Tempered Fragility

The renewal for this domain name is coming up.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet. I haven’t decided.

I have until August, though.

Surely I can make up my mind by then?

There’s something wrong with Rissa.

I changed her litter last night, and this morning it was flooded with pee again. I originally thought that Rylee had used it, but she wasn’t in last night, so. There’s definitely something wrong with her. According to the internet, it could be feline diabetes.

She could also be in season, I suppose, but she isn’t displaying any of the other symptoms. I knew as soon as Jazz was in season; she yowled, she rubbed up against us all the time, she tried desperately to get outside. Rissa is acting completely normal, aside from the excessive peeing.

I’m trying not to think about what that might mean.

Her appointment is at 4pm. I’m hoping to find out more then, but the vet will probably want to do (very expensive) tests before he can tell me anything. Which means I’m free to stress about this for a few days at least. I hate waiting. Seriously.

UPDATE:

The vet told me that Rissa is probably upset because there were six extra people in her ‘pack’ for three months. And now they’re gone, so she’s stressing about that. The peeing on my bed is her trying to re-affirm that the bedroom is our territory. She thinks she’s helping, heh.

I have no idea how to fix this problem, but I’m going to start by keeping her relatively contained and changing her litter regularly. I’ll watch her, and try to spend a little more time with her. Plus, I’ll keep Shadow away from her, so she doesn’t have the chance to attack her.

Thanks to my aunt and uncle, I have some very exciting news:

That’s right, I got my new laptop. It’s faster, shinier (I am forever wiping the damn thing clean) and better than my old one. Except for the glossy finish, which is driving me completely insane - every time I touch it, I leave a fingerprint. Still, I got a fantastic deal on it (much less than HP’s recommended price) and it can do everything I need it to.

Guild Wars runs with all settings on high, consistently at 60 FPS. The Sims 2, also with settings on high, runs flawlessly. No more lag when building, or switching between levels, or loading a neighbourhood. I can take files from Photoshop to Indesign and back again with no glitches, or system lock-ups.

So, Uncle Rod and Aunty Vikki? Thank you.

(Oh, and? I’ve been writing more than typing lately. In a notebook, with a pen. It’s kind of nice, but I’m trying to find a way to merge the two with as little effort as possible on my part. Because, you know, I’m lazy. Heh.)

So, the time has come. I am replacing my beloved Julian, thanks to my aunty and uncle. *much rejoicing* A new computer, for a new year. Or something. In all honesty, my insurance company decided Julian isn’t worth their time or money and I’m sick of my games lagging, so! New computer!

Tiny problem: I don’t know what to get.

I have an idea, of course. I mean, duh. I know what I want it to do, what it needs to do, and what it shouldn’t do. I’m also pretty sure that I want to stick with a laptop, as opposed to a desktop. (Notice the ‘pretty sure’, there? Problem.) I have an idea of how much I want to pay for it, how much I probably will pay for it (hint: I like shiny and expensive things), and I’m checking out the market right now.

The market, that’s the problem. It’s flooded with shiny pictures and ads promising eternal youth. Reviews, guides, opinions. A million people who all swear by different brands and models. There’s a lot on offer, and I have a lot to think about.

But after all that thinking? New computer!

[The debt is not-so-wonderful, but is absolutely necessary. I’m not good at saving money, but I am good at paying bills. Plus: instant gratification. I’d rather pay interest than save, basically. Yay for aunties and uncles! And banks! I love my bank!]

(Before I launch straight back into my usual whining, I’d like to say THANK YOU, to everyone who commented/messaged/called/e-mailed me to wish my mother well.)

Mum is home. She is home, and in a lot of pain – even though it will have been a week tomorrow since her surgery – and I am doing my very best to make things easy for her. I mean, I’m cooking, guys. Seriously, I’m frying stuff and stirring things and pouring liquids and everything. It’s horrible, but I’ll manage somehow.

Stephen is also home. He’s basically spent a lot of time playing computer and watching movies, and every time I eye him, all, ‘You could go to school today.’ he whines about how sore his leg is. I had to help him in and out of the bath, which was pretty much as awkward as it sounds. Fifteen years olds are hilariously modest.

My nana hurt herself today; she fell over at the supermarket and cut her hand up pretty badly. It’s all stuck together with what basically amounts to doctor’s duct tape, and she has a pretty nasty bruise. I bet you’re all wishing you were part of my family right now, huh? Yeah, we get all the fun. Where FUN equals DOOM.

School is.. well. With the exception of Editing, I’m pretty much caught up with everything. Desktop Publishing and Editing will take a bit of hard work, but my teachers – especially my Editing teacher - are awesome. They actually remember having lives, and they know shit stuff happens. I should be caught up soon.

I’ve been having major issues lately with companies taking money without warning. 3 took the money for my phone bill even though it had already been paid, and before that? Foxtel charged me almost double the amount they were supposed to, and then refused to give the money back except as a credit on my account.

Never mind the fact that I didn’t even want the platinum package, and that they don’t even broadcast Channel Seven or even that they took the money out on the WRONG DAY without issuing me a bill! I mean, c’mon! It’s Foxtel! They don’t need any of that fancy-schmancy customer service crap stuff. Losers.

Anyway, every time one of those fuckers idiot companies take money when they’re not supposed to, my account is empty (or close to it, because really? I’m a student, what do you expect?) and so they overdraw it. Then my bank is all, ‘Yo man, we spotted you that money yesterday, so we’re taking thirty bucks extra.’

You know, for effort. Or something, I don’t know. It’s one of the ways they make money, I suppose. Although, truly? I shouldn’t really bitch complain about my bank, because they have been awesome. They reversed two of the three charges (That’s right, people. Three times!) with no fuss, and didn’t make me wait hours on hold.

Unlike some companies, who could really use some of those customer service skills.

Although I confessed to being an ANTM addict yesterday, there are only three shows that I actually watch regularly on normal – that is, free-to-air - television:

• Grey’s Anatomy;
• Heroes; and
• Ugly Betty

When we had Foxtel installed just a short time ago, I had an IQ unit set-up in my bedroom, because of my ultra-busy and fabulous life. Heh, or really just because I’m never home in time for primetime television, because of school. No matter! IQ can record shows, and it can be scheduled remotely and blah, blah, blah.

Only, here’s the thing: Foxtel, for some reason, isn’t airing Channel Seven.

Naturally, all three of the shows I listed above? On Channel Seven. Of course. At first, I was all, “It’s cool, because Heroes hasn’t started yet and Grey’s Anatomy is replaying on Channel W and I can always buy Ugly Betty on DVD.” And then Gentil messaged me, and said, “Woo! Heroes is starting on Thursday.”

That’s when I reached through the IM window and killed him. True story.

Anyway. Now I have this fancy, expensive piece of hardware sitting in my room, doing absolutely nothing useful for me, and I am faced with a choice. I can either go and stay at my ex-boyfriend’s house every Thursday (…) or, I can do without the new season of Heroes until it comes out on DVD in ten million years.

Bets, everyone?

So, I went and got the phone today. A beautiful Hiptop Slide, which is on the wrong network but has everything I want, and I am in bliss. I also got a new jacket, courtesy of my Nana (because I’m the first granddaughter, and so I’m SPECIAL), which is kind of charcoal black and buttons down the front. It’s very flattering, even though I didn’t do a very good job of describing it, I know.

I have to write a draft of my 750-word opinion piece and a 1,200-word short story by Thursday and Friday respectively, and I’m stressing out because I feel as though I have left them to the last minute, but really? I haven’t, not at all, because I have PAGES of notes and little written snippets and such. All I really need to do is piece it all together and make sure it’s coherent. Heh, yeah. Hush up.

Oh, and the strangest thing happened to me. I ate McDonalds today; I haven’t eaten there for ages and I really felt like nuggets, so I got a small meal and sat in the food court. Afterwards, I felt a bit off, but I assumed that it was just my body being it’s usual cheerful self. Next thing I know, I’m rushing to the nearest bathroom. My stomach felt like it was tearing itself into tiny, ragged strips.

As soon as I threw up, the pain faded and I felt better. I’m amazed by my stomach’s intolerance, because I can usually eat ANYTHING. My taste buds are the only reason that I can’t handle spicy food, and I’ve never reacted so violently to McDonalds before. I suppose because I haven’t eaten it in so long, my stomach wasn’t used to the crap. It’s not as though I’ve been feeding it other crap in the meantime, no.

I apologise for this being the most boring post ever. The phone, it calls to me.