Links and things that I’ve run across recently.
When a Cat Takes Over Your Life
I apologize for being absent this week. We’ve had a small family drama… involving our cat.
If you subscribe to my Facebook profile, you know that Tessie-cat got sick and then started acting seriously weird. As I’ve mentioned before, Tessie is old, quite old, almost 19 years old. On top of that, we’ve been behind in her vet appointments (as well as our dental appointments). So we kinda freaked out.
Two vet visits and $440 later— Didn’t see that coming. We’ve discovered that her kidneys are beginning to fail, a common dysfunction in geriatric cats. This explains all of her symptoms, but it means she’s now on a special diet. And we get to start that diet off by injecting her with fluid twice a day for a week and a half, which she doesn’t seem to be enjoying too much. (I think the experience traumatizes me more than it does her, though.)
I do have a post in the incubator about old friends and how short life is. That post is near the top of my list. I hope to publish it next week. [UPDATE: Here it is!]
… and SQL Stuff
And I’m also helping out a friend with a small job, porting data from a MySQL database to a different database. If this kind of task happens frequently (and it may), this may be a good candidate for a specialized service I could provide as a side gig, as I have the skills to accomplish it pretty quickly and efficiently.
Michael O’Hare
If you’re a fan of Babylon 5, you may have heard. If you are and haven’t heard, you’ll want to know: Michael O’Hare passed away last week, after a heart attack.
Michael played Commander Jeffrey Sinclair in the first season of Babylon 5, later guest-starring in the series as Ambassador Sinclair, who plays a key role in the B5 storyline.
He joins Richard Biggs and Andreas Katsulas on their explorations past the Galactic Rim. We fans will always remember his work.
Today’s Quote
Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive…
(C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)
Dear Timothy,
Having a pet with kidney failure is hard for me in a few ways: The heartache of knowing that my pet is not feeling well, the expense of vet bills, and, of course, all of the worrying about when “the end” will come. My cat is eight years old, and she was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease in September, 2012. Ironically, she was given to me as a gift after I received my kidney transplant in 2009. My previous feline died from diabetes a few months earlier while I was still on dialysis treatments. She took insulin shots for two years. I cannot pull heroics again, but I still don’t know what I will do without my beloved, furry friend when she dies in my arms.
Sincerely yours,
Kevin Awrach