FRQNC


Thursday, June 26, 2008 "Good morning! If you have just a quick moment Jib would like to talk to you about the ever-present dangers of plastic squeaky toys..."" "Might Jib come inside? It will only take a moment..." winkwink* "Oh, the white bandana? Why thank you. Jib got it from the Gulf Coast Veterinary Hospital. Apparently it cost the Snackkeeper a rather large sum. Looks better on Jib though. -JIB- p.s. Oh, and Snackkeeper? That whole "Mr. Squeaky" thing? Not funny.



Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Jib, (a.k.a. Mr. Squeaky), comes home today at 3:30. Thank you all again for keeping him in your thoughts. You're unassailably awesome people. j.s. The blockage was caused by a little plastic "squeaker" from a stuffed animal. It broke in half and became lodged in two places in his intestine.



Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Hi everyone. First of all, Jib is doing okay. Thank you all so very, very much for the comments, calls, texts, emails and the like. If Jib's nose kisses could be transferred through the Internets, each one of you would be wiping them off at this very moment. Thank you. So after performing the ultrasound yesterday, they determined that he would indeed require surgery, as his intestines had become fully blocked in two places. I drove back over to the hospital (roughly 20 minutes after I finished my earlier post), filled out even more paperwork, and they gave me the total projected cost of the surgery, $3,200. So as I'm inquiring about how to secure some kind of payment plan/Care Credit line, my landlady arrives at the hospital and strolls up to the counter. "I'm your Care Credit." she said, "We just need to get him better..." and then paid for the entirety of his surgery up front. Now I was teetering on the brink of a mental collapse before she got there, but that sent me right over the edge. All I could do was hug her and cry and stammer "thank you, thank you so much, oh God thank you..." over and over. I am in complete amazement by the generosity and love the people around me have shown throughout this. I'll never know what Jib and I did to deserve the company and care of such amazing people, but it had to have been something utterly angelic. Which means, more than likely, it was him rather than me who did it. So he went into surgery at 6:30ish last night. And I receive a call from his surgeon at about 8:30. "Mr. Shaw?" "Yes?" "How are you doing?" "I'm terrified Doc." "Aww, okay...Jib is doing great. He's fine." deep breath "Thank you so much Doctor..." "Of course. But I have a question, are you a sailor?" "Uh, well yeah. I am...but?" "I thought so. I think 'Jib' is the greatest name for a dog I've ever heard." "laughs Yeah, I'm rather partial to it too." Turns out she's sailed her whole life. And having put my own life in the hands of other sailors numerous times, I have implicit trust in them. That probably sounds odd to most of you, but it makes total sense to me. I just wish I'd known that before the surgery...might've eased the worry a bit. Anyway, he's still in the hospital. And being "a model patient" apparently. He drank some water this morning, and they said he'd be starting on solid food tonight. If all goes well, I might be able to pick him up and take him home tomorrow. He'll still require a lot of rest, and I'll have to crate him when I'm not home for the first 10 days so he doesn't mess up his incision/staples. But he'll be home again. We'll be home again. j & J



Monday, June 23, 2008 Jib is very sick. He began throwing up yellow bile yesterday morning, and then started flopping around on the floor and moaning in discomfort. So we went to the ER, where they took his vitals, did some blood work and made some x-rays. The doc came back in and shrugged. The next step was to hydrate him, give him some amoxicillin and the puppy version of Pepcid. After which the vet gave Jib a quizzical look and basically said, "we're really not sure what's wrong. Could be just an upset stomach, could be digestive blockage. That'll be $700." So we went back home...and things got worse. Jib began dragging himself around in circles under the bed and crying for most of the night, which in turn forced me to sleep on the floor with one arm stretched under the bed so he could nudge my hand if he wanted me to pet him and reassure him that everything was going to be okay. He drank a few bowls of water, and only threw up one. This, I believed, was progress. But this morning there was no change in his behavior all, and he still refused food. So back to the vet we go, but this time to our normal doctor. He takes a look at him, pushes on his tummy a bit and gives him yet another quizzical look. "No fever. Blood work looks normal. But he obviously has some stomach pain." As if on cue, Jib vomits again on the tile floor. "Hmmm," he says, "better take him back to the hospital." So we dash back over to the emergency room, fill out a bunch of paperwork, and after a lengthy wait, we speak to a new doctor. She asks the same questions, does the same prodding tests, and gives me that same goddamn quizzical look that I've grown to hate over the past 24 hours. "Could be some blockage, but I don't see any on the x-rays and it's not hurting him when I palpitate his abdomen. We're going to need to take another set of x-rays and see if the stuff that's in there has moved at all. We should also take an ultrasound and see if we can find anything." I nod. "It could also be that he just ate something that's violently disagreeing with him, and...um...for whatever reason that isn't causing him to run a fever. Thing is, I'm not hearing any processing noises when I listen to his stomach. No gurgling. Then again he hasn't eaten anything in 24 hours..." I nod again. "Well if he has any kind of blockage, it will require surgery. Just so you know." "Okay." "And if he's just suffering severe problems from something he ate, we'll want to keep him here until he stabilizes and is eating again." "Um, okay." "Great! Well I'll take him back and get things started and I'll call you when we know something." "K, thanks Doc." And that's where we stand. Jib is in some cage somewhere, scared and hurting, with an IV in his back and complete strangers operating scary-looking machinery around him. He doesn't understand what's wrong or why his tummy hurts so bad that he can't sleep. He just wonders where the hell I am, and why I can't just make everything okay and take him home. And I'm sitting here at my desk with tears welling in my eyes as I write this and thinking about how scared he must be. I don't understand why none of the doctors can give me an answer as to what's actually wrong with him. And I'm wondering how in the hell I'm going to afford over $3,000 worth of necessary surgery (if it comes to that), when I've already paid over $2,400 on the ER visit last night and his admission/testing today. So basically what I'm saying here folks, is that both Jib and I could use some seriously positive thoughts sent our way, should you find yourself with the time and inclination to do so. Thank you from both of us, j & J



Friday, June 20, 2008 This one's for the fellas. It seems that I every time I pass by a television (I so rarely turn on my own TV these days), there's guaranteed to be at least one ad for Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Enzyte, Revatio, Zenegra, or any number of "dong drugs." And it isn't like this is during the "Wilford Brimley Hums Your Favorite Ditties About Diabeetus Hour." I'm talking Comedy Central here. 20-something to 40-something demographic. For another example, let's say I'm watching a baseball game. These very same ads pop up -so to speak- on the billboards right behind the batter. You know, that guy who's waving the long, firm rod in the air with an expectant yet cocky look on his face? And as we all know, you can't check your email without seeing random subject lines like "Pleez hur 4 hourtz" or Maek ur babymaker LONG" or my personal favorite, "OOGLE @ MY MAN MASS!" I have no idea what "oogle" means, but I relatively sure I don't want it happening within splashing distance of my "man mass." Where F = Pfizer M = MAN MASS T = Time elapsed since last orgasm and V = Vicki Vale So to all my boys out there... points What the fuck is going on? I mean seriously. A guy getting an erection is a perfectly natural response to stimulus. Be it in the form of physical contact, lubricious thoughts, or really hot comic book pictures of reporters. Um, just as second while I go back and click that link again... K. Where was I? Ah! So there were nearly 20 million prescriptions filled for Viagra in the United States last year. 20 million! Seriously, can you guys simply not get it up anymore? Have we come so far that men can't have sex without chemical assistance? Because honestly, that doesn't speak well of our ability to survive as a species... Just ask Mr. Panda about his BEAR MASS. j.s.



Wednesday, June 18, 2008 That's Squall. He's the first little guy I made with the Spore Creature Creator. Download the Creature Creator and make your own at the Spore site. j.s.



And while I'm on the subject of Obama... That lovely little gem was on sale right here in Texas at the Republican Convention. "Morons, your bus is leaving." j.s.



Jon was on point last night... Particularly the Obama/Cuomo comparison from FOX there at the end. Oh, and it also appears that I was just minutes too early in linking Firefox yesterday, as the link went to the 2.0 version of the browser. Sorry about that. It's been fixed now, and will take you directly to the 3.0 client. And for those of you who downloaded it, try typing "about:robots" in the address bar for easter egg fun. "Robots have seen things you people wouldn't believe." j.s.



Tuesday, June 17, 2008 The new version of Firefox has been released today. However, their servers are currently being trampled in a mad rush to download the newest and bestest in web browsing convenience. So I've provided you a direct link to the .exe file itself. DOWNLOAD FIREFOX 3 You're welcome. Download it and be a part of the Guinness World Record for "Most Software Downloads in One Day." j.s.



Thursday, June 12, 2008 Wow...my computer has been utterly outdone by some crazy Romanian guy on a message board. That is about the sexiest, most artistic water-cooled rig I've ever seen... j.s.



This is the only BMW I would even consider purchasing... Perhaps it's because I majored in fashion, but the idea of having a "tailored" fabric car makes me giddy. j.s.



Tuesday, June 10, 2008 I'm not sure why Sub Zero sounds so whiny...but it's funny regardless. j.s.



See that? That's Big Papi (David Ortiz for the uninitiated), the designated hitter for the Red Sox. And that's a little girl from the Dominican Republic thanking him for using some of the millions he's made as a professional baseball player to create her country's first pediatric cardiovascular hospital...which has helped save her life. =] j.s.



Monday, June 09, 2008 "I disagree with what the majority of the American people want." -John McCain - [@ about 5:50 into the video] sighs Please America...please don't disappoint me for the third consecutive election and make this crazy old man our President. j.s.



Friday, June 06, 2008 Hehehe...Reggie & the Full Effect makes me emo-smile. j.s.



Yet another reason why I've endorsed this man for President... So much for "just a bunch of talk." It's not perfect, but it's a step in the right direction. Now you get in there and you dominate Barack. j.s.



Thursday, June 05, 2008 FROM THE HILLARY CLINTON BLOG: Dear Friend, I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you. On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans. I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party's nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise. When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House. I made you -- and everyone who supported me -- a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I'm going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life. I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise. I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you. In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness. I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you. Sincerely, Hillary Rodham Clinton It's about damn time... j.s.



Tuesday, June 03, 2008 That's a pretty impressive use of Flash there Amanda. Nice job. j.s. [The song is called "Plantage" by Under Byen, a Danish band that has an awesome album called "Samme Stof Som Stof" that they released a couple years ago. I think they released a new album as well, but I haven't heard it yet.]



Monday, June 02, 2008 Wow, have I been slacking or what? Sorry...but there really hasn't been a whole lot going on. Derek's b-day was Saturday, and we spent the morning with Mom, afternoon with Dad, and the evening with friends at Palace Lanes bowling and drinking (not necessarily in that order). Good times. Other than that I don't have a whole lot more to report. And this being End-of-Monthiness week, and article deadline on Friday, I'm afraid I can't stick around too long. Will talk more soon. j.s.