Maybe this is why Tony is fat...

Maybe it's why his mama had to go to Weight Watchers too! ;)


more animals

PLOG Update

So far, no poop episodes! Yay! I figured Tony might have an accident (if it can be called that!) since both B and I were out of town two weekends in a row. However, so far so good. He seems quite happy, and right now he's sleeping next to me on the couch, curled up in a blanket. Perhaps he's over the pooping stage, but I think it's too soon to know for sure. Regardless, here's to more days filled without PLOG updates!

Christmas Tree 2008

My Christmas tree is up for the season! I'm looking at it as I write this, and it looks great! I put it up last night, and B helped. She even turned on the Christmas tunes and made delicious hot chocolate with whip cream and sprinkles for the occasion. Also, she let me buy her a Christmas stocking. My poor Jewish girlfriend - what a great sport! We plan to put out the menorah for Hanukkah too, but it's not time for that yet. Regardless, I'm really lucky she indulges my love of Christmas, as if she didn't, I think I would feel pretty sad. I think Tony would be sad too, as he loves eating the tree. The artificial tree. Let's just say he tends to vomit green during the holiday season. Good stuff!
Speaking of Tony, he is doing quite well at B's. He's still not a fan of Matty (he hisses and bats at the poor dog regularly), but he and Elijah are good pals. He is currently sitting next to me purring. Life can't be too rough, dog or no dog. Also, he still hasn't pooped anywhere outside the litter box (knock on wood). However, we will be pushing our luck this next weekend, as both B and I will be leaving town again (B to Florida, me to Massachusetts). That will be the second weekend in a row we are gone...there could certainly be a PLOG update next week. I'm optimistic that won't happen, but then again, who knew he would poop on my bed everyday for weeks at a time? :) Fingers crossed for a clean bed on Sunday night!

PLOG update - mid October

Tony is still doing well at B's. He and Elijah now appear to be friends, or at least pals. They run around like crazy fools, and they both lie in bed with us at night, purring and content. All is good, and Tony's mental health seems improved.

His physical health is a different story however. In the span of 24 hours, he had diarrhea on the rug and vomited on B's bed. He also accidentally peed outside of the litter box (Elijah's box is way too small for him; sometimes he poops outside the box too - not on purpose at least!). To make things worse, this all happened the ONE night I stayed in Saint Paul. Poor B had to clean everything up on her own, which included washing all the bedding, the bath mat, and the kitty litter pad. Sigh. I guess I just need to learn that it will always be something with him. Not much I can do about that except accept him and move on. :)

In other Tony news, I stopped medicating him and that seems to be working. This is good news because getting the meds seems like a giant hassle, and he's not a big fan of the whole process either. We'll see how it goes; fingers crossed!

Tony is a nut!

Last weekend, it was unseasonably warm. Because of this, B had the windows to the house open. To open one of the windows, we had to take the screen off, and Tony jumped up and sat in the window, as he loves to do that. He also kept craning his head out to check out the outdoors, but I wasn't super worried that he would jump...until he did! I heard a thud, looked over, and he was gone!

B, Karen, Paige and I all ran outside to bring him back in. He was completely panicked and tried to jump back into the window, crashing into the glass and falling back to the ground twice. As I approached him, he took off running like a crazy fool. I heard another thud, signifying his crash into the fence, and then he tore off into the side yard to hide. Karen finally found him crouched behind a bush. I tried to grab him as he took off and wound up stopping him by his tail. Poor guy was absolutely panicked. I brought him back in and he hid for a while. Finally, he calmed down and things returned to normal. Honestly, there is never a dull day with that cat around!

PLOG update - October

Despite giving Tony anti-anxiety medicine, he was still having problems at home: vomiting, pooping on the hallway rug, and one last episode of pooping on Carolyn's bed. I was feeling badly about it every day, so Beth offered to take him in at her place. We figured the plan is to live together in about a year anyway, and I knew Tony would be okay if he returned to a normal schedule, so we decided to give this a shot. It was this or give him away, which I really, really didn't want to do.

I was a bit worried that he and Elijah might not get along, or that he would just start pooping here, but so far, so good! In fact, it's better than good - Tony has been walking around the house purring happily, and he and Elijah now sit by each other without hissing or growling (there was a lot of hissing and growling at first). I'm so thrilled! I hope this continues and he remains happy. It's crazy how much I love that little (big) guy!

Now let's see how Tony likes dogs - Matty is coming home late this month! Stay tuned!

PLOG update - September

Since I've returned from all my travels and started my job, Tony's pooping problem has improved, but he hasn't completely given it up either. I now keep a tarp on my bed when I'm not home (I need to keep the door open so both cats can use the litter box in my bathroom), and Carolyn closes her door when she is gone. Thus, the pooping on the beds has ended. However, every once in a while, when I'm gone for a day or two (at B's overnight or at a camping wedding with bats), he will poop on the hallway rug. To me, this really isn't a big deal at all, as the rug is easily washed. Carolyn might be becoming slightly annoyed, as she often has to deal with it, but overall she seems okay.

In good news, his anti-anxiety medicine finally came in at the vet, and I finally had a chance to go pick it up. We started treatment yesterday, and I really have no idea if it's working yet, in regards to pooping anyway. I do know that he's lying next to me while I'm writing this and he seems quite groggy. Poor guy. If he would just stop pooping all over the house he could avoid being drugged...Carolyn just asked me if I thought he would get fatter from lying around drugged. Yikes, another thing to worry about! I hope that doesn't happen. Regardless, I have to give this a shot because we don't know what else to do. I love Tony, and I want to keep him, so I really need this to work.

Stay tuned for future updates, hopefully positive!

PS - he's not drugged in these pics - just sleepy. :)

PLOG update

I dropped poor Tony off at the vet tonight, and it was awful. Of course, I didn't have that hard of a time giving him his meds and soaking his foot yesterday, and he didn't poop anywhere but the litter box. That made it harder to believe I made the right choice. He also really fought going in the cage, and he cried the whole way to the vet. Leaving him there was awful. I feel like a bad cat mom, but deep down, I still think I made the right choice, as he will receive the care he needs. Poor buddy - sending my guy warm thoughts and hugs.

PLOG update

I took Tony to the vet today, and the news is not great. First, it turns out that the cut I noticed on his foot is actually two puncture wounds - one on the top of his foot, one on the bottom. The vet guessed that Kitty bit him, as the cut is pretty infected, typical of a cat bite - they are nasty things. Poor Tony - the vet started touching the wound and he started bleeding everywhere - I guess it's pretty bad. Treatment: soak his foot in some medicated solution twice a day and antibiotics twice a day. Good times. I laughed at her when she told me I should try to soak his foot 5-10 minutes at a time. She agreed that it's ridiculous, but asked that I do my best. I agreed.

As for the pooping, she ran a full blood screen to rule out any physical problems. I won't find out the results from that until tomorrow. However, based on my description of what's happening, she thinks he's just upset with me and that the problem is purely behavioral. She said we need to retrain him to use the litter box, which means denying access to beds. She also said that some anti-anxiety medicine could help, as he's stressed when I'm stressed (meaning that it's probably not just anger, but anxiety and anger). Because it's basically impossible to give him pills (the antibiotics are liquid), she ordered some transdermal meds for him. I will start him on those when I return home, as Tony will be on a holiday until then.

Why is Tony going on holiday you ask? Well, because his foot is such a mess and because treating it requires a lot of work, I decided to board him at vet when I'm in Alaska. This way, Carolyn (and anyone else for that matter) doesn't have to deal with it, and I can rest easy knowing that he's being cared for properly (and not pooping anywhere in the house). He will have a miserable 9 nights, and he might poop even more when I return, but at least he will be cared for and hopefully healed. The vet agreed with my decision, saying he will be stressed with me gone, stressed if he goes to B's, stressed at the vet's, etc. Taking care of the infected foot is the most important thing for now, and this decision will ensure that happens.

In other news, I'm holding a "Hyundai screwed me over/Tony is high maintenance/Lisa is eating ramen noodles" fundraiser in the near future! ;) Just kidding - the money stuff sucks, but really, it's just money, and it will be okay, even if I don't pay off the credit card until 2020. Life goes on. :)

Adios para ahora - the next post may be from Anchorage, AK!

PS: My sincere condolences to you, Kami. I'm here for you. RIP Andrea Davis.

PLOG

PLOG = Poop Log. Awesome. Or not. It turns out that Tony pooped on my bed or Carolyn's bed almost every day I was gone, and Carolyn kept a detailed log of the events. I'm not sure why she didn't just close the bedroom doors at some point, as she had to wash all of the blankets I had put on my bed to protect it every time this happened (I first put a tarp down, and then some cheap blankets - this seemed to protect my bed quite well - great idea, Mom!). I was very frustrated to learn of this development for several reasons: 1) it makes me feel badly that C. had to deal with this every day, and 2) I cannot keep a cat who continues this behavior. I love Tony a lot, but I just can't handle this. Oh, he even pooped on C's bed this morning, while B and I were in mine. I caught him finishing up. Awesome. Got that duvet washed ASAP.

So, I made a vet appointment for tomorrow (awesome financial news after the financially devastating road trip), and hopefully I'll get some answers then. I'm hoping to rule out any physical ailments and to then get him on some sort of anti-anxiety medicine. In the mean time, the bedroom doors will remain closed in an attempt to retrain him to use the litter box. I'm honestly at my wit's end, and I feel sad about the idea of giving him up, as I take pet ownership very seriously. :(

Anyone have any ideas for me? I'm desperate!

New Road Trip Buddy!

Thanks to Karen and Paige, Manda and I now have a new road trip buddy: Babo's Bird! Look for BB to make appearances throughout the trip, and we will do our best to capture his crazy antics. Thanks, K and P - you guys rock!

Also, here are some newer pics of Tony...clearly, it makes sense that he poops on my bed, as his life is super hard. I can't imagine what I will come home to...

August Adventures

I leave on Saturday for the first of my two big trips in August. First up, a national park tour out west with my sister, who did an amazing job planning everything, and then second, a trip to Alaska with my dad. I'm very much looking forward to both, as I love to see new places and be outdoors, but I'm also feeling a little worried about being gone for almost the entire month of August, given that I'm quite tired and my cat problems. Despite those things, I really am jazzed for the trips, and I'm excited to spend time with my sister and my dad.

Stay tuned for pictures from both trips - I might even bring the laptop along on the camping trip. Seems sort of lame, as part of the point should be to escape technology, but at the same time, I do really like to blog about my adventures when they are fresh. I'm also a little worried about having to keep track of a computer on a road trip like that - will it get too hot in the car, will it get stolen, will something bad happen to it, etc. I'm not sure, but either way, expect to see pictures from the trip on here at some point!

If I don't bring the computer, I most likely won't be updating this site until mid August. Just letting folks know. :)

Adios para ahora!

Seriously cats...

So the cats have taken things to a new level: vomit, poop, and diarrhea on my bed one day and pooping in the living room. After some previous incidents, we've denied them access to Carolyn's bedroom any time she is gone and from mine at times (who wouldn't after vomit, poop, and diarrhea?). Yesterday, both doors were closed so the cats decided to escalate things another notch and they pooped in the living area. Awesome. At least it wasn't diarrhea, at least it wasn't on a bed, and at least it wasn't pee (I'm not sure if I mentioned that I came home to pee on C's bed the other day - rock on). Cat pee is way worse, and once they start with that, it's very difficult to get them to stop. Sigh. I'm at my wit's end with this. Tony needs kitty xanax, and he needs it soon!

PS: K tells me that my posts as of late have focused on three things: cat excrement, BarBri, and my own vomiting. Sorry about that peeps! At least I still talk about travel and I gave you the Twins earlier today. I promise to add some variety post bar. :)

Life with Tony

I feel I must start this post by saying that I love my cat Tony. I really do. However, I might need to kill him in the near future. Why? Well, he's in the habit of pooping on my bed, and now my roommate's bed too. Awesome. I'm pretty sure I know why he does it (stress from missing me, and my stress affects him too - thus, law school was rough on both of us). Knowing why it happens doesn't make it any better or easier though. Really, it's just time consuming, frustrating, and gross.

An example: I dogsat for Matty this weekend while B was in Chicago, and to make my life easier, I chose to stay at her place. Sunday, I received a call from Carolyn, my roomie, saying that Tony had pooped on my bed, and that it was diarrhea. Excellent. Being the excellent roommate she is, she washed most of my bedding. I just had to wash the mattress pad and I can then put my bed back together. However, when I arrived home this afternoon, Tony had also pooped on C's bed. Sigh. Now I have to wash her duvet too, and the doors to both bedrooms need to remain closed until peace returns to the kingdom.

Really, I'm at my wit's end with this, as I don't know what to do to make him happier/calmer/more content. Any ideas?

Tony's got it rough

Here are some recent pictures of my cat. Enough said.

Here we go again!

After a whirlwind weekend of sleep, errands, and a bit of socializing, it's back to the grindstone today. I had Criminal Procedure class bright and early, at 8:00 am. Good times. I have another class this afternoon, and then volleyball tonight. Should be a good day. I hope volleyball goes well despite my cold/flu situation. And despite the fact that I haven't played since December 17 - yikes! Oh well, I'm looking forward to it regardless.

So my cat, Tony, seems thrilled that I'm home, but he's also quite upset with me. How do I know this you ask? Well, he leaves me "presents" on my bed, which then require some serious washing machine action. He also vomited on the carpet. I have tried very hard to give him tons of attention, but basically, he's been upset since finals period. This is normal, but this episode seems to be lasting longer than usual. I've now resorted to my last ditch effort - putting a food dish on my bed. Hopefully this will work, as I simply cannot wash my bedding every other day. If anyone has any advice, please let me know. Currently, he is laying on my textbook, clearly sending me the message to pay attention to him or else. ;)

Class line up this semester, if anyone cares: Criminal Procedure, Advanced Torts, Prosecution and Defense of White Collar Crime, Negotiation, and Sexual Orientation and the Law. For the first time throughout all of law school, I'm actually looking forward to most if not all of these classes. What a breath of fresh air, especially after last semester's horrid classes. I hope this excitement lasts - I just need to make it through May 14, the last day of finals, and then I graduate on May 17! Woot! I can't believe the date is so close now; it seems like I just started yesterday. I can't wait to be working again, as that schedule, despite requiring long hours, returns normalcy to my life. Yay!

Okay, speaking of classes, I need to do the homework for my afternoon class. Later peeps!

Right on, Carrie Bradshaw! - myspace blog post

"I'm looking for love, real love, ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't live without you love." - Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City

That pretty much sums it up. I want that. Call me crazy, call me naive, call me whatever, but that is my truth. I'm willing to give that as well. It's who I am and what I want.

I'm not saying I NEED this. I am happy with the life that I have - I have a fabulous family and terrific friends. I have a warm bed, a roof over my head, and food (and diet coke) in my fridge. I have a big orange cat who adores me and who I adore.

I guess my point is this: My life is good with or without a romantic relationship. Thus, I'm not going to settle for less than the real deal, the whole package. It's all or nothing baby. I know who I am and what I want. I deserve that because I also give that. I am worth it. So, there you go. All of this might sound random to you, but it makes sense to me, and I guess that is all that matters.

Thanks, Carrie!

Weekends Rule! - myspace blog post

So, I went out last night (shout out to Samantha, Austin, Sarah, and Gricus and all the other fun people I saw and met). I danced like a crazy fool and generally had a fabulous time. We checked out Pi, the new lesbian bar in town. I think it is a cool space, but honestly, the music was not my gig. The first band was painful, and the DJ seemed to be into spinning for herself, rather than the crowd. I think that is a cardinal DJ sin. Honestly. Know your audience, play for them, and make them want to dance. You don't need to show us how cool YOU are, or how much new music you know. I think I would love to be a DJ, but I think I have enough on my plate at the moment.

We left Pi because of the music and hit the Townhouse instead. Totally dead, but we were able to dance there. Plus they played my new favorite song, Say it Right by Nelly Furtado (Sarah was kind enough to request it for me). We also ate a nice dinner before, complete with chocolate cake.

Speaking of dinner, I accidently undertipped our server, who was great, and I realized it while I was laying in bed last night. So, I called the restaurant this morning and told them what happened and that I would like to bring by an extra $5. The host was a little shocked, but appreciative. I stopped by later, and the host on duty at that time looked at me like I was absolutely crazy. The manager then took the envelope from me and thanked me and said she would get it. I think they were shocked because no one had ever done anything like that before...which I find sad. Anyway, I took care of the screw up-hopefully the money makes it to our server.

I saw Letters from Iwo Jima today. Very good movie. Sad of course, but it had a very powerful message, a message that is still relevant today. Actually, more than one message. All people, no matter race/color/religion, are capable of wonderful and horrible things. We fight and demonize people, yet we don't even know or understand them. Definitely relevant in today's world. Anyway, now that I saw that movie, I've seen 4 out of the 5 Oscar nominated movies-not bad at all. I only have Babel left and I'm not sure I really want to see it. Might be a renter.

I also took my cat to the vet this weekend, and of course, I got the your cat is fat what are you doing to him speech...not quite that bad, but you get the picture. Truth be told, he IS fat, about 2 lbs overweight, but I also think he's been losing some lately as well. He got super fat over the summer while I was in Europe. I swear he stress ate. He's happy and playful, and he really doesn't look that bad. I refuse to put him on scheduled eating, as that involves my roommate's cat too, and I don't want food driven cats. If that makes me a bad cat mom, so be it. Guess I'm a little defensive, huh?

Anyway, all in all it was a great weekend. I'm happy to be out doing things again. I'm breaking free from law school dang it, and you can't stop me!

Adios mis amigos!

Tick Tock - myspace blog post

Man, I'm bored. I'm in family law as I write this, and we are discussing family surnames and what the state's role should be in regulating them. Should I be able to name my child Moonbeam Sunshine? If the court says I can't, can I still call the kid that anyway? Can the state stop informal usage? Zzz zzz zzz....Actually, the subject matter isn't so bad; I'm just really tired as usual.

The bronchitis seems to be back a little today. I hope it doesn't come roaring back. I need a couple of days off, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Spring break is in March, but I will have to spend the week working on my legislation and lobbying practicum so I get all my hours in. It's a busy semester, but not much I can do.

I am going dancing this weekend and that should be fun (barring a full return of the bronchitis). I haven't been in a while and I love to dance. I hope they play good music. I mean, not everywhere has my excellent taste in music.

I'm also cat sitting for K and D this weekend, so I get to visit my cat godchildren. They are quite sweet so it should be nice. I'm taking my Tony to the vet on Saturday-poor guy. He hates the vet. Hopefully I won't get the "your cat should be on weight watchers" speech. Probably will though. Oh well, he's happy enough.

I need to think of some new games for my kids to play in PE. The older kids seem bored and I feel bad. The gym is so tiny that it makes it hard to do some things...for instance kickball or football. The older kids just crush the ball or can throw it to the wall. Not exactly easy to work with. If any of you have ideas, hook me up!

Law review production meetings start back up again tomorrow night. Ick. No fun at all. Oh well, the article is done and no one can take that away from me, so I can survive some Friday night meetings I guess.

Manda's wedding is coming up really fast. I'm really looking forward to it. I love weddings for the most part and I love to see my sisters happy, so it's a good combo. Plus I'm sure it will be a fun party-we are fun people.

Anyway, I should pay attn to class again. Approximately 1 hour left...

Sleepy Saturday - myspace blog post

So I was supposed to be up by 8:30 to work on law review. Suddenly it was 2:00 PM! Insane. I went to bed at midnight, so I guess I'm still really tired from the bronchitis. Also, I didn't sleep well all week, so maybe that had something to do with it. Anyway, I'm going to have to be super productive the rest of the weekend now. Oh well.

My cat is lying on the table so he can be close to me while I work. So cute. The other day he actually sat halfway in my lap for a bit. One of these days he'll be a full blown lap cat. I know he wants to be.

So the phone rang today and it was FedEx. I thought the guy said he had a letter for my roommate, so I buzzed him in. Instead, it was a giant, industrial strength metal LADDER. So funny. I don't know what she will do with that in our apartment or what she needs it for, but we now have a ladder. Maybe it's for her mom or something.

I've been feeling rather thoughtful lately. Kind of figuring out that I tend to sell myself short a lot. I deserve more than I often expect. I'm going to work on that, and I think that will be quite helpful going forward in life. Just some random personal thoughts. HA!

Okay, back to work. Love to all my peeps (you know who you are)!