Vet update

Jypsy did fine today. I think I've raised such a ruckus they've now started giving her star treatment. When I went to pick her up today the vet came out himself to tell me how things went. He said apparently she's sensitive to the anesthesia (No! Really??), and he only gave her half of a normal dose for a cat her weight. It still knocked her flat out. When I brought her home she walked out of her carrier on all four legs, which was a lot different from the other two times when she crawled out, couldn't stand up and had to pull herself along with her front legs to get anywhere. She's currently asleep in her box-du-jour, so I'm guessing she was pretty stressed by the whole thing. Maybe almost as much as I was.

Now here's something funny - the vet said she probably wouldn't eat anything until tomorrow; she came out of the carrier and went straight to the food bowl and ate almost a whole bowl of food. Guess her teeth didn't hurt that much. ☺

Oh, and just fyi, I have another job interview tomorrow - things are definitely improving.

Of teeth and gums

Jypsy is currently at the vet getting her teeth cleaned. I'm very concerned - the two times she's had it done before she was overdosed for two different reasons. The first time they gave her an auxiliary drug meant to help calm pets down; Jypsy however was one of the few who had an allergic reaction to the drug. She survived. The second time someone wrote down her weight including the carrier, so the amount she was given was way too much. I thought I was going to lose her that time. That led to several long conversations with the vet, who I really like and does a good job with her, about these problems and he's very aware of my apprehension. According to her chart, it's now marked she does not get the auxiliary drug, and a different vet did the last one (and is no longer there). My vet requested I make darn sure he's the one on duty whenever I bring her in. I can hear folks now saying, "Well, don't get her teeth cleaned!" My answer is I had a dog years ago that I loved as much or more than Jypsy and the vet that took care of him never suggested teeth cleaning. In my dog's later years he lost teeth and had problems eating due to dental decay and bad gums. I don't want that to happen to Jypsy. So, I'm sitting here trying to keep myself occupied while she's at the vets where I dropped her off at 7am this morning. I reiterated, yet again, how I want extreme caution taken with my cat. I even suggested maybe they should give her even a little less than what they felt was the right amount for her weight. Still. I can't help but worry. I'm waiting on the phone call to let me know she's fine and I can pick her up. A watched phone never rings...

Ups...and then downs

I allowed myself to get just a wee bit excited last week...I made an appointment to visit the office of the man I met during the census over the phone who suddenly finds himself in need of a new employee, I had a phone interview with a lawyer looking for an assistant and discovered I REALLY wanted to work for her, and a friend sent me an email about another company that might be looking for someone. I started thinking to myself, "could this be it? could this be the start of something....employable???"

I'll start with the job I really wanted....working for the lawyer. It's a small company; only two lawyers and they deal in a very specific area - abuse of children. We spoke over the phone and it sounded like something I would be proud to be a part of. She freely admitted she and her partner were seesawing over whether their new assistant needed to have a legal background. I didn't hear anything from her so sent an email message I would be more than willing to take some legal courses to bring me up to speed with their operation. She responded she had hired someone temporarily because they were so swamped, but would get back to me. She thanked me for offering to take classes. I thought this might be a good opportunity for me to learn something new, and I knew I was already capable of taking care of their two person office. The silence however is pointing in another direction.

The note from a friend of mine was exciting too. Working for a major non-profit company would also rate high on my list of desirable jobs. I wrote back something to the effect of "Who do I contact????" I've heard nothing in return, so it could be he's just trying to find out info for me, but I'm thinking maybe not....

I had a very good second meeting with the fellow I met during the census - his company is well known, and I could be what he expects of all his employees...as long as I could get some training in a field I've never really worked in before. The software doesn't faze me - it looked very similar to programs I've worked in before. I know if I had training I could pick it up and be an excellent employee. I just have to wait until I get the word. I want to ask all my friends who follow this blog to keep your fingers crossed for me. I need to get back to work. March of 2008 would have been the optimum time, but I'll take October of 2010 just as readily.

Meanwhile, I continue to apply for jobs. I can't stop just because I've had one little nibble. I'll continue looking. Three job tidbits in a week though? Can't help but smile...just a little.

The Audacity!

I'm really miffed. See, I found this perfect hiding place underneath the deck thingy in the back yard. There's like tons of bushes and stuff around it and I had a little spot in there all hollowed out and I could sit (um...sleep) for hours. Apparently my staff person did not care for that - she's such a party pooper! She said it was because she never could be sure if I was really THERE, as opposed to somewhere over the fence. To see if she could spot me she had to get down on her hands and knees with a flashlight (it's really dark under there), and practically crawl through the green stuff to spot me. But...that's what made it such a perfect place!

Yesterday she left me inside and went out - I could hear all sorts of banging and clanging out there. Once she came in for something and she smelled suspiciously like rosemary, which pretty much completely surrounds the deck thingy. Sure enough, when she let me out after it cooled off, the entire area around the bottom of the deck thingy had been covered over with some sort of wooden slat looking stuff and underneath the steps, where I used to slip under, was screened off. I can't get in anymore! I'm mad about it too. Now I'm spending my time underneath the bed. Grumble. That'll teach her! But somehow it's just not the same...

Dare I hope?

I know it's Jypsy's turn, but she's been, well, sort of lazy lately. She's also gotten into this habit of whenever I let her outside, she wanders around the yard for a bit and then goes underneath the deck where I can't get to her and sort of plants herself until she gets hungry. All the rain has given us an incredible amount of humidity, and I guess she thinks it's cooler. Dunno.

Anyway, rather than wait on her to finally post something I thought I'd take her turn. Last week was an interesting week. While working the census, I met (over the phone) a gentleman who was, shall we say, not a happy camper that I was contacting his household for verification information after they'd already filled their questionnaires in and sent them back. I was able to finagle the information out of him and at some point (dare I say I'm just really charming over the phone???), we started talking. He asked me how I liked working for the census, which led to my layoff, and then to the difficulty I've had trying to find another job. He owns a company here, and apparently has contacts all over town. I was really surprised when he, who didn't want to give me any information, freely gave me his business email address and asked me to send him my resume - in case one of his friends or contacts might need someone. I didn't hear much from him for several weeks, but last weekend he emailed me and asked me to meet him for breakfast one day last week. I thought he just wanted to talk to me about some potential company he knew that might be hiring. I did meet him (and he bought breakfast!), and it turns out the previous Friday one of his employees let him know she was going back to school. We had a very good conversation, and when he left for his office he said he wants me to come down and see his business and meet a couple of his employees. The job is not something I've ever done before, but I told him I was certainly willing to learn something new. I learn fast I told him, and I do. No, he did not out and out offer me the job, but this is the most promising thing that's happened to me in a long time.

That same day, a woman at another company I applied with sent me an email and wants a phone interview with me. We tentatively set it up for Friday afternoon, but she said she wasn't sure how long a meeting was going to take, and if I didn't hear from her on Friday afternoon to expect a call Monday morning. It would have been nice to be able to say I had 2 interviews in 2 days, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

I've been through so much, that I'm not getting my hopes up by any means. I figure though, that maybe this is a good sign. It was a little discouraging to read in one of the online papers last week that what jobs are coming open are either very high tech/specialized, or really low-paying jobs. While I know what I do is not high tech, and I'm not sure it could be considered a 'low-paying' job (although it's darn close) because there is a wee little bit of specialization. I'm just hoping for something/anything to break loose.

For those missing Jypsy, here's a picture of her currently sacked out on the couch. I'll give her a little push to get back on here with a comment, but it will probably just be about me turning the hose on her when she got under the deck one night and wouldn't come out even after it turned pitch black....but I'll let her tell you all about it.

Hurricane rains

I'm sitting here listening to the rain, just like I've been listening to it since yesterday morning. It started raining sometime during the middle of the night on Tuesday, and with the exception of a few let ups, has been raining steadily since. Hermine blew through Mexico and though now she's just listed as a tropical storm, she is definitely affecting our weather. It's typical; we go through a crucially dry period when my yard practically dies, even though I water it, and then we get tons of rain that can't be absorbed into the ground fast enough. My street is curb to curb water right now - looks like a river. One car that tried to speed through the water caused a wake that knocked over my recycle bin I set out on the curb for pickup today. I see huge puddles of water in the back yard - there's just been a lot of rain. We're due for rain the rest of today and tonight and then maybe, maybe it will slack off a bit tomorrow. Of course, 'when it rains it pours' (ha) - we've got a cold front coming through on Saturday with, you guessed it, more rain.

I'm glad the cat has decided it's not in her best interests to go outside. She's been pretty quiet the last couple of days, and I'm sure it's because when she gets up on the window sill in the utility room she can see, hear and smell the rain. She's been making good use of her indoor time, getting lots of rest and chasing bottle caps across the wood floors.

Job wise, I've had two interviews in the past few weeks, which is good. I haven't been chosen however for either position, which is bad. During the last one, the interviewer asked me some questions about what I've worked on previously, and as I explained, he kept nodding his head and saying things like, "that's exactly what we need here," and "exactly what we're looking for". As he was walking me out he said they would be calling me for the second interview phase. Two days later I got an email - they thanked me for applying, but had decided to move forward with candidates whose qualifications more closely fit their requirements. Life in the big city I guess, although I'd be willing to bet he decided I'm too old. I do have a breakfast meeting with a gentleman tomorrow who thinks he might be able to help me. He owns a large, local company and has contacts all over town. He has my resume and wants to get together over bagels at a local bagel shop. My hopes are not up yet, but he is aware of my maturity, so maybe this will turn out well.

Blending In

Serious thunderstorm last evening; again about 3am (loud booms and the window's got real bright) and then this morning it just poured. Staff person seemed glad it was raining, but personally I'm a little miffed. This SO cuts into my outside time. I finally convinced her to let me out, but then, well shoot, I got wet! Not wanting to appear like a wuss though, I ventured out into the yard, snacked on some grass (tasty!) and ignored her when she came back to check on me a couple of times. Finally my fur was pretty drenched, so I swallowed my pride and came up to the screen door and dug my claws into the screen. She smirked a bit, but let me in and didn't make any smart remarks. Then I had to suffer the indignity of being wrapped in a towel and dried off. Just as well, I suppose, if I'd had to dry myself and clean all that water off I would have been floating and the litter box would have become my new best friend.

The days are getting shorter, and staff person is getting really good at ignoring me when I want to head out for my morning yard surveillance. When she finally gets up she won't let me out because it's still dark. The guy sleeping in the front room said something about me being able to see in the dark (thank you!), but then staff person says, "Not the point. I can't see her." Jeez, wonder why she still doesn't trust me? Oh. Yeah. I did used to go over the fence a lot. When it's dark I also tend to blend right in with the stuff growing around the edges of the yard. Anyway, I usually get out for some bug maintenance/grass chomping around 7. I remember the good ol' days (last month) when I could go out before 6. It's also getting dark earlier at night, so instead of staying out til' 8:30 or so, now she makes me come in about 7:30 - well before my blend in time.

It's so tough being a ninja patrol kitty.