2005-11-19 - 7:05 a.m.

24 hours ago, I woke up to Kenichi ripping open the abscess on his head and pussing all his puss on the kitchen floor. This is not a great way to greet a new day. It was time to call Renee and get Kenichi's sick ass into the vet.

23 hours ago, I left for work, promising Kannerson I'd see him again in an hour or so. He seemed happy that'd I'd be back to visit. Mostly because he was too sick to realize that it meant he was going to the vet.

22 hours ago, I opened the Diamond Mines and put out the go-kart. Thusly costing Dustin his last chance to put out the go-kart forever. Unless they make him put out go-karts in the Navy. I somehow doubt that will happen.

21 hours ago, I left the Diamond Mines and drove back home so I could grab Kenich. He was very slow and dizzy when I got home. He tried to get up to come see me when I walked in but even that seemed like a chore. The night before his head wound(s) made him "look like a diplodocus" (as Andrea was kind-hearted enough to state), but now that he decided to do surgery on himself in the early morning hours, he looked like he had been shot in the head with 6 bee bees at close range. He didn't look pretty to say the least. I thought it would be an ordeal getting Kenichi into Sarah's old dog carrier. I put a blanket in the carrier and a healthy amount of catnip. One must remember though, this is the cat that joyfully suffocates himself in grocery bags at every possible chance. As soon as I opened the carrier he got exicted and moseyed in. And laid down. He told me that "this seems fun." "Yeah bud," I aswered back. "You're not gonna think that in a few minutes." He proceeded to cry and yell at me for the following half hour until we got to the vet.

20 hours ago, after convincing the vet that I'm not the worst possible pet owner in the world, and after he pretty much absolved me of any wrongdoing (as I can't follow Kencihi outside and stop him from getting in fights, getting said cuts, and preventing those cuts from getting infected and forming giant bubbles of puss on his forehead), I left him in the able hands of the doctor and Renee. Kenichi was pissed at me for bringing him to the vet and wouldn't even talk to me. He was nice as pie to Renee. Renee was his new girlfriend. Purr, purr, purr. But to me? It was Icy Glare City. Population: Kenichi. Renee assured me he would be ok and that they were going to put him under, cut his head open and insert a drain into his head. Ok. Ok. Well . . . ok. Because . . . ok. That doesn't sound scary. At all. I arrived back at work.

19 hours ago, Aly called me and told me she was back in town doing some errands. Meanwhile, DUstin lamented over the fact that this was his last lunch time ever. He also had mentioned at 10:45 that it was "last Quarter of Eleven" with me ever. And at 11:30 was sad that it was his "last Almost Lunch Time". This would go on ALL day.

18 hours ago, Aly showed up and I decided to take a long lunch with her. A long lunch in which neither Aly or I ate any food. Instead, we went to Rochester and visited Justin, Cameron and Keeley. Of course, they were great. Well, Cam and Keeley were. Typically, Justin was not. It was all, "Zach, you smell" this, and "Zach, you won't come to the hockey game with me and my kick ass luxury box free seats, free booze, and free food tickets because you won't call out of work more than likely because you're dirt broke and between your jeep and Kenichi you'll be in the poor house by Christmas" that. Man, that Justin sure is talky. Cameron spent the entire "lunch" hour watching a military channel special about jets. Loudly exclaiming every time they came back from commercial, "Aya-paine! Aya-paine!" While Cameron's mommy was making sure my little guy didn't die on the operating table, I was making sure her little guy properly showed me how to use a Bloc-a-dile. See, she scratches my back, I scratch hers. Or something. Then Aly and I drove back to the Diamond Mines. But not before Dustin could call me on my cell phone to announce that I missed "our last One-Thirty ever" and that we'd "never be able to get it back."

17 hours ago, Moe showed up to work, as Aly left to go visit Peter, Titie and baby Evelyn. Aly had a baby-riffic day! Dustin continued to do every possible fucking shit job they could come up with him to do. a.) because it was his last day and they wanted to squeeze as much possible labor out of him as they could and b.) it was his punishment for almost starting a riot in the store the night before. It became my responsibility to make sure he stuck to waxing the floor and not go downstairs as then tempers would only flare. I didn't do a very good job.

16 hours ago, Mark was still bemoaning the fact that we didn't go to Riverbend for lunch but insisted we lie to Joyce on Saturday and tell her that we DID go to Riverbend to make her feel bad for missing it. I explained to Mark that if we did that, it would kill our chances for getting Riverbend on Saturday since Joyce would think we'd be getting 2 days in a row. And eveyone knows Riverbend is a rare treat - never to be repeated on consecutive days. Mark's brain began to bleed when he tried to weigh his two desires [tricking Joyce vs. securing himself some Riverbend] against each other.

15 hours ago, Dustin kept suggesting he go on a Dunkin Donuts run, more than likely so he could announce it was his last Dunkin Donuts run ever. But it never happened. So we'll never know if that was his plan or not. I think it's safe to say it was. I called Renee and she said Kenichi was out of surgery but acting rather drunk. That's my boy. I've taught him well. She also said that Ben had called the vet and offered to go pick him up. I've truncated this part of the story in an effort to make it a non-story. Which I just did. So blah.

14 hours ago, Dustin was still convinced that Liz and/or others at the store were going to surprise him with a cake. This didn't happen. Mark and I were sad. Not because Dustin didn't get a proper send-off. But because we wanted some cake. Especially if it was ice cream cake. That's my favorite. And it's what we kept imagining the non-existent cake to be. I hate it when I don't get fake ice cream cake.

13 hours ago, we closed the store up, after Dustin and I "brought in the go-kart for the last time", which actually consisted of him sitting in it, me pushing him backwards and him guessing when to steer so we could actually get it in the door far enough, but not down the stairs - which Dustin kept threatening to do. I put on my new mad bomber hat, locked the doors, and drove off to the Wallakers for super fun times.

12 hours ago, I started getting the shakes as I hadn't eaten since that morning. Damn Aly and my "non lunch" lunch! I told Karin I was going to go to down to Joe's Pizza and get a slice of Hawaiian pizza. I did. And gosh, was it ever tasty. Matt came in to visit me. I told him he missed out on Dustin waxing the floors all day. He laughed. As he knew waxing the floors sounded like a typical thing that Dustin would be asked to do on his last day. I also told him that, had Dustin been there right then, he would have told Matt and I that it was the "last time we'd ever be standing in the Wallakers together." Despite the fact that we never even have a 1st time. Whatever. I was starting to get super punchy. Hayley left me a message that the hockey game was starting and she'd meet me after it ended so we could go see Harry Potter.

11 hours ago, hip deep in Star Wars Lego, Dustin calls the WALLAKERS, from the hockey game. To inform me that he can see Ben from his seat. Ok, I get it, everyone I know is at this hockey game. This hockey game that I COULD have gone to with lots of free business. But instead, I was checking in the "Wookie Catamaran" and pricing it accordingly. That said, a "Wookie Catamaran" is still pretty fucking sweet.

10 hours ago, we closed up the Wallakers, I continued to price some more Lego after we closed and then finally left to get gas and to go to Durham to pick up Hayley. As usual, Hayley and my conversation was dominated by 3 things. Comic books, Harry Potter, and Alias. It could be worse. She could have been telling me, "Friend, this is the last time we'll ever go see an 11 o'clock showing of Harry Potter." But that wouldn't have made sense, as Hayley isn't about to leave for the Navy.

9 hours ago, Hayley and I continued our journey to the movie theater, making sure we had candy, tickets, and that I got jacked up enough on red bull to make it through all 3 tasks of the Tri-Wizard Tournament without passing out. My thoughts turned to Kenichi and how I promised to go see Goblet of Fire with him on opening day. Oh well. I'll raincheck it and we can go see Order of the Phoenix on opening day instead.

8 hours ago, the Twenty finally ended, Hayley and I got stuck in the very front row, despite getting their 15 minutes early. This was a hardcore, sold out audience. Which made it more fun. We saw a kick-ass Narnia trailer and an underwhelmingly not-so-kick-ass Superman trailer. It was ok. I know I'm bias, but it was . . . ok. I don't know. Looked too CGI.

7 hours ago, we were probably just getting to the first task of the Tournament and still agog over the fact that Ron is about 8 feet tall now. And that Hermione is even more smoking in this movie. Well, at least that's what Hayley kept saying. I was lusting after Madame Maxime myself. Ew. Double ew.

6 hours ago, after I noticed that Catfish and Monique had both called during the movie, we watched the end of the film, in which Hayley and I were rather deeply divided over the portrayal of Voldemort and whether we agreed with how they did it. I was pro. Hayley was not.

5 hours ago, I had just dropped Hayley back off at the Gables and headed home back to R'ford. Only to find Kannerson on the couch. On my Beatles blanket. Looking like the saddest little boy you've ever seen. His eyes were half shut. Not that he had a choice. All the work they had done on his head had pushed his forehead down towards his eyes temporarily. Most of his head was shaved (despite the fact the he too wasn't getting ready to leave for the Navy). He had a giant drain shoved through one end of his head and coming out the other. He looked like Sideshow Mel. But not nearly as comical. He still had open bloody wounds. It was probably one of the most grotesuqe things I've ever seen. I took a picture and had plans on showing it. But it's so gross that I can't bring myself to do it. This is coming from somone who happily shared a vivisection of a bloody engorged tick last entry. Yeah, it's GROSS. And I noticed he had been bleeding all over my Beatles blanket. I wanted to be mad at him, but looked so sad and it hurt him to even muster the energy to look upwards at me. I told him it was going to be alright. I pet him for about a half hour and he just sat there. Looking at the back of the couch. Not saying a word to me. I don't think he was still mad. I just think he's still kind of fucked up from the pain and drugs. Poor guy.

4 hours ago, I thought about writing this entry before bed since the Red Bull hadn't yet worn off. But when I started to write it . . . the Red Bull wore off. So then I went to bed.

3 hours ago, I had a dream about spiders. No fucking surprise considering the movie.

2 hours ago, I don't remember. I was sound asleep.

1 hour ago, I started to wake up, thinking I was late for work. I wasn't. So I decided to write all this. But now I am late for work, because I wrote this. Kenichi is still sitting on the couch. He is sad. He'll be ok. Just make little cat prayers for him. It can't hurt.

It's been real,

Ollivander

ps - New poll! The results of the last one (which yes, I know has been up for close to 100 years) are as follows: "Life or Death! You MUST eat one of these thoraxes!" 3rd place, with 5 votes, and 17% goes to Katydid. 2nd place, with 6 votes, and 21 % goes to Japanese Beetle. And our champeen is STICK BUG! With 7 votes, and 24%! (It should be said that Millipede and Praying Mantis both tied for 4th with 4 votes a piece. Meanwhile, no love for the Gypsy Moth, Junebug or Earwig. They all only got 1 vote each. Looks like we don't have many fans of gourmet cooking . . .)

pps - Please excuse the fact that the new poll is made up of entirely false nostalgia that I made up out of thin air.

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