So, I bet you're all wondering about Callie.

Well, the visit ended up $120. I hadn't realize that using a stain to make sure she had no scratch would bump the price up so much. However, when the vet said she wanted to see Callie again next week and I pointed out that, much though I love the cat, if the choice is between her health and food, the cat doesn't win, she said she'd see me next week for free if I make sure to make an appointment directly with her. (And that's why I chose this vet. I know from experience that they're each and every one of them a soft touch.)

Callie has no scratch on her eye, and she's already doing better. Her appetite (which I'd barely noticed was down, because it's hard to tell with three cats) has really picked up, she's willing to play, and she recovered nicely from the trauma of having to go to a strange place and be poked by strange people. I have an antibiotic to give her three times daily on her eye (not the same one it always was, apparently that's off the market for unknown reasons, the vet was really pissed at that) and instructions to keep her isolated.

I'm willing to keep her isolated, this sort of infection spreads like a zombie plague, but it's harder to do than you think! We have insufficient doors :(

I've spoken to the nieces very firmly and explained that they must not go in to bother Callie at all because of the risk of spreading infection and the simple fact that Callie doesn't like them. This is not so much because of them, surprisingly, but because of her. And a little because of them. Ana finally worked out on her own (despite me telling her for months, but you know how kids can be) that "Sometimes, if you just sit and pretend you're scared of her and don't go to her, Callie will come towards you". Well, no duh. That's because you're not tromping around being scary. You don't often find cats who like small children, or even larger children, because kids are unpredictable and can so easily harm an animal without realizing it.

Some articles

An Effort to Bury a Throwaway Culture One Repair at a Time

( Read more... )

An article on race and NYC schools

( Read more... )

One on a pretty awesome 11 year old rock climber

( Read more... )

Solar Installers Offer Deals, Gaining Converts

( Read more... )

There are more coming!

And more!

We've got two on sociopathy in childhood.

Link the first

And the second!

( Read more... )

Ultra-Orthodox Shun Their Own for Reporting Child Sexual Abuse

( Read more... )

For Ultra-Orthodox in Abuse Cases, Prosecutor Has Different Rules

( Read more... )

Man tries to stop wife from voting; she hits him with SUV

Ancient language discovered on clay tablets found amid ruins of 2800 year old Middle Eastern palace

And finally, a piece in the New Yorker about Mitt Romney's bullying days. More or less.

We just cleared out the little room.

We found a. where the cats have been hiding to avoid using the litterbox (oh, ew) and b. a very old Mac.

The solution to a is easy: Throw it out, wipe it all down with vinegar after cleaning, close the door. (Also, be more pro-active about the litterboxes.) The solution to b is probably "sell for scrap", it's not old enough to be collectable but it's far too old to be useful, I think, for parts, and for sure we're not keeping it! Is it worth the effort, or should we just freecycle it in the hopes somebody else will think it's worth the effort?