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| Don't he look handsome? Photo by Linda Neri. |
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
A (Bunny) Love Supreme
My bunny Coltrane has cancer.
Even typing the "C-Word" brings tears to my eyes, which is a big part of why I haven't felt strong enough to discuss the situation in a public forum (I've known for a while now). But, it's a huge part of my life currently, and well, I could really use everyone's well-wishes right now.
I took the little guy to the vet a little bit ago because I noticed that one side of his snout was a little bigger than the other, and because he had begun sneezing more than usual. Well, the vet found a mass on Coltrane's gums above his teeth, and she immediately took blood and had me schedule xrays and a surgery so they could remove the mass and send it away for a biopsy.
The results were that the mass was cancerous, and the vet found that the cancer had spread into Coltrane's nasal passage, which was what was causing the sneezing (and presumably the goopy eye problem he's had for a while now). This is scary, as rabbits only breathe through their noses; his air supply is being threatened. The vet said further surgery was not an option, as they'd have to take around half of his face off to maybe get rid of it all. Chemo and radiation are also not good options for such a small creature. So, I'm currently putting some Chinese herbs on his greens, which are supposed to help promote healthy cell growth, and help limit bad cell growth.
However, over the past two weeks, Coltrane has started to decline. He has a bit less energy, and his poor bunny nose is now making whistling and gurgling sounds. When he sneezes (which is often), he makes this horrible high-pitched squeaking noise, which says to me that his nasal passage is smaller than it was before.
I left a message with the vet today to see if there's anything I can do, and to see if he'd be able to live comfortably with one out of two nasal passages open.
Anyways, all I can do besides give him those herbs is continue to give him love and comfort and time (and treats!).
And I also just want to say how much I love that little bunny. He's been with me for four years, and he's made me smile at least once every single one of those days. With Chris gone for the past 6-months, Coltrane has been my constant companion. I realize that a lot of people don't consider rabbits companion animals (as they take a lot more work/time/patience to bond with than say, dogs do), but he has absolutely been one for me.
So, please, send us some positive thoughts, vibes, or whatever it is you're comfortable with. I'm going to leave you with some photos of the bun from right after I first got him (please pardon the red-eye!), which was long before I started this blog. What a cute wittle bun.
Even typing the "C-Word" brings tears to my eyes, which is a big part of why I haven't felt strong enough to discuss the situation in a public forum (I've known for a while now). But, it's a huge part of my life currently, and well, I could really use everyone's well-wishes right now.
I took the little guy to the vet a little bit ago because I noticed that one side of his snout was a little bigger than the other, and because he had begun sneezing more than usual. Well, the vet found a mass on Coltrane's gums above his teeth, and she immediately took blood and had me schedule xrays and a surgery so they could remove the mass and send it away for a biopsy.
The results were that the mass was cancerous, and the vet found that the cancer had spread into Coltrane's nasal passage, which was what was causing the sneezing (and presumably the goopy eye problem he's had for a while now). This is scary, as rabbits only breathe through their noses; his air supply is being threatened. The vet said further surgery was not an option, as they'd have to take around half of his face off to maybe get rid of it all. Chemo and radiation are also not good options for such a small creature. So, I'm currently putting some Chinese herbs on his greens, which are supposed to help promote healthy cell growth, and help limit bad cell growth.
However, over the past two weeks, Coltrane has started to decline. He has a bit less energy, and his poor bunny nose is now making whistling and gurgling sounds. When he sneezes (which is often), he makes this horrible high-pitched squeaking noise, which says to me that his nasal passage is smaller than it was before.
I left a message with the vet today to see if there's anything I can do, and to see if he'd be able to live comfortably with one out of two nasal passages open.
Anyways, all I can do besides give him those herbs is continue to give him love and comfort and time (and treats!).
And I also just want to say how much I love that little bunny. He's been with me for four years, and he's made me smile at least once every single one of those days. With Chris gone for the past 6-months, Coltrane has been my constant companion. I realize that a lot of people don't consider rabbits companion animals (as they take a lot more work/time/patience to bond with than say, dogs do), but he has absolutely been one for me.
So, please, send us some positive thoughts, vibes, or whatever it is you're comfortable with. I'm going to leave you with some photos of the bun from right after I first got him (please pardon the red-eye!), which was long before I started this blog. What a cute wittle bun.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Today, I Peed in the River
(Actually, this happened yesterday...)
Guys, I know I've already done a post about peeing outside... and I know that we've already discussed several strategies and differing opinions of how to handle it when nature calls for us women-folk when we're, well, in nature. But, I felt that this recent story was worth sharing, as it bring up some new issues/concerns.
On Sunday morning, Chris and I went sailing. After we stopped for soda/coffee, we drove to this public boat ramp to put in on a river. After we got the boat in the water, but before we pushed off, I realized that I kinda had to pee. However, unfortunately, there is no restroom anywhere close to this boat ramp. There are houses all around the river, and there were people constantly pulling in and out of the VERY PUBLIC boat ramp area. Also, there were no trees I could lean against that would keep me from view, the ground was marshy/wet, and did I mention that there were houses all around?
SO, I decided I would get on the boat anyways. Meh, I'd be fine.
Big. Mistake.
There was a pretty light breeze, so though we were moving, we were not moving fast. It was also a bit chilly and overcast. We kept our eyes out for spots on the shore where we could anchor so I could pee, but, as I mentioned, there were houses everywhere. So, after a good while, I was to the point where I was in pain, so we decided to turn around and head back towards the boat ramp. I was determined to make it until we could get to a bathroom.
But alas, on the way back, the going was even slower. Chris was making plans for me to hop in his van as soon as we got back to drive to a restroom, but at one point, I realized there was no way I would make it. I was in tears it hurt so bad. So, I made the executive decision to strip down to my skivvies, hop in the very chilly water and finally get some relief. So, I did.
Getting back in the boat was interesting, for sure (how Chris kept from laughing I'll never know), and then, after that, there was the matter of me being freezing. I layered up, and we continued to head to shore.
So ladies, I know this is totally TMI, but something I didn't know is that bad things can happen from holding one's urine for too long. According to everydayhealth.com, a "common cause of UTI is holding urine longer than you should." Let's just say I'll be on antibiotics for the next five days. Sheesh.
But seriously, what would you have done in my situation? I couldn't leave once we had the boat in the water, because the boat ramp was busy and you're not supposed to take up all the space for too long. I couldn't just pop a squat in front of a bunch of random people, nor could we anchor off of someone's lawn so I could "water" their plants! What's a girl to do?
Guys, I know I've already done a post about peeing outside... and I know that we've already discussed several strategies and differing opinions of how to handle it when nature calls for us women-folk when we're, well, in nature. But, I felt that this recent story was worth sharing, as it bring up some new issues/concerns.
On Sunday morning, Chris and I went sailing. After we stopped for soda/coffee, we drove to this public boat ramp to put in on a river. After we got the boat in the water, but before we pushed off, I realized that I kinda had to pee. However, unfortunately, there is no restroom anywhere close to this boat ramp. There are houses all around the river, and there were people constantly pulling in and out of the VERY PUBLIC boat ramp area. Also, there were no trees I could lean against that would keep me from view, the ground was marshy/wet, and did I mention that there were houses all around?
SO, I decided I would get on the boat anyways. Meh, I'd be fine.
Big. Mistake.
There was a pretty light breeze, so though we were moving, we were not moving fast. It was also a bit chilly and overcast. We kept our eyes out for spots on the shore where we could anchor so I could pee, but, as I mentioned, there were houses everywhere. So, after a good while, I was to the point where I was in pain, so we decided to turn around and head back towards the boat ramp. I was determined to make it until we could get to a bathroom.
But alas, on the way back, the going was even slower. Chris was making plans for me to hop in his van as soon as we got back to drive to a restroom, but at one point, I realized there was no way I would make it. I was in tears it hurt so bad. So, I made the executive decision to strip down to my skivvies, hop in the very chilly water and finally get some relief. So, I did.
Getting back in the boat was interesting, for sure (how Chris kept from laughing I'll never know), and then, after that, there was the matter of me being freezing. I layered up, and we continued to head to shore.
So ladies, I know this is totally TMI, but something I didn't know is that bad things can happen from holding one's urine for too long. According to everydayhealth.com, a "common cause of UTI is holding urine longer than you should." Let's just say I'll be on antibiotics for the next five days. Sheesh.
But seriously, what would you have done in my situation? I couldn't leave once we had the boat in the water, because the boat ramp was busy and you're not supposed to take up all the space for too long. I couldn't just pop a squat in front of a bunch of random people, nor could we anchor off of someone's lawn so I could "water" their plants! What's a girl to do?
Monday, September 10, 2012
Ryan the Girl Goes to Washington
This past weekend, I visited a good friend of mine in Maryland. We went to college together and hadn't seen each other in way too long, and I must say, I had a lovely time! :)
We decided to take the Metro into DC on Saturday, cuz that's what cool people who live within walking distance of a Metro Station do, and because I hadn't been into the city in a very long time.
And who knew? All the cool stuff in DC is FREE. Free, ya'll!
First, we went to the National Zoo, which was surprisingly cool, although crowded and overrun with strollers and children. The best part was seeing the otters. I love otters. If I could be any animal, I would totally be an otter. They seem so happy all the time!
We walked all over the place, saw tons of animals, grabbed a quick bite, and then decided to head to The National Mall.
Now, here's a helpful hint to any and all of you who are planning weekend trips to DC anytime soon: Whenever the Metro needs maintenance, said maintenance is completed on the weekends. This makes sense, as rush hour would be a total nightmare otherwise. Anyways, the line we were traveling on had two or three stops that were closed this past weekend. So, the Metro's solution for getting travelers where they needed to go was to shove a bazillion people on shuttle buses and drive to all the stops the train couldn't get to. We got to the National Mall with very little hassle. However, this poor kid who was sitting next to where I was standing on the overcrowded bus was having a total freakout... I think he was claustrophobic or something. I felt awful, as I was unable to do anything but stand in my 1 square foot of space, which made it so I was practically hovering over him.
Anyways, by the time we got the The Mall, our feet were already starting to hurt. So, we decided to hit up some highlights at two museums. We first went to the American History Museum, where we saw the very cool First Ladies' Gowns exhibit, an instrument exhibit, and the lunch counter and stools from the famous sit-in at the Woolworth's in Greensboro, NC. Very moving to see.
Then, we went to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs and giant sea creatures (well, their fossilized bones...). I have lots of memories of that exhibit from when I was a wee one. Though, I remember everything being bigger.
After that, we stepped outside, and the sky had turned this ominous black color off towards the Washington Monument, and the wind had picked up. It was obvious that a deluge was coming our way.
We speed walked to the Metro station, and got there as the first drops were falling. We had to wait about fifteen minutes for the train, and, as we were waiting, soaked people kept walking by. We were worried, because we knew we were going to have to go outside to get on a bus once we got to the stop before all the closed stations. Neither of us had jackets or umbrellas.
We got to the last stop and sprinted up the stairs of the metro station, ready to fling ourselves out of the rain and onto the waiting shuttle... however, they had people waiting in line to get on... while people on the bus were trying to decide whether or not they were getting off (no dirty jokes please...). So, we got SOAKED.
The problem was that the bus drivers weren't telling anyone which stops they were getting to. If you didn't know the area, you had no clue if you were at the right stop or not! So all the people on the bus had no clue if they needed to disembark or not.
Anyways, we got on another jam-packed bus (but this time got seats!). Unfortunately, traffic had picked up, so it took us like 40 minutes to get to the metro stop where we could catch the train back to my friend's hometown. That's 40 minutes sitting with a dude's elbow in my face. So, a bunch of soaked people were crammed into an air conditioned bus and then had to sit in traffic for forever. People got grumpy.
Oh yeah, and the temperature dropped from 92 degrees to 65 degrees. Once we finally got back to Maryland and were walking back to my friend's place from the Metro stop, we were freezing! Earlier in the day we were sweating profusely! Crazy September weather.
Anyways, that was my weekend adventure in the Nation's Capital.
When we got back, we made pasta and roasted broccoli (my new favorite thing EVER), and then proceeded to drink an entire bottle of (much-deserved) red wine.
We decided to take the Metro into DC on Saturday, cuz that's what cool people who live within walking distance of a Metro Station do, and because I hadn't been into the city in a very long time.
And who knew? All the cool stuff in DC is FREE. Free, ya'll!
First, we went to the National Zoo, which was surprisingly cool, although crowded and overrun with strollers and children. The best part was seeing the otters. I love otters. If I could be any animal, I would totally be an otter. They seem so happy all the time!
We walked all over the place, saw tons of animals, grabbed a quick bite, and then decided to head to The National Mall.
Now, here's a helpful hint to any and all of you who are planning weekend trips to DC anytime soon: Whenever the Metro needs maintenance, said maintenance is completed on the weekends. This makes sense, as rush hour would be a total nightmare otherwise. Anyways, the line we were traveling on had two or three stops that were closed this past weekend. So, the Metro's solution for getting travelers where they needed to go was to shove a bazillion people on shuttle buses and drive to all the stops the train couldn't get to. We got to the National Mall with very little hassle. However, this poor kid who was sitting next to where I was standing on the overcrowded bus was having a total freakout... I think he was claustrophobic or something. I felt awful, as I was unable to do anything but stand in my 1 square foot of space, which made it so I was practically hovering over him.
Anyways, by the time we got the The Mall, our feet were already starting to hurt. So, we decided to hit up some highlights at two museums. We first went to the American History Museum, where we saw the very cool First Ladies' Gowns exhibit, an instrument exhibit, and the lunch counter and stools from the famous sit-in at the Woolworth's in Greensboro, NC. Very moving to see.
Then, we went to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs and giant sea creatures (well, their fossilized bones...). I have lots of memories of that exhibit from when I was a wee one. Though, I remember everything being bigger.
After that, we stepped outside, and the sky had turned this ominous black color off towards the Washington Monument, and the wind had picked up. It was obvious that a deluge was coming our way.
We speed walked to the Metro station, and got there as the first drops were falling. We had to wait about fifteen minutes for the train, and, as we were waiting, soaked people kept walking by. We were worried, because we knew we were going to have to go outside to get on a bus once we got to the stop before all the closed stations. Neither of us had jackets or umbrellas.
We got to the last stop and sprinted up the stairs of the metro station, ready to fling ourselves out of the rain and onto the waiting shuttle... however, they had people waiting in line to get on... while people on the bus were trying to decide whether or not they were getting off (no dirty jokes please...). So, we got SOAKED.
The problem was that the bus drivers weren't telling anyone which stops they were getting to. If you didn't know the area, you had no clue if you were at the right stop or not! So all the people on the bus had no clue if they needed to disembark or not.
Anyways, we got on another jam-packed bus (but this time got seats!). Unfortunately, traffic had picked up, so it took us like 40 minutes to get to the metro stop where we could catch the train back to my friend's hometown. That's 40 minutes sitting with a dude's elbow in my face. So, a bunch of soaked people were crammed into an air conditioned bus and then had to sit in traffic for forever. People got grumpy.
Oh yeah, and the temperature dropped from 92 degrees to 65 degrees. Once we finally got back to Maryland and were walking back to my friend's place from the Metro stop, we were freezing! Earlier in the day we were sweating profusely! Crazy September weather.
Anyways, that was my weekend adventure in the Nation's Capital.
When we got back, we made pasta and roasted broccoli (my new favorite thing EVER), and then proceeded to drink an entire bottle of (much-deserved) red wine.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Half Gallon of Hell
Wow, I think this may be the longest I've gone without writing a post since I started this damn blog. You know, over TWO YEARS ago! Oops.
Life has been insane and has completely kicked my butt these past few weeks. All I feel like doing is curling up on the couch, watching Gilmore Girls, and eating ice cream.
So, while I could spend this post whining and detailing the ten things going on that are stressing me out, etc, instead I am going to rant about one, small specific thing that happened this past weekend.
I mentioned that all I want to do is sit on my butt cheeks and eat ice cream, yes? Well, over the weekend, I decided that I wanted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. And, since I'm B-to-the-Roke (one of the ten things that is stressing me out these days), I decided to be cheap about it and buy the Kroger brand stuff. It looked safe enough: It had a lovely picture of what looked to be perfectly yummy cookie dough ice cream on it, and it said "Jammed" on it, suggesting that the ice cream was jammed with cookie dough. Vanilla ice cream "jammed" with chunks of cookie dough? Yes, please! Chris tried to convince me not to buy the store brand stuff, but I was stubborn and cheap and did it anyways.
What I didn't notice until we got it home is that the carton says "dairy dessert" on it; nowhere were the words "ice cream." Hmmmm. Strange. Meh, I was sure it would be fine.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, let this be a cautionary tale to you. DO NOT BUY "DAIRY DESSERT" instead of ice cream. It's a horrible impostor. Chris also looked at the ingredient list, and there were about 50 ingredients, most of which were preservatives and other bad things with long names. Blech. It was not good at all. The consistency was so weird, and the cookie dough just tasted like chunks of salt water taffy. Chris and I both also had stomach cramps after eating it. Fun times.
I did some googling, and apparently companies are starting to manufacture their frozen products in a cheaper way, but they're not legally allowed to call their new, preservative-filled food "ice cream." Cuz it's NOT.
Anyways, on Sunday, after Chris left, I found myself at Kroger buying name brand Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ICE CREAM, because I could not bear to eat any more of the Half-Gallon-of-Hell that was the Dairy Dessert. I threw it away, in fact. So, I ended up spending MORE money in total by cheaping out and getting the Kroger brand nastiness in the first place. Morals of the story: Never cheap out on the important things in life (like dessert! and wine!), and NEVER buy anything called "dairy dessert."
Sheesh.
Life has been insane and has completely kicked my butt these past few weeks. All I feel like doing is curling up on the couch, watching Gilmore Girls, and eating ice cream.
So, while I could spend this post whining and detailing the ten things going on that are stressing me out, etc, instead I am going to rant about one, small specific thing that happened this past weekend.
I mentioned that all I want to do is sit on my butt cheeks and eat ice cream, yes? Well, over the weekend, I decided that I wanted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. And, since I'm B-to-the-Roke (one of the ten things that is stressing me out these days), I decided to be cheap about it and buy the Kroger brand stuff. It looked safe enough: It had a lovely picture of what looked to be perfectly yummy cookie dough ice cream on it, and it said "Jammed" on it, suggesting that the ice cream was jammed with cookie dough. Vanilla ice cream "jammed" with chunks of cookie dough? Yes, please! Chris tried to convince me not to buy the store brand stuff, but I was stubborn and cheap and did it anyways.
What I didn't notice until we got it home is that the carton says "dairy dessert" on it; nowhere were the words "ice cream." Hmmmm. Strange. Meh, I was sure it would be fine.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, let this be a cautionary tale to you. DO NOT BUY "DAIRY DESSERT" instead of ice cream. It's a horrible impostor. Chris also looked at the ingredient list, and there were about 50 ingredients, most of which were preservatives and other bad things with long names. Blech. It was not good at all. The consistency was so weird, and the cookie dough just tasted like chunks of salt water taffy. Chris and I both also had stomach cramps after eating it. Fun times.
I did some googling, and apparently companies are starting to manufacture their frozen products in a cheaper way, but they're not legally allowed to call their new, preservative-filled food "ice cream." Cuz it's NOT.
Anyways, on Sunday, after Chris left, I found myself at Kroger buying name brand Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ICE CREAM, because I could not bear to eat any more of the Half-Gallon-of-Hell that was the Dairy Dessert. I threw it away, in fact. So, I ended up spending MORE money in total by cheaping out and getting the Kroger brand nastiness in the first place. Morals of the story: Never cheap out on the important things in life (like dessert! and wine!), and NEVER buy anything called "dairy dessert."
Sheesh.
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