Friday, February 22, 2013

What a Difference a Day Makes

Ok. I'm feeling much, much better today. Thank you all so, soooo much for your kind and supportive comments. It really helps to know that I'm not the only person out there who suffers from the occasional case of overwhelm.


It's rather amazing to me how just a little bit of time and attitude adjustment (and sleep) can make all the difference in the world.


It also helped that the stars finally aligned and I was able to refill Sputnik's prescriptions at a new pharmacy. I had been trying to refill it for weeks through my veterinarian, and it was just a nightmare.

I'd call every day and they wouldn't have it in stock, and had "no idea" when it would arrive. So they'd give me a few doses to tide us over, but it meant driving across town every other day or so and dealing with their obnoxious staff.


So finally I called the vet directly and got him to call in the prescription to another pharmacy. Get this, they had it ready in 24 hours and charged me $28 for the same meds that cost $194 through the vet's office! Holy Moly!

I've been very happy with the vet himself, but the staff and the systems over there seriously have me thinking about looking for a new one.


But, at least the issue is resolved for the moment. Plus, some new herbal remedies that I ordered for Sputty over 2 weeks ago FINALLY arrived this morning.

I've had him on a liquid version for a few weeks now, but he hates having things squirted in his mouth, so this will make our lives much, MUCH easier. I'll write another post about these new herbs in a week or so and give you the whole run down.


I dunno... perhaps this isn't very "minimalist" of me, but my stress level just goes sky high when I'm afraid of running out of something crucial like medicine for my kitty.

Maybe that's evidence of some hoarding tendencies on my part, but the minute I realized that we have all the medicine and supplements we need for the next month or so, I felt like I was finally able to take a deep breath and relax.


And as if that wasn't enough to make me feel better, CatMan came over and spent the evening with me yesterday. Seeing him always raises my spirits in and of itself, but this time he also brought me a birthday surprise!


Of course, the fact that my birthday isn't for another few weeks ensured that I was good and surprised! CatMan totally cracks me up - he gets so excited about giving me presents, that he can't wait for whatever the occasion is. So I'm getting used to getting Christmas presents in November etc.


At any rate, I'm excited to announce that I'm composing this post from my brand new Windows 8 tablet! I've gotta admit, I feel a bit like I've gone from a model T to a spaceship, since I've never even had a laptop before.

Seriously... if it weren't for CatMan, I don't think I'd own more technology than a land line telephone!


I couldn't help but think of the very first present he ever got me 20 years ago when we first met. It was a used 286 desktop computer complete with 40MB hard drive and a monitor that displayed bright green letters on a black screen.


At the time CatMan was running a sort of informal computer exchange out of his basement.


This was in the early 90's when having your own computer was still a bit of a novelty, but since he built his first computer in the 70's by wiring together a few computer chips with an electric typewriter keyboard and a TV screen (not kidding) he was a tad bit ahead of the curve in this department.


Anyhow, as the neighborhood computer geek, he maintained a collection of parts, and would assemble them into working machines which he would give away to anyone who he thought might put it to good use.

The only rules were that when you upgraded you had to donate the old computer back into the collective, or pass it along to someone else. I still smile when I think of all the good "pay it forward" karma that he generated.


At any rate, the happy has returned to chez Cat, and I'm having all sorts of fun figuring out my new toy. The truth is, it's really nice to be able to access the internets from anywhere in the house... I'm feeling much less tethered, and really, REALLY lucky to have the world's most wonderful sweetie.



24 comments :

  1. I'm glad you're feeling better. What a nice birthday present! Your Catman sounds like a great guy! My catman is pretty great also.

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  2. So glad all is right with your world once again. Personally, it usually is one seemingly catastrophic incident or insurmountable problem that sends me into a tailspin. I go from "dealing with it" to "the sky is falling." I go day to day, getting by until some new obstacle gets in my way & then it seems everything is collapsing around me. Like you, once that obstacle is dealt with, I can get back on track. I'm a firm believer that during sleep we solve our problems, which is why sleep tends to cure what ails me.

    Happy early Birthday. Enjoy your laptop - and so glad you finally asked the vet to write you a prescription. I've found that pharmacies are cheaper than the vet's office for meds.

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    1. I think I've come up with a new description for my personality type: Tailspin prone!

      I think on some level it's a control issue... when there's a big "thing" out there that feels like it's spinning out of control I start to panic, because I envision the chaos spreading into every other corner of my life.

      The only problem with my new tablet is that I've been up late playing with it - which isn't helping the sleep situation! Discipline... must use discipline...

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  3. You're right. What a difference a day makes. Reading your post made me smile because you're feeling so much better. Have fun with your new toy.

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    1. Awww... that's so sweet that my feeling better made you smile. That made me smile!

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  4. What a lovely gift. I have had a tablet for a little while and find they are really handy. CatMan sounds awesome. Considerate and tech savvy...that's a nice combo.

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  5. Yey, glad that you are feeling better. I have a tablet too and I LOVE it. The 'being on the Internet anywhere' thing is awesome. Well done Catman.

    PS I love 'ribbons' lolcat

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    1. Ribbons Cat is one of my very favorites too.

      And I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be able to sit with my kitty wherever he wants to be and still be able to be on-line and get a few things done.

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  6. Yay for early birthday surprises!

    Funny, we just got a new laptop over the weekend (to replace our nine-year-old version), so I'm also enjoying new tech. The laptop also has Windows 8, which may be okay for a tablet, but is rather annoying on a PC.

    It's like my PC is pretending to be a tablet, and I just want it to be a PC. Anyway, we're slowly adjusting, deleting all the unnecessary built-in apps, and finding workarounds. All-in-all, we have a much faster machine with a nice big hard drive, so despite the issues, I'm mostly thankful :)

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    1. I'm not totally sold on Windows 8 either - at the moment I'm really glad that this is just an extra toy and not my "real" computer, but who knows, perhaps I'll become a convert.

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    2. I got Windows 8 on my laptop yesterday, and initially got frustrated with the tablet features too. But today I discovered most of the keyboard shortcuts (LOVE keyboard shortcuts), some nifty multitouch features and cool apps, and finally stopped trying to touch my screen (in my defense, it was 2am :o). Overall I love the new clean design and fast startup. And there's lots of programs mimicking the W7 interface, just in case we miss the start menu :-)

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    3. I'm seriously considering getting the keyboard attachment for my tablet because I have real trouble with the touch screen... it's like my fingers are too big, or not very accurate or something. Plus, it's just hard for me to type with my thumbs! I fear I may have left some unintelligible on people's blogs since I've been using it! :-)

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  7. Thank you for your computer nostalgia; I enjoyed that! Have fun with your new tablet and the pharma-security for Sputnik :)

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    1. It sort of amazes me to think how far technology has come in such a short amount of time. I remember having a conversation with CatMan - not that long ago... maybe 10 years... I was saying that what I really wanted from technology was to be able to watch any movie I wanted instantly. I never dreamed it would happen in my lifetime!

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  8. Glad to hear it and happy early birthday! :)

    Thanks for the tip on getting cat meds cheaper - I'll keep that in mind next time I need some!

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    1. Thanks... and a very merry un-birthday to you too!

      The difference in both price and hassle is pretty darned remarkable! I think I'll be getting his meds there from now on!

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  9. Where on earth did you find the back to back heart kitties? For that matter, where did you find CatMan. He's a keeper!
    Squirrel is a premature gifter as well. I've had to stop him from ruining the magic of Christmas for the kids. Santa does not come two weeks early - even if our son "needs" his new snowboard for a competition!
    I think wanting to provide for your loved ones is a very human quality and doesn't make you a hoarder. For heaven's sake, my parents recently brought me the mother load of toilet paper from Costco and I felt a weight lifted. : D

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    1. Aren't those kitties precious? Google image search comes through (even though I've been cursing them lately, they're still my go to spot for lolcats.)

      And if someone as minimalist as you are still gets a wave of peace from a giant package of TP, I guess I'm not doin' so bad. 😏

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  10. Your reaction while not what I would call hoarding is the same as a mother with a sick child, or just a child. You freak when you don't know if you have enough of what they will need in sickness or just an unexpected accident.

    I'm glad you are having a better day today and hope that now most things are aligning for you the business end of your life will straighten out as well.

    My son is like CatMan, he has been taking apart computers since he was 9 and still builds all mine. He was so funny with the current computer when he gave it to me. He works in his basement, not a place I can get to, so to show me all the things he put on it for me he used his phone to video tape a walk through, I'm sitting in his living room when he walks up with a computer, sits down next to me and starts playing this video on his phone so I will know how to use the computer. It was hysterical, but I love him.

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    1. Thanks Lois - it's much better to think of oneself as a "protective parent" than a wacko, medicine-hoarding cat lady!

      Geeks are a different breed, aren't they? I have to be careful when asking CatMan for help with a technical issue because I'm likely to get an hour long lecture on the internal workings of a micro-processor, or something like that - which will have my eyes glazing over in a few seconds. On the plus side... I've learned WAY more than I ever thought possible about techno-stuff!

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  11. I'm glad you're feeling better already! And I'm with you on the med stockpiling, I usually keep a 3 month supply of birth control pills "just in case" -- got tired of going out at 11pm to get a new box every month because I always forgot to buy them.

    CatMan sounds like an adorable geek. Did he keep his awesome 70's DIY computer? I had some prejudice against tablets, but my father got a tiny android one this weekend and I lost 2 nights of sleep because of the damned thing. And it cost less than half the price of a smartphone around here. I'm sold. He also got a cover that comes with a built-in usb keyboard, so the thing basically becomes a laptop. If there's something like that for your model, check it out -- it's WAY more comfortable than typing directly on the screen.

    It's so cute that he couldn't wait to give you his present :) My boyfriend does that too, but only after making me curious about it for a few days.

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    1. Ha! I think he does have the old "TV Typewriter" (as it was originally called) hidden away in his basement somewhere. We were just talking the other day about how old Apple I computers are being auctioned off for something like 100 Grand!

      This is the sort of stuff that fuels hoarding nightmares though... "if I just hold onto it long enough, it will be worth a fortune!"

      I totally agree on the keyboard issue... I believe I whined about that in a comment above! I'm seriously considering the keyboard attachment for my tablet!

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