Home Again

Dec. 7th, 2023 09:23 am
lunabee34: (yuletide: star on tree by liviapenn)
[personal profile] lunabee34
1. I got home yesterday and slept in my own bed on clean sheets, and it was glorious.

I had been very anxious about this conference; I know many of you travel frequently, but I don't, and I was worried about basically every step of the process. LOL But it all worked out fine, and I think I will be more confident the next time this sort of opportunity arises.

2. Fiona got second place in the poetry competition at the Beta Convention, which qualifies her to go the National Beta Convention competition! It's being held in Savannah this year, so she'll definitely get to go; she didn't go last year despite qualifying because it was too far away. We are very proud of her. :)

3. I think we have finally found a regimen of meds that is working for Sammy's asthma. He takes an antiviral pill twice a day followed by an OTC supplement that is also an antiviral. He is such a good kitty. I shake the pill bottle, and he comes running and lets me pick him up. I put him on his back in my lap with his head against my chest and pop open his mouth, and he swallows down his pill with no fighting. Then he runs to go get his next med which is in paste form. Originally, we bought this med as a chew, and he would have nothing to do with it. We mixed it in his food, ground it up and mixed it with water, whatever--he would not eat it. So, I bought it as a paste with the intention of just holding him down and squirting it down his throat if necessary. Indeed, he would not eat it at first, but after a week of squirting it down his throat, Sammy decided his paste is the bomb, and now he begs for it.

We also have acquired a kitty inhaler but not had to use it yet. We've been getting him used to the mask, and he doesn't seem to mind it. We'll see.

4. When A. S. Byatt died, I didn't have the chance to make a proper post acknowledging how much her writing has meant to me since I encountered it decades ago. I'll link my Byatt reading tag here because I talk at much greater length in each of those posts about her novels and short story collections than I will here, especially Possession. That book was a game changer for me when I first encountered it as a college freshman and remains very special to me. It encapsulates like nothing else I have ever read the joys and frustrations of literary scholarship. The Potter Quartet is a structural masterpiece; I remember the moment when I was reading the final book and I realized what Byatt had done structurally with the way each book is introduced and the chronology and the awe I felt at that realization. And then, always, the words--such beautiful, beautiful words--sentences to read over and over again because they're too lovely to be done with quickly. I'm sad there will be no new words but glad the ones she gave us are words I want to visit again and again.

5. And last not but least, [personal profile] amejisuto sent me a wonderful early Christmas present--Brent Spiner's Fan-Fiction and a beautiful bookmark that says, "I have been and always shall be your friend." <3

I also got my first Christmas card of the season from [personal profile] troisoiseaux!

Date: 2023-12-07 02:41 pm (UTC)
princessofgeeks: (Default)
From: [personal profile] princessofgeeks
All this is splendid. Thanks for the update.

Date: 2023-12-07 02:51 pm (UTC)
author_by_night: (Default)
From: [personal profile] author_by_night
Aww, yay Fiona!

Date: 2023-12-07 02:55 pm (UTC)
troisoiseaux: (Default)
From: [personal profile] troisoiseaux
I also got my first Christmas card of the season from troisoiseaux!

I'm glad it arrived!

(And YAY, FIONA!!)

Date: 2023-12-07 03:25 pm (UTC)
starandrea: (Default)
From: [personal profile] starandrea
Yay, welcome home! I was thinking of you at the conference and hoping it was going well (not too boring, not too exciting, haha).

Congratulations to Fiona and great work with Sammy! He sounds like a real sweetheart ♥

Date: 2023-12-07 03:42 pm (UTC)
corvidology: Ophelia and goldfish (Default)
From: [personal profile] corvidology
Good to read it went well. There are elements of in-person conferences that we're just never going to be able to duplicate with the online versions and they're important things.

Congratulations to Fiona!\o/

Date: 2023-12-07 03:59 pm (UTC)
kass: Siberian cat on a cat tree with one paw dangling (Default)
From: [personal profile] kass
I did not even know that kitty inhalers were a thing. Holy wow.

I'm glad Sammy is doing better though! and glad the conference went well.

Date: 2023-12-07 04:22 pm (UTC)
goss: Jump! (Jump!)
From: [personal profile] goss
Congrats to Fiona for 2nd place!! \o/

Date: 2023-12-07 04:46 pm (UTC)
gloss: lovely older woman dancing with delight (AE: Mrs Howard delight)
From: [personal profile] gloss
Welcome back! So glad everything went smoothly.

Congrats to Fiona and also to Sammy, who's being such a good sport! <333

I love what you've written about Byatt here, and I'm so grateful to you for getting these thoughts down.

Here it comes again

From: [personal profile] executrix - Date: 2023-12-09 02:22 pm (UTC) - Expand

Date: 2023-12-07 04:53 pm (UTC)
sheafrotherdon: Two men, seated, leaning in to touch their foreheads together (Default)
From: [personal profile] sheafrotherdon
I am so glad that the conference left you feeling more confident! I used to get the jitters too, but I'm much better at it now that I do it more often. Hurray for new opportunities!

I'm also so glad to hear about all your other good news. What a much-needed burst of loveliness on my timeline!

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Date: 2023-12-07 05:43 pm (UTC)
slightweasel: (Default)
From: [personal profile] slightweasel
So much great news! <3 I always find traveling to be much more worrisome in theory than in practice too, lol.

Date: 2023-12-07 06:36 pm (UTC)
minoanmiss: A detail of the Ladies in Blue fresco (Default)
From: [personal profile] minoanmiss

cheers delightedly

Date: 2023-12-07 08:03 pm (UTC)
sabethea: (Default)
From: [personal profile] sabethea
Oh, what an excellent post full of good things!

Congrats to Fiona, omg to your so-good kitty, and I love your peon to AS Byatt.

Date: 2023-12-07 08:03 pm (UTC)
executrix: (Default)
From: [personal profile] executrix
I truly hope that the Beta Convention is not governed by A/B/O. And what kind of hotel did they book you into that clean sheets were even an issue?

All cavils aside, though, hurrah!

Date: 2023-12-07 08:29 pm (UTC)
kore: (Default)
From: [personal profile] kore
It encapsulates like nothing else I have ever read the joys and frustrations of literary scholarship.

I read it a bit later in my life -- I was struggling in grad school -- and it really spoke to me about scholarship too, and what I actually wanted, and how smothered to death I felt by the literary theory in the 1990s. (I wound up dropping out.) It felt like a friendly support in a time when I badly needed one. And her writing is of course so beautiful.

Date: 2023-12-07 08:50 pm (UTC)
china_shop: Lolcat approves of this post (I approve of this post)
From: [personal profile] china_shop
Oh, great work training Sammy -- that's awesome! Always good if you can turn medicating cats into a bonding experience. <3 <3 <3

I know many of you travel frequently, but I don't, and I was worried about basically every step of the process.

I know this feeling. *hugs* We're going away for a few nights over the holidays, and I'm trying very hard not to think about it yet. ;-p

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Date: 2023-12-07 11:36 pm (UTC)
amejisuto: (Yule- December Santa by magic_art)
From: [personal profile] amejisuto
I'm glad the traveling wasn't too hard on you, and that you had fun at your conference. But there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed, is there?

Yay for Fiona! I never qualified for the Beta club, that's a big deal.

I'm glad Sammy is so good about taking his pills.

I am glad you liked the gifts, my love! It seems like that bookmark was made to go with that book. Merry Christmas!

(no subject)

From: [personal profile] amejisuto - Date: 2023-12-12 12:06 am (UTC) - Expand

Date: 2023-12-08 01:41 am (UTC)
independence1776: Drawing of Maglor with a harp on right, words "sing of honor lost" and "Noldolantë" on the left and bottom, respectively (Default)
From: [personal profile] independence1776
Congrats to Fiona! Welcome back!

Date: 2023-12-08 04:31 am (UTC)
archersangel: (cheering)
From: [personal profile] archersangel
yay for fiona getting second place in the poetry competition!

and glad the cat is ok with the meds.

i didn't know brent spiner wrote a book. i'll have to be on the lookout for that.
Edited (typo) Date: 2023-12-08 04:40 am (UTC)

Date: 2023-12-08 08:45 am (UTC)
lyr: (Default)
From: [personal profile] lyr
Welcome home! And good for Fiona and Sammy.

Date: 2023-12-08 09:04 am (UTC)
From: [personal profile] timespirt
Congrats to Fiona, like mother like daughter.

Didn't know cats did inhalers.

You are doing well in your profession the confidence comes with familiarity so you've got this. Keep reaching for the heavens.

"HUGS"

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From: [personal profile] timespirt - Date: 2023-12-12 06:56 am (UTC) - Expand

Date: 2023-12-08 12:58 pm (UTC)
spikedluv: (summer: sunflowers by candi)
From: [personal profile] spikedluv
Yay for sleeping in your own bed and a successful conference under your belt!

Congrats to Fiona! That's wonderful!

I don't think any of our animals have been good about taking pills. I love that Sammy is so excited about the paste. *g*

That bookmark sounds very cool.

Date: 2023-12-09 02:36 am (UTC)
umadoshi: (kittens - Sinha - angled gaze)
From: [personal profile] umadoshi
Yay you, and yay Fiona! Good job, Sammy!

We keep meaning to get one of those asthma inhaler/chamber devices for Sinha. His asthma is currently so minor that we're not doing anything but keeping an eye on it (I think he's due for another lung check next year), but want to ideally have him used to the thing before it's ever actually needed.

(no subject)

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Date: 2023-12-23 10:56 am (UTC)
kat_lair: (GEN - winter fox)
From: [personal profile] kat_lair
Been catching up with your entries. Excited about you academic successes and networking! Glad to hear kitty is doing well and kiddos are flourishing. Hope you all have a lovely Christmas time.

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