The Twelve Days of Sweaters
Since I left corporate america and began playing pool seriously about six years ago, I learned that I can not shoot pool in sweaters. They are too hot and bulky and as fun, cozy, and cute as they may look, I just hardly wear them. This is a waste sinceI have so many super cute sweaters. And a couple years ago, my Charlotte Mom also gave me a BUNCH of her old vintage cashmere and wool sweaters from her youth.
So, I'll be sporting at least twelve different sweaters this month for my twelve days of work beginning tomorrow.
My First Day of Work
Tomorrow morning, I start my first day of
work for the next three weeks at
PoolDawg. I'll be taking calls in the office there Mon-Thurs. Chisolm and his girlfriend Amanda came over tonight to pick Vegas up. I originally just wanted him to come get him tomorrow while I was at work, but there were so many chemo instructions to go over that I wanted to sit down with them tonight.
I went over all the notes and paperwork with both of them. It was the most words I'd ever spoken to her and I was all prepared to begin with, "Let's put our differences aside and focus on Vegas's best interest," but it didn't need to be said. I was happy with the meeting and I was happy to know that he's in good hands.
There was a time when I didn't want her paws near my dog but I know how much they love him and it would be selfish of me to deprive him of that.
V-dog comes home on Thursday. I'll miss him this week.
A warm sweatshirt, my new laptop, and my pooch
What else do you need on a snowy fall/winter day? It snowed last night and since I don't have very good insulation in my house, it's a little chilly. If
Mike were here though, he'd probably still have the thermostat at 65. Maniac!
Vegas loves frolicking in the snow. He had a little giddy-up in his step this morning when he got near the door and remembered that there's snow outside. It was so cute. I love when he sniffs around and gets a little snow on his nose.
He's so regal!
I've got my huge fluffy green sweatshirt on today with my new laptop in my lap. Well, it's new to me. I recently inherited Mike's old T40p IBM Thinkpad because my A21m is even older and has been pretty sick.
After a new hard drive, replacement battery, a couple tumbles, and countless airport security scans, I sure have had a lot of fond times with my poor 8-year-old laptop and I've definitely gotten my money's worth, but I'm very excited about the new one!
I'm probably just biased, but they just don't make 'em like the Thinkpads these days. Mike could barely part with it and when I asked why he would even let me have it he said, "because you're an IBM kinda girl." Aw, shucks.
And I sure am too. I can't stand touch pads. He even disabled the touch pad so I could just use only the eraser mouse. I LOVE IT!!!!
It's been the highlight to recent macabre days.
Yesterday, my friend Sally asked me what Vegas does when I'm sad and not feeling well. I said that he knows when I'm sad and comes up to love me and tries to make me feel better. She said that I should return the favor.
It sucks so badly because there are so many little subtle things that he normally does that he's not doing. He was so restless last night and couldn't get comfortable. I tried to play one of our favorite games where I hide in the stairwell and surprise him and he does laps up and down the hallway. Last night, I hid, and he just laid down in front of me. It broke my heart.
However, as difficult as this time is right now, I am not giving up hope. I will attempt to stay positive and keep things in perspective. I'll do it for my bestfriend, my loyal companion, my protector, my boy.
Vegas & Me
This past couple months have been a complete emotional roller coaster ride, from
relationship hurdles to
tournament upset, a
death in the family to
winning a tournament. And just when I thought things were picking up...
Mike and I made it back to my house early Tuesday morning after driving through the night Monday from
Rugby, ND. CW dropped Vegas off Tuesday afternoon and as soon as I saw him, hugged him, and kissed him, I knew that something was not right (that's Vegas, not CW).
As I was petting him, I could feel that his glands were swollen. He had enormous lumps in his neck about the size of golf balls. They were hard like golf balls too. Immediately, I thought to myself, "Had I just never noticed them before? Had his neck always felt like that?" The lumps were so massive, the fur on his neck was protruding and you could visibly see how swollen he was. Mike noticed too.
I immediately called
the vet. They told me to check for any other swollen lymph nodes and I discovered more. In his arm pit, behind his knee, between his legs, and on his chest. He was all lumpy all over. I was completely freaked out. The vet was able to get us in right away that night. Upon seeing him,
Dr. Henry immediately suspected Vegas had Stage III
Lymphoma, "It's like he has
Lukemia." she explained.
We returned the following morning to meet with
Dr. Rha. We dropped him and
his reindeer off for the day for more blood work and an ultrasound of his abdomen. They later discovered that his spleen was abnormal. Thankfully, his liver and kidneys were okay. But due to the discovery of his fishy spleen, he was now considered Stage IV.
We had to decide whether or not we wanted to proceed with
chemotherapy.
I learned that chemo for pets can not be administered the same way as chemo for humans. Since chemo is so incredibly crappy, you can explain to a human that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. You can say to them, "I know this will really suck, but we''ll (hopefully) get rid of the cancer after all of this is over." Unfortunately, you can't really explain that to your dog. They won't understand they you're putting them through h*ll. They simply won't survive it.
Therefore, the chemo doses in pets must be much smaller than in humans. And because of this, the cancer doesn't have a chance to completely go away...
The good news right now is that Vegas doesn't even know he's sick. Though his energy level is low and he's probably pretty confused and overwhelmed, his tail is still wagging and he's still in good spirits. He's such an
amazing dog. He doesn't deserve to be in pain.
I ended up canceling all our Thanksgiving plans for the day to just stay home with V-dog. It was his first day of chemo and I wanted to make sure he was okay. And quite honestly, I just didn't feel like being around anyone. Amazingly, his lumps were considerably smaller after less than 12 hours.
So far, he's been doing really well. No upset tummy, just the stinkiest lethal, toxic, radio active chemo BOMBS (as Mike described them) that you could possibly imagine. You can see the toxic cloud of fumes wafting. They singe your eyebrows off and linger for minutes. But I guess if that's the worst side effect, I'll take it.
On Monday, I start my new
seasonal job for December so CW will be taking him to his chemo appointments on Wednesdays.
Please keep Vegas in your thoughts...
[p.s. Vegas is the opposite of
Marley]
In Loving Memory of Allen
Allen was my ex-fiancee's step-father, Dr. Albert Allen Wolf. Though my ex and I are no longer together, Allen and his wife known to me as my "Charlotte Mom" & "Charlotte Dad" continued to love me just the same.
Allen was diagnosed with a brain tumor which he had been fighting for the last 18 months. Unfortunately, his condition was worsening over the past couple months and he ultimately passed away on Saturday.
Allen touched my life. He was a brilliant man and I loved being around him.
Here are some of my favorite memories of Allen:
A is for Adventurous eater
Allen enjoyed clearing his plate, literally. That would include cherry stems, lemon rinds, and desserts of course. We've shared our fair share of desserts over the years.
L is for Laughter
Though he was more often the one causing the laughter, his dry witty humor brought me many smiles and I know it did for so many others.
L is for Love
From the first day that I met Allen, we had an instant, special bond/connection and since then, he has been nothing less of loving to me whenever I've called or seen him.
E is for Educated
Allen is one of the most brilliant men you'll ever meet. He was well educated and a wealth of knowledge on so many subjects. Amazingly, he had a great personality to go with it!
N is for Not giving up
Thank you, Allen, for giving us 18 more months of YOU after you were diagnosed with your illness. You will not be forgotten...
You can read his obituary here.
Since I left corporate america and began playing pool seriously about six years ago, I learned that I can not shoot pool in sweaters. They are too hot and bulky and as fun, cozy, and cute as they may look, I just hardly wear them. This is a waste sinceI have so many super cute sweaters. And a couple years ago, my Charlotte Mom also gave me a BUNCH of her old vintage cashmere and wool sweaters from her youth.
