Done Since 2023-07-24

[mdlbear]

Last Friday Desti, our household incarnation of Bast, was hospitalized with what turned out to be acute kidney disease. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge Sunday morning, which is why I held the weekly post an extra day. I'm writing a separate memorial post and page, but couldn't finish it in time -- it will have to wait. Meanwhile, you can find details under the cut.

The week has gone fairly well apart from that, as we continue our stay in the Netherlands -- we were in Leiden most of the week, with a side trip to Utrecht (which N thinks would be a good location for a bookstore) Friday; we have been in Amsterdam since Saturday.

Notes & links
0723Su
  & awake 3:15eish; s=3.8;
    Forgot blue blocker glasses
    Sable is fully charged, though.  it works fine on the USB charger once the battery is
    mostly charged.  Not clear where the dividing line is.  Over 80% apparently
  % Sneezing, left eye lid keeps rolling under. CPAP seems very noisy, may be something to
    do with the mask.  growf 
    Forgot nose spray last night
  * up 10:30; S=9:54; awakened by call from G; ...   * 22:30 shower
  & with G to Jumbo (grocery store) - some breakfast
  % From yesterday: I'm in the best physical shape on the three of us. N can't walk
    far, but the two of us were easily outpacing G
  : also forgot to bring antibiotic ointment and hairbrush
  * walking around Leiden with G, N, J' and B'
    * Brunch at Bagles & Beans Leiden;
  % eyedrops 15:49
  @ I’m a Luddite (and So Can You!) | The Nib infographic
  
0724Mo
  & awake 1:30ish; gove up 2:45 ... reading ... down 3:45
  * up 5:40; S=5:15;  naproxen 6:20ish, ... Dutch, exercises
  * SL:  onlinekabelshop:  laptop charger, mouse, outlet extender,  x usb tester?
    Involved a bit of a back-path ramble along a canal coming back;
    I need to go back later today or tomorrow to pick up the charger, which will be
    arriving from another store.
  * walking tour of "bookstore row"
    % more walking than I've done in a while.  No pain, but very tired & slightly achy
  * eyedrops 23:00ish
  % drifted off for an hour or so
  & text a heads-up to k about the last-Tuesday water cut-off.

0725Tu
  * up 5:30ish; S=4:39;  ...Dutch ...shower(pm)
    % sat and just drifted for probably about an hour.  Want to go back to bed but can't
      -> coffee, computer
    * eye care:  7:20 eyedrops, eyelid wipe
  & breakfast downstairs with G
  * go to onlinekabelshop and pick up charger - opens at 9am
  @ Twitter becomes X - by Casey Newton - Platformer  WTF?
    RIP Twitter: Rebranding as X Is Off to Confusing, Haphazard Start - Variety
    Elon Musk hits X rebrand hiccup as police stop Twitter sign removal | Guardian
  @ Preparing My X-it | Whatever
  % 11:30 sleepy
  * lunch with G at De Bruine Boon Diner
    " LUNCH Specialiteit sinds 1975 / VISPLATEAU "
    smoked eel, smoked salmon, tiny shrimp, light salad, toast.  Ginger beer.  Yum!
  * SL:  hairbrush, antibiotic ointment  x blue-blocker sunglasses
  % apply Aveeno skin relief hand cream to lower arms which have been scaly, itchy, and
    wrinkled for several days.  If not weeks
  @ Amsterdam bans cruise ships to limit visitors and curb pollution - BBC News
  @ ‘No one wants to be right about this’: climate scientists’ horror and exasperation as
    global predictions play out | Climate experts | The Guardian
    cue The Day the Earth Caught Fire
  : dinner was delivered from an Asian noodle place.  Tasty.
  * 7pm CEST <- 10am PDT - Memory Keepers grief support group
  * load drugs
  * 22:36 eyelid wipes, eyedrops

0726We
  * up 7:30ish; S=8.7; 
    * 8:05 eyelid wipe, eyedrops
  * breakfast with G from the little grab-and-go self-checkout grocery in the station
  * 10am go to Den Haag with N, G,  ~ J'
    -> J' had had a bad night, got off at the wrong stop, and spent half an hour being
       stressed and confused.  She went back home to sleep, while we went on our way.
    -> we toured a couple of bookstores and had lunch at Millers Den Haag;
    % tripped missing the last step down from the bathroom at Millers (it led to the bar,
      which  was dark) -- got some abrasions on my left wrist.  Why I carry a hankerchief
    -> then N and I hit up two realtors while G rested his feet.  Along the way we passed
       an Irish pub called "Murphy's Law"
    * Walk: seems like a total of about 3 miles today.
  @ [2307.12008] The First Room-Temperature Ambient-Pressure Superconductor
    -> I'll believe it when it passes peer review.  Meanwhile it's intriguing.
  
0729Th
  * up 7:15; S=8:02; minimal exercises; eyedrops... Dutch
    % a little stiff... more exercises ~9am
    % eyedrops (R) 17:22
  @ Sinéad O’Connor, acclaimed Dublin singer, dies aged 56 – The Irish Times
  @ Notes from a Mastodon migration - Erin Kissane's small internet website
  @ The Floppotron 3.0 - Computer Hardware Orchestra - YouTube
  @ Shifting the Paradigm | Aspen Proposal
    " Getting through the bottleneck of the next century or two and arriving at the place
      described in this document does not mean we will just hang out in some sort of
      stasis from then on.  We have barely scratched the surface in our understanding of
      the universe and it may be, (assuming we can keep civilization chugging along for a
      few more millennia) that we will come to a new understanding of how it all works,
      and how we fit into it.  But that is for our distant descendants to tease out.  We
      just have to figure out how to turn our current trajectory around and give them that
      chance. "   good luck with that.  One can hope.  And the horse might learn to sing.
  @ ~breatheoutbreathein/chordpro-mode.el - Major mode for ChordPro lead sheet file
    format - sourcehut git - uses external `chordpro` command to convert
    chords-between to chordpro; that's proprietary, so nevermind.  Some of the functions
    and key bindings look useful though.
  % naproxen ~6pm, before heading out for dinner
  @ dinner at North End pub.  G and I had
    fish+chips; N had Guinness Stew, which G and I sampled.  Having that next time.
  @ Ingram’s Guide to Opening a Bookstore

0728Fr
  : 2am Gordon at PuufectCatBoarding -- Desti seems to be unusually lethargic.  stays in
    her box; has trouble standing up (I assume this is while being played with).  Checked
    to make sure he wasn't talking about Ticia, who's the one I'd _expect_ to have those
    problems.  FAH can't see her today but suggested taking her to the animal hospital
    near boarding; they'll call.  -> Animal Medical Center called pre-visit to get contact
    info.  Confirmed DNR -- odds are 5%, even worse than for people, so I said DNR.
    (Unlikely to be necessary.)
    -> 3am severely dehydrated; numbers indicate kidney failure. They'll try IV fluids.
       This is not good.
    -> 3:50 follow-up call from Gordon -- she was eating pill pockets earlier in the week
       but lately not and they've jst been using the pill gun.
    -> 4:50 got hold of N.  G's been updated.  m planning to visit tomorrow; will go
       sooner if necessary.  It's now 6am and I'm unlikely to get back to sleep.
    -> 6:12 update:  She's improved with IV fluids -- more alert.  She'll be okay through
       the night. Kidney numbers are still very bad, though. They're going to do an
       abdominal ultrasound tomorrow.  We probably won't hear back until mid-day tomorrow
       Seattle time, unless she's much worse.
    " Please note that shift change / doctor's rounds and exams are between 7 am - 10 am
      AND 6 pm - 8 pm, therefore only nursing updates are available during these
      times. Please plan accordingly. "  1600-1900;  3am-5am
  @ Scientists claim room-temp superconductor breakthrough • The Register
    " It's OK to be skeptical if someone says they found the holy grail "
  & awake since 3; S=2:27; ... down 6:30ish
  * up 10am (alarm); S=5.8;
    % eyedrops 10:23
  ~ 10ish head out for Delft and Rotterdam -> Utrecht, because wrecked by last night
    -> N thinks Utrecht would be a perfect location.  I like it too, though it seemed more
       crowded and noisy than Leiden.
  -> 1845 call from vet; Desti is hanging on but still critical.
  * pack for Amsterdam tomorrow:  empty sling, pack in suitcase, laundry in chico bag

0729Sa
  * up 6:30; S=7:32;
    7:09: eyedrops, eyelid wipes.  -> Need to remember to wipe first
  @ Illinois outlaws book bans in public libraries | CNN
  * 9am be in N's room with laundry in red chico bag.
  * to Amsterdam.  G and I will wrangle bags to the hotel while N picks up j
    Finally remembered that I have the elastic luggage strap for attaching (e.g.) the CPAP
    to the top of my suitcase.  No more struggling because the handle doesn't fit.
  @ ~11:30 - Linden Hotel, Lindengracht 251, 1015 KH Amsterdam; - Sharing the room with j.
    -> something I neglected to bring: cable ties.  Also maybe gaffer tape, because no
       outlets next to the bed. 
  : the hotel is old, and not wired for house phones -- it uses WhatsApp.  Gleep?
    Why You Should Quit WhatsApp As Critical New Update Confirmed
  * dinner with J'.  Cannibale Royale
    steak etc.  I had ribs and a Caesar salad.
  : 8:15 call from the vet -- deposit (AX Gold) for another 48h.  It is expensive, but if
    she lives long enough to have her family around when she goes, it will be worth it
  * 22:16 naproxen.  Headache.

0730Su
  & awake 1ish?;  % mouth very dry
  * up 5:50ish; S=7:15;
    % mouth very dry again;  7am eyedrops
  : Call from the vet at 9:07 (12:07am PDT) saying that Desti was fading, and might not
    last the night.  She had acute kidney failure, and an enlarged kidney that probably
    indicated cancer.
    -> m was able to get over to the veterinary hospital about an hour later so that there
       would be someone to touch her and talk to her; they set up a Discord video call so
       that we (me, G, N, and j) could bid her goodbye.  She was pretty far gone, but
       recognized the sound of my voice as I told her that I loved her, that she was my
       darling little girl, and that Colleen, Curio, Ame, and Bast would be there to meet
       her on the other side.
    -> She crossed the Rainbow Bridge about 10:40 CEST.
  ~ that threw a monkey wrench into our plans for the day; we ended up meeting J' at
    the taxi stand Amsterdam Centraal, going for a boat tour of the canals, and were met
    for lunch by J's husband B'.
  * on the way back G ducked into a liquor shop to buy a small bottle of Talisker, and I
    got a bottle of Jenever.  This was after N stopped at a store that had an amazing
    assortment of rubber ducks, to buy a few of them for k.
  & decided to hold the "Done Since" post until Monday so as not to break up Desti's story
    (and work on a memorial post and Rainbow Bridge page)
  : Indian for dinner.  Some screw-ups in the order, including no utensils.  Meanwhile, my
    bamboo set seems to have gone missing.

Comments

[spiffyvoxel]

My condolences on the passing of Desti. gentle hug

[ellenmillion]

Sending much love and comfort.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

[mdlbear]

Thanks! hugs

[siliconshaman]

My condolences on your loss, may Bast guide Desti to the Summerlands and comfort you all.

[redsixwing]

Support and comfort to you.

[acelightning73]

My paternal great-grandmother was a Lowell mill girl in Massachusetts. She was born in Ireland, and joined the young farm women from rural Ireland who were offered passage to the New World to work in the textile mills of New England. I can imagine her stepping along and singing "Bread and Roses.) (The Lowell mills provided safe boarding houses for the girls, and offered classes in self-improvement, and probably in household skills they'd need once they got married. My great-great was known as a very good cook.

Desti is frolicking in Bast's eternal catnip field in the Summerland. There are warm sunbeams to doze in, cool shadows, and lots of interesting things to chase. And occasionally Bast Herself will offer her lap, and pet all of the cats under her care. You will one day be reunited with all the feline folk you shared your homes with.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

Desti

[dialecticdreamer]

Oh, I'm so sad to hear that. Many hugs.

[cornerofmadness]

So sorry to hear that

Re: Desti

[mdlbear]

Thanks! hugs

[ravan]

My condolences on the loss of Desti.

We lost two littermates to kidney disease in the last year. They go downhill so fast, it's shocking. I'm sure they're all romping at the Rainbow Bridge.

[melchar]

Sympathy and comfort for you on the loss of Desti.

[mdlbear]

Thanks.

[mdlbear]

Thanks! Yeah; this was very sudden.

[gorgeousgary]

Sorry to hear about Desti. Hugs and sympathies to all.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

[freyjaw]

Oh, Steve. I am so sorry. I've had cats go to RB from renal disease. It's a special kind of pain.

When I lose a cat, I go back to this post of a poem I wrote after a death hit me hard: https://freyjaw.dreamwidth.org/60389.html.

[mdlbear]

Thank you! That's a lovely poem. I'm still working on Desti's memorial page, but I found the perfect picture for it -- here

[cellio]

I am so sorry about Desti. My condolences.

[freyjaw]

She's gorgeous! Desti reminds me of my late lamented Freya and my pocket panther Achilles.

At the moment, he's sitting near Bear, looking like he wants her to pick him for prom. Bear hisses at him and runs off despite his impeccable behavior, probably because he's a big, muscled panther.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

Bast in Her fully feline form is quite playful, and knows just where to find the best catnip. She looks a lot like Desti, except that we could never get Desti to wear a collar for very long.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

[acelightning73]

Bast as I've seen her likes wearing gold hoop earrings.Desti was a beautiful cat. And in the Summerland, she still is.