Saturday, August 17, 2002

Bleah. I have to reinstall all of my Sims-stuff. Either that or save up for more RAM. *Grump*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:30 PM |

Okay, my template shooould be looking better, now. *Pokes stuff* Now?
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:35 PM |

Gonna work this time? *Jab*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:41 PM |

I am beginning to have a real problem with the whole image-stripping thing that's happening somewhere between Blogger and Tripod. *Growl* *Blink* I have no idea what is going on, around here. If it doesn't look right, I'm sorry and I wish I could fix it. If it looks fine, then never mind.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:44 PM |

Friday, August 16, 2002

Template change! Morning glories again, because I like them.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:44 PM |

Well, then. *Ahem* Let's just fix that, shall we?
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:46 PM |

_There_. That's much better.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:48 PM |

What is -with- the sidebars? *Pokepoke*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:52 PM |

Bah. I can live with it, for now... I'll mess with it later. I have The Sims: Hot Date to play with!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:55 PM |

Thursday, August 15, 2002

Well, bowing both to the fact that I've wanted one for ages and Mari's demand for pictures of That Idiot Ivan, I've just ordered a webcam for a reasonable price via Half.com. It's an iRez KritterCam, of which I've heard good things. If nothing else, it's supposed to be Mac-compatible and it didn't cost too much, so... *Small shrug* We'll see.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:17 PM |

Also, my ASS Hot Topic has only one shipping option for AK. You can do -other things- to track packages BESIDES shipping via UPS. Personally, I never even USE package tracking. I waited a YEAR to get my AGF cup and t-shirt, I can wait a month or so for a box from a company.

I suppose I could follow their suggestion of shipping it to someone in the lower 48, but then I have to pay shipping TWICE, which is NOT what I want to do. Hell-O, anyone home? I hate people, some days.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:36 PM |

I'm cold, I'm cranky, and I've had two handfuls of candy corn for dinner. I guess it's time to go to bed.

Maybe.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:37 PM |

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

It would take 340.2 cans of Ruby Red Squirt to kill you.

Good thing I don't drink that much soda.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:43 AM |

You know, today is going to go just like yesterday. The time when I'm working is going to drag like it has ten tons of lead tied to it, while any moments of free time I might have (i.e. lunch) will evaporate like they'd never been.

And how much sleep did I get last night? Maaaaaybe five-six hours. Of -low-quality- sleep, at that.

At least I get this weekend off, and two days next week while Kel is here.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:01 AM |

Today, I had to 'help' with a PTS -- Put To Sleep. A little pitbull pup, with horrible, horrible demodex (a nasty-but-curable skin disease; think mange that causes pustules and baldness). Her name was Princess, and she was a sweet little dog, but her 'owners' were brick stupid. And that's insulting to bricks. One of the techs asked me if I knew anyone that wanted a pitbull, and I said no, not even me... And once I found out that -she- was the PTS, I started to feel guilty.

...I still feel bad, but I'm more angry than anything. The main thing that I did for the poor thing was stand out back with her body until her stupid 'owners' came around to collect her. (And I really, REALLY hope that they actually do something responsible with her, instead of what I fear they may do. Yugh.) When they FINALLY came around the corner, the woman said, "I didn't realize that I was supposed to be over here already. And you were just standing here with the poor dog, heeheehee..."

No, she wasn't reacting inappropriately in her grief. She didn't appear to have been crying, and the dog was -curable-. Remember that fact. Yes, she was mostly grey skin, scabby lesions, pustules and wrinkles, but she was cute under that and suffering only from a skin condition that would only take a little time, effort, and money to fix. This woman was making a decision not for the good of the dog, but for her own convenience. It's like deciding to get rid of your dog because you redecorated and your dog no longer matches your furniture: you're just an asshole that shouldn't have ever had a pet in the first place.

Now, I'm not a big fan of people that react badly under stress or in a crisis, either. There _are_ people for whom I will make an exception. The Three Cranky Women With The Cat are -not- on that list. Last Tuesday, I was bleaching out the outside runs and I hear someone yelling 'Hello? Hello?' I answered, and a woman asks me if there's a doctor, she's got a cat that was hit by a car out front. I tell them I'll check and meet them up front.

I check with my coworker-of-the-night (Let's call her Samantha) and she says 'A) there's no doctor, B) we've been closed for forty-five minutes, and C) if there was a doctor and we catered to every single emergency, we'd be here 'til midnight. Send 'em to Pet Emergency.' (She added a few other choice and rather...earthy...points, but they're not as salient.) I say 'good points all, sure.' I go out to tell them that they need to hed out to midtown, and they start blithering about how it's too far, and the cat's not breathing too well, and couldn't _I_ do anything? I told them that no, I -couldn't- (well, I -could-, but as I wouldn't _actually_ know -precisely- what it is I were doing...), that I only cleaned up. And then the cat was -really- having trouble breathing, causing them all to freak out, and one of them snapped, "So you're useless, then."

Needless to say, I was struck speechless. I very nearly told them to just give me the cat because I can, in theory, give CPR -- and I figured that in a HBC cat, it probably had a pneumothorax or a collapsed lung. But again, I wouldn't have actually -known- what I was doing, and the cat probably would have died. It stung, the accusation of uselessness, made me angry. I don't know what I'd do if faced with such a thing again, though I _do_ know I'd grab a Pet Emergency pamphlet, so they don't have to try to rely on my crappy version of good directions.

You know, when my job sucks, it really fucking sucks ass. When it's good, it's great. My feet hurt, and I can't wait 'til Friday, I'm really bloody frigging _SICK_ of dog shit, but I'm looking forward to going to work tomorrow. For one thing, Ev's girlfriend's pets are bording with us, and for another, we've got a staff obedience class in the evening, which means I get to spend time with my Yasminda. Aw.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:39 PM |

At work, there's a kitty boarding with us named 'Teeka Boo'. Every time I have to go in to feed him, I giggle because all I can hear is Marc sing-songing "Teeeeeka-boooo...." while he's wandering around the house, looking for Tikka.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:55 PM |

Aww! I want some of The Dogs featured on JList. (Link via PCJM)
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:38 PM |

If I had any comforting platitudes to post, I would. As it is, I'm just going to say that loving an animal and giving them the best life possible builds up a store of good karma, and that as sure as there's a special circle of hell reserved for the bastards that abuse animals, there's a place in hevan reserved for those of us that help.

G'night, everyone.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:47 PM |

Tuesday, August 13, 2002

Bliffle. Didn't get the boots... In way, it's okay. It gives me money to use on other things, like gasoline and anime. Heh.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 8:52 AM |

I should be doing things like getting packed for housesitting or work, but I really don't want to.

I'm so useless in the morning.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:32 AM |

Sunday, August 11, 2002

Good God. *Blinkblink* I've been so bloody _busy_ this week that I totally blanked on going birthday-shopping for my mama. I guess I'll go tomorrow. Heh.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:12 AM |

Also, I try not to buy things that proclaim my appreciation for things that I have never heard of/used/listened to/read/etc. But 'Thrice The Illusion Of Safety' and 'Autumn To Ashes' are sorely testing my resolve, as they have a certain intriguing factor that is really difficult to explain.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:14 AM |

Hot Topic SUCKS. And no, I'm not saying that because I think that they encourage poseurs to infiltrate the Goth and Punk scenes. I'm saying it because they want to charge me THIRTY fucking DOLLARS on a twenty-eight dollar order. They, so far, only offer _one_ shipping option: UPS Second Day Air. As if the USPS doesn't ship to Alaska. As if I have to have my stuff -tomorrow-. I'm accustomed to waiting anywhere from two to eight weeks for delivery; why would I expect different from -them-?

I wrote them a note. We'll see what happens.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:50 AM |

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

You’re most at ease when you’re swamped with chosen duties and responsibilities–it’s free, unscheduled time that makes you nervous. With Mercury at last under your dominion, subject to your strict control, your timetables should be as accurate, action-packed and stress-free as they ever get. Although your standards require you to be more punctual than a London train, and your appetite for bustle means you’re as busy as an ER nurse at Christmas, try to take a minute every now and then to enjoy the commotion anyway.

This is -exactly- what I've been dealing with at work this last week. Creepy and cool, all at the same time... (Well, except for the bit about free time making me nervous. I _love_ my free time.)

Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:11 AM |

Also? I'm watching Emergency Vets and thinking, 'Oh, look. Treatment tubs. Damn, they're gonna need scrubbing...' And then I remember that -I- don't have to do it. Yay! And hee.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:12 AM |

I need to do the following:

1) Have breakfast
2) Take a shower
3) Clean up the house (or at least round up all the dirty dishes and wash them)
4) Get the oil changed in my car
5) Go to Wal-Mart and check out kitty things (Ivan could use a covered litter box, and they would both enjoy another kitty condo thing...)

Mostly, though, I just wanna stay home and do a whole lot of not very much.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:36 AM |

The four most repeated phrases in my house:

1) Ivan, leave Yasminda alone. Yasminda, leave Ivan alone.
2) Yasminda, leave the kitty alone.
3) -Now- what are you doing!?
4) I don't know what you're doing, but -stop- it. Now.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:42 AM |

And in the same vein, Things You Never Expect To Say To Children Or Kittens: "No, -don't- play in the potty!"
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:43 AM |

What's the matter with TK, Mari, if I may be so nosy? *Frets* And I'm sorry the techs are annoying at your vet's office. Sometimes, the 'rough' stuff is not as painful as it looks -- like scruffing. It's the fastest and easiest way to restrain a cat, but it -looks- painful and mean. Kitties have extra skin at their necks, though, for just that purpose -- mama cats scruff their kittens when they need to move 'em. We get taught how to restrain animals as safely and as non-painfully as possible, but sometimes the holds look bad no matter what. We had a Rhodesian Ridgeback come in for a nail trim, and it took three of us to do it: two to lay across his body to keep him still and one to trim his nails. He was muzzled, and he -still- howled bloody murder, as if we were amputating his toes with a butter knife and no anesthetic.

The restraint is for -our- safety and theirs -- A tech and I were trying to get a new catheter into a black lab that had spent most of the last two days doped up on morphine, and he just spazzed out on us. We don't know why, since you'd -think- that he'd have been drugged and torpid, but... And the other day, a little poodle freaked out, scratched my neck, and scared -me- because she'd opened the place on her leg where her catheter had been and got blood all over me. Not that I'm saying you should lighten up on the techs where you are -- lack of compassion is a bad, bad thing when one is involved with people's pets. (The loudness thing, though -- sometimes it's really, _really_ hard to be quiet when you're trying to be in three places at once and five different people need you to help them. Unless, of course, they're just gossiping, in which case, boo.)
Posted by: Shannon M.: 6:05 PM |