Stephen Burckhardt's Blog: My Blog Ramblings, page 83

Migraines Suck!

Just a short note, I've been in bed today with a horrible migraine. The announcement will have to wait for tomorrow.Thank you for your patience.

So Much to Do

Yesterday, was mostly spent trying to get rid of a migraine. I did get a few things accomplished. Today has been much more productive, though I did not get done what I had intended to do today, but all the things I did needed doing. If that makes any sense.I patched walls, contacted the school about my class, fixed the kitchen faucet, cleaned out the kitchen cabinets, put the new tools I bought in the toolbox, and organized several files including updating my "in case of death" information. Tomorrow I only plan to work on two things: my books and prepping for my class.I will have a hint for the next book tomorrow and possibly a bribe to help me get more followers on my page. So be sure to look for a post tomorrow.

I Have High Hopes

Things are looking up in the Burckhardt home. P.R. is doing great on the current project and is just buzzing right through all the readings that need to be done before the real work can get started. I don't think I could be more impressed with how P.R. handles the workload. I would have packed on an extra 20 pounds already from stress eating.Shaggy has finally made a significant turn in his health battle. He's back to eating like a teenage boy and driving me crazy wanting to play all the time. We even have solid poop again. The best sign so far that he's almost over this. As the person who cleans it up most often let me just say, thank you God.So now my hope is this week will be more productive for me. I will be able to work with Dianne on the audiobooks, get the Barnes and Noble book covers sorted out, and finally get started writing book three.Now, if Murphy will just leave me be for one week I might get a few things accomplished.

I Need Chocolate and Popcorn, STAT!

I'm not much of a drinker anymore, I used up my lifetime allotment of alcohol in my twenties, so now my stress response is chocolate and popcorn or chips.I am about to the point where I am going to stop being optimistic about my abilities to make plans and be able to make them happen. Right now, my time has been devoted to taking care of our dog Shaggy. Just when I think he's finally getting over whatever it is he has, he takes a turn for the worse again.I did manage to getInto the West: A New Homeon Barnes and Noble in Nook format. I am still working on getting the cover art fixed for the paperback and hardcover books.  There seems to be a glitch in their program because when I look at the proof of the covers the crop marks cut through the center of the barcode and it is their program that places the bar codes, not me. I tried contacting customer service once about this and they didn't seem to understand what I meant. I will try again today.I also have to call the school and see about getting into the class I still need to finish. I wonder if there is anything else I can load into my schedule to keep me from writing? I see many more late nights in my future, writing until I'm falling asleep on the computer. At least that is the one benefit of P.R. being gone so much right now, I can spend all my time writing and not miss any time with my better half.And as God is my witness, one day the audiobooks will be finished!I know I keep talking about getting them done but unlike producing something in print, I have never in my life tried to do anything in voice recordings. Well, that is not entirely true. I worked in broadcast news for a very short time but I didn't have to buy the equipment, set up a sound studio, figure out how to format and package the news broadcasts. I just had to write a blurb, record it, edit it, and hit broadcast. And these were headline news bits, a few minutes at the most. I've never had to set up for hours of recording and editing. It is definitely a learning process. Good thing Dianne is a good sport about this all, not that she really has a choice.

Oh Murphy, You're So Hateful

Well, my best laid plans were shot to hell. I had planned on getting my schedule back on track this week but it just wasn't meant to be.As we were going to bed Sunday night, Shaggy got sick again, very sick. This time he wasn't running a fever and we figured it was just a reaction to eating too much too soon after being so sick before. After he got all the food out of his stomach, he quieted down and went to sleep. I stayed up looking after him until about 2 AM and then P.R. got up at 3 AM and stayed up with him until it was time to call the cab to take P.R. to the airport. I had sent an email to the vet asking if we should bring him in but we never heard back from them. Since Shaggy made it through the night okay, we decided to wait and see how he acted in the morning.Shaggy spent most of the day sleeping and acted like he felt miserable. He wouldn't eat but would still drink water. I was keeping a close eye on him for signs of dehydration again. Luckily, he never showed signs of that again. Monday was mostly spent with me staying close to Shaggy and trying to find something he would eat. I tried turkey and rice and his canned food he always loved that is rabbit and turkey. He refused it all. By the time we were getting ready to go to bed he still hadn't eaten anything.While the vet had said to stick to chicken or turkey and rice, I decided to take a bit of liberty on the description of chicken and tried giving Shaggy a boiled egg. He practically inhaled it. It gave me hope. Since he had been so sick, I didn't want to feed him too much and decided to wait until this morning to try feeding him more. I tried cooking one egg mixed with some turkey and rice and this time Shaggy ate. He ate so fast I had to take the food away from him and hand feed him so he would eat slower.I found I could mix chicken, turkey, rice, or his canned food in the cooked egg and he would eat it all. I gave him small portions, made him eat slowly, and he ate everything. After his last meal he really seemed to feel better. He started following me around the apartment pulling on my pant legs trying to get me to play with him.It was such a relief to have him acting like he felt better. I had been so worried. But when he started acting more like himself, I finally felt like I could stop watching him constantly and got a few things done.I finished the formating onInto the West: A New Homeand got it posted to Barnes and Noble for Nook. It should be available very soon. I got the new sound equipment all set up and Dianne made a test recording. The sound is so much better, it's amazing! I did realize we will have to get Shaggy to lay down before we start taping because you can hear his nails ticking on the wood floor in the background. The mic works really well.I got the laundry done, cleaned one bathroom, and got all the dog hair cleaned up off the living room rug; I could have made Shaggy a little brother. Now I'm getting this blog written, I feel like I might get things on track again here this week.I need to get on a regular schedule. Ideally, I would love to get up about 5 AM, workout, get showered and dressed, have breakfast, study for a few hours, take a break and do housework, have lunch, work on my writing for a few hours, run any errands I may have, make dinner, work some more then go to bed. It will make for a pretty full day and when classes start up again I will have to readjust to allow for four hours of class time every morning. If I can get Shaggy healthy I can focus my energy on getting on this schedule. But for now, Shaggy's health is my priority.

The Family is Together Again

I have high hopes that this week will be very productive. We finally know why Shaggy has been getting sick and he's on the mend. He's already reclaimed his favorite spot on the patio.With P.R. doing well and Shaggy home again I feel like I can focus on my work again. I still have to get my class rescheduled but I think I'm going to put it off one more month. The teacher I love is still on vacation and I would rather wait for her to come back to go back to school. I learned a long time ago that a great teacher can make all the difference.So for the rest of this month I will try my best to focus on work. Seeing that the audiobooks get finished, getting the books formatted correctly for Barnes & Noble Booksellers, and, last but not least, write part number three forInto the West!

Not Always a Happy Ending

I'm still distracted with family things today. I have my new sound equipment ready for Dianne to finish recording the audiobooks but there is no will to work.P.R. came home and things were good for the first night. Friday Shaggy got sick again. We ended up taking him back to the vet and this time we found out he is allergic to pork and beef. How is a dog allergic to pork and beef?This makes sense though. Right before Shaggy got so sick P.R. had given him a rawhide bone. For months Shaggy has been having rashes and scratching like crazy, now it makes sense. We have been giving Shaggy ham bones as special treats on the weekends and cooking hamburger for him. Who could have known that we would be making our boy sick doing that.So tonight Shaggy is staying at the vets. He was dehydrated and needed to have some IV medication to get his system back to normal but, with any luck, he will be back home tomorrow.I need him healthy because when there is anything wrong with him or P.R. I can't focus on anything else.

Tuesday the Excrement Made Contact with the Rotating Oscillator

So, I already shared where Shaggy was feeling sick on Monday. Tuesday, things got a whole lot worse. I am going to try to make a very long story short for you.Shaggy had started throwing up about four hours after P.R. left town. He didn’t seem to feel bad. He was still running and playing and bugging me so I figured he just ate something that didn’t agree with him. I was keeping an eye on him for signs of dehydration or getting worse. I figured if he wasn’t able to eat normally by Wednesday morning we would go to the vet.Shaggy was still doing okay Tuesday morning. He did get sick in the morning but by the afternoon he had been able to eat a little and keep it down. I thought he was on the mend. Boy was I wrong!Tuesday evening, about 6:30, Shaggy came running to me panting and shaking. I felt his nose and it was hot. I was very worried about this sudden change so I tried calling the vet to see if they were still open. I have never had any luck making calls from our landline. We use it so rarely that I don't think to get it looked at until something like this happens and I can't call anyone.I couldn’t call from my cell because I have it set up on a plan through these guys at mall. When my minutes run out I just stop in the shop and buy more minutes when I'm out and about. It has never been an issue, until today. I could, however, use the wifi and text P.R. to call me, which is what I did.I gave P.R. the number to the vet and asked P.R. to call them and make sure they were still open and could see Shaggy that night. Turns out, this vet is open 24 hours a day, hallelujah!Now, I have been to this vet a few times with Shaggy to him set up with a local vet, get puppy shots, and have him checked for allergies because he was scratching a lot. It was nothing like this where I’m worried my dog is dying. Shaggy is shaking so hard, I don’t think he can walk to the vet. He’s not good on a leash as it is and with the way he’s feeling I’m thinking this is not going to be a good trip.We have a soft-side dog carrier you can hang over your shoulder like a duffle bag. I opted to carry my dog, knowing full well I will be paying for this tomorrow. Shaggy isn’t fond of the bag and starts fighting me as I try to put him in. By the time I get him in the bag, Shaggy’s panting harder and all sweaty, I'm all stressed out and contemplating just calling a cab, but then with my phone situation, how?I get to the bus stop in my neighborhood and I’m sitting, waiting, talking to Shaggy, trying to keep him calm because he really doesn’t like being out where there is traffic. As I’m talking to Shaggy, I start smelling burning paper. I look up to see the trashcan by the bus stop is on fire. Sure, okay. Nothing is phasing me at this point.We get on the bus and get to the main station. Here, I have to switch busses to get to the vet. I make a mistake and get on the wrong bus and end up going past where I needed to go. When I get off I ask someone with the bus company which is the right bus to get to where I need to go and they tell me the wrong one and I end up back at the main station. I spent about an hour going back and forth on the wrong busses.At this point I'm feeling very stressed out. I walk to the shop and add minutes to my phone so I can make calls. Thank goodness it is by the station.  I tell the guy behind the counter I just need buy some time so I can make a call. He begins to name off all the packages they have and the wonderful benefits of each. I have never wanted to yank anyone across a counter by their throat so much in my life. I’m sure he could tell I was trying very hard to control my anger because after he looked up, he quickly got me set to make calls. I can only imagine the look I had on my face. I tried to politely thank the man for his help but I’m not so sure I was convincing.I go outside and call P.R. It took three calls and a text to get get through. It was very hard for me to not use the F-word about every other word when explaining the situation. I know this is not P.R.'s fault but seeing as how P.R. was not here to help ... it’s P.R.'s fault for not being here. Yes, I know that is not fair, or true, but I’m worried about Shaggy and I need someone to blame, even if it didn't make sense.So, I ask P.R. to please text me the phone number to the vet. I was planning on taking a cab to their office at this point and I needed to get their address. P.R. begins to tell me the number is on a pad at the hotel and it will take a while to get back there. I told P.R., no, "if the you used your cell phone to call the vet earlier the number will still be in there. Would you please, sweetie, just text it to me."  Now to me, the way I said "sweetie" sounded more like I was saying "asshole" and I just hope and pray it doesn't sound that way to P.R. because that is not what I meant. P.R. doesn't seem bothered by it promises get me the number and hangs up.I go lean up against a wall and try to take some of the pressure off my back where it’s being pulled very out of whack with a nine pound (yes, he’s still underweight), shaking, sweating, drooling, panting dog, who is hanging, basically, from around my neck. He had sweat and drooled so much the canvas carrier bag was soaked through in places, and so was I for that matter. Most of the moisture was from Shaggy and I’m sure some of it was my own sweat from running all around town carrying him. He's shaking so hard, he's visibly shaking me.After several minutes passed, I tried calling P.R. again, I got voice mail. Eventually, heP.R. called back and started to tell me the number. I had to tell cut P.R. off and point out I didn’t have anything to write it down with and needed the number text me, sweetie. It took just a few more minutes for P.R. to get me the number, I was finally able to call the vet.So, I get the address, we get a cab, and we finally make it to the vet. On the way, the driver rolled down my window for me and I’m not sure if it was to give my panting dog air or if we both smelled like wet dog mixed with a little dog vomit and he’s just airing out the cab, either way, it was a good thing. I would get away from our smell too if I could have.At the vet, I let shaggy out of the carrier and see if he wants some water, he didn’t. He never likes to drink or eat when we are out in public, too nervous. We get in to see a doctor in less than twenty minutes. She starts to examine Shaggy and squeezes his tummy, he basically projectile vomits toward me but misses me, thank you, God.After the exam, she says he has gastroenteritis. She gave him three shots in his hips which he was not happy about. Poor baby had such a rough day and now we still had to get home. I go to check out and Shaggy also got pills I have to give him the next three days. If he gets worse or keeps throwing up I have to take him back.Luckily, as we are leaving it seems like the pain meds seem to be kicking in and Shaggy is fairly calm for the trip home. We finally get home and I feel like I’m covered in dog spit, dog sweat, possibly a little dog vomit, and maybe even a little dog pee. Shaggy pees when scared. So, after I get him bedded down, I go straight to the shower.I come out of the bathroom and I hear Shaggy hack but he doesn’t throw up; a good sign. He signs he wants food (yes, I taught my dog some sign language), another good sign, so I give him a little boiled chicken and rice I had fixed him earlier. He ate some and kept it down. I had not yet picked up his water and he started drinking like a madman but I got it away from him before he overdid it. I replaced the water with ice chips. All things the vet suggested.Needless to say the last few days I haven't gotten much work done. I have been pretty much devoted to taking care of my dog. Yesterday, I left him home while I walked to the store to buy chicken and rice to boil for him. He did good on his own. The next two days Shaggy managed to keep everything down but today he threw up again. He had seemed like he was back to normal yesterday and even this morning but after throwing up again today, he's just laying around looking like he feels bad again. I have a feeling today will be another trip to the vet. I plan on taking a cab from home this time. There is no way I'm going through all of this again!

At a Loss for Words

Today has not been a good day. I didn't sleep at all last night, not a wink. I got up with P.R. this morning and made breakfast. P.R. ate and I just sat with a cup of coffee. Then we said our weekly goodbye as the Taxi arrived to take P.R. to the airport.I really hate this arrangement. I was single for 46 years so you would think it wouldnt be such a big deal to be on my own for half the week. But I married P.R. because I wanted to actually live with P.R. I admit when there isn't another person to take care of I tend to not take as good of care of myself. Take tonight ...Normally, when P.R. is home I will make dinner most nights unless P.R. wants to cook, which is often. But when P.R. is gone I can have a fridge full of food and dinner will be tortilla chips and salsa, my dinner tonight in fact. I just get so lazy when I'm on my own. It's like if I don't have someone else to take care of it's just not worth the effort. I need to quit that.Another thing that was not great today, Shaggy has been throwing up all day. He acts like he feels fine, he's been as bouncy and playful as usual, but then he eats and it comes right back up. I even tried just cooking a little boiled chicken and rice for him and that too came right back up. He seems fine if you discount the throwing up, he's not running a fever, he's not dehydrated, he doesn't have any other other symptoms. If he's still doing this tomorrow I'm going to take him to the vet because I'm not going to take chances with my puppy. But even taking him to the vet can make him a bit worse. This is one of those time I really wish we had a car. Shaggy doesn't like being out in public, riding the busses, or being around all the people, and we will have to deal with all those things to get to the vet. I just hope he is better tomorrow and whatever was in his system gets out overnight.I know I should be working and writing book three but right now I'm so stressed out about Shaggy, It's just not a good idea, the words would fail me. So for now I'm going to watch Stranger Things on Netflix, cuddle my dog, and have a cup of tea. With any luck, tomorrow will be a better day.

Good Intentions ...

Well, I had every intention of working while I was on vacation but as you can see by the lack of blogs, I didn't. I was only there for 10 days so I could celebrate Mom's birthday with her and Dad. Beyond that I was going to see a few friends and do some shopping for things I can't find around here. I'm sure if I knew this town better I could find everything I need here but I lived there for 46 years so I know where to find everything there, even having lived elsewhere for 2 years now.I was actually surprised how many people wanted to try to get together while I was there. Of course it was the year of our 30th high school reunion too so I guess that makes people more nostalgic. Sadly, I was already scheduled to come home on the 4th and the reunion was the 6th. I'm just thankful for Facebook because I get to see everyone's photos from the reunion. Seems like everyone looks about the same as they did at the 20th reunion I was able to attend.So, now I am back home and have loads of work to get done this week. I need to work on the formats for theInto the Westbooks so I can go live on Barnes and Noble with everything, not justInto the West: The Orphan Trainin nook book which is currently available. And I have to get with Dianne about finishing the audiobooks.I know, I know, I have been saying that for months now but we have had major issues with sound quality on all our test recordings. While back home I did some major tech shopping and got a new sound set up, mic, studio headphones, and a popscreen. The short test recording I did after I picked this all up sounded so much better than anything we had previously made. I have high hopes we will have a good quality audio sound now. Before I would have rather not even done audiobooks if they were going to sound bad but I don't think I will have to make that decision now. Thank goodness!I also have to go back to school this week and see about setting up my next class. I know, I'm a glutton for punishment but truth be told I will go to college forever as long as I can afford it and manage my time. I really love learning. Yeah, I know. I'm weird but I own it!So, this week I plan to get the nook books up on sale, get my class set for this fall, and get Dianne to start on the audiobooks. If I have time, I will start setting up book three,Into the West: Sharon Springs. The characters are tired of waiting and want to get on with the story so I need to get my butt in gear before they drive me insane. Maybe this is really why some people become schizophrenic, they are writers who just don't realize they are writers and the voices they hear are characters trying to tell them a story they are supposed to write it down and share it with the world. Or I could just actually be schizophrenic and not realize it, I just manage it well, either option seems highly plausible.