It will only get worse

That was Jed's mantra. He spent an exhaustive amount of time explaining to me that it is not a pessimistic way to view the world. I was never really convinced. But now I think I've got it. Instead of lamenting when things go awry and expecting everything to work out, maybe he's suggesting that we should expect things to just go downhill. And when they don't, well, won't that be a pleasant surprise? Well, things with Miss Annie are only getting worse.

I took Miss Annie to the vet today for what I was hoping would turn out to be a simple checkup. Miss Annie is not doing well. She's lost another 1/2 pound. The doctor is gravely concerned about her weight and told me to forget the prescribed food and to load her up on whatever is her favorite. She will die if she does not start taking in more calories. He sent me home with three IV bags and a bag full of needles to administer 200 cc's of fluids every other day. My attempt to stick her while in the office was unsuccessful (I stuck in and back out of her skin... so sorry Annie!) but I can do it moving forward. The vet pointed out that even he still does that from time to time.

So wish us luck. We'll go back to the vet in four weeks. With her health a growing concern (her eyesight is also failing the vet informed me) and mounting medical bills... well, I could be up for discussing the "other" option :(

Maker's Mark pieces done

Whew! It's been tough but the two Maker's Mark pieces, "Bottle to Barrel" and "Red Wax Dip", are done. I'll post pix once I take them and have linkies. Here are a few things I've learned in the studio over the last few weeks:

1. I don't like Raw Umber - Raw Umber sucks just as bad as Burnt Umber when it comes to applying the paint. Both suck less than just about any shade of yellow but only because yellow requires at least 2 coats and possibly more. Why can't everything work as well as Cadmium Red?

2. Golden Raw Umber is best - Of the different brands of Raw Umbers I tried the one that I liked best was from Golden. Not Liquitex. Not Winsor & Newton.

3. Brushes survive the dishwasher - Due to an innocent mixup ("Put everything in the sink into the dishwasher") my daughter put two of my prized brushes into the dishwasher. They survived and work just fine :)

4. What goes into a dog... - Paint goes into a dog one color but always comes out brown. Colored pencils go into a dog one color and retain that color. Sharpies make a mess going into a dog but do not kill them. Oh, and when a rope is sticking out of your dogs butt, pull it but don't yank.

5. Procrastination - I am and will forever be a procrastinator. No matter how much I try I simply cannot shake it.

"Procrastination is like masturbation... you're just screwing yourself."

Low Iron... Still

I called to get my blood test results from earlier in the week and my iron is still low. Bummer. I've been taking my iron pills and my multi-vitamins. And I'm still eating red meat (much to my wife's chagrin). I'll go back to the doctor in two months. Meanwhile, he suggests taking a vitamin C tablet with one of my iron pills and continuing to eat red meat twice a week. I guess that's good news for Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Skyline Chili - bad news for those who have to smell my meaty farts(that would be the wife and kids). Boo-yah!

What a night (and morning)!

I was exhausted last night. I spent over 4 hours in a cold, chair-less server room yesterday. I was already a little sore from standing so much at the My Morning Jacket concert. After work the fam went over to my parents' house and had dinner. By the time we got home and I helped the kids with their homework and eBaying I was pretty whipped. Julie went to bed and I quickly followed at 11:15.

She wakes me up at 1am telling me that one of the dogs is really whining. I go downstairs and see that poor Boba has thrown up several times in his crate. I let both he and Jack outside to take care of any business and then put them both back in the basement. I didn't put Boba in his cage and just left him out.

Then at 2:36am the phone rings and I answer it. There is no answer on the other line. I checked out the caller ID and it read "Sexy Black". The wife asked who it was and I told her, "Sexy Black." I don't remember what else was said as I was already asleep again before I was even back in bed.

I woke up feeling very tired this morning. I went right into my morning routine: got her coffee, showered, woke Will up, dressed, woke Kelsey up, let dogs out (to pee), fed dogs, fed cats, let dogs out (to poo). The second letting of the dogs out is normally followed by "give dogs treats and put them downstairs". However, Boba seemed to be having trouble in the ivy (he poops in the ivy in the back 80% of the time). The garage door opened and Boba came running up. As he approached I noticed that things weren't right "back there".

He had a heinously long turd sticking out of his butt. And it slapped back and forth against his back legs as he wagged his tail. I immediately grabbed him and held him still. Julie came over with a bag and pulled it out. She then sprayed him down and delivered a homemade enema with the house. The turd turned out to be rope mostly and he appeared very relieved once it was passed.

What a way to start the day!!

My Morning Jacket concert

The wife and daughter and I went to the My Morning Jacket concert last night on the Great Lawn. I know a few of their songs and dig them. Julie's cousin has been dating the drummer, Patrick, forever so we were pretty much obligated to go. We met up with part of her family as well as my sister and brother-in-law and my cousins Rachel and Matt. We brought folding chairs and had great seats. The company was great and the show was terrific!

In keeping with my newfound tradition (starting with the My Chemical Romance concert over at ) of blogging about the highlights, here are mine in no particular order:

* Glowstick explosion - At certain crucial points in songs large amounts (I'm talking dozens at a time) of glow sticks were hurled into the air. This went on throughout the night. It was fun to watch!

* Seeing my daughter rock out with her Poppi - Julie's father is hip and it was cool seeing three generations of the family representing at the concert.

* Booze and drugs - The amount of drug use at the place was comical. I was worried about the impression it would leave on Kelsey but she rolled with it and we laughed together. And the alcohol was flowing freely. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law were hammered. My poor sister-in-law was so smashed that she fell over... TWICE!

It was a good time had by all. I can't wait to do it again!

One week down...

Well, I think (I *think*) my wife survived her first week back to school. It is a new school. A new class. New kids. New assistance. New building. The place is awesome and her room is super cool. And the stories I've heard so far lead me to believe that she'll have a pretty good year. She would never admit it now but I am holding out hope for her. She has eight 5-year olds (a pair of "Irish twin" sisters both suffer from Down syndrome) and one third grader. All of them have special needs. Thankfully, the one girl that was blind was placed elsewhere. And, with a little luck, the open spot in her class will be filled from within the school. My gut tells me she will have them all whipped into shape in no time.

Other than that, the week has settled down. Some projects at work are winding down. Miss Annie appears to be doing better. She's eating a whole can of special wet food a day. I'll be painting, skating, and running errands this weekend. The weather looks terrific!

Annie passed...

The vet called me this morning. He spoke with my wife last night and hinted that she was doing well and may come home today. I answered the phone and he said:

"Mr. Brinley? This is Dr. Vaughn. Well, Annie passed..."

My heart dropped. My mind buzzed. My blood went red. Time crawled to a standstill.

"... her blood test this morning."

(Heart, mind, blood, and time all returned to normal)

So the little grrrl rebounded and is coming home today. I'm going in an hour to pick her up. She's coming home with medicine and special food. And they are going to show me how to mix and administer an IV bag. That'll be interesting :P

I'm just happy to hear that she is doing well. I'd hate to have to tell Jed that Miss Annie passed away. I'm more than happy to tell him that she passed her blood test :)

Miss Annie Update

Miss Annie was put on an IV last night and will be given 2 liters of fluids. She did not eat so they force-fed her with a syringe. After doing that she managed to eat a little on her own. She is stable so that is good.

Kelsey also started her first day as a sophomore in a public school. I'm excited for her.

Oh yeah, it's my mom's birfday today. Happy birfday, Moms :)

Birthdays and Funerals

Kelsey turned 15. My mom turned an age that cannot be revealed. Narayan at work turns 31 today. Goodness gracious! We celebrated Kelsey's birthday at my mom's last Monday. Then her friends spent the night Friday night. And finally we had Julie's side of the family over last night for burgers and birthday fun. Mom was able to squeeze in a lunch with the fam on Saturday at PFChangs (Yummy!). So the theme this weekend was birthdays!

But we also lost some great entertainers this weekend - Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes. I was shocked to read that Mac passed away. And I knew that Hayes was in bad shape a year or so ago but, to my knowledge, was on the mend.

And then last night I started to worry about Miss Annie. She hadn't eaten all weekend and she turned her nose up at wet food when I put it out for her. I took her to the vet this morning and they called her situation an "emergency". Ugh :( More details as they come...

BTW, Will and Kelsey and I made it to Kentucky Kingdom and he managed to conquer his fear of rollercoasters. Way to go, son!

Damn you Kentucky Kingdom!

As Will and I walked away from the gates from Six Flags: Kentucky Kingdom last night I made the call to Julie.

"We're leaving Kentucky Kingdom. Will threw up all over himself," I told her.

She gasped and lamented his misfortune. But then I gave her the real news.

"I'm kidding. The park is closed!"

No kidding. Kentucky Kingdom, during the week, closes at 7pm. What a crock! We rolled up at 6:30 and the ticket booths were empty. The folks at the turnstiles told us that the park was closing. Will was devastated.

I know that he thinks that the whole thing is a bust now. I had to keep telling him that notion was nonsense. He finally lightened up but I know that he thinks we're not going to make it. I'm leaving work today at 4pm and we're going to race over there and ride some damn rollercoasters!

The Wall

Kelsey and I shared another wonderful movie moment last night when I introduced her to "Pink Floyd's The Wall". I listened to *every* Pink Floyd album in middle school and high school so it was really awesome to watch "The Wall" together. I was waiting until she actually heard (and hopefully liked... she did) the album, which she got on vinyl on Monday.

Kelsey turns 15 tomorrow and we celebrated her birthday at mom and dad's. The big gift from us was a wooden, all-in-one unit that plays MP3s, tapes, CDs, vinyl, and has a radio tuner. It rocks. So dad and I went into the garage and brought out my old vinyl collection. Then he sent home some choice picks for her (with a healthy selection of Pink Floyd LPs... "Dark Side of the Moon", "Meddle", "The Wall", "Animals", "Wish You Were Here", and "The Final Cut"). The world of music evolved for her that very night. She dug "The Wall" so we watched the movie.

One more quick note: I have to give a shout out to Will. He and I are returning to Kentucky Kingdom today to conquer his fear of rollercoasters. He is going to King's Island next week with some buddies and wants his coaster cherry popped. I'm honored to be the one to be there when he loses his twisted metal and wood virginity >:)