Mi**ion A**omplished!

(My apologies for the asterisks, but I'm hoping to avoid a gaggle of political Google hits)

Amway, I managed to pull myself together for one more year, and got my Christmas cards done and sent as of yesterday... woo-hoo! I guess I won't break tradition yet this year.

Record Snow

As for the rest of the news lately... well, we just recently dug (or melted) out from Columbia's record snowfall within 24 hours (something like 16 or 18 inches, I think... happened on the 1st), and I dug out my own driveway all by myself for the first time in my life. THAT was fun.

The DirecTV Capers

In addition to scrambling to get my cards together and sent, I've also been scrambling to catch up with the tv shows I had saved up in the DVR cuz something went capput with the system weekend before last. I called Customer Support, and after conducting various and sundry tests, with mixed results, we concluded that something was wrong with the DVR, and they sent me a new one. So I had 7 days to get everything that was saved on the old one watched cuz they would be lost forever when I sent it back.

So I got the old DVR cleared out, the new one set up... and had the exact same problem. I spent another 3 hours on the phone with 3 different reps from DirecTV, and it was finally concluded that I needed a Service Call. That happened yesterday evening, and all is well again. I just have to reprogram the new DVR. But still... between getting the Satellite issue fixed, and the cards sent out, I feel like a bit of a weight has lifted, and I have some freedom again. I believe I'll curl up with a few of the books from my favorite authors that recently released (and I've been waiting on for FOREVER... or at least several months).

Ms. Pukesalot Visits the Vet

Ms. Pukesalot had her follow up appointment at the vet on Monday. Well, lemme back up a sec… I don’t think I’ve blogged yet about her original vet visit last month. See, the cat stopped eating. For something like 4 or 5 days. I was worried there might be something wrong with her teeth, so I took her in to get checked out. Turns out, she was just sick of her old food or something, cuz she was just fine.

However, in the process of running some labs to check her kidneys and liver before putting her under anesthesia for the teeth cleaning, we discovered that she had some elevated protein enzymes in her kidneys. Nothing drastic, but something the vet wants to keep tabs on. And, coincidentally, requires a special low-protein cat food… which she likes just fine, so it all works out.

However, during our follow-up visit, the enzymes actually went up a tad, so we’re not out of the woods yet. Guess we’ll see how things are going in another three months. I know Ms. Pukesalot just can’t wait to visit the vet again. This last time, she actually almost managed to crawl down the sleeve of my coat… and for a fat li’l tabby, that’s quite a feat.

Gram in the Hospital

And last but not least, Gram was hospitalized last night. She’s been sick with intestinal issues (the kind that really dehydrates you, especially when you’re not drinking enough water as it is), and was not getting any better. After Mom got the call from Meals on Wheels that she was unable to come to the door, and Pop couldn’t get a very coherent conversation out of her, he called the ambulance to take her to the hospital.

On a side note, I’d like to say that it was really nice of Meals on Wheels to be that conscientious about their customers… and also for Gram’s apartment manager to give Mom a call to let her know that the ambulance had picked her up.

Amway, Gram is currently admitted and they’re rehydrating her, and getting a little food into her, and getting her the medicine she needs (which she wasn’t taking cuz she wasn’t getting out of bed to do ANYTHING for two days). I think she’ll be okay, but we’re swiftly approaching the point of having to determine whether she can continue to live alone. A very difficult decision to make, and one that has been the source of many a contentious discussion lately.

Welp, that’s about all I have for now. Work keeps me hoppin, so I really need to focus on contracts right now. If I don’t get back in here before Christmas… well, then: Merry Christmas!