First of all, congrats to my lovely and wonderful friend Jennel on her pregnancy. <3 That was really the big news of today, that kind of overshadowed anything else. Seriously, there's something about working at this place that = "knocked up." It could be that we're mostly women of around the same generation....
Aside from that, today was crazy. We were shortstaffed in kennel, with just the two of us, and jus tme in the very beginning, getting totally slammed. By midday, just as I was helping this guy take food to his car, this woman came running into the hospital with her bleeding dog wrapped in a blanket. I took a peek at him and patted myself on the back for my immense control, smiling at her and saying, "We'll get a doctor for you right away; follow me." Because the dog's eye was popped and on its cheek. It seems that one of her cats literally struck the dog's eye out. The woman was crying and hyperventilating throughout the whole ordeal (I mean dude, if that was my dog I'd be pretty freaked out, too,) but she decided she wanted to save the dog's eye, which meant sending it to a specialist. Only thing is, it took about 30 minutes to get her on her way, because she kept standing there raving hysterically to me before she left. She wanted to know what the e-collar was, what it was for, what was the thing the vet had tried to do to the dog's butt (she had tried to take the temp, but the dog wasn't having any of that,) if I would call her daughter for her, as well as telling me all about her past history with dogs and eyes. I mean, I now know way too much about her life. I had to tell her about six times which exit to go to on the LIE for the specialist, even though she had a map. It took us both about ten minutes trying to navigate her into the car. She didn't know where to put the dog, where the dog wanted to sit, where she shouldn't sit, how to get herself into the seat, or if the dog wanted to lick me goodbye. No thanks; I only accept licks from dogs who don't have a chance of getting their bloody sclera all over me. It really was the sweetest little dog, too, and the woman was nice, too, underneath all the madwhackery. I know this because she offered me her coat. No, not because it was cold outside and I was helping her into her car--she offered it to me for keeps. As she was getting into the car and I was telling her to drive carefully ("I CAN'T!" was her reply,) she mentioned that I was very calm, and very calming. I told her it was probably because I'd seen things like this so often before. Then she jumped out of her car, hugged me, took her coat off and tried to give it to me. In the nearly eight years that I've worked there, I've been offered tips, food, pets (?!) and wine from clients. I've never until today been offered someone's coat. So that was weird.
It must have set the mood for the rest of the day, because later, when I ended up answering phones a while up front, I came out with, "Good afternoon, (business name) this is Jules,
how may I hurt you? Uhh... HELP! How may I help you?" Thank god it was Donna's Mom, and we were both laughing so hard that neither of us could speak, and even after I gave the phone to Donna, her Mom still couldn't speak. A client was at the desk and heard this, and she giggled a little, but then seemed slightly put off by it afterwards. Brittany made me feel a bit better by telling me about the time she had said, "This is Brittany, how can you help me?" Fortunately for her Gabbi was on the other line and answered, "Uhh, I don't think I can." But honestly, "how may I hurt you?" Classic.
To further the intensity of this day, I got a call from a rehabber aquaintance of mine, Terry. A few years ago she opened a huge--I do mean
huge--wildlife rehab center close to where I live. I think she does birds exclusively. If not, she definitely specializes in them. Not only songbirds like I do, but water fowl, shore birds, raptors, everything. I've always wanted to do some work there, whenever she was ready. Well, she is! And she offered to match my pay, which is pretty decent. I won't be leaving my job, but I will be taking some hours with her. It's so awesome. I love dogs, cats, and the few exotics we get, but you know, I live for rehabbing wild birds. And while most of it is husbandry (which I do anyway,) much of it is technical stuff, medical stuff, the stuff I love. I know, I know, I tend to take on these huge projects (the dolphin team, the Kung Fu desk job) and then find myself bored after a few times. But Terry actually addressed that, too. She said that not only is she very flexible in her hours (she'll take me whenever she can get me,) but if, at any time, I feel like I can't do it anymore, I must just tell her right away and no hard feelings, no drama. She understands that this will be my third job, and that in the summer, if all the dancing goes well, it'll be four jobs. So I'm pretty excited about that!
Also worthy of excitement is that Tricia is coming up tomorrow! FINALLY! ANd then Kim is coming over and the three of us get to hang out, like old times. I can't describe how awesome that is for us, because it had always been the three of us and we were (and still are, regardless of the distance,) the best of friends. Then the night after that, OCEANS OF HO! Which is going to be a HUGE event this year for us. Dressed up all snazzy, a limo (not a hummer, I made sure!), posing with Naked Leaf Guy, and dancing like fools. The usual, only better.
Then on Sunday it's the play that SB and Jo-chan are both in. HOLY CRAP! I will definitely have to get tons more batteries for my camera.
Notes: I hope to get everyone to go to Chinatown either next weekend or the following one, and then after that, Jo-chan and I are off to see 30 Seconds to Mars again.
And then, my friends, it's Spring. The first touch of the sun, the smell of wet earth, tentative buds of green, and the western wind. :D Okay, but now I'm getting ahead of myself. First I have to take the dogs out and then watch who's getting thrown off Idol. I say Sanjaya and that cute guy who was a background singer who did TIme After TIme. The girls, I missed their performance the last two weeks so I don't know their names aside from who I like.
Anyway, that's where it is now.
