Not My Best Day Ever
On the heels of the looming five day pay lag, I can honestly say that today was hardly the most fun of days. I woke up with a killer headache and my throat all scratchy, so I called in and I’ve regretted that decision most of the day.
Back in May I opened an insurance policy with VPI for Yara. Research showed me that there were probably better companies out there, but this one had the added incentive of both having automatic payroll deductions and a substantial discount through being part of CSEA. Anyway, I filed my first claim after Yara’s yearly physical and got back a whopping $60. I was hardly impressed, but I figured this would be a good backup to have in case of emergency. Like a car accident, perhaps.
Today I finally get official word that all of the claims I’ve made regarding Yara’s EPI — all the tests and treatment — have been denied. Every penny. And any pennies that will occur in the future. Because EPI is both a hereditary condition that is common in GSDs and was a pre-existing condition. Granted I didn’t know she had the condition when I started the policy, but that’s hardly the point.
As if my day couldn’t get worse, I get a knock at the door from the landlady1 and she is carrying an armful of papers. She hands me one and proceeds to explain that I’m in default for my November rent and this here document is to notify me of my court date. The long and the short of it is that I neglected to drop my rent check in the mail and they never got it. Oops! No real harm done, if you discount my near cardiac arrest. The kicker is that this may actually prove useful to me in other avenues, but I’m not going to elaborate on that here.
Later, I hear dogs barking and growling and whining all up and down the hall. And again I hear doors being banged on. Curiosity gets the best of me and I decide that right then would be as good a time as ever to take Miss Yara out. Well, lo and behold it’s the landlady banging on doors; this time she has the super in tow and together they’re “checking apartments for dogs and cats not on lease.” The super goes on to explain that they’ve had lots of reports about dogs relieving themselves in common areas of the building. I’m not really sure how the two are exactly related. I mean, no one really has an excuse not to clean up after their dog if they have an accident in the hall. Generally you’re dog’s in the hall because you’re heading out to do just that, so it’s not really a hassle to go back and grab some paper towels or whatnot. But if you have a dog that shouldn’t be in the building, chances are you’re even more careful about that kind of stuff, right?
1. Landlady here referring to the leasing agent that generally works this building. The actual “landlord” as it were is a company that happens to own quite a few different properties in the Capital District.
Budget Cuts Continue
Governor Patterson continues to detail his proposed cuts. [Quoted from the Times Union article.]
Work force: The plan calls for a delay of salary for five days this fiscal year essentially moving a week’s worth of payroll off this year’s accounts. Also, the Governor is asking to withold the 3 percent 2009-10 salary increase previously negotiated with several unions. Also, state workers will be asked to contribute a greater share to their health insurance costs; require workers and retirees to contribute to Medicare Part B premiums.
As a state employee, I have to admit all these budget cuts make me very uneasy about job security. No one at SED has lost their job at this point, nor has anyone been “encouraged” to retire early. Although, I can’t say everyone wasn’t mildly concerned when the Commissioner announced his resignation.
I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea of not getting a raise next year and losing a week of pay AND having a higher premium or deductible or BOTH. But I would certainly rather have my job at the end of the day if it meant having to suffer through any or all of that. From what I’ve been hearing, though, the unions are not happy with this plan and are being quite rigid about their already agreed upon contracts. I can understand that, considering some of them were several years behind when they finally went through earlier this year.
Oh, well.
Random Stuff
I got this and this today. And I just pre-ordered this. I’m a very happy Browncoat, let me tell you.
Being Veteren’s Day, I had the day off from work, so Yara and I went to waste some time at Crossgates. It was a pretty normal mall trip: we made a kid cry, we made others super happy, we got asked the same questions nine thousand times. It was actually really crowded, though. I hadn’t really thought about the fact this is one of the few days off parents and children share before the holidays start. People kept walking into me and Yara and by the time I’d even started trying to shop I was already more than ready to go home. We did stop in to say hi to Jean at Penney’s and no, she still hasn’t hung up the portraits. Oh, well.
It was really amusing at the Portrait Studio, though, which almost made up for it. There were a ton of families there getting holiday photos taken and a slew of kids in an assortment of red and green dresses and sweaters. It was really too adorable to stand. And completely belied the atmosphere because every single one of those kids were very much not pleased to be there or be in their holiday best or waiting have their picture taken or to seeing my dog or whatever. Honestly, if the mob of parents weren’t standing their steely-faced, I would have been rolling on the floor. It was truly the highlight of my day. I think that makes me a bad person, but it’s the truth.
Hmm, I thought I had more to post about, but now that I’m sitting here typing it out I’ve completely forgotten most of it. Eh, another time I guess. I’m going to go watch my new Blu-ray. :-)
Vet Visit, Part the Sixth
Not surprisingly, I’ve been hearing mixed reactions to Yara since starting her treatment. Yesterday, Sarah remarked at the quick change in Yara, noting that she was looking very good and had certainly gained weight. Today, a few of my coworkers commented on how good she’s looking.
But the one comment that sticks in my mind, sadly, was made by someone I ride the bus with somewhat frequently. She remarked at how much better the dog was looking and then went on to say, “I was really starting to worry about her. She was looking so thin and there was one day I saw her stagger and I thought, ‘Wow, she must be so weak from being so malnurished.’” I’m rather proud of myself for not saying something rude to her, but really I’m just amazed at how totally stupid people can be. Anyone that’s paid any attention to Yara would know she was never weak or sick or in any bad way other than the weight loss itself. In fact, several coworkers and friends can attest to how much energy she has had through all of this. The comment about staggering really blew me away and I’m not sure where that came from. But I imagine if she really witnessed the dog stagger it was from the bus lurching or Yara being clumsy and tripping over my foot. Really, though, I’m just left speechless.
Anyway, as the title alludes to, we made yet another trip to the vet’s office today. Yara had her second B-12 shot and I picked up the remaining six doses to administer myself at home. We also weighed Yara . . . she’s back at 51 pounds! Literally there was a chorus of “whoops!” at the vet’s from the gathered techs when the weight was read off. So awesome.
Our next check up with Dr. Gundersen is in three weeks. By then Yara will be off the FortiFlora and Tylan and we’ll determine where to go from there.
Fun with Fay!
Sarah came over for lunch today and brought her new foster puppy, Fay. As predicted the dogs had a grand time. They were running around so much it was pretty much impossible to take any photos — and when they weren’t I was no where close to the camera. But I did get this cute shot of them playing tug-of-war with one of Yara’s toys:
Sarah described Fay as the “sassiest puppy there is” and she certainly lives up to it. She’s very sweet and affectionate and quite the cuddle buddy, but she’s also very independent. What I noticed most abuot her today was that she is by no means intimidated by other dogs. In fact, she pretty much held nothing back with Yara. Yara didn’t seem to mind, but both Sarah and I commented we wished she’d put the puppy in her place if she didn’t want to play. We eventually had to physically separate them so Yara could have some downtime.
Anyway, most of the afternoon was spent giggling over the dogs playing. Yara was pretty much using her superior size and strength to her advantage by just standing around and letting the puppy pull with all her might. But Fay certainly wasn’t dwarfed in any sense; at one point she leaped squarely on Yara’s back and nearly flung herself into my television! Mostly they just chased each other around my apartment or played keep-away with a toy, but they were hardly as crazy as Yara and Irie were a few weeks ago. Thankfully, we didn’t have any accidents this time and no toys were damaged during this visit. However, one hair clip was sacrificed as a chew toy for the betterment of canine diplomacy.1
It was a very fun afternoon, but stay tuned because in two weeks they’ll be back to visit and this time Irie’s coming, too!
EDIT: In an effort to remember to check Facebook more often, I’ll be cross-posting images from here into albums there. Sorry for the repetition. ;-)
1. Fay kept climbing on my back and I eventually realized she was trying to get at my hair clip so I let her chew it up while Yara crashed out for a few.