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October 25, 2003
My political compass results
Apparently similar to Gahndi.
Posted by Laura at 11:24 AM
October 23, 2003
African or European
I had a burgeoning migraine this morning, so I took one of my new 100mg Imitrex. I got all of the usual side effects, along with one I had never experienced before - "difficulty swallowing".
I never understood before what kind of difficulty you could have with swallowing unless you were, say, choking on a hot dog. Would your throat swell shut? Would you unable to execute the swallowing motion?
I can best describe the sensation as similar to the sore throat that feels like tight band. You know the kind. You get them with the flu. No matter how much liquid you drink, they never feel better, because it isn't so much a surface irritation as a death grip on your esophagus. When eating or drinking, you brace yourself for the swallow because you know it will hurt like hell.
That's how it felt, only it didn't really hurt much. When I took a swig of Diet Coke, it felt exactly like I had just forced down a huge gulp. I was still able to swallow, it just felt odd. I don't think I want that to happen again.
Posted by Laura at 03:15 PM
October 22, 2003
Dreamy
I had a dream last night that I actually remembered this morning. I dreamed that I had a dream about Meda. In the dream, apparently I went to sleep and had a dream about her. She was in a litterbox in the basement of my childhood home, right where the utility sink used to be next to the washer. Then in my dream, I woke up and was sad that I dreamed about her.
So who has a dream that they had a dream? I'm sad because I dreamed about her, and also because I am seemingly unable to dream about her directly.
I do remember that the dream-in-a-dream was just as vivid as if I had dreamed it myself. Wait, I did dream it myself. Hmm.
The cube denizens gave me odd looks when I told them this story over lunch.
Posted by Laura at 04:16 PM
I have no idea why I think this is so funny
Posted by Laura at 04:07 PM
October 21, 2003
Cowtow
I changed the title of this post to remove the reference to oral gratification because I'm getting way too many porn-seeking Google referrals. I guess I should have known better.
Of course, I could use the traffic...
Posted by Laura at 10:16 AM
Ain't we got fun
A colleague is moving here from the UK to work on our software project for the next two years. Yesterday we had a little meet and greet, which is really an excuse to get some drinks and snacks for the department. I stood around for the required time and then went back to my desk. My cube neighbor wanders down a few minutes later to tell me that the Office Idiot (who we call Kathy Lee even though he's a he) attempted to engage the Brit in conversation. That convo went something like this:
Kathy Lee: So you're from England.
Brit: Yes.
Kathy Lee: You know, I have an accent too. I have an accent because I'm from down south in South Dakota. I grew up on a reservation so I got to hear all sorts of accents.
Brit: Well, my ear's not finely tuned enough to tell you apart yet.
This is why we need to just lock Kathy Lee in a closet and never let him talk to people.
I'm still not sure how South Dakota is "down south". From here in the Twin Cities, it's more like "over there".
Posted by Laura at 10:10 AM
October 20, 2003
Lifeless
My office has a weird vibe. The ill-timed departure of Meda combined with the death of both Cagney and Lacey (the mice) a few months ago means that I have no more pets living in here. Lukas the cat still wanders through, of course, and Bun Bun is in the next room. However, it feels like a dead space. There is no feeling of life anymore, no feeling that I'm sharing the space with other souls.
I've started to pack up Meda's things, partly because I can't take the look on the cat's face when he stares at the cage, looking for his playmate, and partly because I want to stop looking back over my shoulder for her. My evening routine is all messed up - that's when I fed her and gave her treats. Brian says that he felt better when he put away Castor's cage, but it feels so final to me. Maybe this is the denial stage they talk about.
Someday soon I will get another rabbit, or a pair. I think I would prefer a bonded pair because rabbits are truly social creatures, and they usually like to have a companion. Trying to bring two rabbits together and have them bond is surprisingly problematic. Rabbits are highly territorial and live in a stringent heirarchy in the wild. Dominance and submission is important here. When the top bunny demands grooming, they better get it. Most humans don't realize that when they pet a bunny they are in fact being the submissive one in the relationship, because the bottom bun is the one who does the grooming.
Given all of that, I would definitely prefer a pair who already have all of those dynamics worked out. Pairs are often harder to adopt out because people don't want two bunnies, even though they occupy the same space and eat the same food, so it is really not any more trouble.
I will make a plug for the MN House Rabbit Society here. If you live in MN and have any interest in rabbits as pets, you should look these gals up. They are putting a tribute to Meda in the next newsletter.
I don't think that wanting to adopt another animal means that I am going to forget Meda. She was my first bunny. I cut my teeth on her. I like to think that I made her life better too. She went from a 1X3 wire-floored cage where she couldn't even stretch out, to a 2X3 foot cage with three levels, and a room she could explore whenever she wanted. I did my best, and I hope she understood that.
Posted by Laura at 11:17 PM
October 15, 2003
Good bunny
Meda's getting surgery today. She has a jaw abscess that's developed over the last few weeks, and even though we've been giving her antibiotics for a week, it seemed to get larger. So, the vet thought the best course of action was to cut her open and clean her up.
I left an article on the bicillin antibiotic protocol for rabbits for the vet to read. I hope she reads it and thinks it is worth a shot. It could help get rid of lingering infection for Meda. However, it requires regular injections, which I would have to administer.
I'm waiting for the vet to call and let me know the outcome...I'm nervous about her being put under. Smaller animals can have trouble sometimes. So, I'm completely distracted.
UPDATE: I got a call from the vet at 4:15PM. Meda was doing fine until they were getting ready to take her off the anesthesia. She developed breathing problems and died.
I didn't think when I said goodbye to her this morning that it would be the last time.
Posted by Laura at 03:34 PM | Comments (3)
October 11, 2003
Spamburgers
I installed SpamAssassin the other day. Kudos to Mike Steinbaugh's great article that helped me work through it. If you're installing SA as a local installation, on Dreamhost or otherwise, these instructions will help. Be sure to read the comments for some common errors people have been seeing.
I derive great pleasure from opening the Spam folder and checking out the detritus.
However, I now get almost no mail in my Inbox.
Sigh...
Posted by Laura at 12:28 PM
October 07, 2003
NBC iPod Love
I finally watched the Thursday night shows I taped last week...Friends, ER, et al. Glaring product placement: On both Scrubs and ER, a character with an iPod.
On ER, Dr. Carter listens to it constantly, which is impossible - it would have to run out of juice sometime, and he was in the Congo, so he didn't have a way to recharge it. When asked by another character what it is, he says "digital music player".
Posted by Laura at 08:43 AM
October 03, 2003
Beards
World Beard and Moustache Championships Carson City 2003
Posted by Laura at 04:41 PM