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When someone says, ”hey, I’ve got good news and bad news… what do you want first?”, what do you normally say? It’s arbitrary really… assuming you will get both regardless. I found out this morning that I’ll likely get some sort of raise come January. This doesn’t mean much until I actually see it, but it was encouraging to hear “good” news in the wake of such “bad” news this weekend. My sweet baby Éclair was diagnosed with heartworms on Friday. I took the critters in for annual checkups and shots on Thursday morning before my Austin trek. Henry received 3 new meds for his little intestinal issue and a special food for sensitive stomachs (low residue). Friday afternoon, I went back in to deliver a king sized turd from his highness to ship off to the lab and received the news Éclair’s heartworm test returned positive. I drove home and gathered her to have more blood draw to disprove a false positive that night. Saturday, it was confirmed. Both dogs are on Heartgard brand preventative and I can’t think of when they would have been vulnerable unless I somehow missed a month earlier in the year. The vet says she may have thrown up a dose, but I don’t recall her ever being sick. My father told me his dogs are all on Heartgard and he just found out his Fox Terrier, Tiger, has heartworms. I’m not pointing the finger at Heartgard… just accepting that it’s likely not 100% effective… you know, like birth control pills and condoms. Heh. Anyway, the long and the short of it is: Éclair is undergoing a nasty treatment for heartworms as I type this persnickety poop. I delivered her this morning to the vet where she must stay for 7 days. She can come home for 3 weeks and then it all has to be done again… 7 days on site, 3 weeks home. One final visit for a couple of days is required to ensure everything was successful and, if all the labs are clean at that point (2 or so months later), then she gets a clean bill of health. Poor baby. Henry was home alone for some time today while daddy worked far away. He didn’t cry when I left. He only gave me “the look” of abandonment and confusion. When I got home however, he went positively apeshit. I can only assume it is because the realization of his situation sunk in at some point and, although they say animals have little concept of temporal passage, he was lonely for longer than usual. My weekend, other than Éclair’s situation, was pleasant. I went out for dinner and drink with friends on Friday. I attended a bar-b-q cookout on Saturday and the weather was splendid. The clutch work was complete on my motorcycle, so she and I spent some time on the road this weekend. I love the cooler weather. Autumn has always been my favorite season. I’ve been in fairly good spirits even through the low spots. I need to get in the gym or do something to stay active. This desk job and my love affair with Mexican food and whiskey is giving me handles I don’t need in places I don’t want. Other than that, I’m alive.