Dog Sitting Continues / Illnesses / Ian Visits!
Nicole and I are about a week and a half into our two-week-and-three-day odyssey of dog sitting for Nicole's best friend. It's been exhausting. In my last entry, I talked about how having the dog here at our tiny apartment was grating on our nerves and that was only two days in. In the nights following, we couldn't get any sleep because the dog whimpered and paced all night long. She also had an incredibly shy bladder and no matter how often we took her outside to do her business, it rarely happened. Finally, we decided that we couldn't keep the dog here or one of the three of us was going to have a breakdown, so we took the animal back to its owner's house to watch it there. We were given keys and this was a known possibility, so I'm glad we had an escape plan.
The moment we got the dog back home and allowed it to play in its yard, she was completely different. Her separation anxiety melted away and it finally seemed like we could make the dog sitting work. Unfortunately, Nicole and I didn't have permission to be there together, so it's been a week of Nicole being over there while I can only visit on the weekend. But at least the dog is comfortable. All I can say is that Nicole's friend had better be having the time of her life on vacation right now, because watching her dog has turned us off to pet ownership at least until we get a real house. Don't get us wrong: We love cats and dogs and especially the dog we're watching, and even though I'm allergic to both, I'd love one some day. But what we've learned through this experience is that anything less than a house with a yard won't do for a nervous dog. It was a mistake to have offered to watch the dog in this tiny apartment for these seventeen days. Thank god we're on the home stretch and into the final few days...
I've had a few fun illnesses lately. I caught this bacterial infection months ago that I just can't shake. I went on some antibiotics a month ago and that only paused the infection. Now, I'm on some crazier antibiotics but my doctor has said that if this doesn't do the trick, I'll need to see a dermatologist. So I'm hopeful that I can fight back yet another goofy sickness that my crappy body has caught.
Besides the bacterial infection I've been cultivating for a quarter year, I just came down with a crappy cold a few nights ago. This one turned my nose into a faucet for two nights and I didn't get any sleep because of it. I've gone through three boxes of tissues, even when using each tissue twice. Now the cold is in my lungs and it's aggravating my asthma, which is something that doesn't normally happen when I'm sick. Usually, even if I have a cough, diseases don't trigger my asthma, but this one has in a big bad way. I couldn't breathe all night long, so once again, no sleep for me. I actually had to bust out my nebulizer and throw back some of that nonsense. I use that thing only for serious near-emergencies and I haven't touched it in YEARS, so you know I'm over here suffering if I have to play with that thing. Unfortunately, now the Albuterol has made me all jittery. Guess that's a small price to pay for being able to breathe again... Asthma sucks. I hate this body.
Ohh yea, I've also gained about 35 pounds since becoming unemployed earlier this year. Nicole is a sweet dear and claims it makes me sexier-and I believe her because she tends to have this flirty carnivorous look in her eyes just before she pounces on me-but I hate how puffy my face and body seems. I think having a job again will help me lose weight. I'll be more active and probably eat better. I'm looking forward to that.
Ian, one of my roommates and friends from college, returned to Portland last weekend and actually found a moment to stop by for a visit. Earlier this year, he moved to Boise from Portland to be closer to his family. We've had excellent weather here lately so I'm sure the pull to enjoy the coast was overwhelming. Nicole and I did our best to balance the dog-sitting and trying to be available when Ian was since he was playing the entire weekend by ear and nothing was concrete. But he did stop by for a bit on his way out of town and it was like he'd never left. Now I guess it's our turn to visit people in Boise...
The moment we got the dog back home and allowed it to play in its yard, she was completely different. Her separation anxiety melted away and it finally seemed like we could make the dog sitting work. Unfortunately, Nicole and I didn't have permission to be there together, so it's been a week of Nicole being over there while I can only visit on the weekend. But at least the dog is comfortable. All I can say is that Nicole's friend had better be having the time of her life on vacation right now, because watching her dog has turned us off to pet ownership at least until we get a real house. Don't get us wrong: We love cats and dogs and especially the dog we're watching, and even though I'm allergic to both, I'd love one some day. But what we've learned through this experience is that anything less than a house with a yard won't do for a nervous dog. It was a mistake to have offered to watch the dog in this tiny apartment for these seventeen days. Thank god we're on the home stretch and into the final few days...
I've had a few fun illnesses lately. I caught this bacterial infection months ago that I just can't shake. I went on some antibiotics a month ago and that only paused the infection. Now, I'm on some crazier antibiotics but my doctor has said that if this doesn't do the trick, I'll need to see a dermatologist. So I'm hopeful that I can fight back yet another goofy sickness that my crappy body has caught.
Besides the bacterial infection I've been cultivating for a quarter year, I just came down with a crappy cold a few nights ago. This one turned my nose into a faucet for two nights and I didn't get any sleep because of it. I've gone through three boxes of tissues, even when using each tissue twice. Now the cold is in my lungs and it's aggravating my asthma, which is something that doesn't normally happen when I'm sick. Usually, even if I have a cough, diseases don't trigger my asthma, but this one has in a big bad way. I couldn't breathe all night long, so once again, no sleep for me. I actually had to bust out my nebulizer and throw back some of that nonsense. I use that thing only for serious near-emergencies and I haven't touched it in YEARS, so you know I'm over here suffering if I have to play with that thing. Unfortunately, now the Albuterol has made me all jittery. Guess that's a small price to pay for being able to breathe again... Asthma sucks. I hate this body.
Ohh yea, I've also gained about 35 pounds since becoming unemployed earlier this year. Nicole is a sweet dear and claims it makes me sexier-and I believe her because she tends to have this flirty carnivorous look in her eyes just before she pounces on me-but I hate how puffy my face and body seems. I think having a job again will help me lose weight. I'll be more active and probably eat better. I'm looking forward to that.
Ian, one of my roommates and friends from college, returned to Portland last weekend and actually found a moment to stop by for a visit. Earlier this year, he moved to Boise from Portland to be closer to his family. We've had excellent weather here lately so I'm sure the pull to enjoy the coast was overwhelming. Nicole and I did our best to balance the dog-sitting and trying to be available when Ian was since he was playing the entire weekend by ear and nothing was concrete. But he did stop by for a bit on his way out of town and it was like he'd never left. Now I guess it's our turn to visit people in Boise...