What Could I Do With My Life After Being Laid Off and Too Old To Pitch For the Yankees?

On this date (almost to the very minute) and just weeks after I turned 40, GSK gave me the ol' heave-ho.

There were a lot of things going on in my life then. I had gotten pretty sick a few months before and almost had to go on short-term disability. A relative died a year before. My dad's health was advancing to the edge of the precipice. Andy almost had to be put-down because of his temporary paralysis. And Abby was in the twilight of her life.

On top of all that, I had to think about what to do with my life. I was too old to pitch for the Yankees so I went to law school instead.

Archie Is Already Scared of the Vet

The way he looks at me in the vet's lobby

Archie on the Ottoman

Archie did not need much time to develop a fear of the vet. He shows this fear in two ways. First, while we are waiting in the vet's lobby, Archie will look up at me, whine, stand on his hind legs and reach out to me. The little boy is scared just being in the building. I find it endearing and sweet how he seeks solace from me in his troubled time.

The second way he shows his fear is when the vet tech tries to lead Archie away from me and he refuses to budge. I can feel his body pressing even harder against me no matter how nicely the vet tech asks Archie to go. Finally, the vet tech will try a different tactic by asking me to take a few steps towards the back to get Archie moving. So far, the revised tactic has been working.

I hope Archie's fears doesn't escalate his behavior to a severe level. As it stands, Archie couldn't possibly be any cuter.

Archie's 2nd Emergency Vet Visit

Non-swollen side

Swollen side

blurry head-on shot

Today, something must have bit Archie such as a bug or a small snake. My bet is on a bug because three days ago while I was doing yardwork, bugs bit me on the back of both of my calves: 1bite/calf. Those stings hurt like hell and caused red welts.

If the same type of bug bit Archie as bit me, then it must have been much more painful since Archie's bite was on his mouth. Normally, a mouth has much more nerves in the region so a mouth is much more sensitive to pain. Archie's mouth started swelling; his breathing was short and rapid and he was drooling. Also, he became quite clingy to my mom.

I was sleeping when it happened so I didn't see the events unfold. I only saw the final result: Archie's visibly swollen mouth.

Thankfully, our vet was still open since it was Saturday morning. He fit us in without any problems. After we checked in at the desk, we immediately went to an examination room. The vet thought a small snake or a bug bit Archie. He would have given Archie a steroid shot but combining it with the medicine Archie got from the after hours clinic could have harmed him. Instead, Archie has to take benandryl tablets. I think he's going to be okay.

The vet bill only cost $15.

Archie Has Found His Voice

And it's a shrill whine. Before the leg injury, Archie was mostly quiet. He'd bark if startled or cry in pain if Dixie bit the hell out of him. Otherwise, Archie was a quiet boy. Not any more.

He'll whine if he:

• Has leg pain
• Is lonely
• Is irritated by fleas
• Is bored
• Is hungry
• Cannot get to Dixie when one is out and the other is in
• Sees someone he hasn't seen in over 2 hours
• Has to go to the bathroom

Dixie Shunned Me

Keeping her back to me

Refusing to look at me

Dixie hates car-rides, so when I took her to Pullen Park she was not happy during the trip. Although she can easily leap in the car, she refuses and I have to pick her up and put her in. Otherwise, car trips with Dixie are uneventful. What I mean by eventful, for example, is a dog urinating in the car because of an extreme phobia such as Father would do during his rides.

Despite the ride being uneventful, an observant eye could see Dixie's disgust with the situation. Dixie turned her back to me during the whole trip and kept it there. In contrast, Andy, who would also sit in the hatchback like Dixie now does, would lay down pointed in my direction and look at me or sleep.

Not Dixie. Even when I first called her name, she refused to acknowledge me. She did turn her head briefly and cut her eyes at me, but that was only after I begged her to look at me. Soon after, Dixie kept looking at towards the back.

She knows how to get her point across.

Archie's First Visit to the After Hours Vet

Archie's left front leg is hurt and he is limping. I think Archie will be the problem child as far as health is concerned. He has been limping for a week and a half. The limp became noticeably worse two days ago. I think Archie injured it in an extended session of play during the weekend my brother was here. While Dixie swam up and down the pool, Archie ran quickly from one end to the other. By the end of that weekend, Archie  developed a noticeable limp.

I had planned on taking him to our regular vet later this week but Tuesday night Archie was in excruciating pain.  Archie was crying when I came in the door after working out. Normally, Archie greets me at the door. However, he was in so much pain that he couldn't get up. His front left leg was contorted from the pain.

I took him to the after hours vet to get Archie some pain medicine. He got a shot of some morphine-type compound. Archie was much better by the time I got him back home around midnight. Thankfully, we got in and out of the vet quickly since no one else was there.

I recognized the vet but didn't remember her name. Before I left, she asked how my cat was doing. She thought Dodo was a gorgeous cat, which he is. I told her that Dodo was doing well, thanked her, checked out at the reception desk and went home.

On Wednesday, I took Archie to our regular vet to have x-rays. Our vet said there were no visible fractures. Archie probably has a bruised bone. He is going to need a lot of rest.

Archie and Dixie are going to be frustrated as hell for the next few days.

Archie, Dixie & Dodo:An Uneasy Living Arrangement

Dixie After Trying to Lick Dodo

Dixie is pure jealous of our cat, Dodo. And Dodo hates Dixie. Dixie wants to lick Dodo or play with him. Dixie knows the sounds of Dodo's movements such as when Dodo's claws make a clicking noise when he walks across the hardwood floor. Dixie also perks up when she hears Dodo jump off the counters.

There have been a couple of times Dixie had a hissy fit when she knew Dodo was in my bedroom. One time when Dixie knew Dodo was in my room, Dixie went to the cat litter box and dug out all of the box's contents making a big mess in the hall. In a second incident, Dixie peed right by the litter box. Dogs sometimes use body excretions to send a message such as when Abby shit in Petsmart in an attempt to make me leave that store she hated being at.

Dodo can tell apart who Dixie and Archie are. Dodo cannot stand being in the same room as Dixie. If he knows Dixie is in the room, Dodo will not go in. However, if just Archie is in the room, Dodo will go in it. But he's not lovey-dovey with Archie. If Archie tries to approach Dodo when Dodo is not in a safe place such as on a piece of furniture, Dodo will hiss at Archie. Otherwise, Dodo has an uneasy tolerance of Archie's presence.

Dodo Separated For His Own Good