Long Story Short ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday....and I'm back I'm back! I was out sick for two days with some sort of vomiting/dizziness/headache thing. It came on pretty suddenly - I felt bitchy and headachey on Monday night, and woke up Tuesday morning to find myself running for the bathroom sink. Professor K was showering at the time, otherwise I would have run into the bathroom. So I took Tuesday off and that kind of blended into Wednesday. The Professor was sweet about me being sick. He encouraged me to stay home, which I liked because I don't enjoy the more Puritanical "go to work anyway!" sentiment that some folks like to display (my father). He called me several times while he was at work to check on me, and before he came home (to my house) he picked up a bunch of stuff for me at CVS - medicine, Sprite, chips, and, randomly, a pregnancy test. When he got home with his bag of treasures he said to me "now don't get mad..." and I laughed cause I'm thinking "what could make me mad about CVS junk?" and then he pulls a pregnancy test out of the bag and I heard myself yelling "WHY DID YOU BUY A PREGNANCY TEST???" It was funny, I guess he knows me better than I thought. I wasn't mad, really, I just freaked. And he said "well, I was thinking about us and you said you were dizzy and nauseous and I just thought...." It was strange how rational he was about the whole thing. I pulled out my calendar and tracked my 28 days and sort of got nervous when I realized that I should be starting my period that day or the next and as yet had felt no signs that I would. But all is well, I took two tests and both were negative and I am having horrible stomach cramps today so YAY! I think the reason that part is interesting to me is The Professors's way of thinking. The fact that he would buy a pregnancy test without discussing it with me - those things are expensive! - and be totally unphased by the thought of me being pregnant. It's not that I think he wants me to get pregnant, there's just this weird calmness about the whole idea. I guess I'm way more used to guys freaking out at even the thought that a girl might be late. Anyway, my two days off involved a lot of sleeping and laying and watching TV. And bonding with Hunter and Bailey. Monday night Hunter dominated the gate and found himself on the other side of it with me, Professor K, and Bailey. He's a tiny kitten but he can CLIMB. Monday was a big night for him because he also learned to climb the bed and got to sleep on it for a few hours with me and Bailey. He still spent the night in his gated area but it was really nice to finally have him curled up on the bed. Tuesday I tried to keep him behind the gate but it was hard having to jump up every time he climbed it and grab him, which would prompt another run to the bathroom to throw up. I gave up and grabbed him and stuck him on the bed with me. He slept well. Good boy! Bailey is adjusting in a surprisingly rapid fashion. She seems to be afraid of him more than anything, but there have been several occasions when the two of them have been curled up on the bed within a foot of each other. His fascination with her is really growing - I found him chewing on her tail twice yesterday and her looking rather startled and nervous. She doesn't try to discourage him, she just moves away. I've been very loving with her, petting her and praising her and giving her cookies when she is around him in close quarters and doesn't bark or growl or show any aggression toward him. He hisses at her occasionally, but mostly he just stares at her. It's unbelieveable to me how obvious their age difference is. She really is the mature one - shocking since she can be so utterly immature. But I can see her visibly being patient with him, not taking the bait when he suddenly bites her tail or runs toward her or tries to beg by climbing in my food bowl. Normally these things would drive her insane, but for some reason she seems to understand that aggressive behavior would be really really bad in this situation. Maybe I'm giving her too much credit, but I am really proud of her right now. Yesterday I let the two of them both roam freely around the apartment. Professor K has been super skittish about letting them be together - he's convinced Bailey will eat the kitten - so I knew I'd have to take the plunge when he wasn't over. Otherwise I'd be hearing "NO!" screamed at the top of his lungs every time she even looked in Hunter's direction. It's a knee-jerk reaction, I know he doesn't mean it, but he doesn't seem to get that I have to live in that apartment with both animals, as harmoniously as possible. Trying to trap the kitten in an isolated location forever is not a rational solution. Since I was sick and sleepy and alone, yesterday I finally said "fuck it" and took down the gate. And it went really well! I could hardly believe how well it went. The two of them had a few face-to-face run ins on the ground - one in particular when Hunter was running (galloping) toward the kitchen and Bailey was coming into the kitchen from the other direction - he screeched to a halt and put his tiny back up but didn't hiss and she just stood there looking at him. Then she looked at me. And then she turned around and went the other way. She is taking her cues from me, as far as I can tell. I'll say it again: she's such a good dog! Last night they both slept on the bed. I didn't have the energy to try to get Hunter back behind his gate - now that he has tasted freedom he just mews his tiny head off when you put him back and then starts climbing again. I slept soundly, Bailey tucked under the covers to my right, her usual location, and Hunter in various positions to my left. He's so little I have trouble locating him in the covers. I slept through the night well without anxiety about the two of them fighting. When my alarm went off Hunter starting roaming around the pillows and must have pounced on Bailey because she jumped a foot and ran into the living room. She eventually came back to bed and curled up with me while he did kitten things on the floor. I was glad to come to work today - Hunter was kind of bouncing off the walls this morning and after two straight days with him I needed a break. He's a kickass cat, don't get me wrong, and getting to know him and bond with him has been great. He definitely recognizes me as his mom now - he curls up against me, opens his tiny eyes, looks up at me, and silently meows. But this morning I was having a little cabin fever situation and being chased around and bit on the ankles by a kitten was not my ideal morning situation. I was sweet to him and cuddled him, but I was glad to shut him behind the doors and take Bailey for a walk. She is so much calmer than him, and so well behaved. It's funny because normally I don't consider her to be a well behaved dog, but she always comes when I call her, 90% of the time she does what I say, and we communicate very well so I feel like she gets what I'm saying. Having another pet to compare her to has made me realize how well I've done with her. She really does try hard to be good. I'm surprised that getting a kitten has made me appreciate my dog more. I enjoy our time together, like we're the two original members of the family, the veterans. I hope I'm not sounding all crazy. I've been a shut in for two days so my only interaction has been with a kitten and a dog. I did see Professor K Tuesday night but only for a few hours compared with the copious amount of time I spent with the other two. And pets amuse the hell out of me. Obviously. 9:06 a.m. - 2004-05-20 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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