Mercedes Benz, Janis Joplin
Before I get into whatever this blog is really about...
Q. Why would you buy a Lexus, (a.k.a. a pricey Toyota), when you could buy a Mercedes Benz (a.k.a. a perfectly awesome piece of German machinery)?
A. Because you're a schmuck.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to something relatable, because I sure as shit can't afford either of those vehicles and neither can you.
Our economic stimulus checks arrived just in time to pay for an unexpected, astronomical vet bill. (Just doin' ma part to keep 'Merica goin'!) Zoe went downhill over the weekend. She had a reaction to what was probably "degranulation of the tumor" and swelled up like a balloon. The vet informed us the situation was life-threatening and she needed to be hospitalized. It was quite upsetting. She has since been released. The swelling is slowly going down and more meds are being given. We're in wait-and-see mode, though so far the prognosis seems manageable.
I realize my pets are elderly and will die soon. I accept this, because this is what is. Life and death go hand-in-hand. And aside from the fact I don't believe death is the end but merely a change, and that everything is everything, I think to resist acceptance of this reality is not only a disservice to yourself, it's a renunciation of all the other wonderful things we take from living.
I know, one minute I'm dropping the F-bomb and the next I'm spouting off Eastern philosophies. But this is my reality, and I'm not tailoring it so it fits more comfortably for you. And I should hope you do the same.
What I worry about more is being put in a position where the choices I have to make with my pets are less clear. Either let the dog suffer miserably, or put the dog to sleep. Either spend your life savings or let your dog die. These are tough problems but with relatively clear answers. But what do you do when the choice is to spend a chunk of money that you can afford and the prognosis is undetermined, not necessarily life-threatening?
I don't have an answer. I just try to make choices that allow me to sleep at night.
******
On a much happier note, we've been invited to a soiree this evening that includes free food and free beer from my second favorite brewing company. Since B's hours have increased at work, I've been spending many an afternoon here, waiting for my carpool. It's like I'm becoming a regular, which I haven't been anywhere since college, because I haven't lived close enough for any one place to be my regular watering hole. It's oddly comforting.
5.06.2008
Insert Dead Flowers Quote Here
An update on The Red Devil: We met with the specialty vet, who was very encouraging, and Zoe is now scheduled for surgery next week. In the meantime, my dog and I are on the same acid reflux medication, and she's also taking enough benedryl that I feel sleepy just giving it to her. While we were waiting for the vet, I suddenly became acutely aware of how badly in need of a bath she is. Luckily for us, Red loves baths. Anything that involves touching and attention makes her uberly happy. How can you not love this creature? Quit fighting it. You won't win.
Seems like everyone around me, myself included, is still recovering from Derby weekend. We played a show Thursday night and didn't get home until after 3 a.m. Friday was a half-day at work, because in these parts, Derby is a holiday. Though not such a big holiday that they'd actually give us the entire day off, even though half the staff didn't even come in and the rest of us sat around for 3 hours doing absolutely nothing. Once again, I'd like to thank the company for allowing me to waste time and gas so as to keep the holiday pay quota to a min. Because I'm here for YOU. Friday my little girl cousin and her fiance (christ, I can't believe she's even old enough to get married legally) drove up from Indianapolis to visit and go to the infield for Derby. "Do you want to go to the infield?" No. No, I don't. We had a delicious dinner of pizza and beer at my favorite place and headed out for an evening of rock and roll. The youngins skee-daddled home before the end of the show, and us old fogies stayed out till nearly the break of dawn. I realized why it was that I never went out for Derby Eve in years past; all the shit-faced assholes. I nearly got into fisticuffs with a drunkard at the show who couldn't keep his hands off my lady friends. The ogling and the rude comments I can handle. The touching? Not so much. I confess I get a tad cranky in these kinds of situations. There's a lot of neck thrusting and dropping of the F-bomb. But the guy did leave us alone afterwards.
We stayed out so late, I was almost too tired to get in the car and drive home. One of my friends waited outside for a cab for 30 minutes, and when it finally showed up, this girl opens the door. My friend says, "Um, excuse me, but I think that's my cab." The girl retorts, "No, this is my cab," and climbs in the backseat, cigarette and beer in hand. Being the stand-up gal that I am, I couldn't very well make my friend wait for another one on a night as crazy as this, so I gave her a lift. It was in the opposite direction from where B & I were headed, and coupled with the torrential downpour, it made for a lengthy drive. We slept for a few hours, then I got up to help my cousin gather supplies for her day in the fiery pit of hell (otherwise known as the infield of the Kentucky Derby), then it was off to bed till about 4pm. We forced ourselves awake to watch some of the races, including THE race, made a valiant effort to get dressed and ready to go out again, then promptly changed our minds, got back in bed and rented movies off the tv. Home in bed, my favorite place.
In other news, some friends are getting married this weekend and I'm very much looking forward to their wedding. I love weddings. In large part, this is a projection of my own feelings about being in love and happy and wanting everyone I know to find someone who makes them feel all the good things I feel. What's more wonderful than watching two people who truly care for each other pledge their undying love and commitment? Plus, there's the added bonus of getting to wear a super cute dress that I've only been able to wear once and for which I have the perfect shoes to match. However, if for some reason, (say, all the junk food I ate on tour and the complete lack of exercise I've had) I can't fit into the dress, I will likely have a very different take on the day. Maybe I shouldn't have drank 3 pints of beer and had that 300-calorie, 20-grams-of-fat nutty bar from the vending machine yesterday. Mmmm...beer and nutty bars.
Seems like everyone around me, myself included, is still recovering from Derby weekend. We played a show Thursday night and didn't get home until after 3 a.m. Friday was a half-day at work, because in these parts, Derby is a holiday. Though not such a big holiday that they'd actually give us the entire day off, even though half the staff didn't even come in and the rest of us sat around for 3 hours doing absolutely nothing. Once again, I'd like to thank the company for allowing me to waste time and gas so as to keep the holiday pay quota to a min. Because I'm here for YOU. Friday my little girl cousin and her fiance (christ, I can't believe she's even old enough to get married legally) drove up from Indianapolis to visit and go to the infield for Derby. "Do you want to go to the infield?" No. No, I don't. We had a delicious dinner of pizza and beer at my favorite place and headed out for an evening of rock and roll. The youngins skee-daddled home before the end of the show, and us old fogies stayed out till nearly the break of dawn. I realized why it was that I never went out for Derby Eve in years past; all the shit-faced assholes. I nearly got into fisticuffs with a drunkard at the show who couldn't keep his hands off my lady friends. The ogling and the rude comments I can handle. The touching? Not so much. I confess I get a tad cranky in these kinds of situations. There's a lot of neck thrusting and dropping of the F-bomb. But the guy did leave us alone afterwards.
We stayed out so late, I was almost too tired to get in the car and drive home. One of my friends waited outside for a cab for 30 minutes, and when it finally showed up, this girl opens the door. My friend says, "Um, excuse me, but I think that's my cab." The girl retorts, "No, this is my cab," and climbs in the backseat, cigarette and beer in hand. Being the stand-up gal that I am, I couldn't very well make my friend wait for another one on a night as crazy as this, so I gave her a lift. It was in the opposite direction from where B & I were headed, and coupled with the torrential downpour, it made for a lengthy drive. We slept for a few hours, then I got up to help my cousin gather supplies for her day in the fiery pit of hell (otherwise known as the infield of the Kentucky Derby), then it was off to bed till about 4pm. We forced ourselves awake to watch some of the races, including THE race, made a valiant effort to get dressed and ready to go out again, then promptly changed our minds, got back in bed and rented movies off the tv. Home in bed, my favorite place.
In other news, some friends are getting married this weekend and I'm very much looking forward to their wedding. I love weddings. In large part, this is a projection of my own feelings about being in love and happy and wanting everyone I know to find someone who makes them feel all the good things I feel. What's more wonderful than watching two people who truly care for each other pledge their undying love and commitment? Plus, there's the added bonus of getting to wear a super cute dress that I've only been able to wear once and for which I have the perfect shoes to match. However, if for some reason, (say, all the junk food I ate on tour and the complete lack of exercise I've had) I can't fit into the dress, I will likely have a very different take on the day. Maybe I shouldn't have drank 3 pints of beer and had that 300-calorie, 20-grams-of-fat nutty bar from the vending machine yesterday. Mmmm...beer and nutty bars.
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