We got good news and bad news – good news: he doesn’t have cancer, he’s just fat. The lumps were ‘fatty deposits’ that were a combination of getting older and him being a lard ass. The ‘pimple’ was a cyst but nothing to worry about unless it doesn’t resolve in a week or two.

As for his stiffness, that’s the bad news. Miles has burgeoning hip dysplasia in both hips, and it’s causing stress on his bad knees as well. Luckily, the vet thought that him losing about 10 pounds, coupled with more EASY exercise and some OTC meds (anti-inflammatories, glucosamine + chondroitan, omega-3 fatty acids) should relieve many of his symptoms and surgery can be held off. Which is good, because with all of his other health problems, I’m not sure we’d spend the money on the surgery for him.

It’s a hard decision to make, but it’s not only hips – it’s all four knees which would have to be fixed too, and we simply can’t afford $10,000 for a dog who – while very lovable – is prematurely aging and probably won’t be around much longer. I hate thinking that we are already making decisions like that about him – sealing his fate, as it were – but it’s a necessary evil.

In any case, we can treat him and make him feel better, and since he seems generally happy (if a bit bored since we have been too busy to spend enough time with either dog), I hope that will be enough to help him enjoy his life with a minimum of pain.

So yesterday, I get a message from Shari that she has found the money. Unfortunately, she found it while cleaning the yard of the dogs’ ‘business’. Yes, that’s right – it was in the dog poop. Literally, the dogs did eat the money – about $80 worth. Near as I can figure, the cat – upon NOT getting her way – knocked the envelope to the ground, where our Dog Oakley investigated and, having a distinct penchant for eating paper (napkins, paper towels, coupons, rummy score sheets, etc.) decided that the envelope and its contents looked simply DEE-lish.

What to do, what to do?

Well, if it were $2 or even $20, I would have written that off. But $80 was a little much to just shrug away so I did what might be the second worst job I have ever done*, and I grabbed some latex gloves and went after the money. It wasn’t a pretty job, but a little ‘probing’ provided me with a bunch of scraps of $20 bills. Washing them off in the yard, I realized that I had parts of 4 different bills, but not necessarily ALL of the bills. Back in I went for round 2.

At the end, I had all of the scraps I could find, so I rinsed them off with the hose, then put them in a plastic bag with a ton of rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide to sanitize them. After a couple hours in that solution, I rinsed them a half-dozen times with hot water and then dried them out. This morning, I put them together and taped them. End result:

• 2 bills are completely recovered – both serial numbers intact and most of the bill remaining.
• 1 bill mostly recovered – one serial number intact, the other partially there and a good 75% of the bill.
• 1 bill is very iffy – one serial number and barely 50% of the bill.

Now, according to the rules from the Treasury department, as long as a bill is over 50% present and is identifiable as U.S. currency, the banks have to accept it and give me a new bill. As you can see below, I think I should get all $80 back. But we’ll see.

As for Oakley, I’d prefer if he’s start laying golden eggs instead of recycling my hard-earned cash.

1. Check-ups and shots for all 4
2. New puppy prozac for Miles
3. Preventative antibiotics for our trip to the beach (the dogs got hot spots the last two years)
4. Antiseptic spray and lotion in case of hot spots this year
5. Checking a lump on Miles (not cancer, not cancer, NOT cancer…)
6. Checking Miko (cat) for weight & hair loss and puking

I think I’ll pick her up a medal on the way home.

The 3 days until vacation list

My wife put this one up. I think it’s adorable – but it’s my dog, so what do I know?

Miles and I were going through Blair’s hope chest earlier. He made off with one of Blairs baby shoes. When I went to go get it back, I found both of them, like this, in Blair’s room. Looks like we both miss him.

« See about waiting on Flickr »

This is Jazz, our new super-kitten. She’s always pulling new stunts, like flying out the door when we try to let the dogs in, or climbing up into the drop ceiling or tormenting our older cat, Miko. Her latest penchant seems to involve torturing the fish. After trying from the top for a week or so, it seems that Jazz has found a new way to look at the fish – either that, or she really wants some sushi. Or as my wife put it on her Flickr account:

“After several months of trying to figure out why that bala shark had been (apparently) trying to commit suicide, I think I may have figured it out.”

She’s an odd one, that Jazz.

Jazz had a hard day Monday – an early appointment to get spayed, followed by about 10 hours of recovery before the anesthesia wore off enough for her to go home. Yesterday, still recovering from her spaying, she found the napping in mom’s lap was by far the best medicine.

Personally, things are good – the birds are disappearing leaving me with few photography subjects, and I don’t know when I’ll have time to make it down to the shore to catch the migrating shorebirds before they leave. But aside from that, life is going well for the most part. We just got a new kitten (well, we’re renting with the option to buy, I guess), and she’s adorable:

The dogs are not quite sure what to make of her, with Miles mostly ignoring her and Oakley playing nursemaid most of the time. Miko, on the other hand, is not happy with the visitor/possible new addition. Still, she is pretty darn cute, and seems to have taken to us pretty quickly.

One of the only things I can really complain about is that I feel disconnected from my friends lately. I’ve seen almost no one, and even when I do get together for things like poker, I feel almost like I’ve missed everything. Heck, I didn’t even know that my best friend’s wife was pregnant until she was 5 months along – that kind of hurt. Most of it is my own fault – I’ve bailed on countless parties, get-togethers and other things, left early from places because my wife was sick and I wanted to get back, being too busy to actually get together. But it’s come back to bite me in the ass, and now it seems like I never get to see anyone – and I have a reputation for being fairly unreliable for invites. So, from here on out, I vow to be more reliable and social, and to actually reply to emails within 24 hours. Okay, 72.

One of my friends let it known the other day about how he was getting a divorce – and I have to tell you it was a shock. I’ve had friends divorce before (strangely, very few) but this was a shock to the system. I wish him luck and happiness, but it makes me appreciate my wife a little more, even with the struggles we’ve overcome in our marriage. Good luck, man, and there’s a Chimay with your name on it out there when you’re ready.

And last but not least, we have the global arena, that circus of Napoleonic rulers with more bluster and mispronunciations than brains. In this corner, we’ve got Kim Jong Il, ruler of N. Korea firing off nuclear weapons – in an effort to get America to talk to him. Isn’t that kind of like beating up a girls boyfriend in order to get her to notice you? Of all of the crazy rulers out there, this guy frightens me the most. Quadafi? Eunech. Chavez? Loco, but relatively harmless because people KNOW he’s nuts. Khomani – strangely, I see him as the most sane of the bunch, just not willing to sit back and take Bush’s shit when he knows it to be ridiculous. I don’t see him doing anything stupid, but more likely to just sit back while others rip into Bush’s regime, and smile the whole time. But “Dear Leader” is a whole other story. This guy’s touch with reality is somewhat between “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” – on a good day he might only be eccentric – on a bad day, delusional, misanthropic and schizophrenic. For him to have access to a nuclear bomb is more than a little frightening – not that he can hit us directly, but a guy like that is capable of all sorts of things that have no basis in reality. *shudder*

Of course, we have our own delusional leaders – we call them Republicans. From George “Iraq is going fine, the economy is strong and I am Batman” Bush to Dennis “What lurid emails?” Haskert, there is a collective political Alzheimer’s going on with the leaders of this country. Mark Foley is going to be the straw that breaks their back, and they have no one else to blame – he’s everything that the Republicans have been accusing the Democrats of being, and they’ve known about it for at least 2 years. As for Foley, himself: SHUT THE F#&K UP. I don’t care that you went into rehab – that isn’t curing you of sending innappropriate (to say the least) messages to 16-year old boys. Take responsibility for your own psychoses, and pay the piper. It’s funny, because I am a registered Republican, although I don’t recognize this party any longer. If I had my drothers, I swear I would register as a Whig (only because the Green Party and Libertarian candidates of late have been as scary as the Republican and Democrats).

Okay, end rant. Exit stage left. Get to work…

Oakley’s a beach dog, you know.

Oakley enjoyed soaking in the sun, body surfing, sand, frisbee in the surf. You know – the stuff that everyone enjoys at the beach. He was simply in his element when we took him to swim, play and surf.

Now if we could just get this bacterial infection he got somewhere along the way under control…

I’m not sure how to feel about my vacation last week. In some ways, it seemed so wrong to be having a good time in N. Topsail Beach while the suffering was going on down in the south. To be honest, many of us were torn between watching the news and seeing what was happening, and salvaging our own much-needed vacation by pushing that away – it would become all too real once we returned to the ‘Real World’.

The Good

I love North Topsail Beach – it’s a great town with nothing to do. Nothing? Yes – and that’s what makes it perfect. We went to the grocery store 5 miles away for groceries a couple of times, with a stop at the cheesy souveneir place once for t-shirts, and other than that, we never really left the house. Our daily schedule:

1. Get up
2. Feed the dogs
3. Walk the dogs on the beach
4. Put the dogs on the deck to nap
5. Go out and do some photography
6. Take the dogs out to the beach to play, swim, body surf
7. Go back for lunch and let dogs nap
8. Head back to the beach for the afternoon – sometimes with dogs, sometimes without, sometimes with margs, sometimes without
9. Go back in for dinner
10. Take dogs for evening walk
11. Grab a beer/drink, and prepare for night of cards, games, talking
12. Fall asleep

Pretty simple life, actually – and I loved it. There was no hassle about going to boardwalk, finding a restaurant with a less-than-2-hour wait, no crowded beaches. Just photography, relaxation, watching the dogs, hanging out with relatives. It was all good.

Highlights

Some of the highlights of our trip:

• Deep Sea Fishing – although I didn’t catch anything and the seas were a bit rough for some members of our group
• Dogs’ first visit to the beach – both Oakley and Miles LOVED the beach. They both learned to swim in the ocean (you know, leaping over incoming waves, avoiding getting crashed into the surf), and Oakley actually figured out how to body surf. They were depressed when we left.
• Kayaking - We had both a 1-man and a 2-man kayak. I enjoyed going out a few times, trying to catch up to porpoise, watching the terns fish just off of the boat, and in general enjoying the exercise.
• Fun & Games – I finally got to play Axis & Allies again, as well as Taboo, Cranium, and our own personal Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament. Every night was something new, including the 1st Annual Topsail Beach Beer Tasting, which featured samplings of Ommegang Rare Vos, Ommegang Three Philosophers and Chimay Grand Reserve.
• Food – I ate extremely well and terribly this week. There was always food around, including great subs by my father, delicious treats by my cousin and awesome dinners by everyone. The food was great, the seafood was plentiful (who can argue with $60 for 16 pounds of fresh-caught shrimp?), and it was a good atmosphere. Everyone picked a night for their dinner-making, and the menu varied – but was always good.
• Photography – Now that I was armed with a Nikon D70, I was looking forward to taking some shots of shorebirds, seabirds and whatever came into view. I wasn’t disappointed, adding some new birds (5 new species) and also getting shots of birds that I struggled to photograph the last time I was down there using a Pentax POS. I also got pictures of some really cool dragonflies, 8 new species of butterfly (hey, when the birds are boring in summer…), and a lizard. You can check out my pictures here

The Bad

Actually, there wasn’t much bad this week, other than the occassional newscast to make us have a moment of silent reverence for the disaster unfolding. I did realize how much of an asshat I am when I left the power cord for my laptop at work and had to have it FedExed to me so that I could put on the airs of actually doing some work (didn’t happen, really). What work I did try to do was stymied by the block on long-distance internet that the house had. Local numbers from global internet servers worked, local NJ numbers for an independent ISP did not. Oh well – it kept me away from the ‘net most of the week…

I also spent more time playing with the dogs (NOT a bad thing) which left my reading to a minimal amount – I only finished 2 books and started a 3rd. Usually, I get through 4 in the week… stay tuned for reviews.

Of course, gas prices rising more than 70 cents per gallon in NC while we were there, coupled with a $30 limit per purchase, wasn’t fun. We went from a fill-up of the Pathfinder being $42 to over $60. But that pales in comparison to…

The Ugly

How else can you describe the disaster that unfolded while we were down there. No, I’m not talking about the Phillies or my fantasy draft, but the Mother of All Bad Hurricanes, Katrina. I’m still in awe of the devestation she caused. New Orleans as the city I visited no longer exists. Luckily, the historic French Quarter escaped relatively unscathed, but most of the rest of the city will need to be razed and rebuilt. The pictures and descriptions were bad enough, but the stories were worse. The lack of substantial aid by the government (point of note – I didn’t elect this boob), aid workers being unable to get to those who needed help, the huge scale of destruction. Even worse, to see the depravity of what was happening down there after the storm turned my stomach. The looting was bad enough (just what the hell are these people going to do with those 3 new TVs they stole – considering they have no home, no power … oh, and no broadcasts), but to hear about rescuers being shot at is deplorable. As far as I’m concerned, if you fire upon a military rescue helicopter, you’re fair game for a bullet between the eyes yourself.

And New Orleans isn’t the only place that was wiped from the face of the earth by the storm. Small towns in Mississippi and Louisiana were crushed by the storm and the accompanying 20+ foot storm surge. You hear less about them, but this note from Van’s cousin drove it home for me. Other stories I have read detail entire towns being wiped out. Those that were trapped are probably dead, and many of those bodies will probably never be recovered.

I’m sad at everything I see, everything I read. I don’t have rescue experience, I’m not a doctor and I don’t have the skills to help out down there, but I can donate, and so can you. Please donate if you can.

Katrina Links

• Pictures from someone’s apartment in New Orleans
• NOAA’s satellite photos of the storm
• Using Google Maps to track conditions after the storm
• One of the worst pictures I’ve seen – Bay Saint Louis, MS

Problem – my dogs aren’t exactly Mark Spitz and Ian Thorpe with fur and fangs. Oakley seemed to get used to it after a bit and enjoyed the swimming part (although he seemed to enjoy the rolling around in the dirt afterward part more. Miles started strong, leaping after his tennis ball into the deep water. But I think that it startled him, and he wasn’t so keen on the water/swimming thing after that and had to rely on Yogi (Van’s huge golden) to retrieve the tennis ball for him.

Still, they seemed to enjoy it – as well as the baths they got later in their pool. I’ll have photos as soon as I have time to put them up. Thanks Van for having all of us over – it was great to finally meet your family.

Almost Daily Links »

• Hawaii Isn’t Really a State