Party pooper

Last night I spent pretty much the entire evening getting caught up on various loose ends from being out of touch for a few days.  When left unattended for even short periods of time my email inbox quickly fills with a number of “to do’s”.

I need to get a handle on what my game plan is for Christmas.  I already decided I am not sending out Xmas cards, if you normally got one from me in the past this does not mean I suddenly care less about you, it just means that in 2012 I am not in a place mentally to be doing such things.

I then have to come up with an Xmas gift strategy.  I am not sure how heavily I want to lean on the gift card crutch this year but it will surely take an important role.  I have bought exactly one gift for someone other than myself at this point.  I am feeling like I am procrastinating and behind, a feeling I am not comfortable with.  Hopefully during the next week or so I can firmly grab the wheel and get this thing back between the white lines.

Tonight is the running club Christmas Party.  Last year I had a lot of fun and got really drunk. (those two things go together a lot)  I am not sure if my drunkedness or fun level will match last year, my personal circumstances are a quite bit different this time around.  I am still behind the sleep curve from my time with Charlie and my insistence on staying up late to see the mid-season finale of Walking Dead last night.

I got around to ripping my skydiving video from DVD and posting it to YouTube.  If you want to see it, here you go.

Last week I convinced Ali to stop giving Nicki thyroid medicine.  For the past two years Nicki’s annual physical revealed she had very low thyroid numbers. There were no obvious associated physical symptoms with these low numbers but Nicki had just started her shitting in the house issue this time around.  The vet prescribed thyroid meds for Nicki not only because of her numbers but also hopefully to help whatever was causing her to use Ali’s place as a toilet.

Well once Nicki got on the meds I saw a quick and dramatic change in her appearance.  Her coat almost doubled in length and became very dry as well, shedding like mad. She also developed a huge thirst that she has never had before.

Her joint pain seemed to kick up a few notches as well since starting the treatment.  My theory was whatever is drying out her fur  and making her so thirsty is also drying out her joints, making them more painful.

So anyway, Ali stopped the meds.  I can already tell Nicki’s coat is returning to normal although she certainly doesn’t seem any more spry.  Well Ali told me that since she stopped the meds Nicki appears more lethargic, sleeping more than normal.  She now thinks it is because she is off the thyroid meds.  Ali wants to resume them again.

It’s very tough for both of us to see Nicki going downhill.  When I see her plodding along slowly and painfully I find it hard to believe this is the same dog that used to leap over the couch in a single bound as she ran wildly around the house. If I allow myself to think about it for more than a moment I get very sad.

I just want her to get better.