Where to begin. I suppose with the fact that it got waaaay slow at work last month. My check was $120 bucks. No paying bills on that. I hesitate to say anything about it - or did, since I'm finally writing about it now - because so often I've bitched about having too many to do in a day. While I pretty much stand by those comments, I honestly don't mind working steadily on a more reasonable number per day. I had hoped it would pick up and I'd be able to bring home a more decent check the next time. And really, it did. I was looking at a full week, and a busy beginning of the next. At least until Thursday.

What happened then you ask? Well. On Thursday, it was psycho dog day. I started with three dogs. Two Dachshunds and a Bernese Mountain Dog. The Bernese wouldn't quit barking, and the hotdogs were nutty, having to be muzzled for everything from cleaning their ears to actually scrubbing them with the sponge. When I was on my second dachsie, a Jack Russel came in. Mean little bastard. Had to use the muzzle on him to even pick him up and get him in the tub. In any event. All but two of the seven dogs I wound up having had to be muzzled, and none of them would tolerate the drier. Most of them wouldn't even stay still for the washing, climbing the walls. Clipping their nails was even more fun. But they kept coming in, staggered, and then late. I was on my second-to-last dog all day. It was a tad frustrating. Well, honestly, about the fourth dog in, my back started to hurt. It just got worse as the day went on, and when I finished, and went home, it was aching something fierce.

I've been home since then, back killing me too much to do more than sit, try and sleep in a chair, and take loads of aspirin. I finally went to the doctor yesterday. I've pulled some muscles in my back. Got a note to be off work until Thursday, the 26th. Called that information in to work.

Got a call today from the manager, who asked what was going on, I told her, told her about the note. She said all right, but as a matter of fact, I should stay out. Seems they're having to cut hours, for kennel staff and so on, and right now, they don't really have the load to justify a bather, so she'll call me when they need me again.

No, I wasn't fired. Just put on hold. Might as well have been, though, because I'm not getting any money for sitting here waiting for them to call me. Not that I am anyway right now, with my back and all, but still...

*sighs* Minotaur's luck is a hard thing, at times.

Oh, on my breast in days hereafter
Light the earth should lie,
Such weight to bear is now the air,
So heavy hangs the sky.

-- A.E. Houseman.