Another X-ray

数日様子を見たけど、やっぱりユキの様子がおかしいので、別の獣医さんに連れて行きました。
レントゲン9枚撮って、結果はやっぱり「異常見当たりません」。・・・もうマジで？

レントゲンに移らないような、捻挫系の怪我かな、と思っていたら、翌日獣医さんから電話。

「放射線科医にレントゲンをみてもらったら、左ひざの前十字じん帯損傷の可能性あり」とのこと。
ガクーン。

とりあえず、外科医の予約を入れてみるも、明きがあるのは早くて2週間後でした。
そんなわけで完全休養命令発令中。庭にトイレに出すのも走り出さないように散歩紐つけて行かないといけないし、留守中はベッドなんかに飛び乗ったりできないようにお風呂場に軟禁です。

The dog did not get better after our last vet visit so we took her to a different vet for second opinion. After more x-rays and $250, the vet told us "I don't see anything wrong on the x-rays." Well, so we concluded that it must have been some soft tissue injuries.

The next day, however, we got a call from the vet and was told that when they sent the x-rays to a radiologist, the radiologist's report said possible ACL tear. Oh boy.

The earliest appointment we could make with a surgeon was in 2 weeks. So until then, the dog will be under strict activity restriction. No walk, obviously. We have to leash her to take her out in the yard to make sure she doesn't run. We have to keep her in the bathroom/walk-in closet so that she does not jump on a bed (where she usually spends most of the day while we are gone). She's taking Tramadol and some anti-inflammatory and the medication is making her gag and throw up. Poor girl.

Dog and Renewing Residency

ユキの具合が1週間ぐらい悪くて、症状からして犬によくある股関節形成不全かと思って、会社早退してわざわざ夫婦そろって獣医さんに行ったのに、レントゲン撮っても「全く問題なし」でした。
そしてなんだかユキ、もうすっかり元気？

話は変わって。
いわゆるグリーンカードとよばれる、永住者カードの期限が夏に切れるので、更新の申し込みをしました。
期限の切れる6ヶ月前から申し込めるんだけど、申し込んでも新しいカードがくるまで5ヶ月ぐらいかかるらしい。政府の仕事は遅い。
ちなみに申し込み手数料は450ドル。たかっ。

Our dog had been having a difficulty getting up. We suspected hip dysplasia and took her to a vet.
After an x-ray was done, we were told nothing was wrong with her.
After having taken off work early (both myself and the Man of the House) and having spent $120 at the vet, she seems to be doing just fine. Not complaining; better for her to be well than confirming an illness.

But we incidentally found that there might be a BB or something (the bright white dot on her flank of the x-ray) in her. We can't feel it from outside and there is no scar either. Maybe she got shot while she was a stray?

By the way.
My permanent resident card will expire in the summer so I have applied for a renewal. It's kind of oxymoron to say that I have to "renew" my "permanent" residency. Technically, residency is permanent, but the card expires every 10 years. Without a card to prove my permanent residency, however, I would be as undocumented as an illegal immigrant.

The government website says you "may" apply renewal within 6 months of expiration. But the process takes, supposedly, 4 to 5 months, so I take it you "should" start the process right at the 6 months mark. Let's see how long it will take for me.

The application fee was a whopping $450. Ouch. I wonder how much those millions of "undocumented" immigrants are going to have to pay when the government allows a "path to citizenship" in the near future. None?

The Two Towers

「指輪物語」の第2巻、「二つの塔」を読み終えました。
実は3週間の貸し出し期限で読みきれそうになかったので延長しようと思ってたのに、この本に他の人の予約が入っているので延長できず、ものすごく頑張って読み終えました。
ちなみに第3巻は他の人の予約が先に入っているので、私の番が来るのは来月ぐらいかなぁ。

I finished reading The Two Towers.
I was still around 2/3 of the way a few days ago. But my 3-week borrowing time limit at the library was coming up and I could not renew it (because other people are waiting for this book) so I had to try really hard to read the rest in the last 3 days.
I put the third book, The Return of the King on hold but there are 2 more holds on the book so I may not get the book for another several weeks.

So, what's wrong with this situation? Well, so it is said that the Lord of the Rings series is one of the most widely read modern books, right? But my library only has one book each available. Just 1 book for the entire county. We have a million people in this county and there are only 1 book each for each of the trilogy book.

I put Overdressed on hold (the next book for Colette's book club) as well and there are 16 books available. 16! I don't understand my library.

While I was reading The Two Towers, I also watched the Peter Jackson's movie adaptation of the Fellowship of the Ring (for umpteenth time). We have a 4-DVD box set (and every time I watch, I watch all 4 DVDs, and sometimes watch the movie itself a few times so that I can watch all the different versions of commentaries). What is amazing about this movie is the detail that went into to create the world of Middle Earth.

The box set includes 2 DVDs of all special features. The special features are definitely as good as the movie itself. How I wish I could go to Weta Workshop and and see the props or see the workers design and create the props. I think Peter Jackson should make a museum to showcase all the props from conceptual art drawings to storyboard to masks and costumes and everything.

Renaissance Festival

うちから1時間半ぐらいのところで2月から3月の週末のみ開催される、ルネッサンスフェスティバルというやつに行ってきました。
日本で言う、時代村なところ。ヨーロッパの中世からルネッサンス期風の小屋がいっぱい建てられて、働く人も皆仮装して、ルネッサンス風（魔法使いや妖精なんかのファンタジーも含む）の衣装や小物やらを売るお店がじゃんじゃんあるところです。
行くの2度目だけど日差しが強い中一日歩きつかれるぐらい満喫しました。

Went to a renaissance festival. Second time in my life.

First of all, it was pretty hot in the sun. I felt sorry for all the workers and visitors in costume laden with layers of garment (not that they are that authentic) and capes and armor. Yup, it is already T-shirt and shorts weather in the desert.

We went to jousting, and all the while heading there, I was talking about the knight that we had last time, how cute he was wearing blue. And we got the same cute knight!!! He looked like a proper hero knight on a white horse.

I actually did a lot of research on sewing patterns for ren faire appropriate costumes. I just did not have time or material or know-how to make a proper costume, but I really wanted to make one.

I thought about a Hobbit, since I have been reading LOTR: needed chopped off trousers, long jacket and vest with optional cape. Way beyond my sewing skill.

I thought about an Elf, with long dress, big sleeves, and belt. Easier to make than any other costumes. Well, I pictured myself in the costume, a stubby middle age Asian with dark bob hair (with bangs!) in Elf costume... Just does not look good, does it, unless I get some ridiculously fake wig to make it ridiculous.

I thought about just using some generic renaissance flavored costume pattern with poofed sleeves and skirt: I did not want to make an undergarment or hoops for the skirt. And I didn't want it to be too Halloween costumey.

I thought about Pride and Prejudice type, high-wasted dress: well, Pride and Prejudice is a bit past Renaissance, isn't it? I didn't want people to call out that I was not in the right time period (not that Hobbit or Elves are in anyway historically correct time period). But you know, Regency or steam punk shouldn't mingle too much with ren faire.

I thought about a wizard, you know, Gandalf like wizard: Too hot to wear woolen robe and cape in the 80 degree weather.

I thought about a generic knight/king costume with sack like tunic, cape, and hood. I thought about putting a Stark sigil (a wolf, from Game of Thrones) on the tunic, but then, Winterfell people usually wear dark colored clothes with lots of layers for cold weather and never the generic knight-like. I thought about Sansa costume, but she doesn't have a signature look, both Sansa and Arya go down south and don't wear Winterfell-like clothes.

I could put Lannister lion stenciled on the sack tunic but who wants to be a Lannister? The only Lannister I want to be is Tyrion, and I did an extensive research on Tyrion costume, and had a good idea: burgundy colored doublet with clasps for closure, a belt, and black pants with boots. I thought I can either make a long doublet, or short doublet with separate thigh guard pieces, wear a black long sleeve T-shirt underneath and black leggins and boots. The issue was that I could not find a good burgundy fabric. I wanted it to be a nice material, that represents Lannister's wealth, and no polyester. I was looking for something brocade with not too obvious patterns, or silk dupioni, or something burgundy with some texture. I just could not find "the one."

So, at the end, I succumbed to a 21st century commoner outfit of jeans and cardi. It's funny to think that I would want to wear a costume. Obviously, I wanted to "make" a costume, not just to wear it. But who knows, maybe I have just been a closeted cosplayer?

The Forgotten Seamstress

指輪物語の2巻、「二つの塔」を読む予定が、ちょっと横道にそれて全く別の小説を読んでしまいました。一日で読みきったから今はちゃんと「二つの塔」に取り掛かっております。
もう毎日仕事で脳みそ沸騰中なので読書以外はする気なしなのね。

So I have joined the book club, virtually.

Collette Pattern has started an online book club and announced the first book a while ago. Like I mentioned last, I needed some push to read broader range of books so I thought it would be a good opportunity to keep up with the book club, not that I would ever participate in online discussion on their website.

So the first book was Liz Trenow's The Forgotten Seamstress. It has a flare of mystery solving aspect to an inter-winding two life stories. Since I was so mentally exhausted from work and wanted to do nothing but reading, I spent a whole day reading it last weekend.

I enjoyed reading it but at the end, it was too Lifetime movie like, and the over dramatic story felt rather cheap.

The book begins with a PhD student interviewing a former mental institution patient in the 70's, and the former patient's telling of her story 50 years ago.

The story, for that interview part, is told as a first-person perspective, basically a transcript of an interview, and I just do not like that style. I read plenty deposition transcripts all the time and it's actually interesting to read because it's a two-way conversation (unless the person stutters too much or use "you know what I mean" or "like" in every single sentence), but this one person talking pages after pages is painful to read.

I tried to read Wold War Z  before, which is entirely an oral history of zombie war told by different people, and I spent 3 years reading bit by bit and lost interest. My point is, one person's conversational talk is not pleasant to read if it's too long. Because people just don't talk 5 minutes straight without the other person interjecting some response, unless it's a speech. You tried to be "real" by transcribing the conversational language, but it's just so fake.

In The Forgotten Seamstress, thankfully, also has a second story line, which actually is the main story line, that is written in a normal first person view and set in 2008. That was a relief.

As I mentioned, the story is a bit too much Lifetime movie, so that was unfortunate. But it was fun reading a light novel, I needed it.