We have the results of the heart workup, and the Z-Man has advanced heart disease (more advanced than they were expecting to find), as well as a stage six (of six) heart murmur. The chambers of his heart are significantly enlarged but he seems to be compensating. The vet wants us to keep him on the enalapril (ACE inhibitor) indefinitely, and we need to do blood draws to check kidney and liver function.

As well, he’s got dental issues. We went through the heart workup in part to determine if he CAN have the dental surgery to remove an abscessed molar that keeps swelling and oozing. (It’s OH so pretty.) The decision is that they’ll mask him rather than using injectable anesthetics, and monitor him closely, but they’re giving him a 50/50 chance of surviving the surgery. You can feel the murmur when you put your hand on his chest. It’s kind of creepy.

So, why do it, you may wonder? Because if we don’t the infection will linger, eventually spreading to his brain, and the tooth is causing him pain and discomfort.

And either way, our time with him is marked.

He’s not showing any real symptoms now that we’ve knocked his cough out. He’s a little slower, perhaps, and we’re lifting him onto the bed more, but he’s still feisty – picking on the big dogs across the fence, and growling at MissCleo when she tries to play too roughly.

We’re doing the dental stuff on Friday, February 15th.
I will probably be a basket case that day.

Got your attention? Super.

I’m all about pimping sites that I frequent, or that I think offer something beneficial to the community of folks who want to write, so let me tell you about The Novelette. This website features an ongoing novel about four women who aren’t all that unlike women you may know, and it’s updated in small chunks, about 500 words at a time. As they describe it on their site:

Four ongoing novelettes delivered in daily installments of about 500 words. Four women’s lives – Kitty, Joellen, Alva, and Isabel – unfold like a mystery story. If you like reading women’s stories, this serialized fiction is made to order.

In addition to that, they feature writing contests. The word counts are short, so that voters can read them in a single sitting – the max is 750 words – and each contest has a general theme. Last time it was babies. Right now, it’s travel.

Speaking of which, I’m a contestant! My submission is called “Rest-roominations,” (Yes, that’s a pun. Yes, puns are the lowest form of humor. Deal with it.) and you can read it here. Please visit – and vote for me.

You should also consider submitting your own piece.

Last night after my hair appointment and weekly book-buying extravaganza, we debated the options for dinner, finally ending up at Highlands of Arlington, where we were going to pick a restaurant until I said, “Let’s see what’s playing at Studio Movie Grill.” It was just after six, and there was a showing of National Treasure 2 at seven, so we decided to stick around, since it was a movie we both wanted to see.

We sat and read for about half an hour, until they opened the auditorium for us, and honestly, it was nice to spend some time together that didn’t involve one or more devices attached to fiber optic cables. We spend so many of our waking hours plugged in that being unplugged, awake, and out in public feels like a date, or a treat.

As for the movie, well, I would have happily skipped the Goofy trailer at the beginning, as I hate animation, and am not a particular fan of Disney characters, and I would have preferred previews for other films, but the feature was entertaining enough to keep me interested for the duration. Yes, it moves a bit slower than the first. Yes, some of the plot twists are preposterous and there were plot holes deeper than the grand canyon, but it’s fiction, and it’s fun, and the whole point of such movies is that you are supposed to suspend disbelief.

Nicholas Cage is showing his age a bit, but I still find him likable in parts like this. Helen Mirren, as Ben Gates mother rocked my world. I know she can do drama (The Queen) and darker comedy (Calendar Girls), and of course I’ve watched her in various PBS offerings forever, but she was pure delight in this adventure comedy, playing just the right notes, and doing a credible American accent.

If you haven’t seen this movie, and want something fun and lighthearted, I recommend it.
Goes well with a burger and a beer.

It may be 2:23 in the morning, but it’s still Friday night til I go to bed.

Today, I:
– wrote a thousand word article about health spending accounts for work, and didn’t even go batty from citing IRS codes.
– ate half of a mandarin chicken salad from Wendy’s, and then couldn’t eat any more, while watching the season two episode of Angel called “Darla.”
– wrote a 700+-word piece of flash-fiction and submitted it to the current writing contest at TheNovelette. I can’t post it anywhere public, but if you really want to read it, I’ll email the word doc.
– whined a lot about my head and ear hurting, took a long nap in the afternoon, and had a medicinal cinnamon dolce latte.
– spent a pleasant hour playing “fetch” with Fuzzy and Miss Cleo, who told us very clearly she wanted to play with the Special Toy in the Closet.
– watched the movie “Suburban Girl,” with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alec Baldwin. It was quirky, and charming, but not stellar.
– cuddled Zorro dog for twenty minutes, then accused him of smelling like an animal and threatened to bathe him.
– posted the new prompts for Cafe Writing.

So, what did YOU do today?

The February Project is open for submission at Cafe Writing. Follow this link to play along.

All are welcome.