All right, some actual site updating-type stuff. I've put up some pics I'd forgotten about that I did in the other pictures sections, and one recent work - about four assorted anthros: . A rat, a mouse, a winged tiger, and a jackal.

Two new minotaur pics as well. One for Galen, and a dancer. I've put these as well as sketches I've not posted to my site on Elfwood, but currently there's about a two week waiting period for updates to go through, so... eh. I'll let y'all know when it actually happens.

Finally corrected my age on the profile page. Haven't been 25 for a couple years now. -_- Mreh.

I rise on the highest of concrete skyways,
steel horse ascending into the pale blue.
Other racers fall away, and leave me running alone.
It quiets, and there is only the silence,
the champing of my metal steed,
and me.
I can see to the horizon,
I cannot see the stretch of buildings,
or the cluster of cars.
All I see is sky,
and a tide of clouds breaking on mountaintops,
brown and gold and dark dark green.
I feel the speed at which I climb,
and think, in a moment,
I almost could fly.

On Monday morning at work, I slipped on a wet floor. Mondays are always heavy load days. Mondays after a holiday... ew. Twelve dogs to do. And they wouldn't let me wash some of them a day early to try and make it reasonable. We had - yet another - meeting about it. During this meeting, it was established that one, since we had so many boarders getting baths, we wouldn't take any incoming. Since the groomer had, as yet, no grooms, I wouldn't have to share the tub, so I said that with those two conditions in effect, yes, I could probably do twelve. The lead receptionist said she'd call about this Old English Sheepdog, and see if it couldn't be made a groom, since the thing is constantly matted and I said it would take me the longest to do. One dog for the groomer, the rest of the day with the tub to myself, yeah that was still quite workable. Well, they made it a groom, and to my surprise, I was told that three dogs which had been for Monday got transferred officially to Sunday. So that left nine dogs. Still a damn busy day, but not nearly so overwhelming. I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing, thanked the receptionists and my supervisor, who'd called the meeting to begin with, when I said I would be doing some dogs early due to sheer numbers.

So, I get the dogs supposed to be done on Sunday done. Come in Monday to get started. It's crazy in the kennels and the animal care people are swamped. They haven't had a chance to get all the dogs into the bathing room. No problem. I start on a couple that were already there, and easy. When they start bringing more in, I help, since a bit of reorganizing was necessary to fit everyone possible in the room. A couple cocker spaniels in one large cage I moved to two individual small ones, so we could fit some of the large dogs in. Well, these two cockers, like most, are insane. They like to dance in their offal. So naturally, the cage needed to be cleaned. Normally, I don't do this, but animal care was so busy, and it hardly kills me to wipe out a cage, (plus I used to do it all the time) I just took out the mat and grabbed the parvosol, spraying down the insides. Noticing there was some crap pawed onto the door, I sprayed that too, then went to snag some paper towels. I didn't notice, however, that a fine mist had fallen when I sprayed the door, making the floor right in front of the kennel barely damp. Still, the bathing room floor can get very slippery when wet, and parvosol seems to be a marvelous lubricant. I walk over, already starting to bend to reach inside, and yup. My legs skidded in opposite directions. The only thing that kept me from falling completely was that one foot hit the nearby corner of the room and twisted, and I yelped as I toppled forward onto the towel nook. Wrenched my hip but good, and my leg wasn't feeling too great either. I managed to get myself straightened out, but remained curled in the nook, riding out the pain, which brought tears to my eyes. First time that's ever happened. I was found there by one of the techs, but by then I could stand, though I wasn't putting any weight on the leg and just wanted to sit for a bit. Which I did, and filled out all the paperwork that goes with an accident. I was limping pretty badly for the rest of the day.

Which was shaping up to be a lot longer. The groomer actually now had four grooms to do - not just one like had been said. Sitting down earlier and filling out the paperwork had put me behind, and I only had three animals done when she came in. And they started taking incoming. In no time at all, it was back up to eleven dogs. Eight and a half hours later, I still have three to do, when I come back from resting my leg in a short break. One of the doctors was bleach mopping the hall, and had just told one of the animal care guys to grab a dry mop, which they'd use to hasten the drying process. "Be careful," she said. "Don't slip, it's wet." So I nod, and turn to step into the kitchen, which is just off the hallway, and has a nonslip mat down on the floor. I was going to wait until the dry mop had been done. I was going to play it safe. There's about two feet of floor between the door I was standing in and the inside of the kitchen. Three of my limping steps. On the second, I slipped again. Banged my already aching hip and leg into the kitchen counter, on which I barely managed to catch myself. Hurt like hell. Again. This time, they brought the chair to me, rather than try and get me to go to it. I sat down for a bit until the worst of the pain faded, but naturally enough, my leg and hip now -really- hurt. I opted to go to the doctor then and there.

Now, it may just be me. But tell me, am I little off here when I think about the situation, and start to get... irked? I was hurt in the morning. I stayed anyhow, knowing it was going to be a crazy day, and that half the people present were sick, or had been sick, and with the workload everyone had that day, going to the doctor immediately meant someone else was going to have to do my job. I could -feel- that this was something I was going to have to stay off of for a couple days. I knew that if I went right away, the doctor would tell me not to go back that day. And if I went against the doctor's recommendation, once given, I wouldn't be eligible for workman's comp. So I tried to put it off, so I could get my job done, as much as I was already hurting. After the second instance, when I went to tell my manager that I was indeed going to the doctor now, she said fine, but gave me this whole spiel about how I should finish the three dogs I had, and when I said no, my leg is really hurting now, she said okay, but that I needed to come in tomorrow, she didn't have the staff to cover me if I was out, etc. I just kind of blinked, sitting in the chair, and said that we'll just have to see what the doctor says. At which point I left for the hospital. Two hours and a few x-rays later, I was told I had pulled muscles and bruised them when I hit the counter, and sure enough, I wasn't to work for two days following, and then, I was to be on light duty through Dec. 8. Meaning small dogs, ones that couldn't yank me around.

Of course, they've given me medium and at least one large dog when I went back. I only did the large one though, because it was an old, thin setter, who is very gentle and obedient, and is too slow to haul on the leash. When the groomer tried to get me to do a husky that I saw yanking one of the techs around, I flat out refused, finished up, and went home.

Oh yeah. Did I mention, the second day I was staying home, I came down with a cold? Throat became so sore, I couldn't sleep. I have slept about two hours per night. That's six hours of sleep in 72 hours. I am dosed on about everything I can get my hands on, and I'm still effing miserable. Can't really think, either. Hell, it took me three days to finish writing this. (Or is it four? Should I count Saturday, even though it's only been Saturday for a few hours?) Hopefully I'll get better soon. I have stuff to write. Stuff to read. Sorry Miguel.

As an addendum, I sounded like my brother yesterday, and got mistaken for a man on the phone today, (or Thursday and Friday, respectively. Bah. It isn't tomorrow for me until I sleep. Mentally I'm still stuck on Wednesday, despite what the date/time clock in the corner is telling me) even though I know I'm better, at least vocally, though obviously, still a couple octaves lower than normal. That's all right. For once, I could hit the low notes on a lot of songs.

Ribbit.

Kaz