So, I got back from Europe, then started by new job.  Then the American Inns of Court started, then the High School Mock Trial, then the County Bar Association, then Jupiter got sick . . .

Wait, what?

That’s right, but I’ll tell you in advance that the story has a reasonably happy ending.

A little more than two weeks ago, on a Sunday, I noticed that the left side of Jupiter’s face was just a little swollen.  It was obvious that I would have to take him to the vet.  Then, the next morning, I noticed a bit of pus coming from his mouth.  This increased my urgency.

When I took him in, he was diagnosed with an abscess in his mouth, which was pretty much what I thought it would be. The vet prescribed antibiotics, and I scheduled surgery for the next day.

I brought him in at 7:30 the next day and they gave me the forms to fill out.  Among the various optional procedures that I could choose to be done during the surgery were IV fluids and a full blood panel.  I chose to do those, mainly because Jupiter had had some kidney problems in the past.  I figured the fluid was important to make sure he stayed hydrated and keep his liver functioning.  I chose a full blood panel because he’s getting up there in age, a bit---he’s maybe 11 or 12 by now.

I checked in on him that afternoon, and they said the surgery went well.  Then, later, they called to say that his blood glucose was high.  They ran a few more tests to rule out a couple other things, and concluded that he has diabetes.  We switched his diet right away to a high-protein canned food, and he’s been on insulin for almost a week.  I’ll take him in on Sunday a couple times so we can do some glucose tests at various times, and we may need to adjust the dose.

But even just since the surgery, I’ve seen a remarkable improvement.  It’s amazing what you notice when things change all at once.  Jupiter’s coat improved almost immediately, as did his appetite.  He’s now the one who yells the loudest when it’s mealtime, and he’s been really stuffing his face lately.  There’s also a difference in attitude.  He seems more alert, active, and just more engaged in the world.  It’s fantastic.

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and butterflies.  The initial diagnosis (including the surgery) was quite pricy.  He’s on a name-brand insulin at the moment, and it’s also pricy.  And I’m expecting a bit more expense when we run the blood tests.  This is a relatively small problem for me, but it is a little inconvenient, coming as it does during the period in which I wait for my first paycheck from my new job.  Still, it’s manageable.  A little more significantly is the fact that I’m tied to Jupiter now.  I need to be home to give him his injections at the right times, so some of my activities will be limited.  For the most part, I don’t expect this to be a problem, but it does mean that I need to arrange for expert care even if I leave the house overnight.

But overall, I’m pleased that we caught this.  Jupiter has always been a great cat, and I’m happy to help him by making sure his quality of life is the best it can be.  And with proper care, his diabetes won’t have much, if any, impact on his lifespan.  Getting that blood test was definitely money well spent.

So, without further ado, here’s Jupiter in his new role as hungry, hungry hippo:

Have a great weekend!

That’s right, the big vacation is just around the corner.  I fly to London on Monday.  I’ll be posting when I can, and if you know me on Facebook or Twitter, you can get updates that way.  In the meantime, here’s the last shot of the cats for a while.

Have a great weekend, and I’ll report from Europe!

Instead, today is the first day of the Bar Exam for many recent law school graduates around the country.  For most of the rest, the first day was yesterday.

This year’s graduates are facing an uncertain future, bad job market, and a changing legal landscape.  Many do not have jobs lined up and hope that are counting on getting a license in order to be marketable.  In short, there’s a lot of pressure.

Godspeed.

Apparently, the massive amount of pre-existing hair is not a deterrent.  I really need to clean that thing off.

Anyway, I’m really getting down to the wire now—ten days until I leave for Europe.  I’d love a little widget counting down, but not badly enough to go find one and get it put into the site.  Lately, I’ve been compiling everything I need to remember in a master list.  It’s actually a little hard not to start packing a little bit now (I have my bag), but I still need to use most of the things I would be packing, so there we go.  But next week, a few things will be tossed in from time to time, and just barely more than a week from now, everything goes in.

You may be able to tell that I’m very excited about this trip.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend!

It’s a bit busy for me, too, but not nearly so much.  We had lunch on Tuesday, then hung out in Cheyenne a bit before I drove her back to Laramie.  Then yesterday, I hit one Cheyenne Frontier Days party, took a nap, and went back to Laramie to hang out with J and some other friends.  I don’t think it will get any less hectic—I have another CFD party on Saturday, one last week of work, finishing up with a party in Laramie on Friday, then I leave for Europe the following Monday.

But I digress.  The point is that it was really nice to see J again so soon.  We’ve lived in the same town a couple times in our long friendship (I’d say 3-4 out of the ten we’ve known each other), but usually when we are apart we may not see each other frequently enough.  I never did get the chance to visit her in Ohio.  But with her being in New Orleans, and with me going back for holidays, I get to see her far more regularly.  And that’s fantastic.

I was up rather late last night waiting for the plumber.  Yep, we had a little “sewer main” problem.  Actually, I’m rather glad that it happened now, before I left the country.  I’d hate for my housesitter to have to deal with it, although I’m making provisions for that sort of thing.

It certainly does make me tired today, though.

This is one of MackenzieMom’s cats, which she brought during her visit.  Well, it’s a kitten, really.

She’s a bit wary of Sebastian, but he doesn’t seem to care much.

The camera can automatically take black and white and sepia-toned photos.  I can’t see me using it much, but it’s there.

Classic.

Have a great weekend!

I now have only two weeks left at my job.  This saddens me a bit—I’ve really enjoyed and I’m going to miss it a lot.  I’ve been really working like crazy at the office to get as much done as possible, and things are going well.  I still could use another month or so, but I’ll have to make do with what I’ve got.

The real big deal is my trip to Europe, which I’m really looking forward to.  I’ll have about two and a half weeks, and I’m hitting London for two days, and Vilnius, Lithuania, Tallinn, Estonia, and Riga Latvia for about 3-4 days each.  I’m not planning out what I’ll be doing each of those days, but I’ll decide what to do when I get there.

I’m pretty excited!

Incidentally, if anyone happens to be in these areas from around August 4th through the 18th and wants to meet up, just let me know.  I’m game.

After that, it’s on to the federal district court, which I’m also looking forward to.

Have a great weekend!

I tried something a bit different this weekend.  Well, different for me—it’s probably old had for all the routine kale-eaters out there.  I made a salad.  Kale being pretty tough, I started by massaging in a bit of salt and olive oil (after washing and drying the leaves, minus stems, of course), and I let it sit for a while.  I then added my current salad staples: diced shallot, jalapeno, chopped dill, chopped cilantro, and balsamic vinegar.

It was out of this world.  The lettuce we get from the CSA is the good stuff—no flavorless iceburg here—and this blew it all away.  The kale had such a great flavor, plus the texture was the perfect amount of firmness.  It was really fantastic.

The downside: when I start making soups again, I may not have enough kale to really go around.  I can only hope that I’ll be off my salad craving by then.

It’s confirmed.  Last weekend I bought my tickets to London, and from there I’ll fly Ryanair to Riga, Latvia.  It’s the train from then on.

Now I just need to figure out my schedule once I get there.  Even that should be fun.

Lately, I’ve had quite the craving for leafy greens.  It’ll take a while to satiate that craving, but it feels good to start the process.

I think tomorrow I’ll have the French breakfast radishes.  For breakfast.

Jupiter’s Belly, with Sebastian in the background:

Lots of plans this weekend, and I have a full day of work to get through first.  So off I go to do my part to keep the wheels of justice turning.

Have a great weekend!

I got my ticket for London on Saturday, so I suppose The Trip is now set in stone.  Less than two months, now, and still so much to do.