Pet$

Pets are so expensive. It's the eyes, I swear. They look at you with those eyes, and before you know it you're coming home from "Christmas shopping" with dog toys and treats and goodies she just has to have, and you're talking like some kind of brain deficient because she's such a "cutie wootie oh look at her big paws I could just eat her right up for supper".

Tesla has turned out to be a fabulous little puppy. She enjoys learning new tricks, and has the ability to focus intensely for quite a while considering she's only 15 weeks old. Thanks to puppy classes and hours of work, she knows the basic commands of sit, down, and stand. We're working on stay right now, it's going slowly. She's not a fan of having to remain in one place for too long. Puppy energy.

She knows some tricks too, like speak, gimme 5, gimme 10, jump up, off, shake a paw, and drop it. Some of them will be useful in preventing her from eating things she's not supposed to, like loose change off the floor, or the cat, but most of them are just fun.

She's at the point now where sometimes she'll just try doing tricks without the command, just to see if she can get a treat. It's pretty funny. She's too cute.

High five!

Yes!

Treat!

Cats are expensive too, as it turns out. Especially when they have problems with their penis.

A few days ago, Paul stood up on our bed and promptly started peeing. When I rushed into the bedroom to stop him, I saw there were only a few drops of pee on the bedspread, not a big puddle. He had also been rather fatigued for a few days prior. Tesla had a vet appointment that night to get her final round of shots, so we decided to call the vet later that day and see if we should take Paul in at the same time.

At work, I called the vet at lunch time and told her what had happened. Her response was along the lines of "Your cat might die at any second". Turns out, male cats can often be susceptible to urinary blockage, especially those fed exclusively dry food, like Paul. Urinary blockage can be rapidly fatal, as toxins cannot be expelled from the body and kidney failure is nothing to sneeze at. Sooo, I rushed home in a panic and drove the poor kitty to the hospital. He had to stay overnight with a catheter up his noodle. He came home the next night with an arsenal of drugs, bloody paws, and an extremely nice attitude toward us.


I figured he was being so nice due to the drugs mellowing him out, but I wasn't complaining since not getting bitten in the thigh hard enough to draw blood when all I'm trying to do is get into bed is how I like to live my life.



So, the brave little soldier gets 6 pills and 2 shots of liquid shoved down his throat every day, and has to eat a prescription diet of canned food which he hates. This morning though, he attacked my ankles as I walked up the basement steps and I was overjoyed. A massive vet bill later, my kitty is back to his old self. I wouldn't have the little asshole any other way.

Mumbo Jumbo

I have a hankering for Love Actually.

I'm feeling very Christmasy. This time of year is the very best - September to December I always feel like there is an electric charge in the air. I catch myself smiling goofily and dancing and singing more than I do the rest of the year, it's like the season just brings an invisible uplifting wind and I get carried all away.

Work has been licking my asshole the past week or so. I have been literally scrubbing floors on my hands and knees with a bucket of water, cleaning both labs by myself every day twice a day. I pray to sweet Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the camel that we are back up and running soon because I'm not sure how much longer I can take it.

But - Christmas is coming! I could never be sad.

Accomplishments

I ran my first running race this morning. It was The Turkey Trot in Burlington, and I did the 10 km distance. I have been training for it for a little over a month. Before today I had run 10 km all in one go perhaps 2, maybe 3 times. Based on my performance on those runs, I was expecting a time of a bit over an hour, so of course, I made an hour my goal.

Well. If I didn't go and finish with a time of under 59 fucking minutes. I am incredible, I know. The official results aren't up yet, but they had a clock there and Andrew (whom I dragged along with me) wore his heart rate monitor watch and timed us, so I am reasonably confident of my time.

Also my official time will be about 20 seconds longer than it actually took me, since I started somewhat in the middle of the pack and it took me around 20 seconds just to get to the starting line.

It was a beautiful day, perfect running weather. Cool enough that I wasn't uncomfortable, but not so cold that my lungs were burning. It was an exhilarating experience, and I think I will look into doing more. I'm not sure why I haven't done any before now, I am forever following Andrew to his. But, now I know, I like them. I'm sure my closet will soon be full of ugly ass race t-shirts that are too big for me. Yaay!

Caramel Apples

Fall is my favourite season. I love the weather, the colours, the clothes, the smell, everything. I decided to try my hand at caramel apples this year. I have managed to forget nearly everything I learned about apples during the years I worked at the market, so I bought a couple kinds to test out. I ended up going with Empire.


I got the recipe for the caramel from my Food Network magazine. Man I love the Food Network. I didn't have light corn syrup, so I just used my regular corn syrup.


I love my candy thermometer. It was relatively easy, as melting sugar normally is. I'm not sure why I've never tried caramel apples before. I rolled a couple in peanuts and left the rest plain.


We haven't tried them yet, but I'm hoping they're as good as they look.

Egads sofhaehroinsd sdlkflskdjf what?

Everyone says that having a puppy is like having a baby. Everyone says it. Everyone.

I believed them, I did. I mean, everyone says it, so it must be true. That's how Wikipedia works and it has never failed me. I believed them, it would be like having a baby, yes, okay, I can handle it.

It is like having a baby. She cries, pees, wakes up all night long, sleeps, bites, whines, poops, sleeps, and looks at you with the sweetest eyes you have ever seen. Then sleeps.

The crying is the worst part. When I say "crying" I mean "howling like a vicious banshee on the lonely northern expanse". In our kitchen. The neighbours don't need to sleep, right?

I wish I didn't have to go to work. Like, ever again. LOOK AT HER SMILING FACE:

Hello Tesla!

A new addition to the family

Puppy!

We bought ourselves a puppy last night. She gets to come home with us Thanksgiving weekend. We're going to name her Tesla, and Paul will probably never speak to us again.