Chaos Reading discussion

Hi guys. Originally I had planned a post to let everyone know about my impending big adventure- moving to a new home, job, everything 2,000km away in the tropics, and to flag that things could be a little scattered over the next couple of weeks. By things, I mean me.

As it turns out, Pingu (my dearly loved cat, best friend and closest family member) had some unexpected bad news at her routine check-up yesterday. She has been in for day surgery today for biopsies, blood work etc etc. We won't know until Monday at the earliest what her prognosis is, or what treatment we may have to pursue, or in which part of the country. Until we know all that, my plans will be even more last-minute and difficult to pin down.

The point of all this is to let you know that the moderation of the group may be a little more chaotic than usual. I'll still be around, but I may take longer than usual to respond to things. I still expect all the planned CR Group stuff to happen, but please be patient with me over the next couple of weeks!

Thanks all :)

Oh no! So sorry to hear that. Here's to hoping Pingu has a speedy recovery.

Cat first, end of story! We understand. Hope all goes well! :)

Ruby, I hope that everything is ok with Pingu.

Ruby, take care of Pingu and yourself first. We're a patient bunch. But let us know what's happening when you have the time. Hope Pingu is back to her old self very soon.

Me and my furry companions are keeping our paws crossed for a happy outcome for Pingu.

Thanks guys. We won't get the test results back until Monday, but it isn't looking very good this time round. She seems okay right now though, just a little sore from the biopsies I think. And a bit sick of being woken up for cuddles!

Hello Ruby,
I just now joined the group and whilst I was reading through the posts, I came across your frightening news. I have two little fur balls of my own! I shall be sending out lots of positive energy from my corner of the globe (America) to you and your beloved pet.

With peace,
Lana

My love goes out to you and Pingu! I hope all goes well.

Thanks guys. :)

Hang on. I know what you're going through.

Hey Ruby, how's Pingu getting on now? I hope the prognosis is good.

I know how worrying it is, my fabulous, very spoilt cat (who owns this house (he thinks) and allows me to live in it with him as long as I feed him and stroke him) had a lump in his neck a few months ago (thankfully a benign cyst, but it was firmly attached to the jugular so still horrible to remove, I gather). I was in a real state until he came safe out of the operation.

It's all just really, really, really horrendous. I'm sure it could be much worse, but it still looks like I have a very difficult decision to make between treatment options. She's not sick or in pain, but the tumour is growing very rapidly. She has to go back for scans tomorrow so we can see whether it has spread to anywhere else, although there is no indication that it has.

We had a similar choice to make 18months ago. I agonised and thoroughly researched & consulted and ended up choosing radiation treatment over amputation of her leg. In retrospect it was undoubtedly the best decision for her, and for her particular circumstances- it gave her 13 months of being blissfully happy on 4 legs, and cancer-free. It's just so hard to feel confident about this kind of decision on someone else's behalf. Feline radiation treatment isn't like the human equivalent, and wasn't anywhere near as big an ordeal as people assume, but you can't tell some people that - I've been roundly abused by all sorts who feel the need pass judgement. This time it looks like being a more complicated situation, but a similar choice.

I don't know where I'll be living in a fortnight's time, never mind where the cat will need to be for treatment either, although the specialist cancer hospital is in Brisbane, halfway between where I am and where I'm moving, a 2 hour flight either way. My new boss expects me to start work in about 10 days, staying over for five days in a remote community that I can only leave by light aircraft every few days. So as well as the treatment, my poor kitten has to endure plane travel, moving to a new house and being without me for days at a time. :(

I don't know how you're coping!

I hope in the end that the new home and job makes it all worth it and that life settles down quickly for you once the cat is better!

Ouch. Sorry Ruby, hope everything works out. It is tough to make these decisions (you really wish they could talk), but you're obviously the one who's best qualified to do what's right for Pingu.

I went to vet school at a place that's a 5 hour drive from Seattle, so lots of people used to board their dogs and cats there while they got radiation or chemo. It's sad you can't visit more, but hopefully its like where I learned and the staff will give her lots of loving attention while she's there.

Thanks guys. I think she'd love the new environment under better circumstances - sunny and warm all year round, palm trees to sharpen her claws on. :)

Whitney - The vet hospital in Brisbane is really lovely, and the staff were wonderful too. We put together this Thank You letter for them just a few weeks ago. The first page are all pictures taken while she was staying in the hospital, and the second were all taken after she got home: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rubytomb...

Get well soon Pingu! And after looking at the pix,(ah, a black and white kitty) I remembered where I heard that name 'Pingu' before: a cute little cartoon (Finnish? Swedish? Danish?)penguin who was always getting into trouble, but mama penguin always cuddled him at the end, no matter what. Hope mama Ruby and baby Pingu are all settled in their new home.

Ruby wrote: "Basically, those street corner vendors are just the tip of the iceberg. Lurking underneath are the organized crime families that make tens of millions of dollars from such theft. It's not minor and it's a major problem for the industry...."

That is so great! And I can tell you from experience that that sort of thing really makes peoples' day! (Actually months or years, as they get posted on a bulletin for repeated reviewing.) That's great that at least you have such an excellent place to take Pingu. Will keep paws crossed for her!

Thanks guys. Unfortunately the news isn't good at all. There appear to be at least three tumours in different parts of her body. We may be able to slow their growth with treatment, but we'll have to wait a week to get the full oncology report & recommendations. It has been a terrible, gut-wrenching day.

I am so sorry to hear that.

Sorry Ruby.

Sorry, Ruby. Give Pingu some extra chin scratches from me. I'm glad she has someone like you to look out for her.

Oh crap, that's a bummer. Courage mes amis.

My heart is with you, Ruby. I had to go through this several years ago with my precious kitty and I know exactly how you feel. Pingu is lucky to have such a wonderful momma!

Shit. This just puts the move in perspective. I leave Wednesday, and I haven't got flights, accommodation or packing done. Hmm.

I'm sure there's a perfectly logical reason why "new home" appears to be 600+ km from "new job". That's a horrible commute.

Eek, Ruby, a round trip commute is like Lands End to John O'Groats (I apologise as I may have lost many people not from the UK at this point, but I'm feeling too tired to try to find a better example). Tell me that isn't happening more than about once a month!

And to think I found the move from one end of England to another a trial 4 or 5 years back!

Good Lord - that's a bit of a trek to work!

Yeah, that's what we call a fly-in-fly-out job! I'll be spending Mon-Fri of every second week in Normanton, on the gulf of Carpentaria, staying in the staff quarters of a hospital. The rest of the time I'll be working/living in beautiful Townsville.

It's about a 900km commute, two small plane flights via Cairns:

To complicate shit further, I've heard from the vet this morning and Pingu needs an operation within the next fortnight..... in Brisbane. It is sort of on the way. But I won't have a home to take her to afterwards..

Thanks, Jim! A few of my friends threw me a farewell last night, and it looks like one of them might be able to come up and cat-sit for me while I'm in Normanton! Now THAT's a good friend :)
Luckily we're all "cat people"!

From the farewell do: My last 3 housemates. This photo serves as evidence that I haven't chopped them up and hidden them under floorboards or anything. Notice the fire - it was minus five degrees Celsius last night. Meanwhile, the place I'm going to had an overnight minimum of 20. Oh I can't wait..

Hitting the road in the morning, and will be spending the day flying and hanging around airports. It may take me a while to get wifi sorted out too, so IF you don't hear from me tomorrow you'll know why! I'll probably be able to use my iPhone if all else fails though. Just in case, try not to start any fires while I'm gone..... :)

Holy hell. Just took a break from packing (yeah, I finally started!) and decided to google the town I'll be living/working in part-time, Normanton. What have I gotten myself into......?


Note the crocodile on the top right of the community's welcome sign.....

This is the entire wiki entry: Normanton is a small cattle town in the Gulf Country region of northwest Queensland, Australia, just south of the Gulf of Carpentaria, on the Norman River. The town's population is 1,100, 60 per cent of whom are Indigenous Australians.

The town is one terminus of the isolated Normanton - Croydon Railway, which was built during gold rush days in the 1890s. The Gulflander motor train operates once a week.

Normanton is the administrative centre of Shire of Carpentaria.[2] Among Normanton's most notable features is a statue[3] of an 8.64 m long saltwater crocodile named Krys, the largest ever taken, which was shot by Krystina Pawlowska in July 1957 in the Norman River.[4] Barramundi and salmon may also be caught in the river.

The site for the town was selected because Burketown was abandoned owing to fever and flooding. Settlers moved into the town in 1867. Normanton attracted people from a variety of cultures, including Chinese drawn to the gold fields. In the early years there was a large Aboriginal population as well. Some Aborigines were moved to Mornington Island and Doomadgee in the early 20th century.

Like other Gulf communities the prawning industry makes an important economic contribution to the town.

Normanton has a sports centre, golf course, bowling green, gun club, racecourse, rodeo ground, and an aerodrome. Normanton public library and visitor information services are located in the historic Burns Philp Building.

Is it just me, or there are several parts of that should be ringing alarm bells.....?

At least they have a library. Maybe you can go there after you hit the gun club.

LOL. I was just thinking that. I'd like to play bowls first though. I love a good country bowls club. What other sport has beer holders at each end?

There she is. The library...

Good luck for tomorrow, Ruby! It'll be fine! If it starts to really get to you you can always borrow a gun and then find the bowls club...

Hey, I came across this the other day Sinema: The Northumberland Massacre, maybe, if bowls is popular enough you could try to outdo the total?

Elise wrote: "Good luck for tomorrow, Ruby! It'll be fine! If it starts to really get to you you can always borrow a gun and then find the bowls club...

Hey, I came across this the other day Sinema: The Nor..."

Hehe. I suspect the Northumberland village might be ever-so-slightly different in feel to this one, but it does look good :)

Thanks for the well wishes everyone!

FYI - I have also booked Pingu's operation today. While I'm on my second rotation in Normanton, she'll be in Brisbane having ultrasounds etc to see what needs doing. Then when I'm flying back to Townsville a few days later, she'll be flying there too from Brisbane. Hopefully I'll have rented out a nice house with a sunny porch for her to recover on by then..

Well it does look about as populous and isolated as a snowed in Northumbrian village!

Seriously, though, I hope Pingu is going to be fine (as well as being a very well traveled feline indeed). Keeping my fingers crossed.

Have you noticed the complete lack of people in those pictures????

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Have you noticed the complete lack of people in those pictures????"

Yes. I think I know where they are though. The Purple Pub..


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Ahh, the Town Fathers.

It is nice to know there's a social center though. Maybe they have a book discussion group there?????

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Ahh, the Town Fathers.

It is nice to know there's a social center though. Maybe they have a book discussion group there?????"

Heh heh! My favorite thing about Australia, no matter how small the town there will be a pub. Even if it's the only building.

Cool, :).

Thoughts:

1) That sign is kind of adorable.
2) It looks like a ghost town.
3) I totally want to hang at the Purple Pub. Those dudes look like they have some stories to tell.
4) I have no idea what a "bowls club" is. Is it like bowling?

LOL - Yes, lawn bowls! There's a "bowlo" in every country town :)

Made it to Townsville! Here's the view from the beach. Totally reading Lord of the Flies tonight!


I saw this hairdresser on my brief walk before the sun went down. It's the one between "Keg's Fish Bar" and someplace that apparently has the internet for sale. Just "A Touch of Utopia", mind. Wouldn't want to overdo it.

Riona wrote: "I have no idea what a "bowls club" is. Is it like bowling?"

No, it's like curling :-) ... but the button ("jack") moves.

Ruby wrote: "LOL. I was just thinking that. I'd like to play bowls first though. I love a good country bowls club. What other sport has beer holders at each end?"

Curling!

Derek wrote: "Riona wrote: "I have no idea what a "bowls club" is. Is it like bowling?"

No, it's like curling :-) ... but the button ("jack") moves.

Ruby wrote: "LOL. I was just thinking that. I'd like to play..."

That's the broomsticks on ice thing, right?

This is lawn bowls club here in Townsville, Riona.

Ruby wrote: "Derek wrote: 'No, it's like curling :-) ... but the button ("jack") moves.'
...
That's the broomsticks on ice thing, right?"

It is. It's funny, but I always thought "bowls" was played on green stuff...