I know a few of you are suddenly unable to read my blog due to a filter marking it as “Hate Speech.” Remember when I mentioned the problems with my site being slow? My hosting provider moved my site to a different server last week, and apparently someone else in my new IP space is getting filtered for “Hate Speech.” My site is getting blocked vicariously, alas. I put in another ticket and my site has been moved again. Hopefully by the time this is posted, those of you who haven’t been able to read over the past week will be able to do so. Sorry for any frustration or inconvenience this has caused you!
Rebekah’s having a contest to help raise money for the medical bills of a dog that was left alone in a house for six weeks. Yikes! 🙁 Deadline to contribute is December 1.
ETA: It’s snowing right now. True, true, it isn’t heavy snow or anything. But still – my brain might explode.
Reading Update
Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie. No, CarrieK, you didn’t miss a new Jennifer Crusie book, really – it’s a rerelease of her first published romance (1993). Either she polished it up a bit, or she’s always been a great writer.
Kiss of Death: A Daytime Mystery by Linda Palmer. The Daytime (Television) Mysteries are exceptionally well-written and enjoyable. Recommended, but read them in order – this is the fourth book. (There’s a black kitty in the series, too!)
UltraViolet: A Jane Kelly Mystery by Nancy Bush. One of the reviewers compares Jane Kelly to Stephanie Plum and Kinsey Milhone. I’m not sure I would go that far, but I do enjoy the series and will definitely continue to read it.
Life Update
Later this morning, I go in for my recheck and work release appointment. I’ll be going back to work on Wednesday, November 14. At today’s appointment, I’ll find out whether I go back full-time right away, or ease back. I’m hoping for easing back! Especially since things are completely weird at work right now. Take a mental note, folks – if you need to take medical leave, make sure you do it while your company is being acquired. This adds exciting stresses to your leave. At least I know I made it through the first cut – whew!
“What?” -Mayhem
*shielding Gandalf’s eyes*
Mayhem!!!
Well, here’s to a good check-up! And I’m glad everything turned up good for you in round one – been there so many times at my company. And still here after nearly 15 years. 😀
I vote for easing back in. Whatever will I do without you to fill my time?? See you later today – right??
Good luck with the work re-entry!
My advice? Don’t rush back if you’re really not up to it – despite what your doctor might say. In either case, I hope you really are feeling better, Chris.
And May? Most definitely a contender for Miss Kitty 2008!
Good luck! I’ve only been through two acquisitions (so far) but that’s enough to scare the pants off you. In the last one, I only barely scraped through – I had actually signed the severance papers when they offered me a different (better) position. Lots weren’t so lucky.
Hang in there, and get lots of kitty cuddles!
Good luck moving the blog away from the hate speech weirdo!
Extra stress = extra bad. Hope the MD app’t goes well.
Ease back for sure!
May’s belly is just begging to be scratched.
Crossing my fingers you get to ease back into work. I don’t think you’re mentally ready to go back full time 😉
It looks like May has a anchor tattoo on her tummy! Has she been hanging out with sailors? 🙂
Snow?! I realize you’re in a colder clime than Philly, but readjusting to places with winter is going to be tricky. (I can’t quite believe I’ve actually gotten used to seeing palm trees everywhere.)
What a cute tummy! And good luck with the work stuff — it would be so stressful to feel like you don’t have any say in decisions that directly affect you.
And, thank god, no snow here (yet). In fact, it’s supposed to warm up a bit this weekend.
As soon as this page came up, I went “AWWWWWWWW”!
Good luck with work! I love May’s kitty pron…careful or you’ll be blocked again;-)
Snow…I want snow.
Oh. My. God. HOW could you say the S word?
Urgh, work stress. Definitely take it slow.
Snow, glorious snow…
*fingers crossed*
And omg. That poor dog. Thanks for linking to him.
Easing back in, definitely. Especially if there’s going to be snow on top of everything else!
that’s not lady-like at all May May!! (but still awfully cute)
Chris HOW do you do those photos??? I am constantly amazed…
May has a mini-‘kini!
Hope the doc visit goes well, you can ease back into work, and you stay away from the job-cut vultures!
(((hugs)))
oooo, stressful. Seriously, doesn’t that prolong your recuperation?
Mayhem, you are shameless showing off the kitty-cuteness!
Chris- Yay for snow!
See how excited May is?
Hate speech?!? I recently had a similar experience when my mail was refused and (separately) I couldn’t comment on a (Twin Cities!) blog with an aggressive spam filter, both because (as far as I can tell) my home ISP, Charter, has a lot of spammers. Which they do, but I’m not!
May is indeed gratuitously cute.
Having been there, done that, please tell your doctor if you’re still pretty wiped in the afternoons. I find that, around the magic 6 week mark, that energy is a lot better but not quite normal; you’re good in the mornings, but need some couch or armchair time in the pms. What works really well is working half days for a week (or two if you can swing it).
Thanks for posting Rebekah’s call to action — I donated. I used to work at a vet clinic and have similar stories. Made me cry to read, though.
1) Thank you so much for mentioning my efforts for Sugar Ray.
2) Snow! I’m so jealous!
3) Hope things go well at the doctor, but not well enough for immediate full-time – medium well for easing.
4) May – that is so unladylike! But so cute.
It was snowing here yesterday – more like ice pellets than snow, but the kids were beyond excited. If Julia wasn’t sick I would have let them run around in it.
Hope everything goes well at the appt. this morning — let me know. 🙂
Snow. I’m jealous. Some years we get zero snow. I’ve sent easing vibes to your doctor.
Bibs—cute!
Cats in bibs—VERY cute! LOL! They look almost properly pensive and well-behaved in those bibs. I must make some for application to my minions immediately!!
Do you use a pattern for the bibs? Are they the ones from MD Knitting? Truly, I’d love to make some if there is a pattern….or a hint if no pattern! 🙂
BTW, page is still loading kinda slow—but at least it’s loading! I had to give up the past couple of days because it never loaded at all. Very sad—no Chaos and May pics—I had withdrawals and stuff!
Limp a little when you walk in. Mention how your walks wear you out. 🙂
Wow, May! Do we know each other that well?
OMG.. *falls over from too much cute* Dang.. Mayhem needs to come with a “warning- may cause cuteness overload” sticker.
Good luck with the appointment!! Hi Mayhem!!
May looks very cute! Hope that you get through your appointment ok!
May: “Um, yes, I DID used to be sailor — why do you ask?”
Definitely mention how tired you get in the afternoons. Half days are a godsend.
I hope all goes well with your appointment and work re-entry! Have a wonderful weekend too.
May! Do you know what sort of photos your mom is posting of you on her blog? Your mom may have a bit of the paparazzi in her.
I wonder if May has been learning these poses from Chaos???
Hopefully, you’ll get to ease in slowly, that’d be the best thing. Ugh, acquisitions…
I now have that silly song from The Wiz (I believe) going through my head “Ease on down, ease on down, ease on down the road..”
Does this age me?
A few years ago we were assigned IP addresses that had belonged to spammers previously. That was not fun.
I vote for easing back, especially with the craziness of an acquistion.
Super cute pic of May!
Hate speech? Have you been dissing acrylic?
That does look like an anchor tattoo on Mayhem! Cute!
😉 Caught me! I totally thought “new Crusie!” Alas. Is it one of her old Harlequins? Even those were pretty good.
Aw. Poor puppy dog.
Ease! All knitters need ease.
Are you sure the cats are posting about how much they hate the government or something? I can see them being tricky like that. 🙂
Have a great weekend!!
That’s a great shot of Mayhem!
I wish Jennifer Crusie was a faster writer. And I wish she wouldn’t do those collaboration books. I did not like those ones at all.
Have you read Katie Fforde? Light, sometimes formulaic, but entertaining.
That has got to be the cutest cat tummy I have ever seen! Great photo.
Hope your ckup went OK but not great–so you can ease back to work.
Wow – what an adorable photo of Mayhem!
Thank goodness you made it through the first cut… I would be stressing (and when you’re supposed to be recovering…!)
May is so cute! I wish it would snow – 80something here today.
Have a great weekend, and here’s hoping for the ease back! love May’s cute belly!
Good thing May is always equipped with her white bikini for shots like those!
must
scritch
tummy!!!!!
Now, see, I never knew that May had that pale patch on the tummy.
May – you’re stunning, beautiful, exquisite…in fact, you look just like ME (but my “naughty patch of white” is bigger). I think you’re my cousin. I love you.
——–Evangeline
Chris, honestly? Do see if you can get a release for partial-days for a while – OR – see if you can take rest-breaks every couple of hours. That’s what I did and it helped a lot; I only needed it for a couple of weeks but it made a big difference. Do NOT overdo! You may feel perfectly fit and perky in the morning, but start to flag before the regular day’s end. If so, SAY so, the doc will back you up, and your employer benefits from partial energetic days for a while more than low-energy days for a long time. (Do I sound like a Jewish bubbeh? Well there you ARE!)
Hope your checkup went OK, but not too OK. We’re going to be acquired soon too, and lucky us, it’s review time. Paws crossed that everything is uneventful, other than May’s new poses. 🙂
I second Katie Fforde, at least the first few.
no problems here getting to your blog… hate speech.. my lord – what will they think of next!
I’d vote for easing back into work (just my motherly opinion of course) tell your doc to write you that note (grin)