Growl

I have been quite happy with my vet office since we got Coconut a little over a year ago. I had to take her somewhat often during the first couple of months to get various series of vaccines and whatnot. Since then, since she has stayed healthy (knock on wood), we haven't had to go until today, when she was scheduled for her yearly check-up and rabies shot.

I usually deal with one specific vet. Her name is not the one listed on the sign, so I don't know if she is a recent partner or what, but I really like her. She is nice to my dog and she is patient with my questions. Today, however, we saw the other lady.

I know it's only a vet's office, but her bedside manner definitely left something to be desired.

First, I asked her if I should get Coconut stripped (I read somewhere it keeps their coat healthy) and she actually rolled her eyes at me and said, "I don't care what you do with her-- that's like asking me if you should get your hair cut!" Oooh kaaayy...

Then, she called my dog fat. Again, I know this is a dog we are talking about, so I'm not looking for her to use sensitive phrasing, but she could have said something like, "She is getting a little fat, so you might want to cut back on her food." Instead, it was like, "She is fat! You are feeding her too much! And stop giving her treats!"

Next she called her "bad" because she was squirming when Vet tried to look in her mouth, yelling, "STOP IT! Oh, you are BAD. Sit your fat bum down." I know that a well-trained dog will tolerate prodding by strangers, but she is good for her groomer, and good for her trainer, and really, I think it was just the mean ol' vet who she didn't feel comfortable with.

The last thing I asked her to do was cut Coconut's nails. I thought they seemed long, especially since I haven't been able to get her groomed due to her expired rabies shot. Seems to me that a vet should be able to look at dog nails and say, "Actually, they look okay to me!" But she did not. She cut Coconut's nails, and when she hit the quick and it started bleeding, she glared at me yet again, saying, "There wasn't much to cut off. Don't you like your nails long? Look! It has hurt her!"

I left feeling terrible about my apparently fat, bad, injured dog and my apprently stupid and shallow questions about her well-being.

Coconut was not the only bitch at the vet today.

Work, Cook, Sit

It's been a little over a week since my last post, and honestly, I don't have much to talk about.

...

I'm still loving my new job. I still have a long way to go until I'm entirely comfortable with what I'm doing, but I'm enjoying the learning process, and the work I have to do has been more interesting and fun than tedious.

*****

I haven't cooked anything real in a long while. Sure, I've heated up several things to form a somewhat healthy yet preservative-overloaded meal. Last night was packaged london broil with au jus, pierogies, and broccoli with cheddar sauce. See what I mean? Protein, starch, veggie... but also fat and plenty of hydrogenated whosiwhatits. Ah well. I made up for it tonight by making a version of HG's Famous Bowl, with enough leftovers to afford me two more servings. PLUS, since I made Italian seasoned/broiled chicken instead of the breaded fake chicken, I can make some pasta and sauce and then I will have even MORE meals! Go me!

*****

Walking into home improvement stores immediately puts me in a foul, foul mood. I don't know if it is the smell of wood/tools/mulch or the high, expansive ceilings and loud, echoing announcements, the fact that if you can actually find someone to help you, he never actually knows how to help you, or that I resent the fact that I ever have to go to these stores in the first place because I either want everything to be done already or for it to get done without my involvement. Take your pick, I guess.

Anyway, Alex and I went to such a store this weekend, and we realized that we can probably redo our half-bath downstairs for under $300. This includes a new pedestal sink to replace the nasty, mildewy cabinet/sink combo that is there, tiles to replace the DISGUSTING carpet (why the eff would someone carpet a bathroom?!?!?!), AND a mirror and light fixture! Why haven't we done this already?! We are L-A-Z-Y! We are waiting until next weekend when we'll have the cash (CASH!) to pick everything up, and hopefully my dad will help us out with the plumbing and electrical stuff. The best part: Once the downstairs bathroom doesn't skeeve me out, I will use it way more. Because it has a fan. If you get my... drift.

*****

And while we're talking about home improvements, something needs to be done about our couch situation. When I moved into my apartment, I bought lovely furniture. When Alex and his bozo friends helped move me out of my apartment, they refused to take the legs off the couch, and instead opted to remove the railing from the stairwell instead. The outcome: My couch was punctured by the railing hardware, which they left there, and the upholstery ripped. I don't know how to fix it, and I don't want to pay to have it reupholstered, and it hasn't been much of an issue because we've been using a hand-me-down couch from Alex's boss. It is an issue now because the couch's stench of dog has gotten increasingly worse, even with regular Fabreezes (extra strength, even), and you can smell it from anywhere in the living room. I know it's our own fault-- we should have never even let the dog on the couch. But what's done is done, and now it's where she sleeps. I want to bring in my couch from the garage, but I don't know how to mend the rip (I am scared that just sewing it will rip the fabric more, as it is pulled so tightly), and even if I do manage to come up with a solution (iron-on patch covered by a decorative throw?), I don't know how to keep the new couch from getting doggy smelly. The short version: Our current couch smells, our other, non-smelly couch is ripped, I want a new couch.

*****

I guess for someone with nothing to talk about, I managed just fine.

Sigh of Relief

After an attitudy phone call from the personnel lady last week claiming, "If you don't turn in your paperwork, you WON'T get paid next week," I promptly made the trip over to her office to turn in my shit. Just about the only way to get me to complete paperwork in a timely fashion is to threaten my bank account. P.S. I haven't told this to anyone ever, but the only true critique (an "X" in the "Unsatisfactory" box) on my final evaluation from The Suck-Ass District in Which I Used to Work had to do with that very issue. Weird, no one ever said anything to me about it, so I thought they didn't notice... Achem. Anyway. So I turned my stuff in at New and Awesome District, where I was gently scolded and told that I'll have to wait 60 days to get benefits because I missed the deadline, but that I would, in fact, get paid on time.

And thank goodness I did, because sheesh, unemployment is nice dough to get when you don't have a job, but it doesn't match what you get paid on a regular salary (at least, mine didn't) and because of the stupid water-losing, leaf- and dead-mouse-collecting, expensive chemical consuming pool some reason, we spend a lot more money in the summer.

I also opened a high-yield savings account so that come next summer I will have enough saved that I don't have to feel guilty for not working. THEN, if I decide to take some home therapy hours or do summer school, we'll have enough cash to hire a painter or go on vacation invest in a very impressive portfolio. Or something.

*****

Week 1 of the job is over, and I still love it. I am getting more comfortable with the whole program, learning how to get the most out of each of my aides (who are great anyway), and did I mention how freaking cute my kids are? So fun!

Rearing to Go

Yesterday was my first full day with kids, and ohmygodpeople these kids are so fucking cute. They are tiny and sweet and say hilarious things. Yesterday I mostly just let them play, so I could see what they like, how capable they are, what they know, how much they talk... The day was awesome. I will be placing a few more demands on them today, so we will see if any major behaviors emerge. I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying so, but I think I have a great group.

My eyes popped open 30 minutes before my alarm today, and for the first time in several years I didn't grimace and roll over. My head wasn't flooded with anxious thoughts. I didn't think, "Ugh, I don't want to go to work today."

I simply woke up and started my day.

Validated

There were several rumors circulating about the superintendent in my former district: "he is an asshole" was at the top of the list, followed by vague notions about short-lived stints in a number of districts, sexual harassment, and a dislike of anything having to do with special ed departments. I can vouch for the being an asshole thing, and as it turns out, I'm not the only one.

As it turns out, one of the other special ed teachers in my new school used to work in a district where the same supt worked. She had had coworkers who experienced the sexual harassment, and she actually had issues very similar to mine-- he had it out for her, and just before tenure, she was not renewed. She had never gotten a bad observation, yet when she asked for a reason in writing (so she could collect unemployment), he cited poor performance. She ended up getting a lawyer to handle it all.

I'm not glad all this happened to her, but I am glad that it didn't only happen to me! And if she and I randomly ended up in the same school and both have had problems with this guy... imagine how many others there must be out there!