Small Talk: Judge's Chambers

[DoctorK]

2 minutes ago, tiftgirl said:

I miss him everyday still.

I have only cried as an adult three times, once at the end of a relationship, once when my mother died, and once when a cat I grew up with had to be put down at seventeen years old.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm really upset.   It's not bad enough they bump Judge Judy for high school football playoffs, every giant weather system, and whatever else they want to irritate me with, there might be a Cat. 1 hurricane hit the gulf coast Wednesday or so.   There is hope though, since it seems to be curving east, and that will put my area (I'm 90 miles inland, so we just get some wind and rain) on the good side of the circulation.   So if the local channel can resist the chance to irritate me with weather updates all afternoon, I may get to see JJ, if my cable company doesn't lose power again.  

[Brattinella]

8 minutes ago, lovesnark said:

just long enough to sustain a workplace injury)

There are legitimate injuries acquired on the job, I had one (tendinitis) that caused me to wear a sling, a wrist support, and be off work for a couple months.  I had to go to an arbitration when they didn't want to pay.  I had a good doctor and plenty of records and evidence so I received the disability pay.  When I was better, I went back to work (same place, different job).

[jilliannatalia]

5 hours ago, ItsHelloPattiagain said:

Depends where you live.

 

I grew up in south Florida (Broward County). In my parents' families (and we're Cuban; both of my parents immigrated as young children) and  social circle, quinceaneras weren't something parents encouraged their daughters to do. I had a few Cuban friends as well, and they didn't have quinceaneras, either.   I don't know how my parents would have responded if I had asked for one. (I was their only daughter.)  My parents were very practical when it came to spending money, though. They were probably happy not to pay for one.

Part of the culture around here (coastal CA) is that, as was the case with the family on JJ, everyone seems to help everyone else out with the expenses -- a whole lot of reciprocity is involved, and almost everyone benefits from it when it's their turn to host such an event. The idea of hosting an event for which  one cannot afford in its entirety is a foreign concept to someone like Judy Scheindlin, who has presumably never been lower economically than the very top rung of the middle class. These people could probably all refuse to help each other and applu the money that they would have used to help others to instead cover their own daughters' quinceanera expenses so that when the time came, they could afford all the costs of their own daughters' events, but that's just not how they choose to do it.  I only hear about it. I haven't been close enough to anyone having a quinceanera to be invited, though when my receptionist's daughter turns fifteen in a few years, I'll probably be invited to hers.  I've never heard of anyone around here  loaning anyone money for a quinceanera only to have the borrower refuse to pay the lender back. That would suck. And I really didn't like the defendant. She was pretty, but her prettiness was only skin-deep.

There seems to be some cultural expectation among Mexican-Americans around here to help with other families' milestone events. My receptionist's mom is a secretary at a local elementary school.  A mom of a few of the students enrolled the school asked my receptionist's mom, whose name the woman didn't even know.  to make all of the rice for her wedding.  The woman apparently thought that because the two of them were of the same ethnicity, my receptionist's mom would be more than happy to prepare the rice for her wedding.  My receptionist thought it was hysterically funny because her mom apparently makes rice really bad rice.

Edited October 11, 2018 by jilliannatalia

[lovesnark]

42 minutes ago, Brattinella said:

There are legitimate injuries acquired on the job, I had one (tendinitis) that caused me to wear a sling, a wrist support, and be off work for a couple months.  I had to go to an arbitration when they didn't want to pay.  I had a good doctor and plenty of records and evidence so I received the disability pay.  When I was better, I went back to work (same place, different job).

Oh, I agree with you that legitimate workplace injuries happen every day. I'm glad you were able to get what you were entitled to. But, there are people that get jobs with a plan of working for a short while, then claiming they hurt themselves while on the clock. After I'd given notice at my job, I trained my replacement. Mopping the floor was part of the closing routine. My trainee had the balls to ask me if I'd ever thought of faking a fall on the wet floor! Sure enough, about a month after she started working there, she did a slip and fall. It's just another scam to collect money for not working and it happens all the time. Both the plaintiff and defendant in this case were being paid because they were supposedly hurt at work and I definitely got the vibe they're experienced at scamming the system.

[Brattinella]

34 minutes ago, lovesnark said:

My trainee had the balls to ask me if I'd ever thought of faking a fall on the wet floor! Sure enough, about a month after she started working there, she did a slip and fall. It's just another scam to collect money for not working and it happens all the time.

Wow!  Horrible person!  I had been working at that job for about 8 years when I was injured (great company actually)

[jilliannatalia]

2 hours ago, lovesnark said:

Oh, I agree with you that legitimate workplace injuries happen every day. I'm glad you were able to get what you were entitled to. But, there are people that get jobs with a plan of working for a short while, then claiming they hurt themselves while on the clock. After I'd given notice at my job, I trained my replacement. Mopping the floor was part of the closing routine. My trainee had the balls to ask me if I'd ever thought of faking a fall on the wet floor! Sure enough, about a month after she started working there, she did a slip and fall. It's just another scam to collect money for not working and it happens all the time. Both the plaintiff and defendant in this case were being paid because they were supposedly hurt at work and I definitely got the vibe they're experienced at scamming the system.

I got that vibe from those litigants as well.  It's an industry.

I worked as  both a public defender and as an ADA when I first moved to California.  Many county departments are based in the county courthouse, so I became acquainted with numerous county employees.  Several extended families relied upon nepotism to obtain county jobs. It has become almost standard that members of these families (there are seven families of whom I know who fit this description, and probably a few of whom I am unaware) work from ten to fifteen years, then have some sort of injury that necessitates a disability requirement.  Most of them retire by their early forties and live it up for the rest of their lives. 

I would like to think that people from these families are no longer being hired by our county, as those are my tax dollars hard at work, but  then again it wouldn't shock me to learn that an additional member of  one of those families is beginning his or her employment with out county  tomorrow. 

I would also like to think that the worker's comp physicians around here are beginning to grow just a tad suspicious of the ruse, but I'm probably thinking wishfully. 

Edited October 11, 2018 by jilliannatalia

[KittyMom4]

9 hours ago, lovesnark said:

But, there are people that get jobs with a plan of working for a short while, then claiming they hurt themselves while on the clock.

My lazy, self-important idiot brother-in-law is this person. Several years ago he injured his knee doing yard work, a couple weeks later he "fell" at school (he's a teacher) in the parking lot, proceeded to put a Workers Comp claim in without mentioning his prior injury. He collected $80,000 in a lump sum settlement about a year later, (which he and my sister blew through in about 5 years), low and behold this past spring he supposedly hurt his shoulder breaking up a fight between two girls.....

7 hours ago, jilliannatalia said:

I would also like to think that the worker's comp physicians around here are beginning to grow just a tad suspicious of the ruse, but I'm probably thinking wishfully. 

...this time the Workers Comp board made him go through physical therapy and meet with a orthopedic specialist to determine how "injured" he was, I think the Workers Comp board is getting very suspicious of people like my BIL who always seem to have some sort of injury. He was denied any money this time after it was determined that his "injury" was healing fine.

[AZChristian]

Mr. AZC used to work as a claims examiner, and sometimes got cases with people who were injured in unique ways.  Slip-and-fall accidents in grocery stores, etc.  That was back before the days of closed circuit cameras everywhere . . . so catching people faking sometimes came down to following them around and taking pictures as they would do things like going out bowling for an evening, and then going to a scheduled orthopedic doctor appointment the next day.  They would take their spouse.  Spouse would stand aside while the injured party hoisted a wheelchair out of the trunk of their car, then sit in it while spouse pushed them into the building and back out after the appointment.  The fun part was when the case came to court, and the insurance company would have these blown-up pictures on an easel as proof that the injured party was faking. 

Ah, the good old days. 

[SRTouch]

28 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Mr. AZC used to work as a claims examiner, and sometimes got cases with people who were injured in unique ways.  Slip-and-fall accidents in grocery stores, etc.  That was back before the days of closed circuit cameras everywhere . . . so catching people faking sometimes came down to following them around and taking pictures as they would do things like going out bowling for an evening, and then going to a scheduled orthopedic doctor appointment the next day.  They would take their spouse.  Spouse would stand aside while the injured party hoisted a wheelchair out of the trunk of their car, then sit in it while spouse pushed them into the building and back out after the appointment.  The fun part was when the case came to court, and the insurance company would have these blown-up pictures on an easel as proof that the injured party was faking. 

Ah, the good old days. 

Remember freeloading squatter who took up residence in some Texas dude's home - think it was on Hot Bench. She managed to get the guy kicked out of his own home by claiming he - like a lot of Texans (and us Oklahomans) - had some guns. Anyway, after a lot of legal wrangling, she finally gets kicked out. IIRC she was in court suing for big money claiming when she got the boot she her left essential stuff behind - like her undies and high dolkar make up. 

Anyway, dude had home surveillance cameras, and we were treated to lady carry boxes out to her car, moving heavy planters around the porch/patio... then hobbling along with a walker when it was time to leave.

[Brattinella]

4 minutes ago, SRTouch said:

She managed to get the guy kicked out of his own home by claiming he - like a lot of Texans (and us Oklahomans) - had some guns.

She had extremely  bad manners.  Glad to hear she got in trouble.

[lovesnark]

28 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Mr. AZC used to work as a claims examiner, and sometimes got cases with people who were injured in unique ways.  Slip-and-fall accidents in grocery stores, etc.  That was back before the days of closed circuit cameras everywhere . . . so catching people faking sometimes came down to following them around and taking pictures as they would do things like going out bowling for an evening, and then going to a scheduled orthopedic doctor appointment the next day.  They would take their spouse.  Spouse would stand aside while the injured party hoisted a wheelchair out of the trunk of their car, then sit in it while spouse pushed them into the building and back out after the appointment.  The fun part was when the case came to court, and the insurance company would have these blown-up pictures on an easel as proof that the injured party was faking. 

Ah, the good old days. 

Oh! That must have been so much fun to see! Our son was buddies with a kid from elementary school through high school and this kid's dad was one of the scammers your husband used to investigate. He claimed his neck and back was so bad due to a work related injury he couldn't work and was on the dole with L&I for years. But, he was able to cut down trees then cut, split and stack firewood for sale. He also did a major remodel on their house and a couple of their neighbor's houses. In his leisure time, he rode dirtbikes, went hunting and hiked into remote lakes to fish. It took years, but he finally got caught and it went down in spectacular fashion. The investigator had been following him around for a while and he knew it. But, the dumbass thought the guy was a private investigator because he was involved in some sort of beef with his sister and thought she had hired a PI for some reason. The L&I investigator was parked across the street and was snapping pics with a telephoto lens while the scammer split firewood.  Dumbass scammer went over and confronted him. He smashed the car window with a piece of firewood, pulled him out of his car, smashed his camera and punched him repeatedly. So, in addition to being caught scamming the system for years, he also has convictions for assault and destruction of property on his record.  The state got a judgement against them for over $400k. They (the scammers) forfeited a small parcel of lakefront property they owned, payments are being garnished from their paychecks and the state has a lien on their home.

[Brattinella]

2 hours ago, lovesnark said:

Oh! That must have been so much fun to see! Our son was buddies with a kid from elementary school through high school and this kid's dad was one of the scammers your husband used to investigate. He claimed his neck and back was so bad due to a work related injury he couldn't work and was on the dole with L&I for years. But, he was able to cut down trees then cut, split and stack firewood for sale. He also did a major remodel on their house and a couple of their neighbor's houses. In his leisure time, he rode dirtbikes, went hunting and hiked into remote lakes to fish. It took years, but he finally got caught and it went down in spectacular fashion. The investigator had been following him around for a while and he knew it. But, the dumbass thought the guy was a private investigator because he was involved in some sort of beef with his sister and thought she had hired a PI for some reason. The L&I investigator was parked across the street and was snapping pics with a telephoto lens while the scammer split firewood.  Dumbass scammer went over and confronted him. He smashed the car window with a piece of firewood, pulled him out of his car, smashed his camera and punched him repeatedly. So, in addition to being caught scamming the system for years, he also has convictions for assault and destruction of property on his record.  The state got a judgement against them for over $400k. They (the scammers) forfeited a small parcel of lakefront property they owned, payments are being garnished from their paychecks and the state has a lien on their home.

What a great story!

[lovesnark]

30 minutes ago, Brattinella said:

What a great story!

What made it even better is they were both arrogant, "we're so much better than everyone" jerks. It warmed my heart to see his holier than thou wife working at the county fair digging through trash and separating it into recycle, compost and garbage for minimum wage last summer.  Knowing a portion of the wages she was earning were being garnished was like a cherry on top of a sundae!

[tiftgirl]

Oh Cat People (or really Pet People)  I am so upset.  I just got slapped with a big dose of reality.

My cat is 18 years old and when she found me the vet estimated she was about six months old, so, we've been together forever.

She's had kidney disease for a couple of years now, but, her numbers were staying pretty much the same and she was hovering between stage 1 and 2.  She get fluid therapy 2 times a week to try to keep it that way and she has renal blood work done every three months.

She had her blood work done Tuesday and the Dr. called with the test results.  She is stage 3 and her phosphorous is really, really high.  I cannot get the phosphorous binder into her.  The powder, in, under, on top of the food it doesn't matter, she refuses to eat then.  The liquid, the last time I wound up having to put her in a pillow case and neither of us came out of the unscathed.  The Dr. said they will give it when she gets her fluid therapy so it will be 2 times a week instead of every day, but, she said, 1) she did not her to get so wigged out that it breaks our bond and she becomes scared of me  or just hates me and 2) some is better than nothing.

I asked her what the out look is and she said Well, she won't be her next October.  But it is not going to be in the next few weeks either.  She said as long as she is still feisty and giving the girls what for when she get her fluids (it takes 2 of them to do it) that she (the DR) is happy but when Shana just lays there and lets them do it we will have to have a serious talk.

I just lost her daughter (that's her in my avatar over there) who was 17 in June to cancer.

I am just so scared and upset.  I am trying not cry because when I get upset Shana knows it because she comes and pets my face with her paw and head butts me and I don't want to get her upset.

I know going by what the Dr. said it is not dire, but she basically said less than 12 months.

I am sorry this is so long, I just needed to vent so people that understand and kind of try to wrap my head around it.

Needless to say it's done wonders for my anxiety, but, so far (knock wood) it doesn't seem to have triggered my depression.

Thanks for letting me just spew this all out. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

@tiftgirl So sorry about your cat.  It is so difficult when they have problems.  I like that she is still feisty.  She will not go gentle . . . . 

If you haven't tried it already, consider trying to mix it into a bit of chicken or turkey baby food.  I had a very old cat that had been a street fighter most of his life - impossible to medicate.  He became quite the baby food connoisseur. Of course, I did have a clerk at Target tell me that my baby needed fruits and vegetables too.  I responded "My 22 year old cat doesn't care for strained peas!" 

[momtoall]

So sorry tiftgirltiftgirl.

[Brattinella]

26 minutes ago, tiftgirl said:

I am just so scared and upset.  I am trying not cry because when I get upset Shana knows it because she comes and pets my face with her paw and head butts me and I don't want to get her upset.

She is so sweet, comforting you.  This is such a hard thing, I know... they SHOULD live forever!  My thoughts and prayers are with you, @tiftgirl, and Shana. :(

[SRTouch]

@TIFTGIRL so sorry to hear about your recent loss and current worries

May not work, but when my Lil Bit was declining, I found that I could hide crushed up pills in sardine oil - had to let her lap ip some without the meds, then was able to substitute dosed oil  (damn, been 5 years and even now I can get teary eyed - believe me, I know your pain and am sending virtual hugs your way

 

[jilliannatalia]

14 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

@tiftgirl So sorry about your cat.  It is so difficult when they have problems.  I like that she is still feisty.  She will not go gentle . . . . 

If you haven't tried it already, consider trying to mix it into a bit of chicken or turkey baby food.  I had a very old cat that had been a street fighter most of his life - impossible to medicate.  He became quite the baby food connoisseur. Of course, I did have a clerk at Target tell me that my baby needed fruits and vegetables too.  I responded "My 22 year old cat doesn't care for strained peas!" 

Don't you just love the child development advice from your friendly big box store cashier?   Last week at Kmart ( the Target near my city is just breaking ground) I picked up  two bottles of flavored children's aspirin for my father-in-law because his doctor told him to take it every day and it bothers his stomach lining less if he chews it rather than swallowing it whole. There's no law against chewing the adult variety, but he finds the orange-flavored tablets easier to chew and swallow. The cashier had to give me the scoop on the Reye Syndrome link to aspirin for children.  I'm almost thirty-one, and aspirin wasn't given to children even when I was a kid.  Furthermore, it's not as though I never read a single child care book, and my husband is even an MD. I'm sure the cashier was just looking out for the well-being of my children, and I should probably be more appreciative, but I found it a bit hard to take. I wonder if she gives similar advice to patrons throughout most of her shifts, or if I just happened to look especially stupid.

Edited October 12, 2018 by jilliannatalia

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, jilliannatalia said:

The cashier had to give me the scoop on the Reye Syndrome link to aspirin for children.  I'm almost thirty-one, and aspirin wasn't given to children even when I was a kid.  Furthermore, it's not as though I never read a single child care book, and my husband is even an MD. I'm sure the cashier was just looking out for the well-being of my children, and I should probably be more appreciative, but I found it a bit hard to take. I wonder if she gives similar advice to patrons throughout most of her shifts, or if I just happened to look especially stupid.

If it were me, I'd be calling the store to tell the manager that it's illegal for the clerk to be practicing medicine without a license.  Honestly, every point you made is so valid . . . the clerk was probably well-meaning, but what a customer does with a product purchased at ANY store is none of the clerk's business.  I wonder if she gives detailed advice when a customer buys condoms.

[DoctorK]

12 hours ago, jilliannatalia said:

I'm sure the cashier was just looking out for the well-being of my children, and I should probably be more appreciative, but I found it a bit hard to take

Words I live by: Free advice is usually worth what you pay for it.

[tiftgirl]

Thank you all so very much!  It means a lot to me that there are so many caring people who really get it.

I tried mixing it with baby food, because when her daughter had what we thought was a bad tooth and had the extraction I got her baby food to eat.  She looooooovvvvvveeed it.  Miss Picky Shana liked it ok, so, I did try the binder in it and again, she just sat and looked at it.  I will give mixing it in some tuna juice as @SRTouch suggested, she's never had sardines before and see if we make an progress that way.

@PrincessPurrsALot the cashier never said anything when I was buying the baby food but she was giving me the stink eye, so, I felt obligated to explain so she didn't think I was not feeding a human baby well.  :)

She was not best pleased that I slept late this morning so I woke up to being wapped in the face with her paw and opened my eyes to her face about an inch from mine with that icy glare of "you are making me wait for breakfast and this is not acceptable!"  :)

[SRTouch]

2 hours ago, tiftgirl said:

She was not best pleased that I slept late this morning so I woke up to being wapped in the face with her paw and opened my eyes to her face about an inch from mine with that icy glare of "you are making me wait for breakfast and this is not acceptable!"  :)

Hey, great that she's still got the spunk to rule the house ???

[jilliannatalia]

19 hours ago, AZChristian said:

If it were me, I'd be calling the store to tell the manager that it's illegal for the clerk to be practicing medicine without a license.  Honestly, every point you made is so valid . . . the clerk was probably well-meaning, but what a customer does with a product purchased at ANY store is none of the clerk's business.  I wonder if she gives detailed advice when a customer buys condoms.'

You've given me a scathingly brilliant idea. Our Kmart closes in less than a week, but if I make it there before it's permanently boarded up and if the "knowledgeable" cashier is on duty, I shall pick up a package of condoms and go to her register to pay just to see if she has any sage condom advice to share with me. I don't have much practical use for condoms, as I had my tubes snipped during my second and final c-section just over three years ago, but it's a donation to a worthy cause. I can always pass the condoms on to my younger brother.

[Brattinella]

5 hours ago, jilliannatalia said:

a scathingly brilliant idea

This is one of my top five movies of all time!  Thanks!

[jilliannatalia]

15 hours ago, Brattinella said:

This is one of my top five movies of all time!  Thanks!

It's one of mine as well. My mom had a VHS copy that I watched many times as a child. i need to look  for a DVD or Blu-ray of  it so that my daughter can grow up loving it as I did.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I used to live in southern New Mexico, and the schools all had AP courses, were considered pretty good academically.     One young man was one of the numerous valedictorians for his high school, was top 10 in his large graduating class, and had a partial academic scholarship to the big name university.      When they did the proficiency testing, the man had to take remedial courses for everything.      The grading curve was so high, and the AP courses were advanced in name only, so he was totally unprepared for the work involved, and the basic knowledge needed to start college at the freshman level.       

[jilliannatalia]

14 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I used to live in southern New Mexico, and the schools all had AP courses, were considered pretty good academically.     One young man was one of the numerous valedictorians for his high school, was top 10 in his large graduating class, and had a partial academic scholarship to the big name university.      When they did the proficiency testing, the man had to take remedial courses for everything.      The grading curve was so high, and the AP courses were advanced in name only, so he was totally unprepared for the work involved, and the basic knowledge needed to start college at the freshman level.       

SAT or ACT scores should have been an adequate predictor of his lack of success unless the kid in question had someone else take his college board exams for him. (That's not easy anymore, as IDs are checked and even fingerprinting has been done in some regions. The fingerprints are taken but not necessarily checked unless there's something irregular in the test results. The scores of anyone with a perfect or near-perfect score in those regions are often checked, as are the prints of someone whose GPA isn't commensurate with his test scores.  With facial recognition technology advancing at its present rate, soon it will be virtually imposible for anyone to have someone else take his college boards. It's not fool-proof, but a kid has to go to considerable effort to cheat successfully.)  Many people are anti-standardized testing, but with grade inflation and other irregularities surrounding GPA, sometimes the exams are the only objective indicators of a kid's true academic performance.  Personally, I think either low SATs/ACTs or low GPA should keep a kid out of a respectable university as a freshman.  Let the kid prove himself with a year or two at two-year college, then try a  university. The kid belonged in JC,  not in remedial courses at a university. 

Edited October 16, 2018 by jilliannatalia

[KittyMom4]

On 10/15/2018 at 6:57 PM, jilliannatalia said:

Many people are anti-standardized testing, but with grade inflation and other irregularities surrounding GPA, sometimes the exams are the only objective indicators of a kid's true academic performance.  Personally, I think either low SATs/ACTs or low GPA should keep a kid out of a respectable university as a freshman.  Let the kid prove himself with a year or two at two-year college, then try a  university. The kid belonged in JC,  not in remedial courses at a university. 

I absolutely 100% agree with this, too many parents are too focused on their child's GPA rather than whether child is actually learning anything. It is great to push your kid to their highest potential but to do so in a manner that disregards his/her comprehension of the material is silly and counterproductive, imo. 

[Brattinella]

Just as some icing on this educational cake, I heard the news anchorman today refer to "IN-stah-bull" as a city in Turkey.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

On 10/10/2018 at 10:47 PM, jilliannatalia said:

I grew up in south Florida (Broward County). In my parents' families (and we're Cuban; both of my parents immigrated as young children) and  social circle, quinceaneras weren't something parents encouraged their daughters to do.

I just saw this (can't keep up with where things went). I also live in Broward County (heeeyyyy!!! representing!) but the girl I talked about has roots in Miami and quinces are big business there. All the girl dancers came from Broward, but all the boys but one (the "gringo") came from Hialeah and Miami. The Hialeah guys were all friends of the choreographer (who is also born and bred Hialeah) and those guys are like his male dancer posse and partner all over Miami and south Broward. 

[Dakisela]

2 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Just as some icing on this educational cake, I heard the news anchorman today refer to "IN-stah-bull" as a city in Turkey.

More of this:  An anchorman reporting on an accident involving a cattle trailer on an interstate proudly stated that he heard that the cows' names were Black and Gus.  Seriously.  He was very pretty. 

[jilliannatalia]

Quote

More of this:  An anchorman reporting on an accident involving a cattle trailer on an interstate proudly stated that he heard that the cows' names were Black and Gus.  Seriously.  He was very pretty. 

4 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Just as some icing on this educational cake, I heard the news anchorman today refer to "IN-stah-bull" as a city in Turkey.

I should be horrified, but I'm not even surprised. News anchors and talking heads seem to grow less educated with each passing day. The grammar is sometimes atrocious. Why is it that the late Peter Jennings was able to go off-script while continuing to use perfect syntax?

Edited October 18, 2018 by jilliannatalia

[AZChristian]

Remember when someone drove into a bunch of pedestrians and damaged the fence outside of the Parliament building in London last year?

Well, as 4-time visitors to London, we were quite interested in the news.  Our local station rushed onto the air with a special report - during which, they pulled up a Google map of the area and showed the direction from whence the driver came, and where he ended up.  Problem is, they had him going the wrong way on the bridge, and pointed out the London Aquarium (on the wrong side of the bridge) as Parliament.

I was so incensed that they would show such patently wrong information that I got on the station's Facebook page and - as politely as I could - pointed out their multiple errors.

Much to my surprise, about 10 minutes later, the on-air reporter who had showed the map and pointed out the wrong stuff actually responded directly to me on FB, giving me credit for being correct, apologizing that they had rushed and gotten everything wrong, and promising that it would be corrected within 30 minutes when they updated the story.

I was really impressed - not only did they get all the information correct, they even showed the direction of travel of the car . . . and had it on the opposite side of the street from US norms - in the correct direction of British road travel.

However, the rest of what that channel does is so ridiculously bad that I still won't watch it any more for news.

[tiftgirl]

I posted a few weeks ago about my cat's kidney disease.  I had to let her go Saturday.  Weight was just falling off of her no matter how much she ate and she started trying to get out of the house, and she never even offered to go near the door in 18 years.  The Dr said that sometimes they try get away to be by themselves at the end and said it was only days.  Then she started having trouble with her balance.  It was peaceful, they gave her a sedative first and she just eased head over into my hand and then they gave her the other shot and she was gone.

I don't know if I can get through this.  I have not been alone in the house in 18 years.  Every time I think about cleaning out her little boxes and packing up her food to donate I wind up just looking at it and crying.  

It's one of God's little jokes that he gives us these sweet creatures to love and then takes them away.

[Brattinella]

9 minutes ago, tiftgirl said:

I posted a few weeks ago about my cat's kidney disease.  I had to let her go Saturday.  Weight was just falling off of her no matter how much she ate and she started trying to get out of the house, and she never even offered to go near the door in 18 years.  The Dr said that sometimes they try get away to be by themselves at the end and said it was only days.  Then she started having trouble with her balance.  It was peaceful, they gave her a sedative first and she just eased head over into my hand and then they gave her the other shot and she was gone.

I don't know if I can get through this.  I have not been alone in the house in 18 years.  Every time I think about cleaning out her little boxes and packing up her food to donate I wind up just looking at it and crying.  

It's one of God's little jokes that he gives us these sweet creatures to love and then takes them away.

Massive hugs and tears from me!  I am SO heartbroken over your loss, and I sobbing like a baby!  Please pm me if you need to talk more about this!

[momtoall]

So sorry tiftgril. Sending you endless virtual hugs.

Edited October 22, 2018 by momtoall

[SRTouch]

1 hour ago, tiftgirl said:

I posted a few weeks ago about my cat's kidney disease.  I had to let her go Saturday. 

So very sorry. 

1 hour ago, tiftgirl said:

It's one of God's little jokes that he gives us these sweet creatures to love and then takes them away.

I know it sounds trite, but the grief really does get better (but never really goes away). 

Virtual hugs on the way (and teary eyes as I share your pain and remember furbabies I've lost)

 

[badhaggis]

@tiftgirl I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you are okay. Sending virtual hugs.

[jilliannatalia]

Tiftgirl, i'm sorry, too. It's sucha very sad thing.

[chenoa333]

On 10/11/2018 at 1:25 PM, tiftgirl said:

Oh Cat People (or really Pet People)  I am so upset.  I just got slapped with a big dose of reality.

My cat is 18 years old and when she found me the vet estimated she was about six months old, so, we've been together forever.

She's had kidney disease for a couple of years now, but, her numbers were staying pretty much the same and she was hovering between stage 1 and 2.  She get fluid therapy 2 times a week to try to keep it that way and she has renal blood work done every three months.

She had her blood work done Tuesday and the Dr. called with the test results.  She is stage 3 and her phosphorous is really, really high.  I cannot get the phosphorous binder into her.  The powder, in, under, on top of the food it doesn't matter, she refuses to eat then.  The liquid, the last time I wound up having to put her in a pillow case and neither of us came out of the unscathed.  The Dr. said they will give it when she gets her fluid therapy so it will be 2 times a week instead of every day, but, she said, 1) she did not her to get so wigged out that it breaks our bond and she becomes scared of me  or just hates me and 2) some is better than nothing.

I asked her what the out look is and she said Well, she won't be her next October.  But it is not going to be in the next few weeks either.  She said as long as she is still feisty and giving the girls what for when she get her fluids (it takes 2 of them to do it) that she (the DR) is happy but when Shana just lays there and lets them do it we will have to have a serious talk.

I just lost her daughter (that's her in my avatar over there) who was 17 in June to cancer.

I am just so scared and upset.  I am trying not cry because when I get upset Shana knows it because she comes and pets my face with her paw and head butts me and I don't want to get her upset.

I know going by what the Dr. said it is not dire, but she basically said less than 12 months.

I am sorry this is so long, I just needed to vent so people that understand and kind of try to wrap my head around it.

Needless to say it's done wonders for my anxiety, but, so far (knock wood) it doesn't seem to have triggered my depression.

Thanks for letting me just spew this all out. 

You know you can always come here, to the PT forums, for love and support. We're not always all about snarking on the Reality TV shows. We are also about emotional support, kindness and empathy during difficult times. You are a very sweet and compassionate soul to provide so much love and care for your kitties. My very sincere condolences to you.  

Edited October 23, 2018 by chenoa333

[KittyMom4]

On 10/22/2018 at 1:32 PM, tiftgirl said:

I don't know if I can get through this.  I have not been alone in the house in 18 years.  Every time I think about cleaning out her little boxes and packing up her food to donate I wind up just looking at it and crying.  

It's one of God's little jokes that he gives us these sweet creatures to love and then takes them away.

@tiftgirl, you are not alone in your grief, I had to let go of my 18 year old boy-kitty, Zimmer, earlier this summer, he was the sweetest thing ever. He would hop on strangers' laps as if they'd been his best friend his whole life. He was a snuggler and would let you carry him around like a doll. My youngest daughter is 23 so he has always been in her life, she took it the hardest. It does get better. I prefer to think of it as God giving me a gift to treasure and care for and to teach me how precious every moment with someone you love is. Big hugs to you.

[badhaggis]

4 minutes ago, GoodieGirl said:

@tiftgirl, you are not alone in your grief, I had to let go of my 18 year old boy-kitty, Zimmer, earlier this summer, he was the sweetest thing ever. He would hop on strangers' laps as if they'd been his best friend his whole life. He was a snuggler and would let you carry him around like a doll. My youngest daughter is 23 so he has always been in her life, she took it the hardest. It does get better. I prefer to think of it as God giving me a gift to treasure and care for and to teach me how precious every moment with someone you love is. Big hugs to you.

I'm so sorry... Big hugs to you too.

[FairyDusted]

It only took me almost 5 YEARS to catch up on the JJ forum. So sorry for blowing up alerts at random BUT I did read every single post.

I'm terribly sorry for all the lose of people and pets. I lost 2 in 3 weeks this summer and it sucked so I'm sending out hugs and medical cupcakes for all who have shared.  THEN....I got a beautiful German Shepard by surprise last weekend. My husband is no longer allowed to ever leave the house. Bash, Sebastian just isn't having it. Then my father who lives with us came back with a kitten. A Maine Coon named Baker.

I swore no more pets. I got out pawed.

About a case not too long ago though maybe a repeat that I didn't catch. The horrible OHIO renters. I had to look at the real good because I would have thought it was my renter! One year. Destroyed my house. Totaled my hot tub  and ruined my pool liner. The rental company was no help at all. I even had a family member walk through every quarter because it was getting back to me that 16 people were living here. She painted every room shiny shit brown. That was the least of my problems.  Another poster mentioned Aurora and I totally died. I'm from Twinsburg. Oddly after 30 years I moved back to the area after living in Las Vegas. We bought the house as our retirement residence and I had to move in alone after the Renter because I didn't want to ever rent it out again.

Sorry to be all over the place but I wanted to acknowledge I am reading too! I just couldn't catch up. Until now. Y'all are the funniest posters and just as good as watching the dang show. 

[badhaggis]

We have a Maine Coon too! Seriously the most laid back loving kitty I've ever had. She is such a sweetheart and in no time became the ruler of our house. We live in rural Arizona and some nasty person abandoned her out here. Their loss in definitely our gain.

I'm sorry for the loss of your fur babies @FairyDusted

[Brattinella]

@FairyDusted  I have noticed your upvotes for a while now, and always wondered why you didn't post!  So glad you finally finished reading the (admittedly massive) JJ forum!

I won't bore anyone with the repeat story of my beloved 18 yr old cat, Nutball; suffice it to say it was the most excruciating 2 days of my life!  He became my hubby's cat when I was in the hospital, but I didn't mind.  He carried him around lengthwise on his forearm and they adored each other, too.  I am so sorry for your losses, even when it is your decision, it hurts like hell.  I am glad you have some other furballs now (Maine coon, good choice).  Happy to have you here!

[AngelaHunter]

8 hours ago, badhaggis said:

We have a Maine Coon too!

When I was doing rescue, someone called about a Maine Coon living in a field behind their house. Of course we went and got him but sadly we had only a normal-sized cat carrier. I was by turns horrifed and amused that after we crammed him into the carrier, his fur was sticking out all the air holes. I swear he was big as a bobcat.  His cramped quarters didn't matter to him, because he was so incredibly sweet and laid-back he got adopted at the first adoption event he attended. People were fighting over him. He was HUGE! He wouldn't let anyone stop petting him. If they did, his massive paw would shoot out and grab the person's arm to make them continue.

I'm so sorry to read about everyone who has lost their beloved pets. Only those who have known the pure love of an animal can understand.

P.S. Welcome to FairyDusted. Hope you are enjoying your stay in the madhouse. LOL!

Edited October 30, 2018 by AngelaHunter

[jilliannatalia]

I want a Maine Coon. I've only had one kitty. My mom wouldn't let us have pets when we were kids, and my dad went along with her even though I think he would have enjoyed the pets.  My parents moved to California at the same time I did,  which was when I finished law school and my husband started his residency, and my parents and I adopted roughly one-year-old  litter-mates.  Theirs died of cancer  almost two years later, and the only thing that seemed to make my parents feel better was taking care of my kitty when I was on vacation.  I gave them my kitty.  It's a bit ironic that Mom wouldn't have a pet in the house when my siblings and I were kids, but now she cannot live without one. She covets my dog as well, but she's not getting my dog. Then I had two kids in under nine months (condoms break sometimes), and dealing with the two babies and a dog was maxing me out. Starting from ground zero with a cat wasn't a possibility. 

My son will start transitional kindergarten next year, and my daughter will start regular kindergarten the following year.  (They'll both be in regular kindergarten together. I look forward to the strange looks I'll get. It's not so bad that they'll be in the same grade, but not quite eight-and-a-half months apart is considered some sort of a record around here. )  My daughter isn't especially  large, and I might have been able to get away with holding her out for an extra year, but she's already started to read and write, and does some calculations on her own though we never encourage her to do so.. She's more ready for kindergarten than her older brother is. He knows all of his NFL insignias and can pinpoint the teams' locations on a U.S. map, but he's definitely  not reading  or adding/subtracting  yet.  Next year when I have just one child at home, I'm getting another kitty. I'm going for an adult because they're the ones who are rarely adopted from shelters around here, and you have a much better idea of their temperaments when they're not still kittens. . It would be lovely if it could be a Maine Coon.

Edited October 31, 2018 by jilliannatalia

[badhaggis]

They are so sweet and loving @jilliannatalia I hope you get the chance to have one. Both my husband and I are so enamored with our Princess Fuzzybutt. She likes her lap time and to curl up on me during the night. I am shocked that someone just dumped her in our neighborhood. Why get an expensive loving kitty and just dump them?!