nekosensei: (Default)
Scene 1:

Me: *madly types away on her computer*
Cosette: *jumps on the table*
Me: *flips through German textbook*
Cosette: *still sitting on the table*
Me: *doesn't find the answer and starts scratching her head*
Me: *looks at the cat* You don't know so happen to know what the past participle of laufen is, do you?
Cosette: *blinks*
Me: Yeah...I didn't think so.
Me: *goes back to typing away on her computer*

Scene 2:

Me: *tapping away on the computer*
Cosette: *plunks herself down the German textbook*
Me: *goes to use German textbook and realizes that there is a cat on it*
Me: I need to use my book...
Cosette: *blinks*
German textbook: *still being sat on*
Me: Please?
Cosette: *gives the human a kiss on the nose*
Me: Okay...maybe I don't need it that badly.... <-- Yeah...I am so whipped. :)
nekosensei: (Default)
And...I got bit by the insomnia bug last night. This time, I woke up sometime after 4:00 and couldn't get back to sleep. After tossing and turning for a bit, I picked up my pillow and some blankets and headed to the couch downstairs. Surprisingly, I was able to get a bit more sleep. I'm finding that, sometimes, a change of scenery helps when I'm having trouble sleeping. And the good thing about the basement couch is that it's cooler down there and I don't have the husband or the cats poking at me.
nekosensei: (Default)
Imagine that you are turning right out a parking lot onto a busy road. There's a lot of traffic, but you think you can squeeze in when a nearby light changes red. No worries, right? Wrong! Before the light changes, an old geezer in a big honking SUV-- a Ford Expedition, no less-- pulls up next to you and completely obliterates your view. And since it's a busy road with heavy traffic, it takes him for-fucking-ever to turn left. Yeah...that is a major pet peeve of mine. And even worse, these assholes don't take into consideration that a) they're bigger than you; b) they're obstructing your view; and c) you were there first, thank you very much. They just pull up beside you and then pull up all the way to the road so you can't see a fucking thing.

Seriously dude, take your goddamn gas guzzler and cram it up your ass, why don't you?

Okay...Link time! I've been saving these guys up for a while. Some of them are probably old news. Sorry! Just haven't had the time!

- Why cats will never be able to take over the world (Blame [livejournal.com profile] popfiend)

- Sci-fi meets high fashion! - This recent fashion school grad from Columbia College also so happens to be a big Star Trek and Doctor Who fan. Can you tell? (Swiped from someone on [livejournal.com profile] geek_girls_anon I think)

- Some sad news from a day or two ago. Anne Frank tree toppled by high winds and rain

- Ten things I know about the mosque by Roger Ebert. I pretty much agree with everything he says except the iman's choice of location may not have been such a hot idea bit. Muslims as well as Christians, Jews, Atheists, etc. died at Ground Zero. I see no reason why they can't build a mosque near there. And wasn't there an Islamic Center at that location before the World Trade Center fell anyway? Sorry, I don't see what the big deal is about...other than many of my countrymen are as xenophobic as all get out. (Link via [livejournal.com profile] ladyfox7oaks)

- Some people on Facebook set up a page petitioning that David Tennant carry the 2012 Olympic Torch dressed as Doctor Who. For those of you not familiar with the show, Doctor Who carries the 2012 Olympic Torch in the episode "Fear Her." I think this is an awesome idea and I would be very happy to see this happen. (I forgot who posted this link. Sorry!)

Lovely

Aug. 21st, 2010 10:43 am
nekosensei: (Default)
I was finishing up my breakfast and surfing the web, when I heard Cosette jump up onto a dining room chair and immediately let out a distressed yelp. I think she pissed off her knee again because she's walking a little bit stiff-legged. Also, when I tried to get her to jump up onto the dining room chair next to me, she didn't want to do it. She would put her front paws on the chair, make like she wanted to jump, and then decide not to. It ended with her looking up at me, sitting on her hind paws, and moving her front paws up and down. In her idiolect, that means, "I want something, but can't get it / do it myself. Can you do it for me?" So, I picked her up and put her on the chair. And yep, that's what she wanted because now she's sitting on the chair and asking for pets.

On the bright side, she doesn't appear to be in any more pain. She's walking around fine, albeit a little stiff-legged, and she's not making any more distressed noises. It's just that she doesn't want to jump up onto anything. For those of you who have just friended me in the last few months, one of Cosette's many health problems is that she's got a bone chip in one of her knees that occasionally get aggravated and another chip starting to form on her other knee. I've taken her to the vet before, and there's nothing they can really do about it short of surgery, and they're reluctant to do that because she has so many health problems. Fortunately, it's one of those things that, if you give it time--and when it's really bad, pain killers-- it will get better on its own.

Oy! My poor lame kitty.
nekosensei: (Default)
This morning, I get to play Schrödinger's bird. Is it alive? Is it dead? Nobody knows!

And come to think of it, why did Schrödinger have to cat a for his little experiment? Cats are hardy. If you put a cat in a box overnight, chances are that it will still be alive in the morning...unless you poison it. Now, birds. That's a different story. Just put a sick birdie in the box, leave it overnight, and I say that he has a 50/50 chance of making until morning. No poison required!

So. What do you think? I leave it up to you. Is it going to be alive when I wander out there in a few minutes?
nekosensei: (Default)
Hey! I meant to write this post several days ago, but time kind of got away from me. Thanks to everybody who commented on this post earlier in the week and helped me figure out which picture of Cosette to use for the paper. I ended up using Picture #1. The photograph came out in today's local paper. I may have snagged a few copies. :)

One of these days I'm going to have to scan the picture and post it here.

Also, thanks you to the many people who congratulated Cosette on her winning the pet of the month and commented on how pretty she is. I meant to thank you individually, but yeah, this week has been INSANE.

And now it's time for a random link dump.

Scientists speculate that they may have found rock formations on Mars that contain fossilized early life. The rocks themselves contain carbonate that, according to the article, is what life eventually turns into once it's buried. Fascinating stuff. It's unfortunate that they're not going to be able to land any vehicles there for several decades because of a combination of uneven terrain and budget cuts at NASA.

Guillermo del Toro announced that he is going to do a screen adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. James Cameron is going to produce it and supposedly this movie is going to be in 3D. Muwahahahaha! (Via [livejournal.com profile] popfiend)

Lastly, this cat macro from icanhascheezburger amuses me. The expressions on the two cats' faces are priceless!
nekosensei: (Default)
This morning I got a phone call from my vet informing me that Cosette had won Pet of the Month. Every time I go in there, I enter her name in the contest and this time she won. Part of the package is that she gets her picture in the paper and a little blurb describing her.

So...dear friend's list, this is where I ask you for help. Which picture should I submit?

Pictures Under the Cut )


And here's the little description I wrote:

"When I went looking for a cat 14 years ago, I didn't pick Cosette out. She picked me. I opened up her cage door and she jumped into my arms and my heart. I named her after a character in the musical, Les Miserables, because the white stripe running down her nose made her look like a sad orphan.

Cosette is fond of tuna, catnip, and long naps in patches of sunlight."
nekosensei: (Default)
Me: *yawn*
Cosette: *yawn*
Me: *yawn*
Cosette: *yawn*

Yeah...I guess it's been a long day.
nekosensei: (Default)
* Yesterday afternoon, [livejournal.com profile] doomsey and I went to see the play, "The Sins of Sor Juana," at the Goodman Theater. My in-laws really liked the play and told me that I was going to enjoy it, but neither [livejournal.com profile] doomsey nor I were very impressed. I think part of the problem is that I'm familiar with her history and her writings and I didn't feel as if the play really did her any justice.

* After the play, [livejournal.com profile] doomsey and I went down to 79th Street to get dinner at Yassa, a Sengalese restaurant. I ordered what I always get when I go there: Maffe. Yes...it is that good that I only order that and nothing else when I go there. *drools at the thought of eating her leftovers Wednesday night*

* My crappy neck muscles have been triggering more headaches / migraines. I had another one last night and wasn't able to go out on my walk.

* This evening I went for my usual walk and saw what I thought were three squirrels climbing a tree. The thing is, they were a little bit too big to be squirrels. I turned on my little flashlight-- great for avoiding skunks and getting hit by cars in general-- and saw three young raccoons blinking down at me. So cute! Too bad I didn't have a decent camera.

* Speaking of walks, I'm down between 15 and 20 pounds thanks to all the exercise I've been getting. Whee!

Reposting this here because Twitpic is being flaky:

Cosette likes to sit with her paws crossed, just like a little lady...

Cut for image )

Link:
Here's an article on how the Cajuns living near the Gulf have been affected by the oil spill. Very sad. (Link via [livejournal.com profile] rm)

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

nekosensei: (Default)
* Work has been a pain in the neck...literally. I had a horrible migraine triggered by my pissed off neck muscles on Monday. (My neck has been screwed up ever since I got a neck sprain in 2007). I spent most of the afternoon laying on the couch downstairs being hurty and sick to my stomach. Needless to say, I didn't manage to get out for my walk that evening. :P

Cosette is on Adequan for her arthritis issues and it's been working for her beautifully. She's much more playful and you can tell she's feeling better. I'm almost tempted to ask the vet and my doctor if I can start taking it for my neck. Or I could just say fuck it and shoot myself up with some of it and see what happens (it has to be taken subcutaneously). Hey...they say some athletes use it for doping so it has been used in humans before (not what I would use it for doping, but if it lets me read for long stretches of time like what I used to do, that would be awesome). And, apparently, Adequan acts a lot like Heparin so it would help with all of my clotting issues too. And no, I won't actually do this, but right now it's looking so so tempting right about now.

Or maybe I should suck it up and start taking glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate....

* It's going up to 92 degrees today. That is pretty damn hot.

* My second cat, Arwen, has a lump on her back. I guess I'm going to have to take her to the vet in August to have things checked out. That is going to be nicht gut because she acts like a hellcat when you take her out of her natural environment (aka our house). The vet and the techs have to handle her with welding gloves. She's not their worst patient-- their worst one managed to bite a tech through the welding gloves-- but she's pretty damn close.

Hmmm...now the question is, which vet in that practice am I going to subject her to?


* [livejournal.com profile] doomsey has been talking about pestering some friends and finding out whether they're free this evening. My reaction? Meh. We're going to a play tomorrow, and I don't feel like doing much of anything today. We've had a lot of weekends this summer where we've been booked solid, and for me, that tends to get draining after awhile. Yeah...I'm such an introvert. I think I'm going to do some reading and then see if maybe [livejournal.com profile] doomsey wants to watch the rest of Torchwood's "Children of Men." We have about three episodes left.


Links:
* Jewel goes into undercover into a Karaoke bar and starts singing her own songs. The results are epic. (Blame [livejournal.com profile] doomsey)

* Commercial done for a library using the same style as the Old Spice commercial. Hilarious! (Via [livejournal.com profile] happyfunpaul)
nekosensei: (Default)
Hey! I've still been so busy that I've been finding a hard time to post. I'm still reading my friend's list and making comments when I get the time.

So...here's some of what's up with me.

Cosette's appetite has been a bit off for months now, and she's losing some weight here and there. She hasn't been throwing up like she used to, and she's still showing an interest in food because she comes up to me and starts begging when it's dinner time. She just doesn't hoggie doggie it down like she used to. While we were in San Francisco for a wedding, [livejournal.com profile] emygination, who had been baby-sitting our cats, remarked that she didn't think Cosette was eating enough on Friday. Fortunately, her appetite picked up on Saturday and Sunday. [livejournal.com profile] emygination thought that it might have been because she missed us, but [livejournal.com profile] doomsey and I talked about things while we were in San Francisco and we decided that it wouldn't hurt to bring her into the vet again and have things checked out anyway.

So...I stuffed Cosette into her crate Thursday morning and trotted off to the vet's office. She decided to take another X-ray because she hadn't had one done in awhile. She pointed out that one of Cosette's kidneys are shriveled, which is not a surprise because she does have kidney issues after all, and that her intestines looked big. She doesn't know if it's a gastro-intestinal problem set off by the kidney issues or something more ominous such as cancer. She told me that she'd do an ultrasound, but it only detects advanced cases. She also doesn't want to do an intestinal biopsy because of all of her health issues. So...we don't really know which of the two things it is. Honestly, I'm not too worried about it right now. I doubt that it's cancer because the vet has been saying for several years now that her intestines are big or feel full, which back then we used to chalk up to her eating too much. And, as I said before, she has the kidney issues and that could be causing the thickening of the intestinal walls. If, by any chance it does turn out to be a slow growing cancer, well, she's just turned fourteen years old this month. She's had a good life. I'd hate to see her go, but, you know. I don't want to put her through any treatments that will make her miserable.

The vet also noticed that Cosette has bad arthritis in her spine and that she has about two areas where the disc space between vertebrae is thin. She thinks part of Cosette's change in appetite might be caused by pain and that's what we should treat first. I'd also like to point out that occasionally during the day, I pick up Cosette's food dish and put it in front of her wherever she's sitting...even if it's on the couch much to [livejournal.com profile] doomsey's chagrin. She doesn't refuse to eat. Instead, she goes "oh hai! there's food here," and will start eating some of it. It's quite possible that her not eating could be caused by the fact that she doesn't want to physically get up and go to the food dish because her back is bothering her.

To treat her back trouble, the vet prescribed her 24mg of Adequan once a week. She did take this drug in the past for arthritis in her back and knees, but had to go off of it because it made her stomach problems worse. She doing much much better now that she's getting 10mg of Pepcid a day so I don't think it's going to be a problem. I gave her her first shot on Thursday morning, and I noticed that she was eating more Friday during the day so I think things are looking somewhat hopeful with that.

Also, and don't laugh at me, I have to take Cosette to an animal chiropractor to have her back adjusted. My sister-in-law has done this with her animals, and she says that it works beautifully. The only problem is that I just have to find the time to bring her in. The chiropractor is only available 8 to 5 on Mondays at the vet's office I go to, and unfortunately, I work most of that day. I could probably make it if I went early, but I won't be able to do it at all during the fall though because of my work schedule. [livejournal.com profile] doomsey offered to take her in on Mondays. I suppose it would work, but she's much better behaved when I take her for her appointments. Alternatively, I could see what the chiropractor's schedule is for Tuesday, Thursdays, and Fridays. The only down side is that I would have to drive out to whatever animal hospital he is at that day. I left a message on the chiropractor's answering machine explaining everything, but haven't heard back from him yet and probably won't hear back from him until Monday.
nekosensei: (Default)
I wish life weren't so crazy busy that I can sit down and read my LJ. Unfortunately, I've only been able to read things here and there when I get a chance. If there's anything going on with you that you'd like to share, drop me a note in the comments.

What I've been up to )

Hmmm...this got kind of long. Maybe I'll write about what went on this week in another post.
nekosensei: (Default)
Blargh. Sick again. I started coming down with this particular bug while I was visiting my sister and her two girls yesterday. J. is going to shoot me if any of her girls come down with this. Her kids have been sick a lot these past few months, and her littlest was in the hospital with pneumonia for four days back in early April. And...since this cold is just starting, it probably means that I was contagious yesterday. Beautiful. :(

I didn't go on my walk yesterday or today because I haven't been feeling well. I hope to get back on schedule with that on Wednesday. Oh...and while we're on the topic of exercise, last week I determined that exercise is a major trigger for my heart palpitations, much more so than stress or caffeine because I got a lot of palpitations after some of my walks. I'm going to have to mention that to my doctor that the next time I see her, which is going to be soon because .

On the way to work this morning, I was turning right and so happened to glance at an animal sitting in a car window. I ended up doing a double take because said animal was a cat, which was not what I was expecting at all. Usually cats cower in their carrier during car rides. This particular kitty must have been very laid-back.

Oh Cu-rap!

May. 8th, 2010 01:08 am
nekosensei: (Default)
We're supposed to get a frost tonight in some areas. I've pulled in my rosemary and my cilantro, but I'm not able to do very much for the seedlings I planted out in the garden earlier this week. I hope they're going to be okay. *crosses fingers*

My email must have been broken today. I am just now getting the voice mail-- we have Vonage and I get voice mail messages via email-- that somebody left me earlier in the day. Whoopsie!

Tonight, [livejournal.com profile] emygination told me that I sound like a space case when I talk on the phone because I started my phone conversation with "yeah...it's me." She probably has a point. I hate talking on phones. :P

And in other news, Cosette is being very needy. She has been poking me all evening.

Wow...I stayed up way too late reading...again. Time to sleep.
nekosensei: (Default)
Well, I have good news guys! Cosette has a heart murmur, but it's very minor and it's caused by a slight thickening of the heart wall. The cardiologist says this is an age related change only and that it's something that's just starting. If there was a valve involved, it would be a different story because that means that she's leaking blood, but that's not the case. So...since this is such a slight problem, she doesn't need any heart medication at this point. She is going to have to be re-tested next year though.

Whew! I guess this means I can relax now....
nekosensei: (Default)
Hey guys! I'm taking Cosette in to get the ultrasound done on her heart this morning. I'm pretty nervous about how things will turn out so please think good thoughts for her today, okay?
nekosensei: (Default)
* It's called a turn signal. Use it. If I clip you because you couldn't be arsed to use your turn signal when you change lanes, I will tear it out and shove it up your ass. Really...what's with people not using turn signals today? I had two people do that to me in a thirty second interval.

* Saw a "New Driver" sign on a Lexus. You're really going to let your kid learn how to drive on your nice Lexus? Well okay then....

* Amazing Video Shows Shockwaves Explode From Volcano -- I know it's Faux News, but the video is kind of cool. Go watch it.

* I am greatly amused that the German word for jewelry is der Schmuck.

* The vet called. This time, Cosette's blood work turned out almost completely normal. Thank God! I asked whether the Pepcid AC could cause a weird heart beat, and it turns out that that's very unlikely. In fact, they're finding that people and animals benefit from Pepcid because it controls acid. Still taking her in to get her heart checked on Monday though.

* You know, I usually don't read much fanfic, let alone recommend it, but you've got to read this Buffy / Farmville crossover. Hilarious! It's also not very long... (Via [livejournal.com profile] sl_podcast)

* Looks like [livejournal.com profile] doomsey and I will be going to that party tonight...
nekosensei: (Default)
* Victoria Secret commercials are okay for public television, but Lane Byrant commercials are not because heavier women in the their underwear is too obscene. Okay...gotcha. (Via [livejournal.com profile] popfiend) [Edit: Also may be NSFW]

* A MAGIC the gathering card inspired by the Icelandic volcano. (Swiped from someone on Twitter)

* Really? Really? The cat jumped up onto the coffee table about two hours ago. Then, she started favoring her leg and shaking it like it was bothering her. I hope whatever it is works itself out because I don't think I can handle something *else* being wrong with her. :P

* Tonight during dinner, [livejournal.com profile] doomsey was rambling on about zucchinni and heckling me about not feeling up to cooking. It ended with me breaking down into tears.
nekosensei: (Default)
I know, I'm posting a lot. Sorry! I just had a brain storm while I was giving Cosette her medication. The last time I went into the vet's office, she told me that I should give her 10mg a day of Pepcid AC to help control her nausea. What happens in many animals with kidney disease is that they get a build up of acid in their stomachs, which in turn, thickens the lining. She was certain that that was happening in Cosette's case.

Well, after I gave Cosette her pill for the day, I thought, "what if the Pepcid is causing her problem?" So...I hopped online and starting reading. I saw that two side effects for Pepcid AC in humans are arrhythmia and tachycardia. Hmm. I do more reading about dosages. It said that the normal dosage for most casts is one-quarter of a 10mg pill every two days. If the cat is still not better, you can up the dose to 5mg a day. Hmm. Maybe she was getting too much? I also read that Pepcid AC is not good for cats with heart problems. I'm not worrying too much over here though, because I also read that overdosage is not very common and you have to give them A LOT to kill them. For dogs, that's 2000mg per kg. One thing that it said was that you can give cats a very high dosage without them showing any adverse effects.

So...I'm wondering if I may have just solved the problem. I'm going to be bring this up with my vet when she calls me with the blood test results tomorrow.

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