What Not To Say

Here are a few things you should not say to someone who has just told you that their beloved feline companion (or even a human one) is dying of cancer:

"You look sad." (no sh*t, Sherlock!)

"What did your other cat die of last year? (kidney disease, at the age of 17, which is pretty darned old for a cat) Maybe there is something wrong with where you are living." (now there's a nice thought, considering that I will be continuing to live there!)

"They say cancer is caused by a lack of balance in your life." (exactly how does a cat's life get out of balance?)

"I hope you won't be sad tomorrow." (that's just not going to happen)

Sometimes, even when people are trying to be kind, they can say hurtful things to someone who is already hurting.  As it happens, all of these things were said by one person over the course of two or three conversations on the same day and I know that said person wasn't intending to be mean but man, it sure felt painful at the time!

Post Office Wisdom

I went to the post office this morning on my way to work to report my dismay at the way the package containing Kate's McKinnon's lastest book, The Jewelry Architect, was folded and shoved into my mailbox, permanently creasing the back cover.

The woman who works at the desk (it's one of those postal "substations", located inside a drug store) is the nicest person, always very friendly and helpful.  She was most sympathetic and suggested we could call someone to record my complaint.  She connected the call and then passed the phone over to me. 

The gentleman I spoke to was also somewhat sympathetic, but was quite focused on finding out how the book had been packaged.  I explained it was in a bubble envelope. He especially wanted to know if the package was marked, "Do Not Bend."  It was not, although it did have a customs label indicating that there was a book inside. When I asked if a "Do Not Bend" sticker or notation would have made a difference, he said, "Oh no. There's no way to guarantee it wouldn't still get bent, even if it was labelled like that."

He suggested that if you are mailing something that you absolutely do not want to be bent, you must package it in such a way that it is unbendable.

Now you know.

Photo courtesy of wired.com

A Quiet Sunday

Having a quiet Sunday at home with Max.  He has spent a little bit of time on my lap but not as much as usual, mostly hanging out in the laundry basket, although he hasn't been sleeping very much but seems to be sitting watchful.  Every hour or two, he hops out to have a few bites to eat after meowing at me to come watch him eat.

I'm glad I'm not at work today as my mind isn't too focused on anything particular.  I actually cleared off my entire desk and filed away a small batch of miscellaneous papers that was piled on it (of course, there are several other, much larger piles still to be done but that will wait for another day).  I've been on a bit of purging mode, shredding old phone bills and credit card statements and the like, enough to fill a very large shopping bag - very cathartic.

I went looking for Xmas cards (which I usually buy during the Boxing Day sales the year before then put them away in what seems like a logical spot at the time but always involves a major search the following December) and found instead a box full of soft, cuddly Christmas Beanie Babies from about 10 years ago. 

Not sure why I have kept them all this time but as cute as they are, they are not doing anybody any good packed away in a box on my closet shelf.  First thing tomorrow, I shall be taking them to work with me to donate to the toy drive.   There are children out there that could use something to cuddle. 

For now, I've still got my Max.

The Dreaded Diagnosis

I took Max in to the vet today. He hasn't been eating very much the past couple of weeks and has lost weight, just hasn't been his usual self lately.  Unfortunately, his regular vet is away on vacation for the next week so one of her partners did the examination and he could feel a solid mass in Max's upper intestinal area.  Something that hasn't been there before, or at least, not big enough to be felt.  He's pretty sure it's cancer.  They took some x-rays, which show the mass, and did some blood tests, for which we'll have the results on Monday.  I couldn't help thinking that "mass" and "anemia" and "blood in his stool" and "stomach cancer" all sound just as frightening when it's your pet they're talking about.  The test results won't change anything, it will still be cancer and untreatable but I feel the need to know, for sure.

This diagnosis isn't a surprise, since we've been thinking this might be in the cards for my little guy for some time now but previously, there wasn't any evidence to be found without doing one of 2 types of biopsies, one of which involved surgery. I chose not to have the biopsies done, partly because $4,000 was too much money to spend for a couple of tests that wouldn't solve anything and also because I just didn't want to put him through the pain and discomfort of healing from a large incision like that, knowing that if it was cancer, there wouldn't be anything they could do about it anyway.  So we've been managing his condition with medication for some time now, waiting to see how things would develop, and now that we know more definitely what we're dealing with, we will continue to do so, only now it's palliative, just to keep him comfortable. 

For today, he's had some fluids and pain medication as well as an appetite stimulant and they've given me pain meds to administer at home.  We're going to see how he does over the weekend.  The clock is definitely ticking down for my little furbaby, it depends how comfortable he is and whether he stays that way.  I certainly don't want to prolong it any more than necessary, as much as I dread where this road is leading, but I'm hoping he'll last at least another week until his regular vet returns because she was so wonderful when it was Carly's turn last year and has been treating Max since all this started. 

Not that they're not all good at this clinic, they are so supportive and understanding.  What a difficult job it must be, to have to deal with this situation on a continuous basis with patients, be they human or animal.  As the receptionist told me, you develop a relationship with both the person and their pet and it's hard when it's bad news.

For now, he's comfortable and seems happy enough to be curled up in his current favourite spot, in a laundry basket on my couch on top of some of last week's clean laundry that he claimed for his own while it was still warm from the dryer, purring very loudly whenever I come by for a kiss.

Friday Photo

I took this picture today, meaning to record the pretty decorations they have put up in the office building where I work.  I love the turquoise, gold and silver combination with the natural green and brown of the garland and pine cone.

Instead, what catches my eye, is the photographer (me) in her very red winter coat with her purse slung on her shoulder and camera poised in front of her face, as reflected in each of the metal Christmas balls.  Definitely not the effect I was going for.  :)

The Jewelry Architect

I was both delighted and dismayed to find my copy of Kate McKinnon's latest book, The Jewelry Architect, in my mailbox today.

Delighted, because I have been looking forward to this book for months now and I was not disappointed with the contents thereof.  The photographs (by Joe Hancock) are beautiful, the design of the book (edited by Jean Campbell) is compelling, the instructions (on a multitude of projects, including stringing, beadwork and wire and metalwork) are logical, easy to follow and include step-by-step diagrams and photos, and the various designs (several of which I've had the pleasure of seeing and touching in real life and as good as these photos are, they really don't do them justice) are all mouthwatering - they make you want to rush to your bead stash and start putting things together!

Dismayed, because my clearly dimwitted postal person decided that it would be a good idea to bend the padded envelope in which the book was packaged and shove it into my mailbox, which measures maybe 5 inches square.  As a result, I now have a damaged copy of Kate's book that doesn't lie flat and has a big bend all the way through it about 2 inches from the spine. 

Luckily, the bending process didn't damage the DVD that is included with the book and stored on the inside back cover.  (Did I mention that the book comes with an instructional DVD?? How cool is that?)  No doubt it will flatten out after some time spent pressed underneath my barely liftable 2,500 page copy of the Random House Dictionary but the back cover is permanently creased. We are not amused. You can be sure I will be visiting my nearest Canada Post location first thing tomorrow to lodge my complaint. 

If you'd like your own copy of this book, you can find it here: amazon.ca. I would suggest to you that no beading library is complete without this volume.

P.S.  You can also visit Kate's website by clicking here: Kate McKinnon, selecting "Journal" from the menu on her opening page and then looking under "Beadwork Instructions" in the top right of the sidebar on the newly opened page) for free instructions on how to make 2 of her designs, the Groovy Cuff and The Corset Stitch. She promises to upload more instructions and videos in the days to come, so keep watching that space!

Free At Last!

I was so happy to hear at physiotherapy tonight that I don't need to go back! I am Done. Finished.  Finito.  All cured.  Of course, I had to have one final treatment and now I'm feeling a little sore but never mind, that will pass in a day or two.

I feel like Julie Andrews/Fraulien Maria, up in the meadow, surrounded by the beautiful mountains, twirling about, singing her heart out.  I'm freeeee!