AM
This is one of the reasons why journals don’t last with me. I really don’t think that I have anything interesting to write or report. I have this problem when I speak to family or friends. The shorter the period between the exciting news and contact with SOs, the more likely I am to think that the news is worth sharing. Let that new sit in my head for a while and I’ll likely lose the enthusiasm for sharing.
I from the Internet generation that cut their teeth on Geocities, LiveJournal, and self-hosted blogs. Sharing news on the internet was more private. At times, it was just a person typing to the void. This delivery allowed the mundane to have meaning because that meaning was personal. It was a search engine accident that lead people to a post about the best pancakes or the loss of a friend.
Today’s Internet feels like rush hour on a Tokyo train. People are packed into their social media cars. We’re reading over each other’s shoulders and whispering what we read to the net person. That secret you just shared on your TL is now ratio’d and archived. the ephemera of our lives is cut into silicon.
Nothing above is new. I’m not the first person to put these thoughts together. But maybe this is the first time that you are seeing these thoughts. It’s definitely the first time that you areading these thoughts from me. That is unless you are friend or family and we have talked about this on the phone.
PM
Things can move quick and feel like they drag on. At 5AM this morning, my bladder and cat, Rose, conspired to wake me. An hour before my alarm. I shook off my annoyance at them both and shambled to the bathroom.
When I slipped back under the now cold covers, Rose stompled on my chest and zapped my nose. She made her usual grunts and meows. I pet her to calm her a bit and to keep her from trampling Diane. No sense both of us waking earlier than needed.
As I drifted off again, Rose started smacking her mouth. It isn’t unusual after a bit of food, but this smacking went on longer I thought necessary. Her purring was more anxious than contented. I gave up on sleeping and grabbed my phone and glasses. Might as well poke some Spingfielders and scroll the TL. Soon the alarm was going off, and Diane and I started our day properly.
She had the day off and took care of few chores while I settled in at my desk to work. Diane exited the bedroom.
"I’m concerend. Rose hasn’t eaten much and she’s doing that hunching, guarding thing she does when she’s not feeling well."
About thirty minutes later: "One of her eyes is swollen shut. Did you notice that earlier?" I hadn’t. "I’m going to call Dr. B. and see if I can get an appointment." No appointments were available.
"Was the emergency vet you took Claude to at 148th and 32nd?"
"No. They were at 175th and 15th. Across from the Safeway. Animal Medical Center."
"Found it."
Diane brings the crate from storage and bundles up Rose. They head off to the emergency clinic. An hour later I get a text from Diane.
"The doctor said that the eye is swollen with blood and Rose’s blood pressure is very high. They are drawing blood and urine."
Diane returns home a couple hours later. No Rose. She had to leave Rose at the emergency clinic. For observation.
A couple hours after returning home, Diane gets a call from the clinic. Blood and urine test results look good. The blood pressure spike most likely damaged the eye peremanently. They don’t know yet if it needs to be removed. Rose should stay at he clinic for at twenty-four to thirty-six hours for observation and to see if the blood pressure can be brought back down.
Diane took all this in, but I could hear her holding back the tears. When I heard her ask the doctor to wait a minute, I knew that Diane wasn’t holding back anymore. I stood behind her and tucked my ead into her neck. I could hear the doctor’s voice from Diane’s phone. She asked Diane what would she like done if Rose crashed. She said, "Let her pass. If she’s in pain, I don’t want her to suffer anymore."
The rest of the call was rounding up the details and making the deposit. We spent the rest of the evenig trying to keep ourselves pulled together. We finished watching the movie we started with our dinner. Allowed ourselves to snark and laugh.
Now, it is bedtime. Diane is winding down in the bedroom. We call it "bubbling." For the first time in years, our bedroom doesn’t have a cat in it. A cat that is either right in your face or occupying one half of a queen-sized mattress. Rose’s grumbling purrs will be missed tonight. We will worry for her. If she doesn’t make it through the night, we will cry and pine for her.
21:45 – Update: The clinic called. Rose’s blood pressure has come down. Now we need to see if it stays down or can be managed with medication. Outlook for bringing her home tomorrow or Saturday is very good.
