A few weeks ago I took the cat, Mittens, I've had since I was about seven to the vet and found out that he had an enlarged thyroid. That meant that his metabolism was way faster than it was supposed to be. We had a few choices: give pills twice a day for the rest of his life with frequent vet check ups, surgery with the high chance that the thyroid problems come back, and radiation therapy with gamma rays and a two week long recovery period to make sure his pee isn't radioactive (but it shrinks the thyroid and has low chances of coming back).

Well, those few who know my cat know that he's very picky about what he eats. He'll eat one type of tuna, but not another type. It's the same with cat treats. So, pills would probably be out of the question if they were larger than 1/4 of an aspirin pill. Mittens also seems to have some sort of... acid reflux disease (which is actually a symptom of the thyroid enlargement). He's been throwing up since forever because of hairballs, but I've been brushing him four times a day (he loves being brushed) and he still throws up for one week straight out of the month.

Anyway, we (my parents and I) have decided that the best course of action would be to do the radiation therapy. Although he still has to have the ultrasound to make sure that his heart and other organs are good enough for the therapy.

Basically, when he goes to the vet somewhere about four hours away from my hometown, the vet will give him an iodine pill that will effect and shrink the thyroid. They keep him there for up to two weeks depending on how radioactive his pee is during that time. They'll give us daily updates on how he's doing.
However, I still worry about him. He's never been with strangers for long periods of time, and he's never been in a kennel.

The room the cats stay in is 30" long and ?" (the vet didn't say) wide with litterbox, bed, food and water. The helpers and vets go in to give them attention every day, but my cat has never been real social. He runs and hides whenever the house is filled with more than six people he doesn't know well. I'm sure a lot of cats do that, though.

Anyway, I just worry about Mittens because he's 16 now and that's about 80 in cat years. I think him being gone for two weeks will be more worrisome to me and my parents than it will be stressful for the cat.

I can only hope that everything goes well with the therapy.

Share ABC's all About Me
Today, Tuesday, February 24 at 10:30-ish PM

A
- Available: Yes
- Age: 22
-Annoyance: People who can’t spell; texting; among other things
- Animal: real: tigers; mythical: dragon
B
- Beer: Yeuch.
- Birthday: 10/04/86
- Best Friend: Ummmm…. I have several.
- Body Part on opposite sex: The eyes are the window to the soul.
- Best feeling in the world: To love and be loved in return.
- Best weather: Autumn, especially October – I also like to watch the raptors migrate.
- Been in Love: Yep.
- Been on stage?: Many, many times.
- Believe in Magic: It’s possible and interesting, but not something I would like to look into.
- Blind or deaf: Would I rather be blind or deaf? Blind. You can still read when you’re blind, but you cannot listen to music if you’re deaf, and without music, my life would be much less bright.
C
- Candy: Chocolate (Milk and White)
- Color: Blue, Silver
- Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
- Chinese or Mexican Food: Don’t make me choose, although American Mexican is crap compared to the real thing.
- Cake or pie: Depends on the types… so… cheesecake?
- Continent to visit: I haven’t been to South America, Africa, or Antarctica (although going there is doubtful)
- Cheese: Colby and mild cheddar
D
- Day or Night: Dawn to dusk.
- Dancing in the rain: As long as I can go in when lightning gets close.
E
- Eyes: Grey-blue
- Everyone's got: Emotions.
- Ever failed a class?: No F’s, although I did fail a final exam my junior year of high school, and the shock got me studying harder for my other tests and classes.
F
- First thoughts waking up: Five more minutes… or… nice song on the radio
- Food: Many types from simple cheese and crackers to Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican food.
- Full name: [insert full name here]
- Flaws: I can be a bit stuffy as in… blah, blah, biddy, blah, I’m so stuffy, give me a scone.
G
- Greatest Fear: I don’t know…
- Goals: I have many goals – first off: get into Grad School.
- Gum: Any kind.
- Get along with your parents: Most of the time.
H
- Hair Color: Bronzy-brown, I guess.
- Height: 5' 7" I think.
- Happy: Yes.
- Holiday: Any time I can spend with my family.
I
- Ice Cream: YUM!
- Instrument: I play the flute, but I couldn’t be in band this semester.
J
- Jewelry: I’m getting use to my Claddagh ring on my right hand, and earrings
- Job: No… I’m student teaching. I think that’s enough stress.
K
- Kids: No.
- Kickboxing or karate: I’m looking in to Tai Chi…
- Keep a journal? I’m terrible with those. I’m better with creative writing.
L
- Letter: It seems that my characters tend to have names that start with A and K, but I’m getting away from that.
- Laugh so hard you cried: Yes… "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and other improve shows or Jeff Dunham.
M
- Milk flavor: Skim
-Movies: Very scattered. I tend to like high fantasy and action (at least that’s what most of my movie collection contains)
- Motion sickness? I only got that once in 1998-ish while seeing Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition on the big screen during the fight between the Rebels and the Empire on Hoth.
- McD’s or BK: I’m not really fond of either of them.
N
- Number: 5, 7
O
- One wish: I wish I may; I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight.
P
- Pepsi or Coke: I’m more use to Coke… but I think they taste mostly the same. One is sweeter than the other, though.
- Perfect Pizza: I like Pizza Hut the best.
- Piercing: 1 in each ear
Q
- Quail: Never had it.
- Quiet?: When I’m alone or with strangers.
R
- Reason to cry: Sadness and grief.
- Reality T.V.: Meh.
- Roll your tongue in a circle: Yes.
- Ring size: 9 to 10 depending on the thickness of the ring.
- Radio station: I don’t really listen to the radio, unless it’s my alarm.
S
- Song: It changes. Currently it’s "On Your Side" by Graham Colton, "Love Remains the Same" by Gavin Rossdale, "Lucky" by Biff Naked, "My Immortal" by Evanescence.
- Shoe Size: 10
- Salad Dressing: Ranch
- Sushi: Makes me feel icky.
- Skinny dipped?: No.
- Strawberries or blueberries?: Strawberries dipped in chocolate, please.
- Slept outside: Yes.
- Sing well: I can, but others should judge how well.
T
- Tattoos? No, and I don’t want any.
- Thunderstorms: Yay!
- Time for bed: Right now? Between 10 PM and 11 PM due to the early wake up call. Other times... midnight.
U
- Unpredictable: Sometimes. It comes with being in drama.
V
- Vacation spot(s): Ireland (maybe Cobh or Cork), or Sydney, Australia
W
- Weakness: Chocolate
- Which one of your friends acts the most like you? They’re all off on their own now… so, I don’t know.
- Worst feeling: Loneliness. Feeling unwanted. The feeling of failure. Shame. Grief.
- Wanted to be a model?: No, although I once went to a class on how to be Miss Teen Minnesota… all of those prissy girls… I got annoyed far too quickly with the bimbos.
- Worst Weather?: Ice storms.
- Where do we go when we die? It really depends on the person and what he/she believe in.
X
- X-Rays: Everyone gets x-rayed at the dentist. Other than that? No.
Y
- Year it is now: 2009
- Yellow: Sunshine.
Z
- Zzzzz's: Yay sleep! Which is what I should be doing now.
- Zoo animal: Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.

the last person that you --
went to dinner with: My mom and dad.
talked to on the phone: My mom.
made you laugh: My Spanish Professor while we were talking about films.
hugged you: My Senior Seminar Professor as a thank you for a gift.
spoke with online: My friend Alicia. Not friend Mike. The world’s going to end.

You've probably noticed I'm not very good at keeping journals.

So, if you really want to know what's happening in my life, just ask. Other than that... my life is a bore.

I did write a psychoanalysis of the almost ex-TV show Moonlight using Freud, Jung, and Lacan through Zizek. I got some interesting analyses for the main characters (Mick and Beth). Anyone want to know? Just ask.

Well, at least finals are over. I get to go to Mexico in June for a month. Umm... Then I'm going to edit and try to publish m great-uncle's WWII journal.

That's pretty much my summer. Yeah... Doesn't it sound EXCITING?! Well, maybe the Mexico part, but it'll be just like going to school for a month... en espanol (~ over the n).

Other than that, I'll be writing fan fiction and doing a bunch of nothing. I'm actually working on a Moonlight fan fic to help me with withdrawal after the last episode on Friday. It's like Harry Potter all over again.

Yeah... so... just imagine that my life is really exciting.

I am immensely distracted by other things, and I realize I haven't updated this journal since January. Guess why? Other than the end of school and the start of my job and summer classes, NOTHING EXCITING HAS HAPPENED TO ME! Well, then again having your mind completely invaded by the ever... great... now I can't even think of the word... INSPIRING! There we go. Anyway, having your mind completely invaded by the ever inspiring Alec Trevelyan is... shall we say 'intersting?' Too much of those annoying children at the Community Center, I have to say...

Anyway, I've started writing a James Bond/LotR crossover with a movie/book mixed plot. It's actually turning out quite well, even though I am taking liberties with the schizophrenic Bond... Hey, don't impugn me honor! Bond has been played by SIX... COUNT 'EM! SIX different actors (I don't feel like naming them all, although I'm sure I can), so including book Bond, there are seven different portrayals of James Bond. Schizo much? Yeah... I'm just taking my favorite qualities from each Bond and mashing them into Pierce Brosnan's looks (because the crossover takes place just before Bond goes on the Janus Syndicate mission)... and VOILÁ that's kind of my James Bond. I'm still taking a few liberties on his character, rounding him out from MY perspective. The first few chapters of the story are up at [link] Please review there and give me much feedbackas you can so I can improve (especially on Bond because I am less familiar with him and his franchise).

Wow, I actually did have something to say. Still, the journal is about as long as my other ones. Oh, and I hate my Sociology course. It's supposed to be a Freshman Level course, a General Education course, on "Men and Women in Society" and we somehow have to know these complicated sociological terms and people. Luckily, I have my mother to call on for help since she got her Master's Degree in Sociology. And the books we have are terribly written, but I can't say anything to the professor because SHE loves them. They make the most simplistic concepts elaborately hard to figure out. Something that could be said in two sentences is said in an entire paragraph that is... like... twelve sentences long and full of jibberish.

I am currently in Cairns, Queensland, Australia right now. It's like... 100 degrees and I just got back from shopping.

A group of 30 from my college has come down under and we have gone touring in the Rainforest, snorkling/diving in the Great Barrier Reaf, and hiking in the outback to some Lava Tubes in Undara.

I have tons of pictures, and I am running out of space on my one memory card... I was not being smart when I only brought one memory card.

Some of the guys are cute, but not really my taste. They all drink too much. :sigh:

We had a free day today, and my friends and I went out to get souveniers. Everything in Cairns (pronounced "cans") is so expensive. Cairns is a tourist city, so I can understand why everything costs a lot. We all just drink lost of water and wear lots of sunscreen. One of our guides told us that it would take less than twenty minutes to burn. Ouchie.

The Rainforest was really humid, as it should be, but that was torturous. The Great Barrier Reaf was AWESOME! It was SO beautiful. It's so hard to describe in words. You will have to see it for yourself. The Lava Tuves in Undara were nice and cool... except for the fact that it rained on us the whole time... and the facilities were the size of boxes for three people. Imagine the smallest dorm room and then squish three people in it and that's pretty much what we stayed in. But hey, at least it was only for one night.

Tomorrow we head to Sydney. I can't WAIT! It's south, so it should be a little cooler, but we have to fly for three hours. I hope I can find some kind of entertainment during that time since our group is scattered through out the plane.

I also think I'm developing a slight Aussie accent... I'm pretty good at immitations and such, so the accent might be rubbing off on my.

I shall post some of my pictrures when I get back on the 21st of January.

~AoiDragon