And other stuff

[la_belle_laide]

So with that said, here's what else is going on. Thanksgiving, Mom and I had to take turns going to visit Boychild's Parents' house because Haku couldn't be left alone. I went over first. It was nice to see my aunt again, finally (Boychild's Grandma.) She lost her leg in a car accident in April and I hadn't seen her since then. Of course, neither had my Mom (her sister.) This was the first time she was allowed out of the rehab facility she's been in.

Tons and tons of kids were there, playing video games. But they all seemed way more excited over the Dr. Who app on my phone, and my Sonic Screwdriver. Which is hilarious, since it does nothing but light up and make a noise. But they were just enchanted by it, and they each had to have a turn carrying it around. Boychild has taken to saying "Ex-taaaaahhh-minate!" and "Don't blink! Blink and you're dead! Good luck!" When he likes something, he gets stuck on it and he asks everyone else if they remember it. "'Member EXTAAAAAHHMINATE? Member that? Member blink and you're DEAD? Member? The Daleks are the Doctor's bad-guy friends." Because to him, Bad Guys are always your friends. Sometimes you have to fight your Bad Guy friends, but then after that, everything's cool. He loves Star Wars and Advent Children. Darth Vader is his favorite Bad Guy friend, and of course, Sephiroth is Cloud's Bad Guy friend. (Which is pretty close to canon, actually.)

The day after Thanksgiving, we had another TG at Mom's house. SB and Jo-chan showed up around 3:30, then Boychild and his Mama came at around 4, then my Uncle showed up as well. We all kind of hung around playing Soul Calibur (actually, watching Boychild own every Bad Guy friend in the game,) and then Boychild and his Mama had to leave.

SO! We fired up Skyward Sword! Historic Fangirl/Boy moment. Both of my cousins and my uncle are hardcore Zelda gamers and always have been. My uncle and I have been gamers since gaming was invented. So this was kind of a big deal. We played Skyward Sword till around 5 and then I started heating up TG dinner.

My Mom came home and we sat down to eat. Then, BBBBZZZZTT all the power went out. We had to eat by the old fashioned way: by candlelight. Oh, and of course light from the various cell phones too. While the lights were out, Jo-chan played "Still Alive" from Portal. Some of you know that song: "This was a triumph!" etc. SB, Jo-chan and I all sang along.

About an hour later, the electricity came back on. We all went in the living room to play Zelda, but no one could actually move for a while so we all sat on the couch making cow noises for about fifteen minutes first. Then, we fired up Zelda and played some more. (Oh, apparently I have to buy a new Wiimote. The one we were using last night was on loan from Boychild's Mama. Seriously, a new Wiimote? And they couldn't tell me this when I made the order? >_< )

So that was Thanksgiving. Tomorrow, I have to get a bunch of things done. It's my last chance to get out there and buy a tree and put it up. Haku's coming home soon and I won't be able to leave him alone long enough to get one, and I don't want to freak him out by putting it up when he's trying to sleep. (Things like that really worry him.) Then I'm going to decorate a bit, then go pick up the Wiimote. Hit up the hospital to visit with Haku for a while, and then go to my Mom's office party because her work friends want to meet me. :)

I have work on Monday, but it's later in the day and first I have to drop my car off because the effing "check engine" light is on. Also, the brakes are going and the timing belt, whatever the eff that might be. When they told me that at the shop I was like, "Timing belt, what's that about?" and he was like, "It's about seven hundred dollars."

So uhh, yeah, I am doing the holidays this year? But that doesn't mean I'm going to be buying mad gifts for everyone. Haku's surgery was $3500, and that's not counting if he has to stay an extra day, and it's definitely not counting his rehab. My car is going to be about $1500 and my work hours have been cut drastically.

At this point I'm just like, screw it. Just pile on the bills.

The other not-so-good thing is Belle. Belle is the mastiff that my Gran left when she passed. She's almost 13 now, which is unheard of for a mastiff, right? She started losing her ability to get around last spring, but then over the summer she rallied and did really well for a while. Last week, it rained for an entire day, like full-on pouring down. Since that day, it's like Belle is paralyzed from the waist down. Not entirely – she can wag her tail and she can sort of move her right hind leg a bit. But she can't walk at all and has to be carried to her food dish and outside. She can't control where she goes to the bathroom anymore either. I've always thought that once a dog stops eating, then it's time to put them to sleep. But the thing is, Belle still loves eating her food. It's the only thing she can still do. When she's not eating, she's lying on the floor barking hysterically. I'm pretty sure that's a sign of dementia. Actually she's doing it right now and has been at it for about an hour and a half. It's like a constant noise anymore, and it's not a happy bark. It's a confused, scared bark. I just don't think she's happy anymore, aside from those two times a day when she's eating.

So, it looks like that's something that's going to happen soon. I keep going back and forth. Is she really not happy, or am I projecting my "OMG I can't keep carrying her around and cleaning the rug three times a day" thing onto her? Then I think, well my god, if all I could do was lie on the floor and yell all day, I wouldn't be happy either. Neither option seems any good to me.

Well, that's where everything is right now.