Wow, 61+ hour weeks! I never would have pictured myself working this kind of schedule; luckily, it's only for a couple of weeks. This is crunch time for students applying for $ aid and many states have Mar. 1st as their deadline. Thus, the extra hours to help all those people rushing to get their applications in in time.
So far, I really like my job. I see myself as, not only someone there to guide them through the process, but as a cheerleader of sorts, to keep their spirits up as they tackle the aid process. Lots of people get so worried and frustrated when it doesn't go right the first time, that they call us and we have to unwind them a litttle to get them to the point that we can get useful information out of them. I have fun with it and get them laughing.
My supervisor is great as well as those who work around me. I sometimes have trouble focusing on the caller when the hum of the room gets too loud. I don't know how many people are actively working on "the floor" at any given time, but there have been instances where it sounded like a giant beehive. Very odd sensation.
Last weekend we went to a motorcycle parts store to get a battery for the Suzuki. We met a guy there that does alot of work on his own bikes and has lived in Phoenix for a number of years. I asked him if he knew of any reputable car repair shops in Phoenix and he recommended one that I'm going to check out. I'm so tired of my car leaving puddles everywhere I park, not to mention having to refill the reservoirs of the leaking parts every other day. Perhaps they can give me some insight into the other things wrong with it.
I just realized that I haven't written for about 3 weeks. Almost that long ago, my car got broken into. They tried to steal it and must have been amateurs. They used a screw driver and drilled out my entire ignition switch. So, now I have this inch+ diameter conical hole where the ignition switch is supposed to be, thus I am hotwiring my car to start it. Cameron made a wire plug in arrangement for me under the dash so I can start it up pretty quickly. The main drawback is that I have to carry around a couple of ignition wires, as well as my keys to open the doors. Last weekend I locked my keys in the car because I hadn't put them all the way in my purse and they dropped on the seat on my way out. Thank goodness for AAA!
JarJar is doing well. I gave up on trying to keep their food separate, so switched to the prescription dry food a little earlier than was recommended, but now they can eat the same thing and it is out all the time. Apparently, he has been have some trouble with this for a long time. For as long as I have been his "mom", he has had cat box issues (refusing to pee in the box) and now he is readily using it. I wish I had been aware of this before, it would have saved us a lot of worry about the carpets in our rentals getting smelly.
Well, I have done about all the unwinding I can afford to do. I need to get to bed. Good Night!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Furry Feline Turns Household Upside Down
There's been a lot of change here, lately. The biggest being the start of my new job. Well, technically, I haven't started doing the actual job that I have been hire for. For the first 3 weeks I'm in training, getting my head stuffed with as much as anyone would ever care to know about the financial aid process, or at least, where to find it. This first week went well and each day I walked out of the building feeling like there must have been strands of information hanging out of my ears, or anywhere else in my head that they might find a hole to ooze out of.
Then there's coming home to our four-legged trio, Tuesday, Allie, and JarJar (yes, that's Binks). Since Monday, they have all been placed on a twice a day feeding regimine. Though that is probably better for them, it has created quite an adjustment for us humans. You see, last Friday JarJar wandered into the livingroom and attempted to pee on the carpet in front of us. He followed this with a planitiff MEOW that told us he was not in good shape.
Urinary blockages are not unknown to me, having dealt with it with a previous family kitty. I looked it up in my trusty "Taking Care of Your Cat" book to verify his symptoms and the flow chart on the page directed me to get him to the vet immediately. Thankfully, I wasn't working at Petsmart that day so it wasn't difficult for me to attend to our poor boy. It took calls to a couple of vets to find one that could see him TODAY.
So, over $1100 and 3 days later I brought him home. Actually, it wasn't exactly that easy. In addition to 2 medications to be given twice a day for the next week or so, there are dietary changes. For the cats, who are used to having a bowl of dry food out all the time, to nibble on throughout the day, it is a challenge.
JarJar has prescription canned food that he is supposed to eat, for at least a few weeks, then we can switch to the prescription dry food for both of them (of course it's a lot more expensive.) Allie could stand to lose some weight so the controlled feedings are probably good for her, but since we can't leave the regular dry food out for her, she is getting some canned food, as well. Just not the same kind. The main problem is that they have to be closely monitored when they eat because JarJar has decided that Allie's food smells much better than his does.
Now Tuesday, well, it is quite likely that JarJar's love of her food is what got him into this mess, to begin with. Thus, she can no longer have her daily ration of dry food left out for her to graze on throughout the day. In order to get her to eat a meal in one sitting, I am now mixing a little canned food in with her dry food. Works great.
One of the many reasons I like to feed everyone dry food is the lack of any major odor from it. Now that canned food is the rage in our household, it seems like all I can smell anymore is that awful canned food. I mean it's permeated my sinuses. At work I have passing awareness of that smell on several occassions throughout the day. Our kitchen is very small and separated from the livingroom by a small breakfast bar. It seems to cascade over the bar into that area. The fact that they are fed on the counters most likely doesn't help, but it's the only way to keep the dog out of their food and to easily monitor them. (One eats on the left side of the sink, the other the right.)
My morning starts at least a half hour earlier than it would have the previous week, in order to attend to the "starving" beasties that have been stripped of their ability to engage in late night snacking. When I come home, I am greeted by 3 eager faces, watching my every move to make sure I don't forget to feed them and loudly announcing their plight. I'm looking forward to the dry food switch. It comes out cheaper than the canned food and I can get back to an easier feeding routine. Tuesday will have to remain on the 2 meal plan, in order to keep JarJar from pilfering her meals.
It's amazing how such a small creature can have such a huge impact on our lives. Of course, anyone who shares their home to one, or more, will attest to both the positive and negative points to this sort of relationship. I know I will get used to the new situation and it is best for everyone (at least for the furry ones of the household). Perhaps that is the feline in me, uncomfortable with changes to my routines and the offering of strange-smelling food!
Then there's coming home to our four-legged trio, Tuesday, Allie, and JarJar (yes, that's Binks). Since Monday, they have all been placed on a twice a day feeding regimine. Though that is probably better for them, it has created quite an adjustment for us humans. You see, last Friday JarJar wandered into the livingroom and attempted to pee on the carpet in front of us. He followed this with a planitiff MEOW that told us he was not in good shape.
Urinary blockages are not unknown to me, having dealt with it with a previous family kitty. I looked it up in my trusty "Taking Care of Your Cat" book to verify his symptoms and the flow chart on the page directed me to get him to the vet immediately. Thankfully, I wasn't working at Petsmart that day so it wasn't difficult for me to attend to our poor boy. It took calls to a couple of vets to find one that could see him TODAY.
So, over $1100 and 3 days later I brought him home. Actually, it wasn't exactly that easy. In addition to 2 medications to be given twice a day for the next week or so, there are dietary changes. For the cats, who are used to having a bowl of dry food out all the time, to nibble on throughout the day, it is a challenge.
JarJar has prescription canned food that he is supposed to eat, for at least a few weeks, then we can switch to the prescription dry food for both of them (of course it's a lot more expensive.) Allie could stand to lose some weight so the controlled feedings are probably good for her, but since we can't leave the regular dry food out for her, she is getting some canned food, as well. Just not the same kind. The main problem is that they have to be closely monitored when they eat because JarJar has decided that Allie's food smells much better than his does.
Now Tuesday, well, it is quite likely that JarJar's love of her food is what got him into this mess, to begin with. Thus, she can no longer have her daily ration of dry food left out for her to graze on throughout the day. In order to get her to eat a meal in one sitting, I am now mixing a little canned food in with her dry food. Works great.
One of the many reasons I like to feed everyone dry food is the lack of any major odor from it. Now that canned food is the rage in our household, it seems like all I can smell anymore is that awful canned food. I mean it's permeated my sinuses. At work I have passing awareness of that smell on several occassions throughout the day. Our kitchen is very small and separated from the livingroom by a small breakfast bar. It seems to cascade over the bar into that area. The fact that they are fed on the counters most likely doesn't help, but it's the only way to keep the dog out of their food and to easily monitor them. (One eats on the left side of the sink, the other the right.)
My morning starts at least a half hour earlier than it would have the previous week, in order to attend to the "starving" beasties that have been stripped of their ability to engage in late night snacking. When I come home, I am greeted by 3 eager faces, watching my every move to make sure I don't forget to feed them and loudly announcing their plight. I'm looking forward to the dry food switch. It comes out cheaper than the canned food and I can get back to an easier feeding routine. Tuesday will have to remain on the 2 meal plan, in order to keep JarJar from pilfering her meals.
It's amazing how such a small creature can have such a huge impact on our lives. Of course, anyone who shares their home to one, or more, will attest to both the positive and negative points to this sort of relationship. I know I will get used to the new situation and it is best for everyone (at least for the furry ones of the household). Perhaps that is the feline in me, uncomfortable with changes to my routines and the offering of strange-smelling food!
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