Ambassador of Books ~ Book Club Madam ~ Blogger Gal

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Thursday Rambles

Here's some of the bad and good stuff that's been going on lately ...
  • I'm sad to report that we are now dog-less. We had to put our 11 year old dog, Jasmine, down on Friday (3/19/10). She was not in the best of health and she spent that day having continual seizures. It was a hard day for all of us. We've decided not to get another dog, at least for the present. Jasmine's death comes two years after the death of our other dog, Dopey, from cancer at age 9. This is the first time Hubby and I haven't had a dog together since we've been married, and Kiddo has never been without one. (And is it just me, or has there been a spate of bloggers losing dogs lately?)

  • Kiddo had another endoscopy on Tuesday (3/23/10). The procedure went well, no complications. We'll get the results late next week - that will let us know whether he can continue to eat eggs or whether they are causing problems in his esophagus. (For those who are new here, you can get overview of Kiddo's disease at this link.)

  • Kiddo's doctor did find a problem though - he has a stomach ulcer. This makes no sense (to us or to the dr) because he is already on such a high dose of antacid - more than most adults are prescribed - that there is no way an ulcer should develop. So they did a biopsy of that as well, and we'll get those results along with the others late next week.

  • On a lighter note, I am ridiculously excited by the box that arrived today - in it is my copy of 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, the revised edition, which just came out this month. The book is more than 3 inches thick and has almost 1,000 pages. I can't wait to browse around inside and see why specific books are included on the list. My first task is to read the segments that pertain to all the books I've already read, then I'll check out books that I should read in the future.

  • In other bookish news, I started reading Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show last night and I really like it. I only read a few chapters before I forced myself to turn off the light, but I can tell already that it will be a struggle to put it down each evening.

  • I'm still struggling through Black Hills. I put this book aside for over three weeks but I do want to finish it so I can discuss it via Skype with a few bloggy buddies. There are parts of the book that are amazingly beautiful and (more) parts that are incredibly tedious. I'm trying to read a few pages each day but it doesn't seem like I'm getting any closer to the end.

  • Yesterday was Grandparents Day at Kiddo's school. All four of his grandparents were able to attend - they sort of overwhelmed the classroom, considering that most of the kids didn't have any grandparents with them, and the others only had one each. Luckily Kiddo's grandparents don't mind being shared. They all had a great time!

  • I found a spare calendar in my office that has a "tea" theme. Each day there is a tidbit of info about tea and I'm finding it fascinating. If you follow me on Twitter (I'm @Age30Books) or Facebook you may have noticed that I've been posting some of these tidbits there.

  • Several TV shows I watch are coming back from their mid-season break soon. What does it say about these shows when I can't seem to care whether or not they come back at all? Sad.

  • Next month my book club is meeting at a tea house to discuss Three Cups of Tea. I've heard mixed reviews about the book so I'm not sure what to expect but I'm REALLY excited about the place we're meeting.

  • Why is is that blogger.com's spellcheck tool doesn't recognize "blogger" as a word?

That's about it for my update. How is life treating all of you, my lovely readers?

20 comments:

Jenn's Bookshelves said...

Oh Heather, I'm so sorry to hear about Jasmine. Dogs are like family members, so you have my sympathy :(.

Yikes about Kiddo's ulcer. Is it possible that it's hereditary, and not caused by acid in his stomach?

Suey said...

So sad about your dog... and yes it seems there's lots of sad dog stories out there suddenly.

And the things you have to deal with with Kiddo and how you all hold up continues to amaze me.

I guess I'm going to have to read that Traveling Show book after all! :)

And yes!!! Why is it that Blogger doesn't put blogger on it's spell check? I've wondered that over and over and over!

Erika Robuck said...

I hope they get Kiddo's ulcer figured out easily and soon! Hang in there!

bermudaonion said...

I'm so sorry to hear about Jasmine. I know it's got to be heartbreaking. Our dog is 14 years old and had a rough day last Saturday and it just tore us up.

Ti said...

So sorry about Jasmine. The loss of a friend is just so hard.

Good luck with the biopsy results. I had one myself. Seems like Kiddo and I walk the same line as far as health stuff. Still waiting for my results.

Allie said...

It is so hard to lose a pet. My family lost our last lab to cancer and it was so hard. My mom didn't want another dog, but my dad begged, so that's how they got Sadie. Dogs are more than just pets. they're best friends.

I keep meaning to get a copy of "1001 Books" but it just keeps slipping my mind when I go book shopping. I really want to work my way through it, but they keep changing it!

Good luck with the biopsy results as well. Waiting can be tough.


I just wanted to say thank you for your wonderful comment! Sometimes I wonder if anyone bothers to read, but your comment made my day. Thank you! :) I love your blog as well! It is nice to find bloggers who also read a variety!

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours said...

Jenn – Thanks for the sympathy, it’s much appreciated. On the ulcer, it’s likely not hereditary but who knows? He’s had endoscopies every few months for years, and this is the first ulcer that they’ve even found …

Suey – I’m glad someone else has noticed the dying-dog trend – it’s quite sad. Thanks for the Kiddo comments – we do what we have to do, and try to keep smiling. :) And I’m glad I’m not the only one who scratches my head in confusion over Blogger’s spellchecker …

Erika – Thanks!

Bermudaonion – Oh, I hope your dog is feeling better …

Ti – Yeah, you and Kiddo definitely have a LOT in common health-wise. I’m so sorry! ~LOL~

Allie – I know what you mean about the book list changing, but I figured the 2010 edition SHOULD last me for a while … :) And you are quite welcome – I too love finding bloggers who read a wide variety. Your blog is a treasure!

Jill said...

Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. That is so hard. And yes, it does seem like a lot of bloggers have been going through that lately, sadly. I hope you can get to the bottom of Kiddo's issues and get them all sorted out. I thought that ulcers could be caused by a bacterium? Or would antacids nullify that? Anyway, I hope it gets sorted out soon. Hugs!

Helen's Book Blog said...

I hope Kiddo's results all come back with good news. And, so sorry to hear about your dog. I fought getting a dog and now can't imagine life without him.

I enjoyed Three Cups of Tea once he got past the mountain climbing part. My book group is reading the second book this month.

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours said...

Darla D - A bacterium COULD be the issue according to the dr - we'll find out next week.

Helen - Thanks for the input - how are you liking book 2?

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Heather sorry about losing another pet; that is always so hard. I hope your child is okay too,

Helen's Book Blog said...

I haven't started Stones into Schools yet, but I've heard good things about it.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. And bummer about Kiddo's ulcer...although I'm sure it probably doesn't even phase him.

I struggled with 3 Cups of Tea...I thought it was poorly written. It's hard to not like a book when topic of the book is doing such good things.

Booksnyc said...

wow - what a tough week - I know its hard to lose a pet and especially when you are dealing with your son's health issues. I hope you get an answer on the ulcer soon.

I finally read 3 Cups of Tea a few months ago and really liked it - Greg's story is compelling. I just Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show and loved it - glad you are liking it so far.

Alyce said...

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog, and about your son's ulcer. I hope they can figure out what's going on and get it fixed soon.

I thought it was fun that you're learning tea facts and read 3 Cups of Tea. :)

I go back and forth about reading the 1001 books to read before you die because I know I'm going to be overwhelmed by it. But then again it is so fun to see which books make top lists like that.

Jennifer Schultz said...

So sorry to hear about your dog; I know how that goes. And your son's ulcer-uggh. Will be in my prayers!

Just to make your life more complicated-there's also 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. It's fairly new-published in the middle of
2009, I believe-and it's a great mix of classics, contemporary books, books from other countries, and obscure titles.

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours said...

Diane - Thanks!

Helen M - Good to know.

softdrink - You're right, it DOESN'T phase him at all. Gotta love that kid!

Booksync - Glad to know you enjoyed both books!

Alyce - Huh, good point about the 2 tea things, I hadn't even noticed that. :)

Jennifer - I think I can safely avoid that other list since I'm not a huge children's book fan. Phew! I'd be overwhelmed with ANOTHER list like that. LOL And thanks for the prayers, they are MUCH appreciated.

Dreamybee said...

I'm so sorry about Jasmine (and Dopey too). I hope everybody is adjusting.

Sorry to hear about Kiddo's latest results, but hopefully it will be easy to treat.

That's great that Kiddo was able to have all of his grandparents with him at school and that he had enough to go around!

I am jealous of your book club locale! I hope you enjoy the book.

Lisa said...

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. There does seem to be a high number of bloggers that have had to say goodbye to beloved dogs lately. What a lucky guy Kiddo is to have all four of his grandparents live close enough and be willing to attend Grandparents Day!

Kristi said...

So sorry to hear about your dog - my condolences. Sending lots of good thoughts your way for good test results for your Kiddo!

I think that it is fantastic that all four grandparents were able to make it to Grandparents Day - your son must feel very loved.

I haven't read Three Cups of Tea yet, but it has been on my wishlist for some time. Would love to hear what you think.

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