Chaplin and his hilariously sad cone/satellite dish collar, critiquing my queue of BSG episodes.

This time, they actually let me spring him as promised. I don’t know who’s happier, me or him.

He’s doing fairly okay - I have to keep a close eye on him to make sure he’s not trying to lick his stitches or chew off his fentanyl patch (being held on by the blue bandage on his foot), but for the most part he just wants to sit, be stoned, and snuggle.

He does find time to hate his new haircut, which took odd looking patches off of all four of his legs, plus all his belly fur. He looks like some demented person tried to shave him like a poodle and was stopped just before they got to his tail.

But really, he’s being super sweet and cuddly, and really happy to be out of the hospital. Unless, of course, I try to medicate him. This was him after my first round of chasing him down to dope him up:

Anyway, very, very happy to finally have him home and have him apparently be on the mend. Couple more pictures over at my Flickr.

Edited to add: Oh, and his collar’s off because I’m here keeping a close eye on him. He still has to wear the satellite dish when I’m asleep or at work for the next couple weeks, but at least as long as I can keep watch on him he’s free of that misery.

I went to visit Chaplin in the animal hospital (hopefully I can take him home tomorrow but they want to keep him under observation for another night) and they had finally taken out the tube that had been running into his bladder for the last couple weeks.

They had repeatedly tried to bandage him up to protect the area of his stomach the tube had been coming out of, but he’d kept kicking the bandages off…except for this last one they put on him.

It’s a big neon green bandage wrapped around his midsection, complete with a powder blue bandage that someone cut out in the shape of a “C” and stuck on his back. Apparently the second that one went on, he decided that the bandage was okay.

I was describing this look, along with his ridiculous satellite dish collar, to Joel and he immediately replied, “So he looks like a superhero lamp.”

A superhero lamp with a very goofy haircut, but yes. Superhero lamp.

If they leave the bandage on when I go to get him tomorrow, I’ll try to get some pictures.

Hopefully I’ll have him back on Sunday. This entire experience has been incredibly emotionally draining for me, and obviously pretty physically draining for poor Chaplin. He’s now down to 16 pounds, and looks even skinnier because they had to shave off all his belly fur for the first surgery.

Anyway, thanks to those of you who have been keeping your fingers crossed for him, I really appreciate it. Hopefully he’ll get better quickly and I can go back to writing about how goofy LA is instead of the horrifying blog cliché of health updates about my cat.

To a better 2009, and the setting of a very low bar.

But I’m not going to lie: I went apeshit when Mizzou missed that field goal, and I was so dissapointed that despite all our effort, we still lost.

But you know what? Our guys put up one hell of a fucking fight, and if a couple breaks had gone the other way, we would have won. The fact that it was that heart-stoppingly close was really encouraging, and with Kafka on QB next year, this team is going to be dangerous.

Go, U Northwestern. We lost, but we didn’t get our asses handed to us: We fought the good fight. And that’s very encouraging for the future.

Patient: Chaplin
Status: Still in hospital
Notes: They’re going to try pulling his catheter tomorrow to see if everything’s healed properly. Cross your fingers - if everything went well he won’t need any more surgery. Prognosis: Short term unclear, long term he’ll be fine.

Patient: My MacBook Pro.
Status: At Apple store, awaiting part (new Logic Board, supposed to arrive Monday).
Notes: I really, really, really hope they can fix my computer before I leave. I’m going batshit crazy without it as is, and really can’t afford to be without it when I go back because it’s my work computer in addition to my Distraction Provider.
Prognosis: Questionable. But frankly, I’m happy the inanimate object is the worst of my three patients.

More to come as I have it.

The way my week’s been going, I consider it a win that the plane didn’t slide off the runway.

Will update more once I a) get my computer up and running or failing that b) convince my cousin to let me borrow his for a bit.

Merry xmas, y’all!

The preceding message was (mis)typed on a Crackberry.

I can’t even describe what a weight this is off my mind, and how it lets me leave for Connecticut in relative confidence that he’ll do okay just hanging with the people at the animal hospital for a little while, so I can go focus on my aunt and the rest of my mom’s family.

I was being superstitious and not packing until I heard one way or another, so I’m afraid I have to cut this short and, you know, pack and otherwise prepare my house for the fact that I won’t be here for a bit.

Thanks so much to all of you who’ve been keeping my little guy in your thoughts, I really appreciate it.

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Channukah, especially those of you who have also been going through a really, really trying time. I know I’m not the only one.

Hint #1 is that the story mentions she was married in 1968, whereas I was born in 1981. Also, I am not married. Also, I cannot legally get married (thanks, Prop 8!).

Hint #2 is that my father was a communications lawyer, not the owner of a Boston department store whose family foundation has recently been defrauded of over $450 million.

But it is ever so fun to know that our shared name is now going to get dragged through the mud thanks to Bernie Madoff and his Gigantic Fucking Ponzi Scheme That Apparently Defrauded Every Jew In The Country. Fun!