If you see a whole thing - it seems that it's always beautiful. Planets, lives... But up close a world's all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life's a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern. - Ursula K. LeGuin

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Brigindo's Menfolk

The guys in my life are having a rough time of it. Every summer b takes a paid vacation in Alaska where he gets to lead a sea-kayaking class for several weeks. It is something that defines him and makes him whole. This year, due to the economy, he was unable to get a contract. He is also in the middle of dental work, which is never any fun but it is particularly unfun to have all your wisdom teeth removed.

The Brute has been to the vet 3 times in the past 3 weeks. He is allergic to flea bites and had turned into quite the scabby and mangy looking cat this winter so we sucked it up and took him for the first appointment. He HATES going to the vet and is quite mean to anyone he meets there. Of course he was behind on all his shots. So the first visit he got flea medication, steroids and antibiotics. A week later he had to go back for rabies and other important vaccinations. In the midst of all this his teeth needed cleaning and he started eating on one side of his mouth (it seems this is a really bad sign in cats as well as people). So the other day he went in for a full day of anesthesia and dental work. He came home sneezing...violently...and hasn't stopped. Did I mention we have to thrust bitter antibiotics down his throat twice daily?

To top it all off Angel is not having a good semester. Turns out taking a lighter load was not a good idea (and I can't even say I told you so) as he is bored out of his mind and less likely to study hard when he has too much time on his hands. He took the lighter load because he is broke and wanted to get a job. His job search was delayed because he needed a new car first. He now has the new car but can't find a job....yeah that pesky economy again. On top of that his new car was broken into once (and his GPS taken) and then his roommate backed someone else's car into his, scratching and denting it. On other fronts, his new fraternity duties are stressful but he's not allowed to discuss them and the martial arts club he was running has been temporarily kicked out of its space with no word on when that will be resolved. Luckily no teeth problems (that we know of...child hasn't been to the dentist in quite a while) but Angel has suffered from terrible acne (we're talking 2 rounds of Accutane--most potent stuff available--and its still there) since he turned 14. He has been diligently caring for his face at college but nothing has made a difference and he hates looking at himself in the mirror.

4 comments:

k8 said...

Oh dear, they all sound miserable.

I'm a bit like Angel in that I get less done when I'm not forced to make a tight schedule b/c of having so much to do. Oh, and I sympathize with the acne situation. I had a round of accutane when I was 27. I had always had lousy skin, but apparently women have a hormonal shift about that time and it led me to that evil but wonderful drug. My brother had two rounds of it. He's probably tried cleansers with tea tree oil, but that's what works best for me. The kind they have at The Body Shop is one of my favorites.

I hope their (collective) luck changes soon!

Amanda@Lady Scientist said...

It sounds like the menfolk in your life are having a rough time of it. I'm a lot like Angel in the busy schedule business. Does the vet have any idea what could be causing the Brute's violent sneezing? That sounds like it'd be uncomfortable. Anyhow, I hope that everyone's luck changes soon!

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry the menfolk are having a rough time. I can sympathize with the wisdom teeth. It's so painful and exhausting. It sounds like Angel's semester is a rough one, too, especially with the boredom and car worries. Dang, even The Brute's having a hard time!

I'm sure it's hard on you, too, because we worry about our menfolk. I hope things start to get better for everyone soon.

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