasty and abundant mucous (I got a mouthful myself, actually, but I'm not worried about that).

Not loving this. Tell me everything will be fine. Skywasblue, how long will it take for Suki to get better? When will I know if Lirin is getting this? do you think Lirin will start hating me when she gets sick as well or, since she knows me better, do you think she'll let me comfort her (or try) a bit? *sigh*

I want my feline family well and happy and snugggled in bed with me dammit!! Stupid animal shelter. Try to do something good, I tell ya...

Update Le Chat

2011-12-25T23:44:06Z

Quick post - house full of company and more on the way. But my two kittehs are curled up together on my bed being cozy and UTTERLY PRECIOUS! ♥ ♥ ♥

Happy Christmas!!!